RogueRunners '23 - Day 4

 A mostly good day.

Yesterday ended with investigating the braking issue on one of the cars which led to the discovery that the brakes were OK, but the wheel bearing was destroyed allowing the wheel rim to move about an inch.

There was nothing we could do apout that in a hotel car park car was moved to a local garage 1/4 mile away where I was pleased to see an MGB up on a ramp firstly because it indicated the guy was a proper mechanic, secondly because that was another MGB that wouldn't be holding us up. We kept out fingers crossed for the guy fixing it because it's a VERY long way home on a lorry.

So Robert came in the Stylus with me & we set off on a short route out to Applecross as it was now quite late. There were some "issues" going round Loch Ness. The car ahead of us just sat at a junction while all sorts of lorries, vans & a coach got ahead of us.

At one point the coach slowed to a crawl so the people could take pictures of Loch Ness, there was a chevroned area, but it didn't use it, just sat in the road in our way at a walking pace.

One of us did manage to get past which left me behind it, at Castle Urquart there was wide are it could've used to allow us past, but again, the highway code was ignored. Then it slowed, moved towards the kerb & I thought the driver was at last letting us through so moved to overtake - there were road works & traffic lights! But the gods of blatting were smiling on us & I'd only got as far as "Oh Fu..." when the lights went green & I was able to pass the coach easily.

We re-grouped on the wide smooth road heading west, occasionally stopping for photos, the Stylus was occasionally grounding with the extra weight, so I sat with the Elises at the re-fuel stop & while tinkering I found the vacuum hose to the MAF sensor had come adrift while I was rummaging in the engine bay on the way north yesterday.

Re-attaching that stopped the rough idle & the popping on over-run, so it was a more serine ride up to the Applecross Pass road, where we had one of the best runs up & down that we've ever had, traffic wasn't too bad, there was no cloud at the top & apart from someone taking a very large camper up the far side as we were going down (signs warn you against attempting this) we had no hold ups going down.

The car park & pub at the coast was mobbed, so we drove north up the wonderfully undulating road round to Shieldag which was still pretty busy, but we were able to get coffee & cake in the little cafe overlooking the island & after a chat & some photos we headed back along the A road east. It's a again a lovely wide twisting ribbon of tarmac, recently re-surfaced (in white, which was weird).

The only problem came towards the end when six cars going east just fitted in a passing place, but five campers & a car going west tried to get past at the same time, completely blocking the road.

The rumble back to the hotel was very enjoyable & we all got refreshed as were we planning on an evening out in Inverness with Pam a good friend of mine who's a local.

However, the local taxi wasn't answering the phone, apparently the Inverness taxis charge both ways for both trips meaning a bill of about £120 & the last train back was too early. So instead we went into Beauly & had a very nice meal, in a hotel Pam suggested.