This is the real blog for today - did yesterday's earlier. Now I am in Applecross, but first let me finish the Skye account: This morning I woke up really early, so had an early shower and fired up the bike about 5.15 am. I was heading out over the hill from the campsite, about 50 miles an hour went what I thought was a 'roo ran out in fron t of me. My brain was wrestling at that tiome of the morning with the conmcept of a 'roo in Scotland, but I managed to forget about animal identification and concentrate on animal avoidance successfully and in the process realized it was, of course a young deer. Woke me up though! sorry I didn't get a pic for you!

i really wanted breakfast, but nothing was open, so decided to do a lap of part of Skye. It's a magnificent place and would be great to spend a week or two on. No time for that now though, so i proceeded on my tour and folloed a road out to a place called sleat, until in went through a gate with stock warning sign and turned to dirt. Unperturbed i soldiered on going anothe couple of miles until it started to get too steep for my little road bike, so very carefully i turned and went back to the gate. Who should I meet in the adjoining farmyard but Duncan, the champion shearer! We exchanged greetings and they got the sheep in. i know the lady at immigration told me I couldn't work in UK, so I just shore a couple of 'recreational' sheep (that's all I ever do now, have you noticed?), they kicked me around a bit as motorcycle pants and boots don't have much grip on a sheep, but i didn't disgrace Australia too bad.

from Skye this morning I took off towards Applecross, from where i write this, via 'Scotland's highest road'. Not sure about the title but it has warnigns for learner drivers etc at each end and does require some concentration. A beautiful ride on a bike in this perfect weather though. applecross is a little seaside village in and idyllic setting and from where i will now head north around the coast. i promise i'll try not to shear any more sheep - although i feel comfortable smelling like one again!