Our epic tour of the Scottish Highlands began at Newton Abbot station for the five of us who live in Buckfastleigh. We met at the station at 16:50 and boarded the 17:12 train to London Paddington. When we arrived Michael took some video shots of the group on the station, but we didn't have much time to hang around.

Next we took the underground trains to Euston where we needed to board the 21:33 sleeper train to Fort William, only the second time we have ever used the Sleeper service on our tours. We were supposed to be able to get settled in from 20:30, but the train was delayed and still wasn't even on the platform by 21:15. We passed the time eating a Burger King and running down the up escalator and up the down one.

Eventually the train arrived. Julian and Dominic were saving money (perhaps foolishly) by not booking a sleeping berth, so they settled into their ordinary train seats to try to get some kind of sleep during the journey. The rest of us piled into two adjacent double bunks with a connecting door. Andrew joined the train at Crewe at 23:59 and was looked after by Luke.

The train sailed up to Scotland overnight and whilst we all got a little sleep, it was definitely not a good sleep.

(No notes have yet been found for today's ride, so this report was written from memory in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)

Whenever the train stopped at a station there was always a certain amount of banging and noise going on around the platform. And at Carstairs, where the train divided, there were several jolts as the two halves of the train were separated. At least those of us in bunks got a little more sleep (or at least rest) than those in the chairs.

This morning we were awoken by the cabin staff and given our Sleeper Train breakfasts to enjoy in bed - we chose from a menu last night. We were able to enjoy views of the remote Rannoch Moor from our cabin windows. We had plenty of time to get ourselves ready before the train pulled in to Fort William station at 09:43.

Once we had loaded panniers on bikes we rode the short distance through the underpass to Fort William town, where our first port of call was the Nevisport outdoor shop. They had a great range of GoreTex jackets and camping gear, but Luke was more interested in their sunglasses - he said he needed them for home, as he doesn't have any.

Next stop was the supermarket in the town where we stocked up with lunch and supper and as many snack bars as we could carry in preparation for our walk up Ben Nevis. We then rode the three miles up Glen Nevis to the youth hostel, where we left our bikes, put on the best clothes and footwear we had for walking, and set off up the path that starts from just opposite the hostel at about 1pm.

We were fortunate to have lovely weather just when we needed it - there was a little cloud, but plenty of sunny spells, and the top of the mountain appeared to be cloud free when we set off. Julian was not intending to climb to the top for some reason, but the rest of us hoped to, although on every previous attempt over the years we have had to stop when we hit low cloud.

The views started opening out perfectly as we climbed up, and when we reached the Halfway Lake we felt we had really achieved something even if we didn't get much further. It was looking a bit cloudier now, but after some discussion Julian and Dominic decided to head back to the hostel while the rest of us said we would try going a little further in the hope that the cloud would lift.

Well as the remaining four of us continued up the path, the cloud did seem to lift, and we were able to just keep climbing higher and higher, with even more spectacular views opening up for us. Soon we were past the highest point we had ever reached on the tours and still we were able to continue. Dare we hope that this year, finally, we might reach the top?

After several more hairpin bends the terrain became rockier and almost alien. Then we found a large patch of snow not far from the path - in the middle of August! We couldn't resist playing on it for a while, throwing snowballs and doing some impromptu "trainer skating".

A little further up we found a steep drop-off to the left not far from the path with snow all around it. Gavin wanted to film it as carefully as possible, as it really was very dangerous and yet also spectacular. Still the climb went on, but now we were sure we would reach the top.

And sure enough, by about 5pm we finally reached the summit, the first South Dartmoor tour ever to do so. It had taken us four hours to climb to the top, a total distance of 4.3 miles, and we were on the highest land in the UK, 1345m above sea level. It really was an exceptional achievement, especially considering we didn't have the best footwear for the job. We were tired and a bit sore, but it had all been worthwhile for this feeling of standing on the summit of Ben Nevis. We took several video clips of each of us on the top and savoured the moment.

Now of course we had to do the descent, and that proved not as easy as it sounded. We took some shortcuts where many walkers over the years and skipped some of the main path hairpins, but it was hard not to fall over and it was painful on the knees and legs, especially for Gavin and Michael. Gavin had blisters and had fallen over twice in the first part of the descent, but it was nevertheless a lot of fun.

The cloud lifted from time to time during the descent to give us opportunity to sit down, rest and enjoy the unparalleled views one last time. When we finally got back to the hostel - another 4.3 miles - it was around 8pm and we now all had sored legs and sore feet. But what an achievement! If Julian and Dominic were at all envious, they didn't show it!

We finished our day with a late shower and the preparation of our own evening meals in the well-equipped and spacious self-catering kitchen at the hostel.

(No notes have yet been found for today's ride, so this report was written from memory in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)

Today was one of the longest rides of the tour, so we left fairly early on a rather wet morning. We didn't stop until we reached Spean Bridge, where the Woollen Mill had a superb cafe where we bought coffees and other refreshments. We weren't so interested in the many woollen items for sale in the shop.

While we were in Spean Bridge we visited the local shops to stock up with milk, bread and other items for our evening meal tonight and also lunch. We also stopped to look at the Commando Memorial as we left the town, one of Scotland's best-known monuments, unveiled by the Queen Mother in 1952 and dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II.

Our ride then continued at speed along the banks of Loch Lochy and on to Loch Oich, where we found a car park overlooking the loch that actually had a picnic table, making it the perfect lunch spot. Julian thought the table looked like there had been a Chimps' Tea Party as we left, and did a great Chimp impression for the camera.

At Invergarry we headed west along Loch Garry, stopping to see the superb views at the Glen Garry Viewpoint West. Within a couple of miles we were at the Loch Loyne Viewpoint, 35.4 miles into the ride, offering more views of the unspoiled Scottish scenery.

We headed west at Bun Loyne to cover the final 27 miles to the coast, and this was the hardest part of the day. Gavin was quite tired by the time we reached the western end of Loch Cluanie and took a break by the loch to admire the desolate scenery. As he said on the video, we hadn't seen a house for nearly 10 miles.

It was with great relief that we finally reached Ratagan Youth Hostel on the banks of Loch Duich. This was the club's first ever visit to this hostel, as we usually head out along the Road to the Isles to the Isle of Skye. It was a nice hostel set in beautiful scenery and we all thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.

(No notes have yet been found for today's ride, so this report was written from memory in 2021. Please let Michael know if you remember any other details from the ride)