Having arrived in Stornoway on Hebridean Way Day 7, there was an early start to the ferry port, on a damp morning, at the start of Hebridean Way Day 8, our final day of cycling on the tour.

We boarded the early morning ferry for Ullapool.

Then settled back for the two-hour journey.

Finally, we were back on the mainland.

We joined the A835 and set off for our cycle ride to Inverness.

Thankfully, the weather had bucked up. Crucially, the wind factor had dropped significantly.

There were some fine cycling views as we made our way along the side of Loch Broom.

We continued following the A835 as it tracked the valley created by the River Broom.

Approximately 10 miles into our journey we came across Lael Crafts Gallery.

They served coffee here, so it was good to take a break.

Afterwards, we set off to tackle the major climb of the day.

Now following the path of Abhainn Droma, this essentially took us up the side of Meall Doire Faid and Meall Leacachain

It began steeply, but eased off and became a long steady drag.

Once at the top of the climb we passed Loch Droma.

Then Loch Glascarnoch.

It was overcast on top of the hill, however, the rugged landscape made for some picturesque cycling.

At the end of the loch, we cycled alongside Glosgarnoch River which then became Black Water. What followed was a fantastic steady downhill road for the next 10 miles.

The road just kept on giving …

And giving …

Indeed, we cycled past Garve Rail station. Having struggled for most of the week, Mike had bought a rail ticket to Inverness starting from here. However, today he felt better, so he continued cycling with us.

A little further on from Garve we came to Tarvies Cafe & Gift Shop.

We arrived just before it closed, and were grateful we were able to refuel.

At the 40-mile mark, we detoured off the A835 and crossed the River Conon on our way to Marybank.

Then continued on through Muir of Ord.

Just after Muir of Ord, we began a little bit of off-road cycling.

Mike loved this … not a lot!

The track eventually brought us out onto the A832.

Turning off the A832, we followed a lane down to Milton of Redcastle, and the waterfront of the Beauly Firth.

Then continued to hug the firths waterside for the next 5 miles.

We cycled through Charlestown and North Kessock where we picked up the A9 and crossed the Kessock Bridge into Inverness.

Finally, we weaved our way through Inverness.

We were staying at Millburn Apartments. It had been a long day of cycling, so we were glad for a little rest.

In the evening, we walked over to Aspendos Restaurant for an evening meal. The food was excellent. However, we were all too tired to fully appreciate it!

We cycled 58 miles today upon reaching Inverness. All that was left was to catch the train home the following morning (for which that is a story in itself for another day!).

This now completed our Hebridean Way cycling. It had proved to be a challenging tour but nonetheless with the rugged scenery, the heritage and the culture it had also been a memorable and fantastic tour. It had indeed been the trip of a lifetime.

You can view our Hebridean Way Day 8 route from Ullapool to Inverness below: