The Immeasurable Wilds: Travellers to the Far North of Scotland

To Tongue by Tricycle: Nauticus in Scotland.

In these days of lightwight bicycles, the tricycle is not a favourite means of transport. Inevitably, it would be a heavy machine, especially so in the late 19th century, and therefore even less suited to  a tour in the wilds of Scotland than the two-wheeled relative. Indeed, Nauticus (we never learn his real name) was warned early on that the hills of the west coast would be too steep and frequent for him to manage. Mercifuuly for us, he ignored this advice, and cramming his machine now and then onto ferries of various sizes, he managed a lengthy tour of 2,446 miles, which took him to Skye, and to the far north coast. His account is worth summarising, for it shows admirable courage and determination, as well as ingenuity in keeping the machine on the road.

Nauticus goes into some detail in the book regarding what tricycle is best for such an expedition. He states that his original 'Chummy' model was too old for this arduous planned trip, and that he had obtained "a new steed in the shape of a 'Cheylesmore' made by the Coventry Machinists Co. This firm was founded in 1859, and began by selling sewing machines. From 1869 their catalogue included various velocipedes, bicycles, tricycles and quadricycles. The firm eventually became part of the Swift Cycle Co., which was the second largest in the UK.

The Cheylemore had two 48" front wheels, with a 15" wheel behind. It had stirrup handle steering. One sold at auction recently for £4,400 plus premium.

Nauticus had had his Cheylesmore strengthened for the tour, but he quickly realised that it was too heavy, and he ordered a new ordinary weight version of the same model, which he would collect from Crieff station. It was supposed to be there by the 13th July (1882).

The Tour Begins.

Nauticus met up with his friend, Mr. P.... at Kings Cross station on June 3rd. His colleague was going to use a bicycle, and Nauticus found that his Cheylesmore had arrived safely by 'goods'. They set off together from Newcastle on June 4th.

The early part of the tour saw them visit the Lowlands of Scotland, then heading west to Glasgow and on up through Stirling, Aberfeldy, Brechin as far north as Stonehaven before heading back south, arriving at Crieff on July 8th. They had already done, by this time, 823 miles in 26 days, with a week's rest in the middle.

Nauticus confessed in a section titled "Bicycle v. Tricycle" that his faith in the Cheylemore was "rather shaken by the admirable way in which P. has handled his Bicycle."P. went faster, had less trouble in cleaning and stowing away his machine, and yet with his iron framework, he was able to carry almost as much as the Tricycle could manage." To be fair, though, Nauticus was somewhat hampered after he had let a boy play about with his his Cheylesmore when they first stayed at Crieff. "He ran it backwards and forwards, making the left wheel the pivot in turning it, and when I came to examine the machine I found the whole of the tyre on the left wheel loose. This damage was irreparable, because nearly all the composition had been wrenched out, and none could be procured in Crieff." So began Nauticus's struggle to keep his machine roadworthy.

Knowing that P. would not be available for the whole tour, Nauticus had advertised in The Cyclist magazine for a companion, and a Mr T.... had shown enthusiasm for accompanying him, suggesting meeting at Perth on July 15th. In the meantime, N. had heard that his new Cheylesmore would not be arriving until the 20th, and when he then heard that T. had arrived at Perth, but without his tricycle for the present, it was agrred that Nauticus would set off on his own, on his old machine, and T. would catch up with him by train later. So began his epic journey to the far north west....

Solitary Struggles.

He soon found that his tyre, when playing "fast and loose" had caused the crank gear to get out of order. "Constant friction had caused the right cog wheel to revolve loosely on the crank shaft, thus giving it play to cant and jam, which greatly increased the labour of driving." At Blair Athol, he made the first of several visits to blacksmiths to see what they would make of his problem. This farrier was most obliging, and constructed a zinc washer that made the wheel revolve more truly. The last thing he wanted was extra labour, for on the way to Dalwhinnie, he had to "contend with a constant incline, and a strong head wind, while the dismal solitude and a searching shower made [him] pretty miserable. Altogether, it seemed the longest fourteen miles [he] had ever cycled."

Near Loch Laggan he stopped at what he took to be an Inn, demanding of the lassie he assumed to be the maid some tea. How long would it take, he asked? "Half an Hour," he was told."Oh come!" he replied. "I can't wait so long as that. Look alive, I'm in a hurry!" He was suitably mortified when the 'matron' appeared and informed him that he was in a private houe. They took pity on him and gave him some delicious milk. He was not alone in making such a mistake - John MacCulloch did the same when he was on Eigg.

Nauticus visited Glen Roy, where he admired the famous parallel roads. At that time, it was known that they had been created by water action, but it was not known whether this was evidence of raised beaches caused by the action of the sea as the land rose, or whether they had been caused by a pent-up loch which released itself in stages (it is now thought that the later model is correct).

Constant cloud on the summit prevented him from climbing Ben Nevis, and he thought Fort William "had an air of gloom." At Invergary Inn, "All the inhabitants turned out to see me start, a tricycle never having been seen here before." There was still no sign of Mr. T.....

Over the Sea.....

From Glen Shiel, Nauticus intended to head for Skye. The locals assured him that he would be unable to cross Mam Rattachan, so steep was the road. However, carrying his tricycle most of the way, he made it over the pass, and enjoyed nearly six miles of descent, in which he rarely had to put his foot on the pedal. It was not, however without its excitement, for on one side was a vertical wall, and on the other 500 feet of sheer drop, with no protective parapet on the side of the road.

On the ferry from Kyle Rhea, he was thankul for a smooth crossing over to Skye. However, on landing, and heading for Broadford, he was alarmed to discover that his way led over a hill steeper still than that over Mam Rattachan. He calculated the angle was 70 degrees. However, he was determined to prove wrong those who had advised him that it was impossible, and "grasping the backbone near the little wheel with my right hand, and the frame with my left, I put my shoulder under the saddle, and hove, hove, hove, gaining a foot or so at a time, until after frequent spells I at length succeeded in surmounting this extraordinary bit of road."

His descent down Bein na Caillach was done at "railway speed", caught as he was by gusts of wind from behind. He dared not put too much pressure on the brake for fear that "the invalid tyre should pucker up, and cause us to take a double somersault into the yawning abyss..."

Later on Skye, he was actually pushed backwards by the wind. On his way to Quirang, he raced a dog-cart, and won, though the effort made his tyre loose all the way round again.

Nauticus was all too aware of the poverty he could see on Skye. He noticed bothies that were  "very roughly protected from the weather, some only by turf roofs, these being secured by the remains of nets or fibres weighted with stones. Many had no chimneys, and the smoke streaming through every crevice gave them the appearance of being on fire." At Staffin Bay, "the miserable state of the bothies, and the scanty dress of the people spoke of dire poverty, but in spite of this, they all appeared cheery and well-disposed."

Like other earlier travellers, he found he could not rely on local information regarding directions or estimations of distance. He was told that the distance from Dunvegan to Sligachan was 9 miles. He planned his day accordingly, only to discover to his horror at Dunvegan that he had 24, not 9 miles ahead of him to Sligachan! He was equally horrified to be charged 3/- for a cup of tea at Dunvegan. 

He managed to see the famous Loch Coruisk on Skye, a view worthy even of a Turner watercolour. However, Nauticus thought he would have had a better view of it from below. 

At last he received a message from Mr. T. "Am taken ill suddenly: must return to Inverness. Leave word of your movements. Hope to join you later on." The realisation that he was going to have to do the entire trip on his own may well have begun to dawn on Nauticus at that moment.

Back to the Mainland.

Nauticus returned to the mainland, and at Strome Ferry, noticed that his tricycle was in a very bad way. But he happened to overhear someone say that there was a similar one at the station. He rushed there, hoping it was his new one, and on discovering it was, "in spite of my somewhat mature age, I felt inclined to dance a fandango with delight." 

It was to solve all his problems, except he discovered that the manufacturers had supplied standard handlebars, even though he had ordered extra long ones, so he had to put the ones from his old machine onto the new one. Of course they wouldn't fit on exactly, so it entailed another trip to the blacksmith, who made him a leather washer. But worse was to follow.....

He had not been on his new Cheylesmore for more than half an hour, when CRASH...., he found himself plummeting down a slope in an effort to avoid an old lady as she came round a corner. She tottered off, having satisfied herself that Nauticus was not dead, leaving him to pick himself up and assess the damage. His right front wheel was "doubled-up into a figure that would have puzzled the keenest mathematician." With the greatest of difficulty, he returned to Strome Ferry with the new but buckled wheel and swopped it for the old one which was mercifully still there.

Of course, it would not fit exactly, so back he had to go to the Strome Ferry blacksmith, who sorted out the problem as best he could. Meanwhile, Nauticus sent a message to Coventry asking them to send a new front wheel to Auchnasheen station. Later, he had to add to this order, demanding proper cogs as they had sent him ones geared for speed, rather than equal as ordered.

All of this might have persuaded some made of less positive stuff to end the trip at this point, but Nauticus was nothing if not of a positive disposition. On he went, consoling himself with the thought that the accident could have been far worse, for the bank he fell down was much steeper in places.

He was soon rejoicing in the road to Jean Town, "a splendid bit of road", but at Auchnasheen he came across more confusing directions. He passed a milestone that said "10 Auch." He was thinking that he was 5 miles from Auchnasheen. Was it really 10? At this point he came upon some houses, and discovered that he was actually in Auchnasheen! Apparently the milestone indicated that it was 10 miles from Auchnasheen to Auchanalt. Still, he was not impressed with Auchnasheen: "Auchnasheen is a shade or two more melancholy than Dalwhinnie, which is saying a good deal."

From Auchnasheen he visited Loch Maree, but endured a difficult return journey in driving rain, going from hotel to hotel, finding each one full. Eventually he ended up back at Auchnasheen where he found a bed at 01.00.

The New Wheel Arrives.

Next day, he found that the wheel and the cogs had arrived at Auchnasheen station. He put the wheel on, but it would not fit precisely, and he realised he needed another blacksmith's help for some final adjustments. He set off cautiously, but on seeing that a crowd has gathered to witness his departure, he decided that he must impress them, and began to gather speed, when "Tableau! and Nauticus was to be seen on the broad of his back in the middle of the road, with his tricycle on top of him!"

It transpired that he had put the pinion wheel on upside down. Eventually, and not without difficulty, he reached Garve, where the blacksmith took one look at the machine and said he wouldn't touch it - "I know nothing about them things."

Nauticus asked if he could at least borrow the blacksmith's tools, and eventually, between them, they managed to patch it up, though it had clearly suffered some serious damage. To add to his woes, Nauticus found that the hotels were  full, and he ended up in a small cottage where he found, thankfully,  generous hospitality.

On leaving Garve, he made slow going into a strong headwind.....

....accompanied for 1 mile by a Highland laddie, who was not impressed: "Hoot man, I didna think meikle o' that!"

Nauticus found the road by Loch Duin "execrable", but was delighted to find that he had beaten the regular coach time from Garve to Ullapool by 15 minutes. Heading further north, he was disappointed with his views of Suilven, and he visited Traligill, near Inchnadamph, without realising the geological significance of the site (there is a distinctive thrust plane there. Nauticus's journey was being made just as the Highlands Controversy was reaching its climax). At the church in Inchnadamph, he enjoyed an impassioned service without understanding a word, it being conducted in Gaelic.

Echoing the observations of Thomas Pennant some 100 years earlier, Nauticus described the landscape around Loch Assynt as "a chaos of elevations heaped about in endless confusion, as though there had been a general scrimmage", and he quotes John Knox when he states that "Sutherland is a county where no man who cannot climb like a goat and jump like a grasshopper should attempt to travel." Certainly, he frequently found himself having to push his tricycle up hills in the district, but he again raced, and outstripped another coach.

Checking in to the Durness Hotel ahead of the coach party, he then hailed the ferry in order to visit the Cape Wrath peninsular. The ferryman was worried that his boat was too small for the rider and tricycle (there are dangerous riptides in the Kyle of Durness), but Nauticus persuaded him to give it a go, and they arrived safely on the opposite shore.

At Cape Wrath, he spoke to the lighthouse keeper, and later his wife who confided that "having lately come from a popular district, she felt the loneliness of the situation extremely, and that the difficulty of educating and employing the children was a serious consideration." Certainly, they could hardly be in a more isolated place than at Cape Wrath.

Heading East to John o' Groats.

Whilst at Durness, Nauticus visted Smoo Cave, but was not prepared to part with 10/- to gain access to the inner cave by boat. He suggests there is a "rich harvest of fossils" in the limestone there, but my knowledge of the Highlands Controversy suggests they were few and far between at Durness.

At Laxford, more adjustments were needed to his Cheylesmore, and he astonished a resident by asking to borrow her fire tongs so that he could carry out the required work.

Having headed south to Crask, he then returned to Tongue via Altnaharra, congratulating some roadmenders as he passed on the state of the road which he compared to "one of the Kensington Garden Walks." Still exploring this area, he crossed the Kyle of Tongue on the rather inefficient ferry, and continued over the Moine, sheltering for a while in the house that the Duke of Sutherland had erected for the benefit of travellers. Turning left before the chain ferry at Loch Hope, he returned to Altnaharra, stopping to admire the Broch, Dun Dornadilla on the way. 

The next day he proceeded to Betty Hill, where his tricycle needed more attention from a blacksmith, and he then proceeded on to John o Groats, where we will leave him as he prepared to return south down the east coast.

Concluding Remarks.

One can only admire Nauticus for his courage and determination on what was a remarkable tour accomplished over a period of some 70 days.

In his concluding remarks, he praises the "excellent roads" of Scotland, and states that "nearly all the Scotch inns [are] comfortable and moderate."

He ends with plenty of advice and encouragement for the propective cyclist; what machine to use, how to pedal (don't apply pressure to the rising treadle), maintenance ("Trust no one!"), and what equipment and clothing to take. Also useful riding tips like "Never fly down a hill at top speed, for nearly all cycling accidents are due to recklessness...If the brake is put on hard suddenly, a somersault will be the result."

I dare say that cycling today is a completely different experience, even if the weather problems are similar. I think any keen cyclist would enjoy, and take comfort from Nauticus's full account of his tour of Scotland.