 Photo by Martin Magnemyr on Unsplash The first bicycle was invented back in 1817, so humans managed to go the best part of 200 years using them before smart phones and their fancy apps came along. That doesn’t mean there isn’t value in using a smartphone to enhance your riding experience, in fact, it has become incredibly popular among cyclists over the last few years. This is especially true if you’re planning a long-distance ride that is likely to span several days and require you to stop off in multiple places along the way. So if you’re planning a big trip on two wheels, consider loading up your phone with some of these apps. Route Planning Navigation is one of the top uses for smartphones, not even just among cyclists. Pretty much everyone will have used Google Maps and for good reason as it is a great all-rounder navigation app. It even offers cycling-specific directions which can come in handy when getting around in towns and cities. However, it may not always be the best option for when you’re planning a long-distance route. Instead, you might want to consider Komoot, Bikemap, and Bike Citizens. They all offer more bike-focused information and can better prioritise routes that are cycle-friendly. Komoot even includes information like the surface of the route you’ve planned so you know whether it is going to be suitable for your bike before you even get there. Of course, if you really love using old-fashioned paper maps, a digital backup may still come in handy in case you get lost. Entertainment Sure, you won’t need any entertainment while you’re riding, but you will for when you’re spending your evenings in your hotel or campsite. This is where your smartphone really shines as it’s packed with a plethora of options, including music, movies, books, and podcasts. Provided you can get an internet signal, apps like Netflix and Spotify are great for streaming content that you probably won’t be able to get on your hotel’s television. The mobile gaming experience has also come on leaps and bounds over the last few years, particularly games that pay you real money. The variety and quality of smartphone games have increased dramatically. In addition to the hundreds of thousands of casual titles like Angry Birds and Farmville, AAA brands like Call of Duty, Forza, and Fortnite have also made it onto iOS and Android. Online casinos are also a popular option thanks to their extensive selection of options, including multiple variants of classic table games and thousands of video slots. Innovation in slot gaming has led to the creation of the unique Megaways mechanic which varies the number and order of symbols on each reel to increase the number of paylines which adds variety and excitement to these games. With so many options, entertainment during your time off the bike is covered, no matter what you enjoy.  Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash Safety
Cycling is very safe, but it’s always a good idea to take precautions. After all, you don’t intend on falling off your bike, but you still wear a helmet, just in case. Mobile apps can help improve your safety while you ride in several key ways. The amusingly-named Fill That Hole is an app that lets you report potholes in roads that could cause a danger to cyclists. It also lets you see where other users have reported them so you can be on the lookout. Another great app is Flare, a personal safety app designed for people engaging in various outdoor activities, including cycling. It detects if you’ve been involved in a fall or an accident by using your phone’s accelerometer. If you don’t respond or move within 30 seconds of the app detecting an incident, it will automatically send your location to a list of pre-defined emergency contacts. There’s also an SOS feature so you can alert other users and/or your emergency contacts. The precision location app what3words is also a handy app for cyclists to have as it allows you to find very specific places that most normal navigation tools can’t pinpoint, but it also gives you the ability to give rescuers better information so they can find you in an emergency. Many UK police, ambulance, and fire services are implementing what3words so that you can give your three-world address to call handlers so they can find you.
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This route will take you from Cawdor Castle to Ardersier and Fort George. It's a straightforward 7 mile ride.
Highlights include:
White Bridge
White Bridge crossing the River Nairn, near Cawdor Castle
This hump-backed bridge is a 10 minute ride from Cawdor Castle. The B9090 road used to cross it, but there's a new bridge now. You can make a short diversion off the B9090 to get to the old bridge. It's called White Bridge and was built around 1754.
There are plenty of old bridges like this in Scotland, but I never tire of discovering them. I went down to the river bank and stepped on stones to reach the island of pebbles. From here I had a close up view of the bridge and enjoyed the sound of flowing water. Loch Flemington
Loch Flemington with swans and a rainbow
A 10 minute cycle from the bridge is this small loch. I had never heard of it until I cycled its shores. I was lucky to encounter a swan with cygnets and a rainbow at the same time.
To cycle along the shore you should leave the B9090 as soon as you reach the loch. There's a minor road on the right. This road gives the best views of the loch and the chance to get a closer look at the swans. Brachlich Gollanfield Cemetery
Close up of a headstone at Brachlich Gollanfield cemetery
The views of distant hills from this cemetery are spectacular. Throw in some storm clouds with shafts of sunlight and a rainbow and this place is even more special.
The view from Brachlich Gollanfield cemetery
This is a small cemetery, contained within a rectangular stone wall. There is some nice stone carving on display. For example, the pretty flowers on the headstone of a boot and shoemaker who died in 1853.
It is very close to Inverness airport so you'll see planes taking off and landing. Great roads for cycling
The B9006 road
Quiet roads with great views. What more could you ask for?
It's not the most famous area of Scotland. It does not have mountains. It does not get a lot of tourists. That means you will get to enjoy it pretty much by yourself. To reach Ardersier you must cross the busy A96. I found the easiest way to do this was to get off my bike and wheel it across when there was a gap in the traffic. Ardersier thatched cottage
The thatched cottage in Ardersier
There's a very pretty thatched cottage in Ardersier. At one point there had been 365 thatched cottages- one for every day of the year. This is the only one that survives.
Ardersier shoreline
View of Inverness Firth from Ardersier
Ardersier faces the Moray Firth. It means there is always a view of the water when you are exploring the village. Look out for the sculpture of a pair of jumping dolphins. This area is one of the best places in Scotland to go dolphin watching.
Dolphin sculpture in Ardersier
Visit Fort George
From Ardersier it's 2 more miles to reach Fort George.
 Cawdor Castle is about 5 miles from Nairn and 12 miles from Inverness. It's famous for its Macbeth connection. There's turrets, tapestries and a tea room, but the real star is the garden. Of all the castle gardens in Scotland this is one of the best. How to get there National Cycle Route One comes close to Cawdor. You can follow the cycle route from Nairn (which has a train station). You have to leave the cycle route when you reach the B9101. Don't worry as this is a quiet road and its only 2.7 miles to the castle. Through the gates Crossing a drawbridge is right up there with climbing a spiral staircase when it comes to classic castle experiences. Not all of Scotland's castles have drawbridges, but Cawdor does. It crosses a moat and takes you to the imposing 15th century tower.  The drawbridge at Cawdor Castle In the winter months Cawdor Castle is a family home, so it is only open to visitors in the summer. A visit to Cawdor is by a guided tour that lets you see 12 rooms. Highlights include the seventeenth century Flemish tapestries. I loved the fireplace in the dinning room. It has carvings of a goat, a dog chassing a rabit, a fox smoking a pipe and a cat playing a fiddle. This fireplace is so heavy that it broke the drawbridge when it was being carried into the castle. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth is told by the witches that he will become Thane of Cawdor. This is the connection that makes the castle famous. However, the castle was built much later than the period that the play is set in.  There's a great tea room in the castle. My lunch of roasted red pepper soup and a slice of coffee and walnut cake was superb.  Lunch in the tea room of Cawdor Castle It was nice to see inside the castle, but the gardens impressed me the most. If you are short on time then I would recommend seeing the gardens over the interior. You will not be disappointed. There's a blue door in the gardens. It has a stone carving of a swan with a crown above it. On the other side of the door there' a blue bridge. This is your gateway to woodland walks by the Cawdor burn.  Blue door and blue bridge that go to woodland walks at Cawdor Castle  On the blue bridge at Cawdor Castle The castle's walled garden is total sensory delight. There's the smell of flowers, the vibrant colours of the flowers, the birdsong and trickling water. I felt really happy walking around here. I noticed that the other visitors all had smiles. It's just a lovely place to be.  The gardens of Cawdor Castle  I've been to many of Scotland's gardens and this is one of the best.
 Beautiful flowers in Cawdor Castle gardens See Brodie Castle and Cawdor Castle in one day
These 2 castles are about 12 miles apart. You can use National Cycle Route One to travel between them. You can also use the train to get near to the castles:
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