Wester Ross family cycle from China to Lochcarron
A FAMILY from Ross-shire cycled from China to Lochcarron, clocking up an impressive 13,500km over 10 months in the process.
Ingrid (57), Sean (58) and Kate Tomlinson (24) and Calum Dean Morrice (23), and his mum Rebecca Dean, took on the task of spending lots of time together on two wheels.
The Tomlinsons are mother, father and daughter and Calum is Kate’s boyfriend.
Kate said: “The inspiration for this adventure stemmed from my desire to embark on another big trip with my family.
“Since I was two, my parents have taken me on incredible adventures, including trekking the Annapurna Trail, walking to Everest Base Camp, kayaking in Alaska, Thailand and Scotland, and spending two years cycling from Canada to Argentina when I was eight.
“However, during my university years, we couldn’t travel as much, which was something we all found difficult. So, after I graduated, we decided it was time for another big adventure.
“We made a list of the places we’d always dreamed of visiting, connected the dots, and ended up with a route that would take us cycling all the way from China to Scotland!”
Fulfilling Ingrid’s childhood dream of seeing the Guilin Mountains, the five brave souls started out in Yangshuo.
From there, they spent a month cycling through China, eventually reaching Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, known for the Hallelujah Mountains of Avatar fame.
Afterward, they flew to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and spent another month cycling back toward the Chinese border, looping around Lake Issyk-Kul.
Continuing westward, they followed parts of the historic Silk Road, through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland, France, England, and finally, Scotland — clocking up 18 countries in total.
Kate said: “What made this trip even more special was that we had two new additions to our traveling team: my boyfriend, Calum, and his mum, Rebecca.
“At first, we weren’t sure if they would be able to join us.
“The previous year had been incredibly tough for them—Rebecca had undergone open-heart surgery to repair a hole in her heart, and they had also lost Rebecca’s husband and Calum’s father, Gary, to cancer.
“Despite these challenges, both of them showed incredible resilience and decided to join us on the journey. Calum carried his father’s ashes with him and scattered them at meaningful spots along the way.”
The journey, which saw them sleeping in tents and cycling in 45 degree heat across the desert had high and low points.
Ingrid said: “We did 1000 miles in the desert during summer in Uzbekistan! It was really hard to escape the heat or find the shade!
“On the opposite end of the spectrum we also cycled over snowy 3500m mountain passes in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
“But the best part about it all was the hospitality and generosity we had from strangers we met along the road!”
Kate added: “I think some of hardest things for me was seeing all the stray cats and dogs in some places. It was just heart-breaking!”
Having traversed halfway around the world, the family are now settling back into Highland life — but still reminiscing over days spent on the road.
“It was nice as you woke up and you just knew you had to cycle 50km that day,” said Ingrid.
“So it has been a bit of an adjustment coming home.”
Kate added: “As for how we funded the trip, my parents are self-employed tree planters, working from our home in Achmore. Over five years, they saved money by planting half a million trees.
“Meanwhile, Calum and I spent nine months after our graduation saving as much as we could by working at a local fish farm in Kishorn. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the generous support of our family, who let us stay with them rent-free!”
