Fundraisers for a Moray charity were left stranded last night after bad weather forced them to abandon their cycling venture.
The four staff members from Outfit Moray, who are hoping to fundraise £4000 for the outdoor education charity, had no option but to find shelter from the storm on Sunday night after the roads along the North East 250 tourist route became too dangerous.
Luckily, two rooms were found at Dunavon House Hotel in Dyce for the team, dubbed “Santa’s Tandemistas”, which allowed them to get a good night’s rest before setting off at first light yesterday morning.
Karen Cox, fundraising manager for Outfit Moray, said: “It was too dangerous for the boys to continue. There’s a difference between raising money and then risking life, so it was safer for them to stop in Dyce.”
She added: “It really was like a Christmas story with no rooms at the inn! We might not have had Mary and Joseph, but we did have some elves and a Rudolph! Luckily the lovely people at Dunavon managed to give them somewhere to stay so they camped out there before setting off again in the morning.”
While cycling yesterday, the four team members were also given the opportunity to meet up with creator of the NE250, Guy MacPherson Grant, at his home, Ballindalloch Castle.
The team set off originally at 9am on December 10 from Spey Bay along with their support car and were due to arrive at their final destination by 9am yesterday before the winter weather struck.