James John Hayes born today. Lovely little chap
Friday, 3 June 2011
Saturday, 28 May 2011
All home...
...train faff worked out fine. Just over 200 miles for trip in 5.5 days of actual cycling. Pity about the weather but we all agree it was a great route in an underrated part of Scotland. Will remember the storm forever. Some v good off road too. About 20% of total miles. Bet you can't wait for next exciting account of Cyclocamp
Ug Train Faff
Caught train ok from Oban to Glasgow. Mad rush across to central station for earlier connection to ardrossan. We lost Scabbington due to a mechanical and the 3 of us piled onto wrong train and it left just as I realised. Having changed at Crossmyfoot (sic) now off to barrhead before changing for kilmarnock. Chris on his train to Ardrossan and will then pick us up with car. If this all pans out were not going to loose much time.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Craobh Haven to Oban
Nice bright start to the day to get us off guard. Boat over to Toberonochy on Luing with great boatman Duncan Philips. Very high bike lift up quay wall at low tide. Nice bit of track on Luing which included minor stareout with bull. Saw slate mines on west of Luing and had hot choc at shop as rain started. Good road down to ferry. Over to Easdale ferry and pub stop while ferryman lunched. Easdale quarries and museum interesting but wet. Went to small pub on island. Back to Seil and then heads down for very wet 17 miles to Oban. Pretty grim as road was busy plus poor surface but saving grace was tailwind. Fish and chips at resteraunt on high street and much faff over lost bike train reservations finally resolved. More pub...can you tell it was wet?...and amazingly dry ride up to campsite. Home tomorrow...good because the forecast is for more rubbish.
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Tayvalich to Cruabh Haven
Woke to a tiny bit of sun and there was even a midge around in the light wind. However while cooking porridge and apricots it greyed over got windy and felt damp. Good pannierless excursion to isle of Danna and end of peninsula. Nice chapel at end and good road. Back to Tayvalich for lunch at coffee shop before heading off on offroad thru forest to Crinan as the rain started. Nice track and then steep singletrack down to shore. Had tea at canal basin before heading along canal to road. Slog then over boring road pass to Ardfern. Quick pub stop and then over off road hill to Lunga estate. Nice campground down by beach with neglected carribean style beach bar...sadly not serving. A good days cycling. Hoping to get boat to Luing in morning...no doubt in the rain.
At Ardfern...
...hoping to get over to Lunga near Crubh Haven tonight. Will post again when we get there but just incase mini post now.
Been some issues with blogging app and subcontracting emails so several posts out of chronology. Some still hung in outboxes. Am sure you can work it out.
Grr weather
Kilberry to Tayvalich
Lovely wildcamp spot and rain held off until we were on the road. Big fry up for breakfast with lorn, blackpudding, bacon, potato scones, and eggs. Yumbo! Down wind cycling to head of Loch Caolisport then a bit headwindy to massive estate house at Ellery. OS maps showed a link up track to Kilmory. Eds old map showed a road and it turned out to be metalled but falling into disrepair. There were a couple of private signs to put people off but its legal for walkers and bikes so a shame they signpost so aggressively. Nice climb up through rhoddys and a few hairpins before a super steep steep bit. Swoopy bit past lochs before last climb to pass. Fast downhill dodging potholes and staying on thin strips of tarmac left. Good fun a a great piece of road. Weather had been getting wetter all this time and when we arrived at Castle Sween we were a bit down. lunch in pouring rain huddling under a small leanto and when the shop finally reopened we bought some goodies and got cycling again. At one point I noticed Millers rear wheel was looking a bit wobbly. Investigation showed one spoke had gone and another 2 were suspect. So much for sorting out after last years debacle. We took all his luggage from him and cycled on. 10 mins later one of Scabbingtons spokes went ping. Was it due to extra load? More luggage shuffling. Quick stop at beaver centre but no sightings and then nice bit of road down to Tayvalich. Loads,of tree damage everywhere from storm on Monday.
Sent from my HTC
Sent from my HTC
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Lochranza to Knapdale
Sent from my HTC
Monday, 23 May 2011
Lochranza to Lochranza
Big wind this morning meant ferry cancelled til at least 1pm so massive cooked breakfast from excellent larger than life Italian chef at cafe by campsite. Distillery tour in morning followed by insane golf in increasing winds. At one point an enormous gust blew my hat off and as I chased it into a stream I was picked up by the wind and somersaulted. Simultaneously Millers and the golf trolley were blown over. Ed thinks its the funniest thing he's ever seen. Great golf course with deer grazing all over. By the time we stopped playing after 6 holes branches were flying off trees and it was getting a bit scary. Back at tents they were struggling but we were 2 of 3 left standing. 2 families had been blown out and place was full of crying kids and fraught parents plus other tentless people. A pet rabbit was loose too. Bribed a guy to park his car infront of our tents for a pint and they survived. Now at hotel again as winds die a little. After much discussion it was decided that the maximum whisky round was 30 squid. Spot the black whisky. Hope ferry runs tomorrow.
It be windy....
Lying in tent in very sheltered spot listening to huge gusts coming the glen. It sounds like massive adlantic swell. Gusts are F8 now but forecast F11 later. Could not cycle in this.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Kildonan to Lochranza
Slow start today to dry out everything after yesterday. Strong westerly winds today in the face most of the way. Coast road was beautiful in the sunshine with breaking wave spraying onto the road in places. At lunch at Blackwaterfoot we realised there was a chance we could make and earlier ferry from Lochranza. Promised tailwind eventuality appeared and for a while we could see the ferry and it looked we were going to make it. However despite very fast downwind last 5 miles the ferry pulled out just a couple of minutes before we got there. Taking stock of weather tomorrow we then decided there was more to do in Lochranza in bad weather so we stayed here. Red deer grazing on foreshore and campsite. Campsite also has a golf course so we played a round of putting as it got dark. Just enjoying the enormous whisky selection in the hotel. Hope tents survive the wind that's coming.
Brodick to Kildonan
Very wet and windy ride. We got to Arran about 1630 and if possible it was wetter than the mainland. Road to Lamlash then motivational grasmere gingerbread before nice offroad cycle route through forest and over hill to Kilmory before quick scooter downwind back along road to Kildonan. Currently drying out in pub and feeling cold and a bit down about Monday forecast. 30km @ 13kph.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Gimpcamp finally on the road
Major raffle getting sorted this morning. Some confusion over roof bars/rails mean we had to squeeze a bike in the car. Sarah sorted a brilliant breakfast. Yumbo. Scabbers has a stupid number leads in his car for electronic devices. Cutting into our fuel economy. See photo. Ferry at 3. Hope we catch it after late depart. Very heavy rain in Ardrossan. Currently debating whether to turn round and go to Cornwall
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Friday, 6 May 2011
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