Minch Moor to Melrose

Spent the last night at Minch Moor bothy. Woke to the sound of rain and rats. Set off from bothy in pouring rain at 9am with a 60 mile ride ahead with a lot of off road.

There was a bike push up 300 metres on to a drivers route on minch moor.
The route was up and down and rocky, but good for off road riding. We passed a number of mountain bike trails.

Because of the offroad route the rain and boggy conditions, progress was slower than planned and while enjoyable riding it was energy sapping.

We arrived in Melrose at 2pm still not half way through the days mileage. With lots moor exposed moorland bike pushing ahead in pouring rain it was obvious we weren't going to make the finish before dark.

With no flex to stay on an extra day to finish this route due to work and trains, we took the decision to use the aid of petrol to get us to Dunbar. In fact a VW Sharan that fitted two bikes. We have to come back next weekend to finish of the last section by bike!

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Southern upland way day 4

Made it from brattleburn over to minch moor in yet another epic...not sure how many of these big days we have left in us...hopefully one!
Nice forest track cruise down to motorway and then road to moffat. Enormous "breakfast the Scottish way" at a cafe. It was so good we forgot to pay...will have to send them a cheque. Oops
Long slog then up forest road before amazing singletrack up towards ettrick head. Became a tough bike push. We found another Ultreaia too. Rain started as we got to the top and crossed into the borders (yaay). It's still raining so Millers thinks that's all that happens here.
Quick stop at over phawhope bothy where we met our first fellow SUWers. On going east, the other west...and he had been stuck ill in bothy for 2 days!
Climbed up above st marys loch by road but then took forest track and Suw down to tibbie shields inn on loch shore. Tea time there before nice lochside path along eastern shore. From the road up and over to traquir before last climb up to minch moor bothy. A bit scummy as it gets lots of use from neds but not too bad. Definitely some rat noises overnight!
Last day coming. Let's hope it rained itself overnight!

Bike push

Bike push outside Moffat after a nice single track ride.


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Monday evening

Monday evening bike push and cross country ride to Brattleburn bothy


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More photos Monday ride

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Southern upland way day 3

Third day and third epic. Great weather all day with plenty of sun and even wind that went westerly to help us along. Started off with porridge followed by a 250m climb on logging road over to Euchan water. Incredible long descent on that road the old track and the road to sanquar. Longest distance with fewest pedal strokes for me?
Millers got 2nd puncture in 2 days at the bottom.
Lunch in sanquar before mennock pass to wanlockhead. Nice and gentle to start but made up for that later!
From wanlockhead over to leadhills where we took the track bed of the disused railway all the way down to elvanfoot by the m74.
Next leg was down to daer reservoir before the big bike push of the day. Fortunately the sun came out and helped us through with the reward of a great 360 from the top including skiddaw and blencathra.
Fun descent down to brattleburn bothy which is the best one yet. Millers having fun playing with wood burning stove!
Tomorrow hopefully moffat, st marys loch and traquir.

Narrow guage railway

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Sanquhar Man

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More forest tracks

The ride today (Sunday) was long from Glentrool around Loch dee and on to St johns town of daltry (sic) and polskeoch bothy. A great ride combining forest trails, old drovers roads and quiet rides with a pub stop at St Johns Town of Dalry.

After that it was an evening ride and gentle climb along a midge infested road, avoiding a particularly severe bike push if we had kept religiously to the SUW.
To finish there was a bike push for a few miles across moorland then a muddy forest trail in near dark to the bothy which was quite fun. Arrived at the bothy about 10:30 pm.

The bothy was nice near a stream, but there were signs of rats. Too knackered to care slept after a few drams. Woke early to the sound of scurrying rats, but didn't see one could have been just mice.



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Beehive bothy

The ride started off along scenic coastline near Portpatrick. There were some steep hill bike pushes along the coastal path, before heading inland.

Been looking out for kists which are sculptures along the roote that contain coins to collect, thirteen in total.

We made it to the Beehive bothy at Laganalia after a long bike push across moorland and wooded tracks. Got there in the dark at 11pm. We crashed out too knackered to cook after a few stale croissants.
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Were underway and making way

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Graemes bike disguise

Graeme's cunning ploy to get a bike to Glasgow without reservation.

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On way to scotland

No blogs for a while because I was away sailing in Plymouth and didn't want to bore you with non gimp trips.

I packed bike into a box and just got it on to a coach at London to take to Glasgow for the Southern upland way. Only question from the driver was what is in that box? I said bike, he said OK.
Got an 8 hour coach ride with just one beer smuggled on.
Meeting Graeme at Glasgow then train to Stranraer to the start of the cycling.

Millers

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