Bikes update # day 6

My bike now has a new set of wheels, cartridge and chain. My back wheel was badly cracked on the rim, and my front wheel also.showing some damage. I'll repair these when I get back to London, for now they are boxed up in the support car. Wonderful staff at Dales cycles in Glasgow were  very very helpful.

Will's bike has parts, but getting them to work is another issue. We're getting it taken to Dales tomorrow morning so they can run the diagnostics - fingers still crossed.

Day 5 - the ferry from Dunoon

Once the rain lifted we made great time on the roads alongside Loch Awe and Loch Fine
Good surfaces, fairly flat elevation and no rain make for happy joglers. We made it to the far side of Loch fine before my route planning failed. The road became a farm track and then a gravel path. Painfully slow progress nursing out cracked wheels and slow punctures over a treacherous surface. Even some Flemish style cobbles.

On the map I saw an opportunity to escape back to the a road. Failing to check the gradient, we hit a good road that climbed very very sharply, and kept climbing - exhausting stuff. We the. Had 30 miles to go. We left Loch Fynes and turned down south towards Dunoon, climbing over a hill, and then along another Loch. Spectacular views of mountains today and although our legs were tired the promise of a rest on the ferry spurred us on.

As we came to Hunters Quay a boy cycling behind us had a nasty fall and came off his bike on a corner. He dazed, bruised and quite embarrassed so after making sure he was OK we rolled on to the Dunoon to Greenock ferry.

Dramatic views of sun setting over the hills, and cloud rolling in were all sound us. The ferry is regular and took 15 minutes. As foot passengers we were off first too.

Now Will had a faster.alow puncture and we had to stop every 3-4 miles to pump the tyre up. The last 10 miles, big climb of 200 plus meters into the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park were worth it for some glorious upland ds views, and griffin pylon shots (sending these to @pylonofthemonth

We got to our campsite just as night fell. Few midges, nice breeze and lovely campsite.

Glasgow - home of great Italian food

I've been coming to Glasgow for work for about 5 years now. It's always amazed me how many Italian restaurants and cafe's there are here. I've loved eating at  Sarti which used to be opposite my office (best scrambled egg I've ever eaten).

Today we had lunch at the  Eusebi Deli. This heavenly corner of Italy away from Italia is both mouthwatering Deli and scrumptious cafe. Squint and you could mistake Glasgow for Rome because with the sun out it was baking hot and everyone was out and about enjoying themselves. We all ate prensi, which is basically a rustic pizza. Mine had delicious salmon, perfectly crisp but cooked asparagus and a drizzle of lemon oil.

There's a whole cabinet of tempting deserts, and between us we had a pistachio cream in a biscuit cone, and a lovely strawberry tart.

Tummies full, Joglers refuelled we headed back to pick up our bikes.

Rest day - fixing bikes in Glasgow

Today we have a rest day (earned after 100 miles yesterday) - we are heading into Glasgow to fix Will's bike (fingers crossed) and get some spare wheels for mine as I've cracked the rims front and back!

Day 4 - quick update

Cycling down the Caledonian canal to Neptune's steps was amazing. Then from Fort William to Oban the road was awful, full of traffic until we hit the wonderful national cycle network route 78. This was off road almost all the way to out campsite.  Our bad luck was it was in the 2 miles where there was no path Will got 3 punctures and had to repair his wheel 5 times.

The rest of the route was fantastic. Waiting at the end was the most hideously midge infested campsite o could ever imagine. When you breathed you swallowed them. Look down at your leg and it's covered and they are biting. So horrid we hid in the shower block and ate dinner there. I stayed and read my book in the shower until my eyes were heavy. Midges, Yuk!

Day 5 - good start to today

We evacuated from our midge infested campsite (more on this later) and hit the road. We made good progress to Conner, site of the famous Lorna Falls. Unfortunately the road south was closed because of an accident. As we suddenly had 4g coverage we found a national cycle route through the hills (route 78) that would get us past the accident. This was an undulating route on a track road winding between two mountains. We rejoined our route having gone about 6 miles extra and then a beautiful road down Loch Awe, just a shame it was raining so hard.

We took refuge in a pub and had lunch watching the rain hammer down outside the window. Luckily after lunch the clouds cleared and the sun emerged. "It doesn't rain that much in Glasgow - I know I'm a student there" said the barman. That should tell you exactly how rainy it normally is on the west coast of Scotland.

Day 4 - Invergarry to Oban

It's going to be very wet later according to the forecast. We are only going 58 miles today, that's 4 hours of cycling and hopefully not too much rain. But it's going to rain all night and tomorrow as well.

To sustain us along the way, my ukulele playing friend Rihana made this excellent fruit cake. Delicious - thanks Rihana!

Day 3 - Tain to Invergarry

Cold and windy this morning. Felt like a gale was blowing through my tent. The noise from the road woke me up. Then I got back to sleep and the train from the line the other side of the campsite woke me. So I struck camp and chatted to the bikers from Newcastle who were camped next door. Such lovely guys, when I told them I was raising money for MSF they handed me a £20 note. So generous.








Just outside Tain, 1.5 miles out, I got a puncture. A proper one, something had gone through the tyre wall and the tube
New tyre and tube needed. Amazingly a passing dog Walker who lived up the road offered us a spare tube. We gave him some cash bit it was so kind of him.



This delayed our start by an hour. But as we left Tain and headed West along the Moray Firth the weather improved. The landscape is changing. Gone are the desolate wilderness scenes of the mountains with their sheep. Here there begin lush pastures filled with cows and fields of barley. We still see lots of bright yellow gorse and broom. It provided a good backdrop to this pylon.








The road to Dingwall was quiet and undulating. We've done the most climbing today so far but it has been easier because the climbs are long and slow, yesterday they were sharp and sudden. We picked up provisions in Dingwall and stopped for a picnic in forest just outside Inverness.


Coming into Inverness over a great big bridge was dramatic. I'm terrified of heights so I kept my eyes straight ahead. Once through the town we set off down the Inverness canal - pretty fast flat cycling and then on the A82 to Invergarry via Loch Ness.

Loch Ness was the highlight. The views are amazing and majestic. Deep blue water, the sun came out and the sky cleared so we got a great view of the mountains. We are at a beautiful campsite here - but I didn't realise it was on the top of a hill, so one last 100m climb and we had arrived.

Kindness of strangers #2

Puncture 1.5 miles from our campsite. Went through the tyre wall and tube so needed to change both. A man walking his dog gave me a spare tube, we insisted on paying for it. People have been really lovely so far on the trip.

Day 2 - through the mountains to Tain

Day2


Today was a much better day than yesterday, and our mood has lifted from yesterday.  We woke up by the sea, amazing view and blazing sunshine. This was our last proper view of the North coast, as we imediately turned South and headed into the mountains. 


The first half of today was hard going. Lots of climbing as we hit the A836 which wound its way through the mountains. We didnt go into the mountains but there were still some steady climbs between the peaks, The views were dramatic .The landscape is wild, and empty, there was literally nothing on the road between Bettyhill and the next town Tongue. Take a look at these mountains - just amazing and worth the climb. 


Pictures to come


We stopped for cake (excellent millionaires shortbread!) at the Tongue gift shop and cafe. They also kindly topped up our water for us. Shortly out of Tongue we hit a fantastic streatch of road, following the shore of Loch Loyal. More craggy mountains, more amazing views. They some hard climbs to go - still no signs of humanity apart from the road and the traffic. 


Pictures to come


We stopped for lunch at the Cask Inn when we met up with my parents. The weather started to turn, spots of rain but (this seems daft to say) a welcome respite from the heat. The pub is community owned, and is dual use with a church in the back. As odd a combination as that is the staff were very welcoming, they are slowy building up the capacity of the pub and are keen to serve cyclists, to the point where they keep the kitchen open all day. 


picture to come


From the Cask Inn, a little climb and then a long downhill through a vast forestry area to Lairg, and then we made good time to Tain. the last 35 miles were much faster than the first 35. Flatter and less hills than the morning. This also means we stopped to take less photos, although there was a cracking castle. We didnt stop, but passed by the Falls of Shin where you can see Salmon leaping up the river to breed. 


picture to come 


And so we arrived at our campsite really early, and just as well, because the rain has also arrived now. Fingers crossed it'll be gone by tomorrow morning. 

The kindness of strangers

Some lovely bikers from Newcastle just gave me £20 sponsorship!

About midges

Everyone has warned me about the midges. But despite the little critters being really annoying* I seem to have escaped without being bitten to shreds. The landlady at the Cask Inn claimed this is because they don't start to bite until June - I really hope this is true because we'll have made to England and any from the worst midge areas by then.

I have still got bitten. Along with the midges there were some fearsome mosquitos and a few of those have got me good.

* when I first wrote this it was hard to tell it was me who was annoying, or the midges. You decide for yourself :)

Day 1 - Not the start we wanted

51 miles from John O'groats to Bettyhill along the north coast.

It was unseasonally warm at John o'groats. In the 20s, and North of Scotland overall had been the hottest area of the UK the day before.

So rather than looking dark and gloomy as I expected John O'groats was very bright. You could see over the the island just off the coast and further to Stornoway.

We said goodbye to our support team and headed off. It's a nice quiet road across the North coast. Unfortunately we said hello again to our support team after 10 miles when the bikes crashed together knocking us both off. There was no traffic so apart from the odd cut and bruise we were fine. My bike had a badly bent front wheel. I got it to Thurso by taking the mudguard off and nursing it 10 miles to a bike shop. Will's bike looked fine but then when he shifted gears the derailleur moved into his spokes resulting in destroyed derailleur and broken wheel.

Will's bike was irreparable, parts need to be ordered and we are in the world of 3 day not 1 day delivery. His parts are high end and the nearest place that has them in stock is Edinburgh.Instead we've ordered the parts to go to Glasgow and we'll pick them up on day 6 which is a planned rest day.

So in the interim Will has had to buy a new bike (!!) to get us round the course. It's heavier and not as good.

So the cycling. We managed to finally get going again at 6pm, saying bye bye to Thurso and heading further up the coast. The north coast is sparsely populated and wild. Beautiful. We passed spring lambs, a decommissioned nuclear power station and some stunning bays. As we got further the mountains loomed up dramatically in the distance. We are taking a route to avoid too much climbing, but there is still quite a bit of climbing to do.

We arrived, stuck camp and ate some hastily cooked camp food. Then we walked up to the Bettyhill hotel, ordered some drinks and watched the sunset. The view from the hotel was even better than our campsite (which is quite lovely itself!). Let's hope tomorrow is less eventful.

I'm glad it's light so late

As I type this the sun has just gone behind the headland. It's still light it's 10pm. That's great because we only arrived at camp at 9pm, and this was supposed to be a short day. So we are now here on the north coast at Bettyhill. It's beautiful.

So a bit of a disaster to start with. Only 10 miles out and embarrassingly we crash into eachother. Will's bike crashes into mine and we are scattered on the road. It's the very north of Scotland so luckily there isn't any traffic. But I'm cut and bruised and my front wheel is badly bent. Will's bike looks OK until he changes gear and the derailleur mashes into his spokes, snaps off and is totally destroyed. With the combination of a lift and my limping to Thurso with a broken wheel we find a bike shop.

I'm glad it's light so late

As I type this the sun has just gone behind the headland. It's still light it's 10pm. That's great because we only arrived at camp at 9pm, and this was supposed to be a short day. So we are now here on the north coast at Bettyhill. It's beautiful. I'm also stuck in 1g mobile land so I'm going to cross my fingers and post this and see if I can add more later.

I'm glad it's light so late

As I type this the sun has just gone behind the headland. It's still light it's 10pm. That's great because we only arrived at camp at 9pm, and this was supposed to be a short day. So we are now here on the north coast at Bettyhill. It's beautiful. I'm also stuck in 1g mobile land so I'm going to cross my fingers and post this and see if I can add more later.

Warm up

This was just the short ride from Waterloo to Euston. A lovely summer's evening, people spilling out onto the streets and enjoying the heat wave. Makes for a slightly more hazardous cycle.

Don't forget your toothbrush

We've taken the sleeper train to Inverness. The rooms are quite small and old fashioned, but comfy enough (for a train).

The cars have been a bit updated and now have USB charging, which is handy. I used to get the train for work and there didn't used to be aby charging in the rooms.

Breakfast is pretty good, seeing as it's microwaved. The coffee is pretty awful.

They provide a little comfort pack with a sleepwalk and earplugs (essential for a good sleep), plus a flannel, some wash bits and pillow spray to help you sleep. Despite the pillow spray I woke up every 2 hours or so.

But no toothbrush! This is only really a problem if like me you used to take the train before the franchise changed and expected a toothbrush. I remembered to bring mine.

The views from the lounge car are amazing. I sat and drank coffee here for an hour watching the Cairngorms go by. It's a very civilised way to get to Inverness.

Next stop inverness

We've made it onto the train! In 11 hours we'll arrive at Inverness and then make our way to the start of the ride

The beginning

Here it all starts for me (Stew), getting the train into Central London. Short cycle from Waterloo to Euston and then time to load the bike onto the Sleeper (excited!)

Training#3 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I agreed to cycle the Ronde van Vlaanderen as part of my training. A chance to spend some time with some other cycling mad dads. This sounds great I told myself. Cycling 80 miles around Belgium. Frites,  great beer, cycling - what's not to like?

I'll tell you whats not to like - its the cobbles.



The Flemish decided at some point in the past that if they got good at riding on cobbled roads this would give them a competitive advantage over everyone else on a cobbled course. They are right, principally because you have to be mad to think that riding on cobbles is in any way fun at all. It's actually incredibly painful and about as far as fun as cycling can be. If cycling 80 miles sounds bad, imagine that you have to suddenly cycle 2km where the surface makes your arms and bum vibrate as if you were operating a pneumatic drill. Then imagine that when going uphill, or downhill fast. Imagine that the cobbles are wet. Imagine that the cobbles are wet, and big and muddy.


I'm not doing that again in a hurry, but a credit to Belgium for a very warm welcome and as always some wonderful food and drink,

I'm fundraising for Medecines Sans Frontiers

I'm doing the cycle for the hell of it, because it's an amazing trip and something I have always wanted to do. It's not a charity bike ride, but i wanted to raise some money for Medicines Sans Frontiers who are an incredible organisation who do important and dangerous work.

They save people’s lives in conflict zones, natural disasters and epidemics, and go where they are needed most.

Even in the most remote parts of Scotland I'll still be very comfortably in the first world, with first world comforts on this ride. On the bike you have a lot of time to think, and i've been thinking a lot  about the terrible conflicts around the world like Syria. These conflicts are horrifying, and I'm glad MSF exists to get independent, neutral and impartial help to those people who need it the most.

You can sponsor me by following this link or pressing the "sponsor me" button over on the right hand side.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/StewJOGLE2017

Training run #6

This time riding with almost full kit, we road out to Windsor and in this picture we had just stopped for coffee and cake.

With the exception of a brief shower, it was lovely weather today - a joy to be out on the bike - but best of all we managed to chew up 60 miles of cycling without really breaking sweat. That means we are ready for the trip, and just as well because it starts on Thursday when we get the sleeper to Inverness.