Scotlands West Coast in September 2015. (I've tried to upload pictures. If they aren't there I 'll ask the clever one when she gets home)
Pilot 56yrs and 97 kg
Bikes; Thorn Nomad and Raven Tour.
Luggage loaded on my Nomad as follows; Front left pannier 3.1 kg Front right pannier 3.3 kg Rear left pannier 5.2 kg Rear right pannier 6.2 kg Handle bar bag 1.5 kg Tent 2.2kg
Total 21.5 kg plus two water bottles.
The Raven had similar weights. We had one days emergency food rations with the plan to eat locally as we went. However we also cooked the evening meal twice as it was more fun.
We made most of our planned trip. We covered just under 450 miles (if you included riding to the train station) and climbed 23780ft. Didn’t think that was too bad a start for two old blokes who made the decision under the influence of alcohol in the spring of 2015. The wives had laughed, friends took to placing bets behind our backs, but with the promise of adventure and as much time away from DIY as we needed, the plan was made.
We caught the evening train to Waterloo, cycled across 2.1 miles of the busiest roads I had seen in a long time and clambered aboard the sleeper train to Glasgow from Euston.
Day1. Glasgow to Ardrossan. 41 miles.
Arriving at 0710hrs we collected the bikes, loaded the luggage and set off. Glasgow and Scotland in general deserve a thank you for the efforts they are making to encourage cycling. The cycle paths are everywhere and after a short spell in a cycle lane we found the “off road” cycle route to Ardrossan.
This route criss-crosses parks and lanes and ends up following a level tarmacked path for miles, an old railway track I believe. At Dalry we took to the back roads and a more direct route to the ferry port. A short trip to Arran and we turned south to Lamlash. Now I have done numerous trips all over Scotland by motorbike but it is amazing how I never remembered the hills that much. Someone had planted one on this route and at the end of a day it was not welcome. However the campsite had been chosen because it had an Indian take away nearby and that was an incentive. Tents up, showered and refreshed that was my target. At least 1500 calories in what I ate.
Day 2. Lamlash to Lochgilphead. 44 miles.
A good northerly headwind added to the joy. Whilst at a local bakery in Brodick a fellow cyclist doing a round the island trip warned us of the THE HILL on our route to Lochranza. I swear I heard a thunder clap when he said THE HILL. Grabbing another bacon butty (just to help) we set off towards the north of Arran and the ferry back to the mainland at Claonaig. As newbie cyclists any fair to middling slope was “a hill” as far as we were concerned. A good friend and keen cyclist had told me never to get off and push the bike when challenged with a good slope. I was to stop, get my breath back and then carry on. With this in mind we romped up a hill that went on for a couple of hundred metres. No problem there I thought, what hill?
Another bend and my cockiness was rewarded with the sight of the road climbing ever upward over what seemed a mile. I could see little specks of colour as other cyclists strained uphill. They weren’t moving that fast. Indeed one pair seemed to be stationary. Maybe they were clinging on?
We paused at the bottom of this challenge and took stock of our jelly babies. Engaging a granny gear (I believe it’s called) I set off. Dean wanted to stare at it a bit longer. If it hadn’t been windy it wouldn’t have been that bad. I find I can blank my mind and just settle into some sort of day dream where I am told the pain will eventually stop. It was a long hill and I caught up with the couple who I had spotted “clinging on”. They had been forced to push in the end but they were more senior than me and I was inspired by their cheery words.
Every uphill has a reward and the views were beautiful. It was also downhill to the ferry. I passed another camp site just before the port. It looked good and was opposite a distillery. So it’s always a hard choice on Arran for campsites, whisky or curry?
The ferry was ready to depart and we went straight on and over to Claonaig.
Looking back towards Arran....the body just gives perspective, but it may be a theme.
The road out of this port is single track and fairly quiet. It does climb for a while but nothing too bad. We had lunch in Tarbet. Plenty of choice for food and a nice harbour with tables to sit at. A small climb out and then it’s basically flat and coastal to Lochgilphead. Saw some otters. A good campsite with decent food in town.
The main problem with starting the trip down south as we did, is that the only road north is a main road. There weren’t any cycle routes, but the traffic was sparse so not really a problem. A good route apparently is along the west coast via Kilberry. We had considered this but it added too many miles for us.
Day 3. Lochgilphead to Oban. 42 miles.
We followed the canal path from the town to Cairnbaan and then turned west towards Bellanoch. This a cycle route and has a good surface. We met an elderly gent who was just cycling back from the garage having got his paper. He was smartly dressed as if going out for the day. His home was 6 miles away. Another inspirational character. The cycle route eventually crosses the canal again and sets out across the moor. No traffic and easy going. It ends in a gravelly track that takes you to the village of Kilmartin. A lovely café with good snacks is worth a visit. We travelled on the main road from here but the marked cycle route takes you north east via Ford. It apparently has some notable slopes. We found some slopes on the main road though so we didn’t miss out. The wind was fairly brisk still but a lot of the hills are sheltered so it never really presented a problem. Kilmelford has another good shop and café. There is a good hill out of the village to remind you of what are doing. My leg muscles always went through a painful period after a rest but loosened up within a few minutes. Lactic acid? This was the one day we had any rain and we only had light showers for about two hours. The road is coastal for a while before one last hill into Oban. Then we discovered the one camp site was 2 miles outside Oban, and up another hill. We laughed. It’s decent though and a local taxi service did runs back and forth so not a problem. Fortified on Chinese food (very expensive compared to darn south) I slept well.
Day 4. Oban to Fort William. 54 miles.
We had looked forward to this day because there is a well marked cycle route for most of the route. Good Scottish breakfast in Wetherspoons, sunny and bright. The cycle route takes you from Oban’s town centre along the coast and then up through the woods to Dunbeg. It is tarmacked and well sign posted but I also had the Sustrans map (good value at £1)….they have obviously done a lot of work here as the route rarely uses road and even then only for short periods. We saw a seal and a handful of cyclists. The cycle route drops into villages so snacks are available. The Creagan Inn did a nice scone and I can recommend the fish chowder at The Holly Tree Hotel Loch Linnhe, Kentallen. The sun was shining again and the views before the hotel from the cycle route are fantastic.
The bridge from south to north Ballachullish is the end of the cycle route. We stayed on the pavement for as long as possible but eventually we had to join the road. It is a busy road but we had no problems and it does rejoin a pavement further along. There is an opportunity to take the ferry at Inchcree to Corran to the northern side of the loch but you need to meet up with the ferry back to Fort William from Treslaig. Apparently it will turn out for cyclists after hours. We travelled on the main road to the camp site at Glen Nevis. It is 2 miles north of the town so if you need food stock up on the way out. We rode back in just to get away from the midges (so an extra 4 miles please). The bikes felt very light without the panniers and tent. I always remembered a camp site in the town but I didn’t see it this time.
Day 5. Fort William to Back of Keppock (just south of Mallaig) 42 miles.
Another bloomin sunny day, but a good northerly wind. The route out is the main road but again little traffic. No latte stops on this stretch of road so keep pedalling to Glenfinnan where a tourist trap for coaches and all converge on a tiny coffee stop. Eat something here because the hills are coming back and some of them are quite nice. The young lady in answer to our question about the road ahead said “There’s some wee slopes” This misleading phrase was used by us over the next few days. My advice is to never ask. Very few people have any idea as to what a slope is in Scotland. In fact I was going to write to the Scottish Tourist Board asking if there was a certificate that could be awarded to individuals who had actually passed a course in hills and their assessment as I met none who merited such an award. We met an Aussie cyclist who had been cycling for 25 years and appeared to have no trouble accelerating away towards Skye as we continued to climb. I now know how those 100m runners feel on telly when the interviewer shoves a mike in front of their face 30 seconds after they have finished and asked them how it went. I suppose you tend to slow down on hills but everyone we met was at the top of one. I would have thought my facial colour would have given them a clue to give me a wide berth for at least 5 minutes. There are cycle paths alongside the road around Arisaig and the camp sites are all off the coastal road so avoid the main road for a quieter time. However the pub in Arisaig is the only food (very nice food) around so plan accordingly. We camped on the beach and it was lovely. Few midges and I took time to repair some small damage to my tent. We were getting into a good routine now with early starts and the packing and unpacking was getting more efficient.
part 2 to follow
