Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: Matt2matt2002 on August 29, 2020, 07:59:41 pm
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I recently enjoyed a week away on the West coast of Scotland. The weather was mostly good and my first spell of wild camping was err... interesting.
Check out my Crazy Guy blog:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/NorthWestScotlandAug2020
Raven Tour performed as expected - perfect. Minor front brake pad issues but entirely due to owner negligance!
Just rear panniers and tent gave a good ride despite the heavy rear.
If youve not been to Scotland - pop it onto your to-do list. Carry a midge head net and you'll be fine.
Cheers folks
Matt
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I've just had a glance, I'll go back for a proper read sometime, looks good.
And well done for getting away. I had a big Scottish tour planned for May, combination of riding and a few train journeys, the idea being to fill in the gaps left from other tours,
Including that NW corner Ullapool to Tongue. Maybe next year.
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A good read - and a bit of inspiration. Nice that some parts of the world are getting their pulse back.
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Thanks for the report, it brought back happy memories of family holidays at Clachtoll campsite.
I can recommend the Inver Lodge Hotel (up the hill from Lochinver itself) for coffee scones (freshly baked to order!) and a warm log fire. Jus the place to relax after a ride or, in our case, a wildlife boat trip.
When we've visited previously the lighthouse at Stoer, 6 miles on from Clachtoll beach, had a snack van staffed by a lovely lady who made the most amazing Scotch pancakes served with chocolate sauce - well worth a visit.
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Thanks for the report, it brought back happy memories of family holidays at Clachtoll campsite.
I can recommend the Inver Lodge Hotel (up the hill from Lochinver itself) for coffee scones (freshly baked to order!) and a warm log fire. Jus the place to relax after a ride or, in our case, a wildlife boat trip.
When we've visited previously the lighthouse at Stoer, 6 miles on from Clachtoll beach, had a snack van staffed by a lovely lady who made the most amazing Scotch pancakes served with chocolate sauce - well worth a visit.
Your's sounds like my kind of touring, stuff the scenery, where's the cafe... ;)
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Love your report, Matthew, especially the photos. My wife's mother came from Lossiemouth. I know that nasty Inverness-Nairn road rather too well for comfort, as I had a client in Nairn and Danair used to drop us in Inverness. Your photos give a good sense of a more restful Scotland though your elevation graphs gave me heart palpitations. Well done, you!
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Very good write-up and photos, Matt!! We have been to most of those places one time or another, and Clachtoll is one of the favourite holiday venues for our son and family.
In 1967, I did a long ride circling round most of N W Scotland . . . . .as field-work for my Geography undergrad dissertation - "The Changing Economy of N W Scotland". I loved the ride (a 2nd hand road bike, drops, 2 x 5 gears) and camping gear crammed into panniers. And there is a chapter in the dissertation about an 'experimental' fish farm at Achiltibuie - slightly off your route - now almost every inlet seems to have a fish farm. Good photos - I guess that Spanish fishing boat trucks the catch to Spain, processed, trucked back to restaurants in UK - seems very wasteful, but that was certainly what was happening a few years ago.
A great achievement and fascintating story - thanks.
Lewis
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I have no idea why, but if I had to make a list of the top five cycling destinations, Scotland would be on it. It must be some sort of romantic ideal, which is probably out of touch with reality. After reading your blog and in between trying to find a way to evade a new 1400 dollar repair bill on my wife's car, I spent a few hours re-searching touring in Scotland.
That made it a bit more real. And the hills a LOT more real. Up to now I only knew that everyone up there wore kilts, and that the Scotch flow out of taps built into the sides of most structures, and that it is reputedly quite good. I hope none of that has changed. I'd frequently read about the winds, but it didn't sink in what Winds really were. Reading that the highest recorded wind speed was 173 miles per hour puts a new perspective on things. Seems like a bad combination with kilts however.
I need to do more research. Tips would be appreciated. For now I did a nice tour last night of the Hebrides the new lock down way. Google street view. My legs are fine but my finger is killing me. Seems a spectacular place. For sure on the top five.
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I have no idea why, but if I had to make a list of the top five cycling destinations, Scotland would be on it. It must be some sort of romantic ideal, which is probably out of touch with reality. After reading your blog and in between trying to find a way to evade a new 1400 dollar repair bill on my wife's car, I spent a few hours re-searching touring in Scotland.
That made it a bit more real. And the hills a LOT more real. Up to now I only knew that everyone up there wore kilts, and that the Scotch flow out of taps built into the sides of most structures, and that it is reputedly quite good. I hope none of that has changed. I'd frequently read about the winds, but it didn't sink in what Winds really were. Reading that the highest recorded wind speed was 173 miles per hour puts a new perspective on things. Seems like a bad combination with kilts however.
I need to do more research. Tips would be appreciated. For now I did a nice tour last night of the Hebrides the new lock down way. Google street view. My legs are fine but my finger is killing me. Seems a spectacular place. For sure on the top five.
Tips?
Of course:
Wild camping is free and accepted up here. But beware - it's being abused by certain folks - so that could change.
Hills - yes - quite a lot and the top number 1 UK hill climb in UK. Bealach na Ba. On the N500 route - but I skipped it.
Midges - can ruin a tour. Come prepared for the worse.
Weather - West coast catches a lot of the Atlantic rain but has better scenery than the East - IMO.
Folks - very friendly. Food - good to excellent. Try the Haggis and Cullen Skink.
The islands - Lewis - Harris are outstanding.
Costs - out in the wilds small shops have to charge more than the cities - I have no issues with that.
More tips as required.
I've been lucky enough to tour several countries and Scotland ranks alongside them all.
Hard to choose to fav. but Scotland is in the top 1.
;)
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Great ride and a great tale & photos, Matt -- good on yer! Good weather, empty beaches, and all the hills one could reasonably want/bear. And all reachable by train!--what's not to like, indeed? Loved your views of the hills, the water, and the sunshine.
My planned three-week trip this summer to Canada's New Scotland--also reachable by train, usually--was scuppered by COVID. As things stand, only people living in the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland/Labrador can visit those places, so my trip will have to wait for a while, or for a vaccine. :(
Good to see that you were able to finds shops, cafés and such. In our neighbourhood, those have reopened in the past 2-3 months, but some have not, esp in the smaller villages & rural areas. So, it's a matter of carrying more food. I'll do a short 4-day/3-night tour of the neighbourhood later this week, S & W from Ottawa, camping at lockstations along the Rideau Canal, Pretty genteel, but a welcome chance to be outside for several days.
Cheers, John
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...camping at lockstations along the Rideau Canal, Pretty genteel...
It's a great opportunity to tow your own canal barge behind your bike.
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There's a nice and wholly unexpected Scottish connection behind this mini-tour Andre -- tell you about it in due course ;)
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Looking forward to it, John.
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There's a nice and wholly unexpected Scottish connection behind this mini-tour Andre -- tell you about it in due course ;)
Does it involve haggis?
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Haggis??
Och, Matt, 'twas Annie Laurie.
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There's a nice and wholly unexpected Scottish connection behind this mini-tour Andre -- tell you about it in due course ;)
Does it involve haggis?
Haggis? Is that what scots do when trying to get a good deal on a new car?
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There's a nice and wholly unexpected Scottish connection behind this mini-tour Andre -- tell you about it in due course ;)
Does it involve haggis?
Haggis? Is that what scots do when trying to get a good deal on a new car?
Ha ha.
A good joke.
Reminds me of the cartoon showing 2 Scotsmen chatting. One playing the bag=pipes.
Scotsman 1, What are those?
Scotsmen 2, It's a breathalyser. I play it and if you think it sounds ok, you've had too much to drink.
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A Swiss property developer who cycled with us in years gone by was convinced she spoke English at least as good as my Schweizerdeutsch. She asked me why I sang out to cows in the fields we rode past, "Hello, dinners." I was just waiting for her to ask. "See, it makes them feel good and useful to be recognised and praised. Since they aren't all tensed up wondering why we ignore them, their meat is more tender." So whenever she saw cattle, she would sing out, "Hello dinners!" On another occasion I told her that she should bring her accordion on her bicycle to the pub where we were dining that evening because the Irish like accordion music while they eat... After a while none of the property developers would cycle with us, or go hillwalking, or play tennis, or join us for the Christmas morning ocean swim for charity, and everyone sighed in relief.
What's the plural of property developers? Answer: Wreckers.
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I've been obsessed about getting my car repaired for about two weeks, and now finally that seems done. I woke up today looking forward to a day of dreaming of Thorn, and panniers full, no thinking, and coffee stops, the perfect hammock hang, and endless lazy miles. But I know the coffee shops, the beer joints are closed, and what else I wonder.
I used to love the hot humid South USA summers. Not so much now, they seem to drain me of any energy. It isn't as hot as yesterday, but now at noon it is still hot enough at 33 Celcius and the high is said to be 34.5C. I was just out feeding the birds and thought to myself that I feel no motivation this year to cycle anywhere.
Normally late summer and especially early autumn I get travel fever. Reading your trip blog Matt was like firing up the engine, but it has sputtered and died upon imagining going on what all of a sudden feels like the "same ol' thing". And doing it in a possibly more hostile world, as well.
Does anyone else have any motivational difficulties this year, or does yours ebb and flow, like mines been doing? For Matt, has this Scottish tour sated your wanderlust for a time, or fired it up? When and where is next?
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Thanks Pavel. Good question.
To be very honest, I think my early tours were some kind of escapism from daily life.
I certainly enjoyed the wind in the hair kinda feeling.
Out on a limb and not knowing where I was going to sleep the next night.
Then I had a phase of, let's push things a bit: Ethiopia.
Now, I'm in a better place with home life so don't have the same kind of urges.
But the short tour a few weeks ago fired me up. My mojo is back.
Next stop?
It's all up in the air now due to Covid.
Lots going on in UK to rebalance our lives but of course it's the countries where I want to tour that need to be safe.
Magic wand? I had USA and a return trip to Tajikistan on the rada. Both have considerable tasks ahead before I'd commit.
I'm using the winter months to consider my options.
My fav quote on this is:
If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It's lethal. – Paulo Coelho
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I'm using the winter months to consider my options.
Matt, let me give you some (unsolicited!) input of your prospective North American tour. We'll leave aside the vexed question of the pandemic for the mo', 'cos what I have to say will surely be in effect when do do venture into these parts.
Just returned from my mini-tour of the extended neighbourhood, S and then W from Ottawa along the Rideau Canal, camping at lock-stations. (We'll leave the story of Annie Laurie until the full account - rest assured, it wouldn't have happened without her intervention.)
I spent the first afternoon and the entire second day battling head-on winds of 35-40 km/h, gusting to 50-plus. On level ground, I was having trouble staying in 8th; any rise at all, never mind hills, and I was down to 6th, and often lower still. (With a 36T front ring, remember.)
There were times when I was saying to myself, "Why is this happening?--I'm not in Saskatchewan..."
Occasionally, I found myself thinking of our conversation about your angling through Ontario en route to the Pacific coast. My summary suggestion is this: if you're going to tour N America horizontally, I'd recommend starting on the west coast, and cycle east with the prevailing winds behind you. There are more enjoyable ways than by air to cross N America with a bike -- I'd suggest the train. Things is, if you ride to, say, Vancouver, you're still got to take the plane or the train to get back east; so if you want to make the prevailing winds your friend, I'd suggest you let the train buck the wind for you, and then cycle back east.
My return journey on my wee trek simply confirmed my existing bias: with that 40 km/h-plus tailwind (it eased off a little as I turned N and W), I sailed along in 9 through 12.
Cheers, John
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Much appreciated John.
Yep, head winds really suck the energy and moral.
I can usually get my head around a hill, ( I can see it and understand what it's doing to me ) but those pesky winds are invisible.
Out for another mini tour tomorrow. More a wild camp/ get away from it all kinda break.
More micro than mini.
But it's good for the soul in these troubling times.
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it's good for the soul in these troubling times
Yep, gotta stay sane as well as safe. ;)
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Lovely read Matt...having cancelled our tour this year as we realised everybody was travelling to Scotland to do the NC500 ::) post lockdown.. (worst PR decision ever made by the Scottish Tourist Board was to name that route).....I needed the inspiration to plan for next year. We would have taken in everything from Kyle of Lochalsh northwards to Durness and back cross country and although we use mostly campsites we do try to wild camp when possible. I think I remember that tower beyond Gairloch but my pitch was near the top of the climb out of Dundonell...overlooking the river on a grassy knoll.
That stretch from Lochalsh to Ullapooll is beautiful ..... thanks for travelling it and writing about it.
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Lovely read Matt...having cancelled our tour this year as we realised everybody was travelling to Scotland to do the NC500 ::) post lockdown.. (worst PR decision ever made by the Scottish Tourist Board was to name that route).....I needed the inspiration to plan for next year. We would have taken in everything from Kyle of Lochalsh northwards to Durness and back cross country and although we use mostly campsites we do try to wild camp when possible. I think I remember that tower beyond Gairloch but my pitch was near the top of the climb out of Dundonell...overlooking the river on a grassy knoll.
That stretch from Lochalsh to Ullapooll is beautiful ..... thanks for travelling it and writing about it.
My pleasure.
Yes – the N500 is very contentious as well as busy. Lots of negative press, not that it appears to be deterring folks.
Almost every lay-by had a wide selection of camper-vans.
Now that the deed is done, I don’t see how it can be contained. Educating folks don’t work. Too many dumpties who couldn’t care less.
But let’s stay positive. The scenery will always be stunning and the weather…. will always be Scottish!
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Lovely read Matt...having cancelled our tour this year as we realised everybody was travelling to Scotland to do the NC500 ::) post lockdown.. (worst PR decision ever made by the Scottish Tourist Board was to name that route).....I needed the inspiration to plan for next year. We would have taken in everything from Kyle of Lochalsh northwards to Durness and back cross country and although we use mostly campsites we do try to wild camp when possible. I think I remember that tower beyond Gairloch but my pitch was near the top of the climb out of Dundonell...overlooking the river on a grassy knoll.
That stretch from Lochalsh to Ullapooll is beautiful ..... thanks for travelling it and writing about it.
The NC500 was started by "The North Highland Initiative" which was set up by the "HRH, Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay". It's been ill-thought out and the local infrastructure has been swamped. I spent a day on it last month as part of a longer cycle camping trip and encountered the worst driving and road conditions I've experienced for some time. I live in Highland.
Whatever else folk might charge them with, naming the NC500 is not the fault of the Scottish Tourist Board.