Route reconnaisance

Ann and myself headed up to Glencoe for a few days to celebrate our birthdays with a bit of climbing, drinking, eating and lazing around (not necessarily in that order).  The big thaw has really taken a grip on the highlands and on pulling up and checking the route conditions on Beinn Udlaidh, there was not a single ice route left.  The wind was so strong, that the waterfalls were in fact blowing back up over the top of the mountain.  This was a weather pattern that was to stick with us for the whole weekend.

The rest of Friday, we spent on the road down to Oban to see how the cycle path was developing.  What I saw of this section of the trip was looking good - large parts of it a purpose made cycle path running alongside the waters edge - a few sneak previews for you..... with the obligatory castle thrown in for good measure !!!

Sunday turned out to be the worst day of the lot, and after the drenching we got on Saturday, we really didn't fancy another soaking, so had a lazy day having a drive around.  Another possible detour off the main highway, is to take the Corran ferry over to Ardgour and take the quiet road from there up to Fort William.  This really is a quiet road - in fact we only saw one other car the whole way !!!,  So subject to ferry times, this could be a possibility.

I'm really getting excited about this section on the tour along the western coast line.

As for Saturday - we headed up onto summit buttress on Stob Corie Nan Lochan - yeah, we did get wet, it rained for much of the day, but it in no way dampened our enthusiasm - it's what Scottish winter mountaineering is all about !!!!!

Happy Birthday to me !!!

Well - after Monday, the cold got worse.  I even got up for work on Tuesday, showered, got ready and then felt so rough as I was about to leave the house that I went back to bed and stayed there all day.  One thing I did manage to check on though was some of the daily distances we will be cycling, and I've modified a few places where we might stay to equal the days out a little.

Today is my birthday however, and so I've made the effort to get up even though the lurgy is holding firmly on.  I did get my pressies delivered today from my gorgeous wife Ann.  I say 'pressies' as they were paid for out of her ebay account, although I ordered them myself, but she can have all the credit for getting them ;)

So after a bit of fitting and setting it up, the BEAST of BURDEN is now nearly ready for action with new panniers and handlebar bag

It was only when I was taking the photos, did it dawn on me that I have matching handlebar bag, pedals and panniers - it must be my feminine side coming out !!!!!

It has been a little bit of a tricky decision as to what bike to ride.  The speed merchants will obviously go for the racing bike, lightweight, fast bumpy ride, watching the tarmac with their head down all the way and normally having their luggage transported by a van in support. 

Now I do have a lightweight trialthlon bike but that has carbon forks and carbon seatstays, so is totally useless for carrying panniers, but I've used it before cycling around the Scottish Islands towing a trailer and it worked very well.  But a 1000 miles towing would be a different ball game, so I've opted for the trusty mountain bike - and it's looking like a true workhorse now.

There's still a few jobs to do on it.  I've made some bespoke mudguards, I have some slighly skinnier slick tyres for it, and with the addition of an adjustable stem for the steering, I think I'll be great - maybe a little heavier than some bikes, but I know it will be comfy.  I'll have to think of a name for it - so any suggestions welcome !!!

Ann said I should get a new cycling top as well - now would I look daft with a red and white king of the mountains top on though - hmmmmm

Cycling doldrums

This amused me today, as I sat here, suffering from a cold, thinking I should be out on the bike doing a training ride, but accepting that the wind was far too strong for that to be enjoyable.  I'll do a session on the indoor trainer later.

http://goingsoloadventure.blogspot.com/2012/02/small-guide-to-using-natures-toilet.html

The Route

There's more than one way to skin a rabbit, as the saying goes, and there's more than one way to cycle a long distance route.
The record for rider on a conventional bicycle is 44 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds, set by Gethin Butler in 2001 - I'm not sure that we could drive it that fast !!!!  The fastest on a unicycle was 6 days 8 hours !!!!

But we're not going for records, or should I say that we're not capable of setting records, so we're taking a leisurely trip and hoping to enjoy the scenery.  The shortest route works out about 874 miles, but that would be taking all the main trunk roads, with all the traffic and dangers that involves, but also - you would miss some super parts of the country on the way. 

The route we will be taking is roughly drafted out and shown on the map above, and avoids as many main roads as possible.  Lands End, along the south coast then up to Exeter, cross over into Wales over the Severn Bridge, head up through east Wales up to Chester, up through the built up sections of Liverpool/Manchester/Preston and on through Cumbria to Carlise. As we enter Scotland, we will be heading over to the West coast, cutting through Dumfies and Galloway, crossing over to the Isle of Arran, and up the far west coast up to Fort William.  Here, we intend to scale a mountain or two as well, just to give the legs a rest !! From there up past Loch Ness towards Inverness, then cut back inland a little to head right up to the North Coast and then head East along to John O'Groats.  All in all - it's looking like 1050 miles.

There - when written down it looks easy.  Things may change however, as we really didn't want to tie ourselves to stopping at any particular point, so if we're feeling strong, we could carry on a little.  Likewise, if we've had enough for a day, then we'll pitch the tent where we drop.

Why start from Lands End you say?  well the theory is that the prevailing winds are SouthWesterly, so there's a greater chance of having the wind at your back.  This is an important consideration, even if not guaranteed.  I found out today on a 50 mile ride then pain of having to cycle into a strong headwind.  Keeping even a slow pace makes the legs pump up as if you're on the toughest of mountain stages on the Tour De France.

Parkinson's Charity Page up and operational

When Andy and myself first talked about making this trip, gaining sponsorship for a charity was not even considered.  We were doing it just for a jolly.  However virtually everyone who you mention the trip to has a standard initial response of "are you doing it for charity"?

It seems that everyone who does an adventure nowadays is socially obliged to to it for charity.  So it got me thinking - WHY NOT?  Whilst it's not the main purpose of the trip, if people are able to delve into their pockets and donate a little, then we would be doing our bit for the greater good.

Choosing a charity for our cycle ride was not difficult for either Andy or myself. My dad Ed, was diagnosed with Parkinson's just under 2 years ago, and now has a regular intake of tablets which go some way to helping control the condition. Andy's dad Reggie was also a sufferer of the condition for 20 years prior to his death in 2007.

So with all that in mind, here's a link to the Just Giving page we've set up for this trip.  The money goes direct to the charity and not to our cycling beer fund !!!!

http://www.justgiving.com/Dan-Andy-LEJOG

So if you're an armchair cyclist, wondering how saddle sore we will be cycling over 1000 miles, you can be rest assured that the more we raise, the more the pain will seem worthwhile.

Donations to our beer fund in addition are of course always welcome, irrespective of whether we are on an adventure or not !!

Cycling in the freezer

I thought I'd put in a decent ride today, especially as it looked like it was going to be reasonable weather, so I planned a 60 miler along the coast towards Dunbar in East Lothian.  This was going to be the longest training ride to date.  I was waiting around all morning as my new indoor turbo trainer was being delivered - more about that later.

I set off at 12.30 having just feasted on a tin of baked beans and sausages - the food of kings !!!!  All went well - apart from the cold.  Out until the turnaround point, all was fine, but then the cold really started to get into me.  The temperature was only about 1 degree above freezing, as evidenced by patches of frost and ice on the way.  Again I was cycling at an average of 15mph, so after checking out my 'wind chill ready reckoner' I was effectively cycling in minus 12 conditions - much the same as a freezer I guess.

Undoubtedly, this cold affects the body more than cycling in warmer climes.  With about 20 miles still to go, I really was feeling the effects of the frigid air.  I was chilled to the core, hungry, tired, my legs felt like lead, and generally I was not enjoying it.  I just wanted to get home and in the bath.  more food and energy gels were not working.  I was completely sapped.

The strange thing though was that my legs still kept pumping away.  I've been trying to keep the cadence up over the last few weeks, concentrating on keeping a good rhythm and correct gear choice rather than just powering through inclines and windy weather.  This has definitely helped in just being able to be knock out the miles and keep going.  So whilst I really didn't enjoy the cold and energy sapping conditions, I was heartened by my ability to just keep going.

And back to the indoor trainer - I think that if the temperature is the same as it was today, and I plan to be out on the bike for 4 hours again, then it'll be indoors rather than out. !!!!

On a good note - I cycled past Bass Rock in the Forth - something I'd never seen before, which is overlooked by Tantallon castle - it really is a lovely part of the world along here.

Oh - and did I mention I was cold !!

11 seconds ......

that's how long it takes when you spit from the Forth Road bridge for the dribble to hit the water !!!!!  Yes - a strange fact for me to write on here, but as I was watching a cargo ship cruise back under the Forth rail bridge today, I wondered what the highest bridge would be that we would ride over.  Not wanting to do a full internet investigation, I thought we could spit from all the highest bridges on route and record the results.  But there again, is anyone interested............

I didn't set off until nearly 2pm today, as it was one of the coldest mornings of the year here in Edinburgh.  The drive was iced up and I thought I'd wait until it thaws a little before heading out.  It didn't really thaw today, especially in the shade, so I had to be a little careful heading out to North Queensferry.  The esplanade was thick with white frost in places even at 3:30 ish !!!

Giving some thought about how this cold and icy weather is hampering the training, I decided that an indoor 'turbo' trainer is what is needed to allow me to get a few extra hours in when the weather is poor - so one is now on order - I'd best clear a space in the house somewhere - I wonder if Ann would notice it all set up in the dining room ????