Scotland the .... Brave?!

Well here i sit in a hotel that has covered pretty much every surface in an explosion of tartan relishing in the warmth of a crackling fire and the thrill that discovering a place with Wi-Fi now brings!

So a few days to catch up on .... where to begin!

Well - leaving Moffat i felt quite daunted, we were not far over 1/2 way and had only 8 days to do the remaining miles, and lets face it Scotland is not known for being flat! The weather was also coming in - and 'Gale force' was a term frequently used in the local weather forecasts! So - the old courage was screwed back on to the sticking place and we were waved off from Moffat!

There was a choice of 2 routes from Moffat to Strathaven ... one about 10 miles longer and hillier than the other which was - shorter, flatter and boring (i.e. straight up the A74...) Well as you can imagine I was wholly tempted to plug into my iPod and trundle up the shorter, flatter, dull route ... and my oh my I am so glad that Rob told me not to. Saturday's ride was so gorgeous ... a 7 mile climb out of Moffat - but a long sloggy gentle one which was fine... and then a whizz down the valley through Tweedsmuir and Boughton ... absolutely beautiful! I was in a funny mood and sadly didn't take any photos... but spent my time relishing the beauty...   anyway we got to Strathaven and stayed in a great B&B - well - great restaurant with rooms! And then to Luss on Loch Lomond... but first to cycle through Glasgow ...  where the cycle routes are renowned for glass & punctures...

1st puncture of the day ... Nick mending his outside the People's Palace 

This made me laugh ... 

Glasgow preparing for the Commonwealth Games...  I think the picture on the left is the Commonwealth Stadium... or so i was told! 

It was a 2 jacket day (windy and wet!) ... and a day where Bradley felt small! 

  

Then Bradley fell foul to the puncture predictions... first one heading out of town on one of the beautiful cycle routes ... and the second one near to the Balloch marina heading up to Loch Lomond.. Luckily i wasn't cycling alone and there were many helpful hands! 

 And then we got to Luss and a B&B which overlooked the beauty of Loch Lomond... 

So after a long and tiring day of 6 punctures and 3 topples between us we were all delighted to be relaxing in beautiful surroundings. 

From Luss we pedalled to Connel... a ride that has been in my mind for a long time as it included the famed 'Rest & be Thankful' pass... a 4 mile long climb on the way to Inverary. I'm not sure why this particular climb has been on my mind so much as it isn't a huge one - a long gentle grind up the hill. Possibly because i remember Dad talking about it - maybe because the name makes me smile (and i always get it wrong and call it 'Thank and be Restful' which somehow i prefer!) Anyway later on in the ride we had a longer 8 mile climb out of Inverary ... and combined with the day topping 63 miles it was a long and tiring one. I hardly took any photos again, mainly because the weather was shocking and between battling the wind and rain & keeping out of the way of the truckers thrashing along the A82 it was a hairy scary day all around... anyway, we all survived to tell the tale and felt all the stronger for it! 

Bleak lunch stop!!! See the pelting rain in Inverary! 

Staying in Connel was a step back in time! Right out of childhood holidays in the 70's - does anyone else remember these 'babysitting' services?!  

And they're still in use in Connel! 

The ride from Connel to Fort William was promised to be an easy one - and at only just over 40 miles one of the shortest on the trip! With good weather (i.e. bitterly cold but only occasional showers) it was a stunning ride to Fort William. Combined with the delight at finding the Sustrans Cycle Routes were fabulous paved routes along old railway lines it soon became one of my favourite days cycling ... along the sides of Lochs ... and into Fort William... 

It felt good to have made it to the Highlands... we must be nearly there now!! 

Pretty sure this is Loch Linnhe ... or is it Loch Leven?! 

Now this is crossing over Loch Linnhe for sure.... 

Gorgeous moments along the cycle route!

Four Seasons in every hour... typical Scottish Weather! 

And then we arrived in Fort William where we found this chap waiting! 

Arriving in Fort William by lunchtime felt like we had an unexpected day off! So with some time to whizz into the shops, do laundry and have supper leaving this morning for the last 4 days of cycling felt very much like the 'last leg' had begun.

We headed out via 'Neptunes Staircase' a series of Locks on the Caledonian Canal built by Telford. It's a seriously impressive piece of engineering and as I cycled away after a good look around it I was left wondering what Dad had thought as he cycled by.  Before I left the B&B this morning the Oracle advised me to embrace the feeling of the ancients that had been along this route before me - it was good advice and took my mind out of the nonsense of the day (there've been the first bits of cliquey nonsense within the group over the last day or so)... and it was things like these examples of engineering that sent me thinking of the ingenuity that has been required over the centuries to work within this landscape! On the one hand one of the things i love about Scotland is it's natural majesty and the beauty that bears little reflection of human change ... and then there are these little examples of how ingenuity has worked out how to overcome the challenges of the landscape!

Neptunes Staircase...  

 First glimpse of Ben Nevis ... almost in view! 

 The Commando Memorial just outside Spean Bridge ....  as we passed here I was able to see how much fitter i've become since my training day back in June. Back then i was lamenting the size of the hills along the side of Loch Lochy ... today i was laughing at myself as i didn't even acknowledge them as hills anymore - merely 'undulations'! 

The two seasons on Loch Lochy .. above the rain coming in from the West .. below.. the fair weather to the East. 

It didn't seem like too long before i was past Invergarry and heading towards Fort Augustus and Loch Ness... where the weather continues to change every 2 minutes!

 Loch Ness in the Summer... at about 1pm ...

 Loch Ness in the autumn... at about 1.30pm... 

A pretty bridge just outside Invermoriston... 

And now i'm sitting by an open fire in a hotel in Drumnadrochit about to have supper ... and sleep... and then do it all again tomorrow !

3 days to go ... 171 miles left and lovely Stuey is coming to ride the day tomorrow...  Not long now xxx

Day One... and we're off!

It's time to sleep but i will write properly tomorrow... but for now ...

 The night before ... staying at Sennen Cove (beautiful!) the sunset didn't disappoint!! 

 This is like a 'first day at school shot' ... not only the nervous/anxious smile..

... but also the 'she'll grown into' look of the jacket!!! 

 Beautiful coastline ... 

But the hills... oh ouch the hills!!! 

 Yay! Look at that!!!! 

Perfectly named... almost 'home' ... little did i know that the last few miles had some of the worst hills! 

So ... Day One under the belt .... aching legs and feeling happy that i'm 'on the way' .... but a long long way to go ... so sleep now, and i'll tell you more tomorrow... 

(But thank you - thank you - thank you - for your messages..... haven't had much time this evening to reply to you all - was tied up sorting out the gear problems that Bradley's been having ... and having 'team bonding' dinner... but the messages have helped me up hills for sure!!!) 

xxx

Nerves....

I've been packing today and as i tried to work out what i'll need for this trip the size of what i'm embarking on hit me .... and the nerves kicked in!

I'm sure this is the equivalent of the bit before an exam - after you've left your books behind but before you've sat down to answer the questions - the 'no mans land' where you can't cram anymore. Losing the bike has left me like that for the next few days - i can't calm myself by jumping on my bike to reassure myself.... so .... the nerves kicked in!

My mantra is ... slow and steady - i'm just going for a ride each day in beautiful countryside....  all of which will add up to cycling the length of the country .... and i've been much heartened by my lovely friends reassuring me of my determination and resolve ....

But i have a niggle....

To date in life this 'determination' has always been tested through work.... working long and hard to deliver 'the best' job.... striving to get the right results....  it's always been long hours working and the like....

I've never tested the determination and resolve with a physical endurancy type thing ...

I do hope the determination kicks in in the same way....

We shall see.

My other niggle is ... am i leaving anything behind!?

xx

(BTW ... it is confirmed I've decided to name my bike... 'Bradley' .... Bradley and i will conquer the hills... maybe not in a Wigginsesque effortless manner... but we shall conquer the hills!!!)

Bikeless.....

My bike ..... possibly to be known as Bradley ..... has gone now - next time we're together will be at Land's End!

Me next ....


Oh my!

But to take my mind off it .... a couple of thousand invitations to put in envelopes today .... the sun is shining ... there's a garden in SW London waiting to host a 'stuffing party'!!

xxx

"May the mountains be levelled for you ...."

Is one of my favourite messages over the last few days ....  almost halfway to my fundraising target already and i can't tell you how special it is to receive messages of support ....   they come in all shapes and volumes from the loud yells of 'Go for it'... to the strong and determined 'You know your strength comes from the hills, they're not your enemy' ... I just know already that each and every one will be echoing around in my mind as i battle the miles....

Mid last week i got immersed in helping a friend sort out his invitation list for an upcoming art exhibition which i have to admit has been a welcome distraction from my growing nervousness! Whilst most of the country was finding respite from the rain during this (not so) glorious Bank Holiday weekend I spent my time chained to the computer building a database for a few thousand addresses or out on my bike battling wind and rain!

So - if you're in London around the 17th/18th September then go along to Charlie's exhibition at Gallery 27, Cork Street.  He's a brilliant artist and there'll be a massive range of work on show...

You see... it's been easy to hide my mind from my upcoming ride!!

If i'm honest whilst i am nervous about the hills (.... oh damn those hills!) .. and the weather's not looking good for the first week or so at least ... i am also getting excited! I am such a fan of this glorious country of ours - and i'm really excited about the beautiful routes that i'm going to follow... the crazy place names that will cheer my heart and just the Britishness of it all ...

I wonder what my fellow cyclists will be like... there's going to be 10 of us ... i hope they're nice!

And ...  already plans are falling into place for friends coming along to cycle a few miles - or meet up in a pub en route ....

I've always known that my first big milestone is going to be making it through the hills of Devon & Cornwall ... so it's great to know that for the first day out of Devon my mate Charlie will be joining me (no not the artist ... another lovely Charlie.... !) to cycle from Cheddar to Chepstow ... where his wife and another mate of mine from London will be greeting us!!! I predict i may be ready to have a mini little celebration ....

My Bike goes to Lands End ahead of me .... i drop it off at 9am tomorrow...

Then it's just bags to be packed and off I go!

xxxx

To name or not to name....

I've been asked quite frequently what i've called my bike ... but i haven't named it... which makes me wonder if i should....  i play around with vintage cars and they all have names and crazy as it may sound i 'chat' to them when i'm driving - urging them up hills (they're the kind that tootle rather than roar along!) and if anything sounds a bit suspect having a reassuring chat that everything 'will' be ok! Mainly to reassure myself obviously!!!

So ... why haven't i named my bike? Will it help me to think 'we're' in it together as i struggle up the hills?! I wonder...  in which case, what should i name it?!

Answers on a postcard!!!

Am i finally losing the plot?!

Had i named it i would have been having an enquiring chat on Tuesday when i was struggling with gear problems (again!) ... i had a bit of a fright that i was finding the 'easy' -  'spin your legs like a windmill' gears quite hard going - i was puzzled! And concerned - had i lost all my power during the week or so out of the saddle with bad shoulder?! But inspection revealed that the rear gears were stuck and not changing ... so off i went to my trusty local bike shop who spotted cabling issues (how do cables 'slip' out of tight connections?!?!) and restored it to working order!!! As a consequence 'trusty steed' is today having a full overhaul service to ensure that we're ship-shape and ready to go ...

When i say 'we'..... well - you know what i mean!!! If only there was a spanner set that could 'tune' me up too!!!

Just over a week to go ... i'll be back in the saddle for the next few days - then on Tuesday 'bike' is being picked up to be taken to Lands End... and i shall follow on Friday for a lovely stay in Penzance before the big adventure begins on Saturday....  currently when i'm not busy with other things i'm either riding or obsessing about weather conditions and gear....

You'd think i was heading off to remote lands.... when really, the truth is i'll probably be cycling past bike shops most days so if i need anything .... but somehow there's something in 'being packed and prepped' at the start!

You cyclists out there ... any top tips?!

Happy Birthday to me.....

And to celebrate i woke up at 6am and headed out on the bike before it got too hot ... a glorious ride!! As it's my birthday (and pretty warm!) i treated myself to a long gentle ride.... 30+ miles along the Thames ... gorgeous....

Heading down through town i can already tell the impact of the Olympics, there's far far less traffic than normal (yay!!) ... but on the downside - where the Olympic lanes (which are now in action) are forcing all traffic into a single lane people are being much more aggressive with cyclists and barely allowing any room as they pass to ensure that they don't encroach the Olympic lane and get a fine!

 Lovely and cool in Lincolns Inn ... was fun to see lots of pre work training sessions going on! 

My Olympics definitely kicked off in style yesterday when we all cheered and whooped a dear friend who was running in the Torch Relay...  We had a beautiful day over in Kew and celebrated the Torch in style! So i smiled to see the Olympic rings on Tower Bridge... whoever thought of this deserves a big cheer i love it! 

The Shard ..... Really is big! 

Loved this typical view .... looking across the river seeing the beautiful church spire rising up behind the apartments.... I'm slightly sad that the skyline which was once dominated by spires and cupolas.... is now dominated by things like The Shard and The Gherkin ... and it's so easy to miss the spires!!! 

So my Birthday ride was a lovely one ... was getting hot as i got home .... and now for a lovely day ahead....  

Two wheels.... two rails....

Am loving getting around the country on train with bike ... but should really have panniers to make the luggage issue easier (have had a few hairy rides through london with overfilled rucksack threatening to topple me!) ... but am delighted that the train/bike combo is pain free! I have been surprised that usually my bike has been the only one on a train...  

Love this at Paddington .... bike parks for commuters! Not nearly enough yet - but good start! 

Whereas getting on at Bath ... it was just me... 

7 weeks to go! 

Less than 50 days on the countdown timer now... 

Getting close!!! 

A lot to catch up on ......

I see with shock that i haven't written since the end of May ... which means that i must rap myself on the knuckles... shoddy i say shoddy! All of which means that this will be a long catch up as i have been busy out on the bike! 

Indeed i can feel the progress - yay - i can indeed!!!! 

So.... the highlights .... 

At the end of May much of my cycling was in and around London and included ... whizzing around town to meet people for lunch .. breaking out my bluey white legs in lycra down at Horseguards for a cheeky lunch break with my dear Olympic torch-bearing friend .... I had hoped that the lovely weather would gradually transform them - instead they are being whipped with rain!! Much circling of Regents Park and around Hampstead ... a wonderful whizz through London on the morning of the Jubilee Pageant delighting in empty roads and feeling the atmosphere build as i got closer to London Bridge... and oh we were lucky enjoying the pageant amongst dear friends on a sheltered balcony - what a wonderful spectacle it was....  The cycle home was however wetter and windier.... 

I finished off my Jubilee celebrations by jumping on a train with my bike and heading North to Edinburgh ... i stayed in a wonderful wonderful flat for a few days on Gayfield Square and had a wonderful time re-visiting my old University haunts and catching up with a dear friend from long ago... i also discovered that cycling in and around London isn't cutting the mustard as far as training is concerned!!! 

During my trip i headed north to Loch Lochy (NW of Fort William) and cycled a circular route of 34 miles which will form part of Day 19 of my trip.... and i realised that hills can be 3 - 4 miles long!!! I had a wonderful (if cold and wet) day ... and it was so beautiful... but it hammered home that good old flat London with its stop-start cycling is not good enough for the trip... after 10 miles my legs felt as though i'd cycled 20.... but i made it the whole route and was particularly chuffed to complete the 3 mile long uphill stretch at the end .... 

 6 miles in ... soaking up the views.... 

 Pause for 'lunch' at Laggan Locks .... 

On the home stretch the weather was closing in .... 

Day 2 North of the Border and i was back in Edinburgh enjoying the amazing network of cycle routes that they have there. 27 Miles of coastal cycling heading West to the Forth Bridge (the engineer in me will forever get excited when i see it!) ... blowy weather and i was cycling head on into the wind all the way home....  had a real lesson in the power of the wind! 

Yep .... heading East from Leith ... it was dreich! 

Cut inland at Cramond ... beautiful! 

 Hmmmm..... Scottish idea of a cycle path?! Or maybe i've detoured off it!!!! 

 Heading home i found the most wonderful network of cycle paths running along what i later found out to be the old railway lines... all around edinburgh ... FANTASTIC! This is heading into town from Trinity. 

So two good days with decent mileage under my belt! Then on Friday before i got the train home i had fun exploring the city itself - cycling down memory lane as i visited lots of old haunts and favourite places.  Sadly the cold and the time pressure meant that i didn't stop and click too many photos but i had a wonderful spin around town.... 

View across to Arthur's seat from Carlton Hill.... 

Just love the Gardens in the heart of town.... looking up the Mound across the Galleries... scene of much Fringe fun and street theatre in the good old days! 

Since i've been back the stormy weather (i hate to admit) of the last week has sent me swimming more than cycling and i've only done a couple of 30+ rides... but it's all good and (when the weather's good) i am loving it! Hills hills hills are the focus of the next few months.... 

What have i learnt? 

• Buses don't always stop when they knock you off your bike!! 
• New mantra 'Hills aren't my enemy as they always come to an end.... Wind however.... ' 
• Layer up .... getting cold is exhausting.
• Dogs seem to love running at the wheels of a bike. 
• 60 miles a day is a long long way! 
• Stretch out... stretch out .... stretch out..... 
• Music is great for lifting the heart i have no doubt that this adventure will have me stretching my playlists! 

I'm not going to say too much and languish on the miserable weather we've been having over the last 4 weeks - but ... Oh - how i hope summer will appear soon. 

Back in the saddle again .....

So i picked up my bike just over a week ago and then promptly flew to France (without said bike!) where the sun shone - the sea glistened and i had a wonderful time enthralled with historic cars racing the Historic Grand Prix in Monaco. I was spoilt in my precious little home from home and it was wonderful....   Whilst pottering around on the coast i was always encountering the 'peletons' of cyclists that tour around... heads down, taut sinewy muscles, lean and powerful powering along the coast roads.... their bodies look like they're in their prime 20's ...

And then you see their eyes smiling ... and they're wise ... and wrinkly ... and definitely in the last 1/3 rather than the first 1/3...  amazing fitness! Left me wondering if hauling my sorry ass up and down the country will transform me into a sinewy cyclist...  who knows... but i'm not sure that it will. Their bodies looked as though they'd come from a lifetime of saddles....

So from balmy sunny skies of the Med i flew back last night and landed in hailing Luton! YAY! And have spent much of the day avoiding getting on the bike... partly as i'm still suffering from a streaming cold (thank you Mediterranean skies!) and partly 'cause i didn't want to depress myself...  but i've just come back from a gentle 10 miles... and it wasn't too bad... Still getting used to the many gears on the bike (looking forward to the day when it feels like second nature!) and still learning the basics...

1.  If a dog sees a ball to chase it WILL NOT look for bikes! (Yep ... i almost took out a terrier!)
2. Some cars are REALLY quiet ..... and you won't hear them behind you ...
3. Water is your friend.....
4. Don't go out cycling if you haven't eaten all day ...
5. Stretch ... stretch.... stretch....

Lovely ride today ... from Hampstead down to Regents Park via Primrose Hill .... 2 laps of the park.... rest with stretches.... back up to Swiss Cottage... realised tank was empty so smoothie @ Swiss Cottage leisure centre... then up the hills of Hampstead home..... was all good....

Lovely ...  oh and must learn how to take off quick release wheels.... think i was doing something wrong!!

Finally!

... this morning i've picked up my new bike!

To anyone that cycles regularly it's no big deal ... but to me - it's the first bike (ever!) that's properly fitted to me ...we're still playing around with the handlebar height / angle but that will all come as i spend more time in the saddle and get used to it. I've never had a 'road bike' before (or as i will forever think of them... racers.... which was what they were called in the 80's!) so here i am gently getting used to bending forward and feeling like a bit of a fraud! It will become natural i know .. but just now i'm enjoying the slightly unnerved feeling i have!

So 8 miles this morning ... and i'm toying with heading out for the afternoon ... although - have things to prepare for France and a wedding tomorrow ... so should focus ...

Feels good.

Am excited.

This is it now.... training all the way!

Wish Dad were here ...  but ... in some special ways he is.  It's funny how this is already seeping into all areas of life... my flat now has 2 bikes gracing the hallway (must get rid of the one that i no longer need)...  so i'm always edging around 'a bike' to get anywhere!  I have more Hi-Vis outerwear than i've had in 20 years (last time i wore hi-vis in anger was as a Site Engineer... and then it was oversized, padded and designed for warmth on sites in Scotland!) .... and i sacrificed my long flowing locks (too much blowdrying required!!) ... rather than a clutch bag/pashmina combo hanging by the front door - i now have a bike helmet and fluorescent jacket ...  and i can already feel the pull of clip in shoes rather than toe clips... but for now....  i'm doing ok.

Fear not though dear ones... i'm not going to turn into a complete cycling whippet - i shall still be wearing pretty shoes and nice clothes...  and enjoying late night jazz and drinking red... and ... all the things that 'real' cyclists don't do!!!

Today is marked... it's really happening! xxx

This is where it begins.....

Well that's not quite accurate...  there has been some gentle movement in the direction of cycling over the last couple of months.  But today's the day that i go and collect my new bike... so it feels like this is a whole new phase in the preparations for cycling LeJoG in September - after all it has already affected my hairstyle - the clothes i'm buying and wearing .... and now the momentum has built and i can feel the influence that this little adventure will have over the next months....

So ... this little virtual marker is being sent from my screen out into the ether .... i shall catch you up with my story soon dear reader ... but for now... know this.

I am a redhead!
I am about to pick up my new bike...
I haven't cycled regularly for the last 15 years ....
In September i shall be cycling from Lands End to John O' Groats ...

That's enough for now... more shall come soon!!! xxx