Inverness to Glasgow on NCN7 in 4 Parts (Long)

On 4/5/05 1:55 pm, in article
[email hidden], "PhilO"

Quoted message said:

Part 1

Quoted message said:

I'll add the other days (work permitting) soon, if anyone is
interested.

More ladies from Leuchars please...

Nice report.

...d

PhilO said:

Part 1

Inverness to Glasgow on NCN7 with 2 friends, 20 army cadets and 10
cadets from the ATC.

[...]

Did you have to explain to the Army Cadets how to turn the long metal
things around to make the bike go forward?

Ex-Sgt Willoughby, 1004 Sqn. ATC.

Part 2

Day 2 Aviemore to Pitlochry

After Weetabix and fantastic bacon & black pudding sandwiches, set off
about 0830 from Aviemore. Down the B970 and the wind had decreased a
bit. Still windy enough to blow off my hat going down a hill, though.
When I went back to get it I had one of those occasional moments when I
forget how to ride at low speeds. I should have stopped, walked over
and picked up my hat, but I thought it would be clever to pick it up on
the move. I missed it, got my back wheel stuck in the ditch doing a
three point turn and then ended up lying on my side in the middle of
the road - still sat in the bike. No harm done (not far to fall) and
so onwards once more.

Very scenic road down to the old Ruthven Barracks and on to Kingussie.
Nice cycle track between Kingussie and Newtonmore followed by a coffee
in Newtonmore. We met the RAF ladies just outside Newtonmore and after
declining their offers of snacks, juice & water they said they would do
some extra sandwiches for our lunch. Such nice people (and still more
later). The cycle track was a bit odd through the Ralia section, but
there was only one car, so we were free to ignore the white paint. Back
on the old A9 to get further south and then towards Dalwhinnie. Another
five miles into the wind (but not as strong as yesterday) and we were
through Dalwhinnie. Jim had been adopted by one of the army cadet
groups by now, leaving Jane and myself free to charge onwards. However,
as soon as we left the A889 onto the traffic free section, it was low
batteries and time for a snack.

Snack over, it was onto the cinder-top path that runs alongside the A9
through Drumochter Pass and down Glen Garry. It tends to run 10-20
yards from the A9 so is beautiful, stunning scenery on one side but
busy road on the other. I hadn't been looking forward to this bit - I
wasn't sure how the Streetmachine would cope with the surface here,
but there was no problem. The only difficulty was avoiding rocks on the
path that had fallen from the cliffs above. So, we had a great run up
to Dromochter. However, in Glen Garry the route pulls away from the A9
it hits old roads and seriously deteriorates. This is the first bit of
bad surface and since it was 75 miles into the trip I can't really
complain. We hit much worse later on anyway (see Day 3).

Descent from Drumochter was exciting. Lots of bumps, twists and bridges
on a not particularly solid surface. Didn't feel built for effective
or safe cycling, but it was fun anyway. A thousand times better than
the alternative.

It was 1pm by then so we thought we would tank on to House of Bruar for
lunch when suddenly there was the RAF van with a feast laid out on the
trailer. Three types of sandwich, piles of biscuits, fruit, sausage
rolls, crisps, boiled eggs, juice, water and a great big kettle of
water boiling away. "Help yourselves" said the ladies from the RAF
"and there is loads of food so don't worry about taking too much.
Now, how do you like your coffees?" Fantastic, but if you think
that's good - they surpassed themselves on Day 3.

After that wonderful lunch we headed on. The route from Calvine is the
B8079 and is not particularly good or bad. A bit busy, children
pointing and laughing in Blair Atholl (comes with the bike) and a bad
hill at Killiecrankie. Arrived in Pitlochry to piper and photo-shoot
with veterans at the cenotaph. A very nice welcome for the cadets -
again organised by Earl Haig.

They had also arranged for free repairs at Escape Route, so Jane got
her gears adjusted for free and Jim got some bar-ends at discount with
free fitting. Nice shop and they do a great espresso. After this it was
off to our B&B (Carra Beag). Very welcoming and knocked 50% off the
price when she heard we were doing the ride for charity. No jacuzzi,
but you can't have everything. We saw enough water on day three
anyway.

Day 2: 63miles with 550m of climbing. Overall impression - good route
to Dalwhinnie, better than expected over Drumochter and then nothing
special from Clavine. Jim finished with the cadets and arranged to ride
with them again the next day, leaving me and Jane to decide whether to
miss out the south side of Loch Tay and instead go up Glen Lyon and
back over the side of Ben Lawers. A very scenic route, but when we saw
the weather forecast (rain) we decided to stick with NCN7.

I'll add Day 3 later (when it all went horrible but the RAF ladies
turned out to be angels).

PhilO

On 4/5/05 5:00 pm, in article
[email hidden], "PhilO"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Great write up. This must be a dream.. good roads, great weather and
wonderful trailers full of food just when needed most...

Looking forward to day 3.

...d

in message <[email hidden]>, David Martin

(') said:

On 4/5/05 5:00 pm, in article
[email hidden], "PhilO"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

Great write up. This must be a dream.. good roads, great weather and
wonderful trailers full of food just when needed most...

Looking forward to day 3.

Me too - great report. But it has me thinking - I'm very guilty of
posting very long ride reports (and I love reading other people's long
ride reports). I was wondering - does anyone find having long ride
reports posted here a nuisance? Would it be better if long reports were
posted to websites and URLs posted here? I'm not suggesting I think
they should be - just the opposite - but if other people think it's
self indulgent to post them here ...

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; 99% of browsers can't run ActiveX controls. Unfortunately
;; 99% of users are using the 1% of browsers that can...
[seen on /. 08:04:02]

Simon Brooke said:

But it has me thinking - I'm very guilty of
posting very long ride reports (and I love reading other people's long
ride reports). I was wondering - does anyone find having long ride
reports posted here a nuisance? Would it be better if long reports were
posted to websites and URLs posted here? I'm not suggesting I think
they should be - just the opposite - but if other people think it's
self indulgent to post them here ...

It's hard to think of a subject more on topic for the group than ride
reports, either long or short. I'm with you, I love reading many of
them and am glad people take the time to share.

If there are urc'ers who don't enjoy them, and I guess there must be,
then it's no hardship to move along to the next thread. Surely we all
do that with the subjects that don't interest us here in the group?

And don't call me Shirley.

--

"Bob"

Email address is spam trapped.
To reply directly remove the beverage.

On Wed, 04 May 2005 20:43:51 +0100, Simon Brooke
<[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

does anyone find having long ride reports posted here a nuisance?

Absolutely not. It's on-topic, entertaining, and nobody's forcing
anyone to read them ayway.

Post away.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

In article <[email hidden]>, Simon

Brooke said:

I was wondering - does anyone find having long ride reports posted
here a nuisance?

Nope

Quoted message said:

Would it be better if long reports were posted to websites and URLs
posted here?

Nope

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting I think they should be - just the opposite - but
if other people think it's self indulgent to post them here ...

I prefer to read them here - but I do use Pluto on my ancient RiscPC.
Pluto is probably the best mail/news reader ever invented.

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net

On Wed, 04 May 2005 21:27:25 +0100, Sandy Morton <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

I do use Pluto on my ancient RiscPC.
Pluto is probably the best mail/news reader ever invented.

Especially noted for its trimming abilities.

"Hey, Pluto cut that out!"

I'll get me coat...

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Simon Brooke said:

I was wondering - does anyone find having long ride
reports posted here a nuisance?

Nope

Quoted message said:

Would it be better if long reports were
posted to websites and URLs posted here?

Nope, not unless there are photos integral to the story.

Quoted message said:

I'm not suggesting I think they should be - just the opposite - but if
other people think it's self indulgent to post them here ...

Jeez, no.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"No problem is so formidable that you can't walk away from it"
- Charles Schultz

Part 3

David Martin said:

This must be a dream.. good roads, great weather and
wonderful trailers full of food just when needed most...

It was too good to last - here is Day 3 (where it all gets wet)

Day 3 Pitlochry to Callander

The third day started out well, but that wasn't to last. Jim joined
up with the cadets and we all left about the same time. Fun riding over
the suspension bridge in Pitlochry and then reasonable track to
Logierait. Everyone ignored the Cyclists Dismount sign to cross the
A827 (- not needed at all). One group of cadets took this road as a
shortcut to Strathtay, missing out a rather nasty little hill on the
other side of the river. A fairly fast pootle along the north side of
the River Tay took us without incident into Kenmore. The weather was
overcast and the cloud was low, but it looked as though we might manage
to have a decent day. How wrong we were.

Jim and a few cadets took the north side of Loch Tay for the easier
road. No problems except the spray from cars once the torrential rain
began. Jane and I were ahead and had opted for the lumpier, bumpier
south side. Half way up the first big hill there was a short downhill.
I was flying down there when BANG! Rear blow-out and my inner-tube had
blown a great big hole through the side-wall of my rear tyre. Starting
to drizzle now so change tube as quickly as possible and arrange to
pick up my spare tyre later. Patch on the inside of the tyre should
hold it for now.

Then it started to rain, then it pored and it kept on pouring for the
rest of the day. We were cold, wet and behind schedule. To make matters
worse, the road surface deteriorated to a multitude of pot-holes, all
overflowing with water. We were going through puddles not knowing what
was at the bottom of them. And then the BMW drivers came towards us.
Five of them, a minute or two apart and all of them thought they could
pass cyclists on a single track road in the pouring rain without
slowing down. The only solution was to ride right in the middle of the
road until they stopped and then go around the side of them. Iain
(bringing my spare tyre in the car) met them too and had a face-off
when on of them wouldn't reverse back to a passing place. Iain can
out-stubborn anyone where principles are involved, so they had to give
in.

Until now there had always been something good to look forward to on
the route, but now spirits were so low, all I could come up with was
"We're halfway there and this day will end sometime." Then after
fifteen miles of hills, pot-holes, pouring rain and BMWers we arrived
at Killin. Waiting there, by the side of the road, were the ladies from
the RAF. Before we had stopped and dismounted they were handing us a
mug of hot soup and the packed lunches they had saved for us when they
had heard we had been delayed. Angels. I can't remember ever having
been that wet and cold and I can't remember soup ever having been
that good. It gave us the boost we needed to continue.

Quoted message said:

From Killin there is a scenic off-road route through Acharn Forest.

Gravel covered disused railway totally unsuitable for a road bike and
Speedmachine, but we were beyond caring. Didn't care about the muddy
track that followed either. The route was tarmac for the final climb up
to the road and that was a killer of a climb too.

After crossing the road we were just starting along the old railway
line through Glen Ogle in the pouring rain when BANG! The new tube had
blown a hole through the patch on the tyre, so time to fit the new tyre
(and last new tube, so fingers crossed). A big thank-you to Jane, who
patiently waited in the pouring rain while I fixed my second blow-out
of the day. This was a definite low point - hands too cold to work
quickly and just getting wetter and colder by the minute. If things
didn't start to improve soon, we were going to be in danger of not
having a good time. Jane is the most positive person I know, but she
was getting a lot of pain from her shoulder and needed to get somewhere
fast, not hang around waiting for me.

We carried on along Glen Ogle and the rain eased and then stopped. The
route along this disused railway is absolutely stunning. Perched way up
a hill, high above the road we were flying along. I wish we had been in
better humour - we would have enjoyed this section so much more.
After a great three miles there is a very steep winding drop back down
to the road. Signs kindly pointed out this in advance, the section was
nice tarmac and there was a large SLOW painted on the track before each
bend. However, for some strange reason, the path was narrowed by a pair
of bollards before each bend. Bearable, but can they not trust us to
come down a hill at a reasonable pace. If we can't, we'll not
survive Loch Lubnaig or the descent to Aberfoyle.

Anyway, Jane's shoulder hurt, we were both cold and tired and we knew
that the west side of Loch Lubnaig was unsuitable for our bikes. So it
was to Callander on the A84 as fast as possible. Now, Jane is fit, very
fit. When she gets something in her sights she is unstoppable. As she
led me up the hill Kingshouse at 22mph I was reminded how fit she is.
It took no time at all to charge into Callander, so fast that there was
no-one there to greet us. Two of the vans had broken down, but Gordon
turned up within two minutes and got the kettle on for us.

We had made it to Callander. Wet, very wet, soaking and tired. We
waited for the others to arrive and found out that Jim had been having
some off-road fun on the west side of Loch Lubnaig and had then pulled
a muscle in his thigh. Poor bloke could hardly walk. Time to get off to
the B&B (East Mains Guest House). Most guest house owners might not be
too keen on wet muddy cyclists turning up, but they were fantastic. It
was: any dirty clothes for the washing machine?, get in the shower and
warm up, let me take those wet shoes, I'll get the kettle on,
here's a hose to clean the bikes while I clear space in the garage
for them, do you want me to call a doctor for Jim, let me get the fire
lit for you etc etc. Wonderful reception.

Jim's leg was bad, but Jane is training as a sports therapist and so
was prescribing ice, massage, ibuprofen gel and total rest. Jim had
little choice since he really was struggling to walk. It looked like he
might well be travelling in the bus for the final day.

The cadets were staying in a school in Dunblane and had invited us for
a barbecue that night. So, after some welcome hot showering and more
massaging Jim's leg, we set off. Excellent spread. I can't
understand where the cadets got the energy to play basketball and
football that night.

Back to Callander hoping that there wouldn't be any more rain the
following day (there was, but that's Part 4) and believing that
Jim's ride was over.

Day 3: 61miles with 820m of climbing. Overall impression - [censored] road
along south side of Loch Tay. Miserable weather. Very good tracks
through Glen Ogle. Proper off-road at Loch Lubnaig. Would be a nice
ride on a dry day with a mountain bike.

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Me too - great report. But it has me thinking - I'm very guilty of
: posting very long ride reports (and I love reading other people's long
: ride reports).

Please keep posting them here. I like reading them. I'd only link to pictures

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
Don't get me wrong, perl is an OK operating system, but it lacks a
lightweight scripting language -- Walter Dnes

Arthur Clune said:

Simon Brooke <[email hidden]> wrote:

: Me too - great report. But it has me thinking - I'm very guilty of
: posting very long ride reports (and I love reading other people's long
: ride reports).

Please keep posting them here. I like reading them. I'd only link to pictures

Wot e sed. And where's the next chapter got to? Your audience is
waiting....

Tim

PhilO wrote:
<snip>

Top report Phil, thanks for the posts, and glad you had fun!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

In article <[email hidden]>,

PhilO said:

Downright good fun - I love it.

Thanks for your reports which I have enjoyed - more so because I know
the areas where you were cycling - pity about the Scottish
sunshine:-))

Quoted message said:

The End

The end of the beginning maybe - sounds as if you will be back next
year.

--
A T (Sandy) Morton
on the Bicycle Island
In the Global Village
http://www.millport.net