Scotland cycling

[d_douglas]

For those who have always pined for a remote cycling trip, I can now officially recommend it! I flew into Inverness, took a train to a tiny blip of a town, then rode two hours towards the Atlantic Coast to Loch Torridon when I shacked up for four nights of pure bliss, sleeping at will, reading, drinking the odd beer and riding a bike.

I have a 20 month old girl and am about to have a second kid and quite honestly need a few days off. I had not spent a day away from my daughter and it was time, as I have been informed that once baby 02 comes, there is no break for years!

Anyhoo, I took a 29er (not the right choice, but it worked OK) and rode 95% chipseal twisty deserted roads scattered with sheep and wildflowers on the shoulders. One monster ride with a biggish climb and a long lsow ride home along the ocean. The rest of the day were shorter 70km or so rides. It was great.

Here's a few quick snapshots - I hope you enjoy. That beer was possibly the best I have ever drunk in my entire life.

[mike p]

Very nice!!! More pic's and stories needed!! Did you meet up with many locals?

Mike

[1happygirl]

Wow, awesome.
Ditto more pix, please.

Congrats on your upcoming bundle of joy!!!
Lang may yer lum reek!

[yashcha]

Headed up there for a week long vacation at the end of August and was wondering if I should pack my cross bike into my tiny Citroen C2. Looks like the riding out there is sublime...

[Gothard]

Hey Darren.
Go ahead, rub it in... :crap:

[BillG]

Off to Edinburgh in a week with my bike!

[d_douglas]

Yes, the riding was stellar. I would say that a road bike that used 28mm tires would be ideal. I was going to take my CX bike, but it ended up getting stripped apart for reasons unexplained here, so the 29er was the best alternative, assuring that I could ride ANYWHERE I wanted to go, in spite of riding slowly due to teh big knobby tires. It reminded me of how much I hate riding for extended periods of time with knobbies on paved surfaces!

Add to that the fact that Easyjet BENT my frame (a cheap Kona procured here) and it wasn't a great start, but when I got the brakes lined up, it still seemed to roll OK. I can't quite figure out what happened, but the rear wheel doesn't sit straight and then I realized that the chainstays were not symmetrical when I looked down.

Normally, I would complain, but in all honesty, those who have used Easyjet know - they are horrible to deal with, so it is pretty much a dead end. I didn't let it ruin my trip - it was still a blast.

More photos tomorrow when I have time to resize...

[Ken Robb]

Is there a reason I'm missing why you couldn't have swapped knobbies for smooth(er) tires?

[yashcha]

I've had pretty good luck with Easyjet from here in Belfast to Paris/Nice/Amsterdam/Torino so far, but have never traveled with more than a backpack.

When I go out there, I will take the Zank cross bike with 28mm tires and fenders to keep all the cow patties off my back.

Hitler seems to hate easyjet though....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjcKRNCSEY8

[d_douglas]

Is there a reason I'm missing why you couldn't have swapped knobbies for smooth(er) tires?

No reason why it couldn't have been done, but I thought I would be trail riding more than I did. In fact, I wouldve stayed on the road the whole time (the riding was so nice and quiet) but I felt compelled to ride a muddy MTB trail just to say that I actually had done it.

I remember my early cycling days when riding longer distances on MTBs - horrible.

[kohlboto]

Hmmm...I suppose the Scotland trip trumps my visit to Seattle to pick up my Hampsten...
sorry I missed that one.

[jeo99]

HOW WERE THE MIDGES?

:beer:

[d_douglas]

Yes, you both missed out - it was great!

The midges (ha ha - love that word and have been using it with abandon with my wife since coming home) were not SO bad, though one night I was sitting outside reading and could not figure out what was irritating me so much - twas the midges.

I did stop for a bit of directional assistance from a guy parked on the side of the road who was just relaxing, and when he rolled down his window of his car, they were swarming. Swarming!

OK, more photos to come.


D

[oliver1850]

Great trip. Next time: Edinburgh, Newcastle, then to Leeds to tour the Bob Jackson shop.