Photos

From the top of the huge hill below Ayr.

Photo

Oban harbour in the evening. Just posting a few photos in no particular order.

Some other things we shouldn't forget

People are generally very kind and helpful. Yesterday, the people who helped were the man in the bike shack by Windermere station, who helped change a tyre. We also have to mention our girls in Aldcliffe Stores near the canal in Lancaster, who very kindly looked after Beth's panniers so she could carry the bike to the bike shop, and also gave us a fiver for Arthritis Care. Also their people in Leisure Lakes Bikes in Lancaster who helped with the wheel & general tweaking.
This is Jude eating icecream in Hesket Newmarket.

Photo Runcorn bridge

Day 10. Chorley to Whitchurch

Not a bad day all in all, especially considering the lack of a Plan for the day. It did take quite a while to get through St Helens - not a city designed for people or bikes as far as we could see, mostly cars. Best piece of advice today - " Frodsham? Well you want to get onto the M56 for Frodsham." So we thanked him nicely and went the other way.
Drivers in Cheshire seem to be totally focussed on getting where they want to go, overtaking on blind bends, hills, in the teeth of oncoming traffic....
Shropshire started with a hill, but Whitchurch is pretty, and we've found somewhere to stay, so that's nice.

Lie-in day

Today is another beautiful day in Chorley, and we're due to continue South towards Whitchurch. This is our least planned day so far, we'll probably look at a map soon, whenever we decide to get up :)
It's lovely to read all your comments so keep them coming, it reminds us there's life beyond two wheels and the road. Carrie & Ian, so glad you got there and thanks for your encouragement, lovely to hear from you! Never fear, we're walking up lots of hills with no shame at all!

Fan club in Ardrossan

Day 9 Windermere to Chorley

Disaster day today. Two new inner tubes, two new tyres, one smart new wheel. Fortunately the weather has been beautiful, and dusk was long which was good, since it gave us enough light to find the accomodation by. Now into the rolling plains of Lancashire. 73.9 miles today, 600.9 miles in total, today's top speed 29.2mph.

Day?

We've lost count! Yesterday was a very tough 78.8 miles through the Lake District. Hilly that was. On the other hand, Wimdermere Y.H. is very nice, with lovely views and lovely breakfast, which we ate ok the terrace in the sun.

Crossing the border

Swans

Day 7

Max speed about 30.4mph. Distance about 78 miles (!). Jam rolls two. Unusual cafes full of jigsaws one. Sun lots. Red squills one. Shut cycle shops one. Cygnets in Gatehouse of Fleet seven (see photos). Irate parent swans two.

Some places worth a mention

The sugar cube cafe in Ayr served a very nice bowl of soup & piece of cake for a very reasonable price. The Stables in Lochgilphead had very friendly & cheerful staff for a busy day ( food was alright, but not to write home about). Just now we're in Designs cafe in Castle Douglas, which had a really nice mushroom & celeriac soup (sandwich ordinary sadly). Also we should mention the very lovely Quaich cafe in um Kilmasomething. Will look at map later. It's a lovely cafe, good coffee and lovely homemade cake. We weretoo early for scones.

Day 6. The Maybole Conspiracy

They say all roads lead to Rome. We can now reveal that this is not true. The truth is that all roads lead to Maybole, and all signposts point there. After a long and weary day (78.8 miles!) we did eventually escape the Maybole forcefield and get to Minnigaff.

Photo Balintraid

Day two leaving Helmsdale

Photos

Experimenting with posting some photos. Please bear in mind that these are the ones taken with a phone, so won't be of the highest standard but just to give an idea. (time setting also fixed)

Photo J'OG

Day 5 Oban to Brodick

What a gorgeous day! The sun shone (most of the time) the scenery was lovely, the road surfaces were good, we made good time and caught the 17.50 ferry from Claonaig to Lochranza. We'd been warned about the big hill out of Lochranza, and it's true, it is a big hill. So we walked up that. Coming down the other side though - amAYzing! Has made the whole trip worth it. Jude clocked 34.4mph on her odometer. Was so-much-fun :)
Also we did 76.9 miles yesterday. We're really grateful for all your support too :)

Do not want.

The mutiny has started. Do not want to get back on the bike & cycle to Arran. Still, we have lovely clean dry things to wear, which is nice.

rain, rain, go away...

Come again another day when we're not on the road, thanks. The lovely, if perplexed people at Balachulish hotel have let us splosh about, stuff our shoes, & change our clthes all before lunch :) it may be wet, but it's still better than yesterday's wind.

Windy hills

Sorry for not posting yesterday, if that worried anyone, we were Just Too Tired.
Yesterday was a longish day mileswise at about 63miles, and very long in terms of hours (about 8am to 7pm on the road, with breaks). According to Mapmyride, we reached an elevation of 1300 feet (Ben Nevis is 4409ft I think), and the wind was un-re-lenting. Seriously, it didn't stop all day, and was so strong sometimes you hardly had to brake going downhill, because the wind did it for you.
Good things - occasional tree shelter, mini mars bars, picnic lunch was surprisingly nice, given that we had wanted to be inside, three guys on motorbikes who cheered us up at the top of the biggest hill (Jude enquired their opinion on windspeed & one chap held up a licked finger and agreed it was there), gorse smell in the sun (day two it smelled of honey, yesterday it smelled of coconut).
Really, really hoping it's not windy today.

Chickens

So, we've arrived at Balintraid safe and sound. We made good time, many of the roads seem to have been recently surfaced and are lovely and smooth (it's interesting what you find yourself being grateful for). Weather today has been kind :) Altogether much more cheering. The hostel here is a lovely house, with great facilities. But they've put us in a dorm room with another group which is a) noisy, and b) mixed. There are boys! We wouldn't mind so much, except we weren't asked if we minded. Hmm. Perhaps we're being too British and uptight about it. It is a lovely place, though the people we met at Helmsdale were nicer :) the tip Beth was given to help stabilise the bike at speed (knee on the crossbar, if anyone's interested) seems to be helping a bit, though leads to slightly odd riding position.
[ETA: the house here has chickens including a beautiful little bantam chick. That's why the title.]

Better days today

So we're just having lunch in Tain (cheese toastie, tea, ham roll, hot chocolate in case anyone's interested, from Harry Gow's). we've also got oatcakes for later, and Beth's very excited since we've also, finally, got butteries.
Today's been a good run so far, though the wind over Dornoch Bridge was a pain.

First day thinkings

Last night's post was short & sweet-after we fell asleep for the third time it seemed better to just finish the sentence & go to bed properly. Now is the morning of the second day, weather's looking pretty good so far, although at 6.15, there's plenty of time for that to change.
Yesterday, all our troubles seemed- well, right with us actually. It was a day for sorting out boundaries - we had one small crash ( Beth's fault), we've decided we need to stop more frequently for drinks and raisin breaks-just short ones and especially in the first couple of hours. When you're full of enthusiasm, you don't feel you need them, but by the time you do, it's too late. We're also learning more about each other's cycling styles, for example Jude is faster uphill, but prefers a rest on the way down, Beth is pretty much the opposite ( though not so fast down the hills now, as her bike's not handling well above about 30mph). So we overtake each other as necessary, and we get there eventually. By common unspoken consent, we walked up Berriesford Blaes -that hill's nearly vertical! But as Jude said "Even Chris Hoy would have to walk up here!"

John O'Groats -> Helmsdale

Rain, rain, hail and wind today. Oh and did we mention the hills? Many hills, all very steep. However, we battled on through, made it to the hostel at Helmsdale, showered and fed, and things look better for tomorrow :)

That's my Mum!

So, we've successfully caught a seven a.m train, changed at Inverness and caught the bus, complete with lovely driver at Wick.
And we were getting off the bus at the John O'Groats hostel, when Jude exclaimed "That's my Mum!" and sure enough, much to our surprise, Jude's Mum had come up to wave us off, and took us for a wee drive round the area. We've already met some lovely people, including the couple on their way to Orkney from Bristol who sponsored us on the spot :)

Time marches on...

We leave next week! Still missing a map for the West Country, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. If we can find it of course.

Tech check

So, trying out a post from the phone to see how practical. Very as it turns out :)

New tech excitement

Hurrah. Beth has an iphone in order to keep the blog updated on the road, and also because it's shiny. So the next couple of posts may be practising/testing ones.
On the other, less good hand, she's also been sold a jacket claiming to have waterproof pockets. Turns out they fibbed about that. Cycling equipment so far is not only ugly (ugleee=misereee)but also doesn't seem to work very well.
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