Small World 4 - Saturday 10 September

Just getting a glass of water before heading off to bed at the Loch Lomond Hostel last night when I got chatting to 60 yr old Rev Francis Wainaina who is cycling from LE to JoG with his wife Elaine to raise funds for the church roof and to support a counselling service.

Turns out his parish is in Harrogate and next door to John Bullamore's parish in Knaresborough!!! (John worked for Tighean Innse Gall, in Stornoway and was a priest at St Moluag's when we were in the portacabin in Robertson Road, Stornoway)

Skinny dipping

At the start of our ride I bared all and went for a swim in the English Channel, displaying my derrière to all and sundry (and raising money from one family in the process) - photo evidence can be acquired for a large fee.

To reciprocate Martin did the same at the end of our ride on Reef beach, but that was after we had left for Stornoway, and Briony was the only witness - photo evidence will only be withheld for an even BIGGER FEE!!!

THE LAST DAY!!!!

A brilliant, sunny September Lewisian morning with a welcome home reception committee of our home grown midges (much more vicious than their Skye cousins).  An excellent breakfast and ready to set off, contacted Dave Rattray (who was to cycle with us for the last day), to rendezvous at Achmore when Martin discovered he had a flat rear tyre (to match the front puncture he had on the first day).  A 20 minute delay while we removed the offending shards of glass from the tyre and fitted a new tube.

Then off in the sunshine (after a further delay trying to find my sunglasses which I must have left behind somewhere - not having needed them for nearly 2 weeks), again unencumbered by bags.  A couple of miles down the road I realised I had left something else behind - my water bottles!  Briony to the rescue again, doing a U-turn on her drive back to Stornoway to collect the bottles from my hotel room and deliver them to me.  Rattray had been waiting for an hour by the time we met up with him at Achmore.

Dave (Mr Fair-weather Cyclist) Rattray

The 3 of us had great ride chatting in the autumn sunshine.  What a fabulous part of the world we live in - the scenery is stunning and second to none!!
We stopped for lunch at Loch Croistean  café where we weren't charged and were also given a generous donation by the owner Marianne.  Then the final leg to Uig. I was way ahead of the other two and waited for them at the turn-off to Gallan Head.  Dave arrived first and carried on past.  Then Briony arrived by car followed closely by Martin.  The next to show were Sylvia and Linda so I had a quick reunion hug.

So off to Gallan Head and the finish with the last mile being quite hairy as the road has steep ups and downs which are very gravelly in parts.

Dave, Sylvia, Martin, Briony, Linda, Don

And so the FINISH to be greeted by bubbly, Dave, Briony, Sylvia, Linda, Eric MacKinnon from the Stornoway Gazette and Rachel Wade from the Linda Norgrove Foundation.


Home for a bath and change, a quick pint at the Carlton (another beer but it doesn't count!) and then for a celebratory meal at the Crown.

Wednesday 14 September - Skye to Harris

Woke up to a brilliant sunny, if somewhat chilly morning. Straight on the bikes and headed North having agreed to stop for breakfast at the Aros Centre just South of Portree (mainly so that Martin could play catch-up by spotting a few more birds!!).
After breakfast we found it had started raining again so on with the waterproofs and down the road.  After about half a mile I realised that I'd left my handlebar bag behind, so about-turn and back to collect it.  Martin was waiting and had been trying to phone and text me but my phone was in the bag!!!!!
 
A mixture of sunshine and showers all the way to Uig where we arrived in plenty of time for the ferry and so time to bag a few more beers at the Uig Hotel, the Ferry Inn and the Bakur Bar although one turned out to be a duplicate (well it's difficult to keep track after 91 drinks!!).
A very pleasant crossing to Harris during which I got chatting to a lady whose son was doing a similar trip to us - from the Dungeness power station to Dounreay power station - as a protest against nuclear energy production.
Tarbert at last, where Martin's wife, Briony, was waiting to meet us and relieve us of our bags.  This made our ascent of the Clisham much easier and although I had to rest once or twice I managed to cycle all the way.  The descent was marred by a very heavy shower but the remainder of the trip to Ballalan was dry.

Arriving at the Claitair (Loch Erisort Inn) there was no sign of Martin (who was way ahead of me) or Briony so I settled at the bar with a large G&T.  Briony and Martin appeared and handed me my room key so I headed off with the remains of my G&T for a long soak in the bath (my bags having been delivered to my room by Briony).  The rooms here have been refurbished to a very high standard and I can highly recommend it as a place to stay.

My last beer trophy followed by an excellent meal, wine, a dram and the usual extraction of cash from other customers followed by bed.

The Counties

This post has been set up to prove how may counties we passed through.

A certain person (you know who you are J M!!) has offered extra sponsorship for each English county we passed through.  (Other evidence yet to be added)

 Kent - we didn't pass a county sign but Martin cycling towards an oast house should be proof enough










 Essex - again we didn't pass a county sign but we were guided from Brentwood, Essex  to Standon, Herfordshire by Phil Copeland of Essex Roads Cycle Club -see photo of Phil & Martin below and note the name on Phil's cycle jersey.

 These

two

only 

count

 as

 one 

(unfortunately)

and
so
do
these
















 and so across the border - do these count?

Tuesday 13 September - stuck in Mallaig

After a comfortable night at the backpackers' hostel we woke early intending to catch the 08:10 sailing to Armadale - this was not to be. The rain continues unabated, the wind is even stronger than yesterday and CalMac are to make a decision on whether to sail at lunchtime.  Other options were considered but the prospect of a 120 mile cycle to Kyle of Lochalsh or taking the train there via Fort William, Glasgow and Inverness did not appeal!!

As the hostel didn't do breakfast and nowhere else was open we went up the road to an hotel where we were made very welcome and had a nice, if expensive, breakfast.

Not much to do in a wet and windy Mallaig , so after another coffee we headed for the library to do some blogging and e-mailing.

The ferry eventually sailed, getting us to Armadale at 2:30 pm.  Some more re-arranging of accommodation with the assistance of Mr Rattray and we were again on our way through Skye with the weather improving all the time.  We stopped off for refreshments at Broadford and later took the old road with almost no traffic by the side of Loch Ainort (adding a few extra miles but avoiding the long climb over the top)  getting to the backpackers' hostel at Sligachan at about 7:00 pm.  In the still of the evening we were greeted by the Skye branch of the midge clan - our first encounter since leaving home over two weeks ago!!!!

The hostel was a bit more basic than others but the pub was busy with locals and tourists giving me further opportunity to relieve them of their cash for the Linda Norgrove Foundation.  After an excellent evening we were about to head off to bed when the chef, Richard, who was standing at the bar (and a little the worse for wear) thrust a couple of notes into my hand.  Thinking they were a couple of fivers I thanked him but on getting outside found that the sum was considerably more!!!  Thank you, Richard, for your generosity.

Richard Thompson songs

Richard Thompson songs have been a feature of the trip in a number of ways. First of all, listening to tracks at Dave & Elaine's house in Nottingham, then hearing one of them (Dimming of the Day) in a pub in Matlock Bath the next day, then being set the mission of incorporating as many RT references as possible in our blog posts by Annelise in London, a task we took to with some diligence but little recognition so far (that's a hint to pay up, Annelise!). Anyway, instead of all the jobs I should have been doing today I've spent a couple of hours going through my RT collection and selecting my top 10 tracks, which I present here for your listening pleasure!

Richard Thompson top 10

You'll need to be a Spotify user, but it's wonderful, and free, so why wouldn't you? Here's the full list. Some tracks aren't available on Spotify so I had to compromise a bit. I will probably change my mind by tomorrow.

1. Devonside
2. How Will I Ever Be Simple Again
3. Dimming Of The Day
4. Beeswing
5. Night Comes In
6. When I Get To The Border
7. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
8. If Love Whispers Your Name
9. Keep Your Distance
10. From Galway To Graceland

Alex's tune - "Don & Martin's Trip to Gallan Head"

A tune written by my son Alex to commemorate our ride

Home sweet home

Well we cycled 900 miles, give or take, we had a lot of fun, and we raised some money for a good cause. It's good to be back in my own house, sitting on my own sofa, and reconnecting with the family. Don and I will be meeting up later for a celebratory meal with friends & family. We'll be finishing off our blog over the next few days, so stay tuned for some more exciting instalments, some exclusive exposes, and some more vocal renditions to get you putting your finger in your ear...


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Home at last

It's a beautiful morning here in South Lochs as we set off on the last leg of our trip. We are aiming to arrive at Aird Uig about 3 pm, passing through Achmore about 10.30 if anyone fancies joining us.


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Location:Isle Of Lewis,United Kingdom

The final leg...

We made it over to Skye yesterday afternoon in the end, and stayed overnight at Sligachan. We'll be crossing over to Harris this afternoon, and staying in the Loch Erisort Inn tonight. If anyone's interested in joining us tomorrow for the final day, we'll be setting off from the hotel at about 9.00, and heading over to Uig via Cameron Terrace. Give us a call if you want arrange to meet up on 07796 415603 or 07901 756563.

Songs of the day Monday 12th September

This was Corran Ferry to Mallaig, and it was wet and windy all day. All the ferries from Mallaig were cancelled on Monday, and yesterday morning. Some of this was apparently down to Hurricane Katia, but we've had atrocious weather ever since Penrith, so we can't blame the Americans for everything...


Anyway, songs of the day were:



Martin: predictably, Hurricane


Don: as we visited Glenfinnan, scene of the gathering of the clans in 1745 Ye Jacobites By Name

Monday 12th September - Corran Ferry to Mallaig

You knew where you were with the old Don. You'd wait at the top of hills for him to catch up then he'd race past and down the other side in search of the nearest pub. Don on steroids leaves me trailing in his wake regardless of the gradient. Yesterday he left the Inn at Ardgour like a man possessed, not pausing until the visitor centre at Glenfinnan. From the start of the day we were shadowed by a guy from Surrey heading for JoG, sporting piercings & tattoos, riding an old bike, and wearing cut off waterproof trousers, Doc Martens, and a baseball cap. We felt distinctly overdressed. Although the rain was relentless it was a lovely ride along a single track road with very little traffic, and no hills to speak off, passing by Fort William on the other side of the water. Had the weather been better I'm sure I would have been able to pick up a few birds on the shoreline but visibility was poor, and I only managed eiders and hooded crows. Fortified by coffee and scones we headed on towards Mallaig, intending to stop at Arisaig for a late lunch. Most of the route was quite sheltered but in exposed places the wind was very strong, presumably the tail end of Hurricane Katia, as expected. However, during a lull in the storm the rain stopped for a few minutes, and I got a spectacular view looking west along Loch Eilt.

By the time I got to Arisaig, Don had sussed out the local options for food & drink, which were basically nil, so I found him standing in the Spar shop in his waterproofs eating a sandwich and drinking coffee from a machine. He professed a desire to do the 7 miles to Mallaig before taking a break. I decided to sit in the hotel next door, food or no food, with a cup of coffee and the crossword. By the time I eventually limped into Mallaig, Don had checked in to the hostel, unpacked, showered, and was ready to go looking for beer.

I caught up with him later in the Chlachain Inn, and we had a pleasant evening working our way through the juke box (there are not many with Dick Gaughan on!)(AND The McCalmans, Bob Dylan, Little Walter, Otis Reading, Chuck Berry etc, etc - Don).

Food was good as well. Then a quick visit to the Steam Inn (which has free wifi) to update the blog. Don did some more soliciting for cash, and took pictures of a pool-playing dog.

Best laid plans...

We are unavoidably detained in Mallaig due to the inclement weather, so there is no chance of getting home before Thursday. Calmac are taking a decision at noon as to whether the ferry will go today, and we'll update the blog later. In the mean time the public library is warm and provides free internet access, so we can't complain too much...

Sunday 11th September - Crianlarich to Corran Ferry

We started the day with breakfast at the station cafe at Crianlarich where there were two steam engines waiting to start their journey to Mallaig.



One of the engines was called The Lancashire Fusilier (linking to my song of the day). We had persistent rain as we set off and typical of my offspring Ben rang after about ten minutes. He had been with friends at a wedding reception by Loch Lomond the previous evening and had tried to meet up, but (typical Ben) had taken the wrong turning. They had apparently debated about sleeping in the car and meeting us for breakfast, but when he rang he was back in Aberdeen!! We had a good ride up to Glen Coe via Bridge of Orchy, with heavy rain but a strong tailwind. We lunched at the Kings House Hotel just south of Glen Coe, where I clocked up another couple of ales and elicited more funds from Richard and Trish, who had a few weeks previously done LE JoG. They recommended calling in at the Clachaig Inn, Glencoe, where there is a wide range of cask ales.
Inspired by the prospect I set off with a will ahead of Martin, and the descent down Glencoe, despite the wind and rain, was the most exhilarating of the trip.



By the time Martin arrived at the Clachaig Inn I had divested myself of my soggy waterproofs and had established myself at the Bar. I clocked up a further 5 beers and extracted more money from punters, including Andy and Wendy from Yorkshire. We then set off for Corran Ferry with Martin in the lead now, and I stopped off at St Bride's Scottish Episcopal church, North Balachulish, where I spent a few minutes in prayer and contemplation. When I came out the rain had stopped, so I removed my waterproofs and then set off after Martin towards Corran Ferry. After five minutes the heavens opened and I arrived at Corran Ferry like a drowned rat. The short trip across brought us to the Inn at Ardgour, where unfortunately there was no cask ale. However they were very welcoming and we spent a pleasant evening bantering with the locals and extracting more cash.



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