The end...

We've decided to go for the Tarbert sailing on Tuesday night, so hurricane permitting we'll be arriving at Aird Uig on Wednesday afternoon. We'd really appreciate some company as we complete the final leg of our journey, so why not get the bike out and join us! We'll be setting off from Tarbert about 9.00 on Wednesday morning, but you don't need to do the full day, especially the bit involving the Clisham. Send us a message if you'd like to ride with us for all or part of the day, and we'll arrange how and where to meet up.

Songs of the day - Sunday 11th September

Crianlarich to Corran Ferry

Martin: Fhir a bhata

Don: As the this was the name-plate on one of the steam trains at Crialarich :Lancashire Fusiliers


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Songs of the day - Saturday 10th September

Loch Lomond to Crianlarich

Martin: It's raining again

Don: Loch Lomond



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Songs of the day Friday 9th September

We cycled from Fenwick (near Kilmarnock) to the Loch Lomond youth hostel via the Erskine Bridge.


Martin: because we crossed the Clyde Shipbuilding

Don: My initial choice was the theme from "MASH" but then this would be in poor taste therefore as we were crossing the Clyde - Roamin' in the gloamin'


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Vaguely interesting roadsigns of the trip 7

After the downpour I endured on Wednesday it was no surprise to see that Dunscore was twinned with Le Deluge in France...

Friday 9 September - Fenwick to Loch Lomond

Susan & John

After a good night's sleep and breakfast we said our goodbyes to Susan and, led by John riding the bike that he hand-built himself, set off to Loch Lomond. The rain was relentless and we arrived at the Hungry Monk at Lochwinnoch where John left us to enjoy welcome coffees, toast and bacon roll. We were rather incongruous, dripping wet, in what is probably a 5 star hotel lounge! We then set off towards the cycle path heading north and I left Martin bird spotting at the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch. Had a really good run with not much rain up to Johnstone, passing a bike on the way which I think I may use the next time I attempt a trip like this!

At Johnstone I rang Martin to let him know my intentions, which he misinterpreted and once again we got separated. I headed towards Houston (we have a problem), where I left the cycle track and headed for the Erskine bridge along pleasant country lanes. I waited at the top of the bridge


for Martin to catch me up, having done his sightseeing tour of the cultural highlights of Paisley!
We then headed down to the end of the Forth-Clyde canal

and then on to Dumbarton, where we stopped for lunch and for the first time I had to endure a pint of keg beer, but fortunately it was Belhaven Best. Then on the cycle path along the River Leven towards Loch Lomond. As has become a feature of this trip the signs for the cycle path disappeared at Balloch and we had to endure the traffic for the last couple of miles before arriving at the grandiose Victorian structure that is Loch Lomond Youth Hostel.



After a shower and change we set off to walk back to Balloch but on asking directions were kindly offered a lift and directed to a real ale pub. I was able to tot up another three ales and we had an excellent meal with Martin becoming very "mellow" having consumed a bottle plus a glass of red wine. A taxi back to the hostel and so to bed,



but I realised that Martin hadn't made his bed up and not wanting to disturb the other residents I selflessly dragged his bedding into the corridor to put on his duvet cover when he staggered round the corner admitting that he had fallen asleep in front of the computer.

From now on I will not be posting any photographs as I am having to save the battery pack on my camera, but will add these when I get home.


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Saturday 10th September - Loch Lomond to Crianlarich

The day dawned wet again, and with only 30 miles to do yesterday we were in no hurry to leave the hostel, and spent a while on the computer updating the blog and catching up on emails. Then I had a quick walk round the grounds, and took a few photos. It's a magnificent setting overlooking the loch. This tree trunk was artistically decorated with bits of bike,


and this was a rather unusual bird box.


We rejoined the cycle path alongside the loch until Luss, where we had a break for coffee and cakes. Two Italian women were skinny-dipping in the loch. Those crazy Mediterraneans. Had to restrain Don from stripping off and joining them.


From then on we stuck to the main road until Crianlarich, with a stop at Ardlui to shelter from the rain and get a bite to eat. The hostel and Crianlarich was excellent, and we spent some time relaxing and blogging before going down to the hotel for a meal. Don gave a definitive rendition of The Two Rochdale Mashers which is now on youtube for the listening pleasure of all.

Songs of the day - Wednesday 31st August to Thursday 8th September

Catch up time, otherwise it will be October by the time you find out what music has been inspiring us as we pedal across the country...

Wednesday 31st August - Oundle to Nottingham
Martin - a nondescript kind of day, just One Of Those Days In England
Don - Nottamun Town

Thursday 1st September - Nottingham to Hathersage
Martin - because we went there Electric Avenue
Don - because we travelled from Nottingham to the place Little John is buried Robin Hood theme

Friday 2nd September - Hathersage to Saddleworth
Martin - because it was Over The Hills And Far Away
Don - because we came across the Snake by Kinder Scout, scene of the mass trespass in the 1930's Manchester Rambler

Saturday 3rd September - Saddleworth to Malham
Martin - because there was a cove (not the Stornoway sort) there Down Along The Cove
Don - because we passed by Rochdale - Two Rochdale Mashers

Sunday 4th September - Malham to Dufton
Martin - because I visited Pendragon Castle and this makes me laugh (warning: it's a bit risque!) Galahad
Don - because we were passing through the edge of the Yorkshire Dales Dalesman's Litany

Monday 5th September - Dufton to Carlisle
Martin - because we got a bit wet, A Little Rain
Don - because he was ill Henry My Son

Wednesday 7th September - Carlisle to Moniaive
Martin - in celebration of the Mercury Prize, England
Don - because he went by train! Train Song

Thursday 8th September - Moniaive to Fenwick
Martin - because Rabbie Burns wrote it and came from Ayrshire, the sublime Ca' the Yowes
Don - same reason Green Grow the Rashes

Thursday 8th September - Moniaive to Fenwick

After a good sleep I had breakfast with Tim, Ruth & Morvern, then headed off towards Kilmarnock. I'd been warned about the brae coming out of the village, but it saved a mile or two, and I was determined to do it without getting off and pushing. It was up there with the Trottiscliffe and Malham hills, but I made it eventually. This rather strange sculpture was in the middle of a field shortly after I set off.



It was a long, uneventful, ride through Dumfries & Galloway and up into Ayrshire, and although the scenery was quite spectacular, it rained non-stop and various bits of me were starting to ache. The new waterproofs I bought in Carlisle seemed to be working fine, but it was a long slog through the Drumlanrig Estate on minor roads, and then along the main road towards Kilmarnock. I stopped for coffee and a snack at Kirkconnel, and met up with a group of end-to-enders, cycling from Land End to John 'o Groats in about 10 days. They had a backup van and one of them had already dropped out with an injury. Our more sedate pace seemed very sensible.

Near New Cumnock there is an opencast mine, and the coal passes under the main road on a conveyor belt.




Later on, I passed the national Robert Burns memorial, but it was only open by appointment.



After getting lost in a housing scheme on the outskirts of Kilmarnock, and inadvertently venturing on to the sliproad to the decidedly cycle-unfriendly A77, I finally made it to John and Susan's house at just before 5pm. Don had spent the afternoon sunning himself in the front garden with the Guardian while I was battling the elements. Hereon our narratives converge again (until he loses me again).


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Vaguely interesting roadsigns of the trip 6

Now I can see where they're coming from but technically a dead squirrel would still be red. For a while. Maybe even redder.


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Thursday 8 September - another rest day

Still not feeling any better so decided to cash in the prescription for steroids given me by the GP in Carlisle.  (John Walker says he hopes I don't get stop and tested.

Walkers Cycling, Kilmaurs, Ayreshire

Headed off with John and Susan to see their shop at Kilmaurs where I enjoyed tea and biscuits with their staff.

 Then had a tour of the business and helped John transport a few bikes around.  Then back to Fenwick for lunch and a restful afternoon, with a look round their new campervan which is very impressive.  Then time spent sittng outside reading the paper , waiting for Martin who arrived exactly 4 minutes before his ETA of 5 pm.  After a tearful re-union (actually I told Martin to go away and come back at the correct time of 5 o'clock!!!) we gave him a chance to shower and change before heading back to Kilmaurs where we had booked a table at The Weston Tavern.  I was trusted to drive the firm's van back as John had to take the car for Susan.

Unfortunately Susan couldn't join us for the meal and in any event had to go to Glagow for choir practice.

We had an excellent meal (but only one real ale unfortunately) and after unloading stuff from the van headed back to Susan & John's to catch up on the TV news before going to bed.

Back in the saddle

Well the beery birdy bikers are reunited and enjoying morning refreshments in the Hungry Monk at Lochwinnoch. Just off to the Erskine Bridge, then up to the hostel at Balloch.


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Location:United Kingdom

Wednesday 7th September - Carlisle to Moniaive

Don was still not feeling 100% so very sensibly decided not to cycle yesterday. We agreed that he would track me by train and meet me tonight in Fenwick, near Kilmarnock. So that meant two days on the bike on my own, without his jovial banter and witty repartee to keep me going.



As my parents live beside Cumbrian Way, which is a national cycle route, I foolishly thought it would be a good plan to follow this route through the town centre and up towards Gretna. I would not recommend this strategy to other cyclists. The signposted route started out fine and took me down towards the castle. It then ended up on the pavement with no clear markings to show where the pedestrians are supposed to go and where the cyclists are supposed to go, and headed off down a back street behind the railway line. When I found myself round the back of the sewage works I realised that something was wrong, and retraced my steps, to find a tiny arrow on a lamp post directing me down an alley, under the railway, and out into the middle of a park, with no signs. I pedalled across the grass and managed to find another sign. This went on for half an hour, and I eventually ended up at the main bridge over the River Eden, which I could have reached in about 10 minutes by road if I'd gone straight there. Really, Carlisle City Council (assuming they are responsible for cycle routes) should get their act together, or not bother with cycle routes at all. It was a bit better from then on, and I was soon in Gretna, celebrating the crossing of England.



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I carried on following the cycle route through Dumfries & Galloway, skirting the Solway Firth as far as Arran.  Without Don to distract me there was ample time to stop and look at the birds on the estuary, although in a gusty wind with no scope this was a bit tricky and I only managed a few easy ticks like Oystercatcher and Curlew.  On the approach to Annan, I was intrigued by a sign promising The Devil's Porridge, but no, this was not an item off the Little Chef breakfast menu but the the raw ingredients for making cordite, and it turns out that during WW1 the area between Gretna and Eastriggs (about 9 miles by 2 miles) was one gigantic munitions factory turning out tons of explosives.  The actual recipe (but don't try this at home unless you're wearing wellies and rubber overalls) is:

Nitroglycerine 48.5%

Nitrocellulose 45.5%

Mineral Jelly 6.0%

It was mixed by hand by an imported workforce of thousands of women just like this:

The only downside to my visit was the fact that when I asked how much the admission was the woman selling the tickets said it depended if I was under 60 or not.  Now I may have aged somewhat with the stress of sharing sleeping accommodation with other men and keeping Don out of mischief, but I don't think anyone with their faculties intact would think I was quite pensionable yet.  Anyway, she made me a nice cup of coffee so I forgave her (kind of).

 

It started raining after Annan, and continued in this vein for the rest of the day.  What's more, with the cross country route I'd opted for (bypassing Dumfries) I didn't pass a cafe or pub, for over 3 hours, so when I came across a welcoming-looking hostelry at Auldgirth I pulled over to get something to eat.  It was closed. I wheeled my bike into the doorway to get out of the rain and ate a soggy gluten-free chocolate wafer.  It tasted soggy and gluten-free.  There were still 12 miles or so till Moniaive so I'd given up hope of finding anywhere to stop, but mirabile dictu there was a cafe just down the road, and I spent a happy half hour with an instant coffee, a scone, and last Wednesday's edition of The Archers.  I set off up the road to Moniaive with the earphones in listening to my last Spotify playlist.  It was good to hear some music for the first time in nearly a fortnight.

 

It was good to catch up with Tim and Ruth (my brother and sister-in-law) and my favourite niece Morvern!  I got to read a bedtime story about a princess and a frog (bit dodgy from an ethical point of view, but she seemed to enjoy it), and Tim and I went to the pub later for a couple of pints and a few games of pool.

Tim and Morvern

Wednesday 7 September - Big disappointment

Enid, David and Martin

Woke this morning still not feeling up to cycling but I have a cunning plan - I'll shadow Martin by train until I'm fit again - I hope that this is acceptable to sponsors.  (We  had agreed at the start that if one of us was unable to continue for any reason then the other would carry on). 

Having already lost a day, Martin needs to carry on, so after breakfast Enid, David and myself wished him  farewell. farewell

Then goodbye and many any thanks to Enid and David for putting up with the"invalid".



















A short bike ride into Carlisle City centre to collect my (still not completely charged) camera battery from Jessops whose charger is held together with elastic bands and sticky tape, my usual double esspresso followed by a couple of halves and lunch in Carlisle's oldest pub, The King's Head. 



This was one of the 363 pubs and 5 breweries which the Government acquired in 1916 in order to control drunkenness.  This was the "temporary" Carlisle Experiment which lasted 55 years until the State Management Scheme was abolished in 1971.

Unfortunately this was not my means of transport north!

Then on to the railway station where I was fortunate to see the steam train just in from the Settle - Carlisle run. 

And so on to the scheduled service to Kilmarnock looking out for a lone cyclist along the way!!

Felt a twinge of regret at crossing the border and into Gretna station at not pedalling through here.

A quick look around Kilmarnock and then a short but very soggy ride to Fenwick to the home of Barbara Morrison's daughter Susan Walker and her husband John.




Granny Susan with Finlay and Grace

  They had two of Barbara's great grandchildren with them and made me very welcome, and I've never seen antics like those performed by their mad greyhound Bonnie!!. 

As Susan and John are the proprietors of Walkers Cycling at Kilmaurs, Ayreshire, John gave my bike gears the once over and fitted a new rear derailleur which should make all the difference (beware of amateurs who think they can build bikes - I put my bike together myself!!!)

After a good meal, a glass of wine and and a shower I had a chance to gradually fall asleep over a computer.

Friday 2nd September - Hathersage to Saddleworth part 1

Little John and Little Don

We discovered that Little John's grave is in Hathersage churchyard, so we left our bags at the hostel and set off to view it. The grave is 11 ft long. In 1794 they dug up the body and it's been calculated that the occupant was over 2m tall, which was quite something in those days.

The original headstone with the letters 'L I' clearly visible





Hathersage's other claim to fame (other than being the centre of the needle and pin industry in the 19th century) is the Jane Eyre connection. Apparently Charlotte Bronte used many local settings in the book, and got the Eyre name from one of the local worthies. We went on a very long bike ride up some very steep hills in order to see the original of Thornfield Hall. Whose idea was it to do that trip before we'd even set off?!

Arrived knackered back at the hostel to collect our bags and set off towards the Snake Pass. On the way we passed Ladybower Reservoir, where the Dambusters squadron trained and the film was made. The ride up to the top, interrupted by refreshments at the Snake Pass Inn was not as difficult as anticipated. We crossed the Pennine Way and then it was an exhilarating descent into Glossop, where we stopped for lunch.





Then on to Saddleworth via the the Station Buffet at Stalybridge and the canal towpath.

Along the canal towpath from Stalybridge to Mossley

Here we met up with my old friend Bobbie Brunt, her partner Dave, and my old mate Martin Stimson. 

We had another delicious meal prepared by Bobbie, a few halves at the pub (including probably the WORST BEER IN THE WORLD!!) and then back to Bobbie's for a good night's sleep..

Don, Bobbie, Martin & Martin (confusing eh?) in the Rising Sun, Mossley