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Exploring Arran, October 2019

Arran Map

I first visited the island of Arran briefly in September 2019 on my way to a cycling holiday on the Outer Hebrides and was impressed by the outdoor possibilities, so I decided to return again in October and spend a few days exploring the island. Situated on the beautiful West Coast of Scotland, Arran is very easy to get to by public transport therefore I left the car at home and took my mountain bike with me instead. I got the mainline train to Glasgow Central , then caught another local train to Ardrossan Harbour, which is right next to the ferry terminal. The train and ferry timetable are intergrated so I had 30 minutes to buy a ticket for the 55 minute ferry ride to Brodick on Arran. The island is not very big, it is approximately 20 miles long by 10 miles wide, a road follows the coastline and is 56 miles long. For my first day here I decided to explore the Southern half of the island by bike, setting off from Brodick to Lamlash, Whiting Bay, Kildonan, Blackwaterfoot and returning to Brodick Bunkhouse via the String road.

Day two on this exploration of Arran was a tough and spectacular walk around the mountains in the North of the island that surround Glen Rosa, you can read about my day out on the Glen Rosa Horseshoe here.

After yesterday’s exertions doing the Glen Rosa Horseshoe I thought it would be a good idea to do a gentler walk today and set off to do part of the Arran Coastal Way. I set off from the Bunkhouse in Brodick for Lamlash, which is 3 miles away via the Fairy Glen track, Originally i had intended to get the ferry from Lamlash to the Holy Island and maybe climb the big hill there but it had stopped running for the season now and would be Easter before it started again. Leaving Lamlash I turned right onto the Ross road which crosses the hilly interior of the island, i took this road as far as the forestry commission car park, where I followed the signs for the Arran Coastal Way (high level alternative) which snakes it’s way uphill along a wide forestry road for a couple of miles. I’m not a big fan of walking in man made forests as they can be very boring and this one was no exception but eventually i came to a path split and the one i took went to Glenashdale Falls. A finger post leaves the main track and goes to an man-made viewing platform from where the impressive two-tier falls can be seen unimpeded. There are some good views over to the Holy Island and Whiting Bay on the way to the next point of interest which was the intriguingly named Giants Graves, which are the remains of two Neolithic chambered tombs, set in a flat grassy area with great sea views it’s a good place for a picnic. I then headed down to Whiting Bay via a steep eroded path and headed North along the pleasant bay road before turning off right and heading for Kingscross Point. I was hoping to walk along the Coastal Way back to Lamlash, however the tide was in and this made the path totally impassable, I had no option but to return to the road for a mile or two before a short cut lead me down to Cordon and Lamlash. It’s a very pleasant walk along Lamlash Bay with great views over to the nearby Holy Island. I followed the small road around the bay to Clauchlands and up past the farm to the ancient site of Dun Fionn fort and the nearby trig point which gives panoramic views of Arran, i then took the small road that leads back to Brodick.

After two tough days of walking on Arran it was time to get back on the mountain bike and explore the rest of the islands roads. The plan was to set off from Brodick and ride down to Lamlash again, from there I would pick up the Ross road that goes across the island and then head North to Lochranza Youth hostel where I would stay the night. Instead of riding on the road to Lamlash, i went off-road and took the narrow track through the Fairy Glen, which I had walked yesterday, this track takes you all the way to Lamlash where I turned off right onto the Ross road and headed across the island. The road is nice and flat to start with and has recently been resurfaced but it soon starts getting steep and it’s a long steady climb that keeps on going. The road crosses a remote and quiet part of the island and about half way across there is a Buddhist retreat center. Eventually the Ross road rejoins the main coastal road not far from Lagg, where the new whisky distillery has just opened, here I turned right and headed North through Blackwaterfoot and on past the tourist hotspots at King’s Cave and Machrie Moor standing Stones. The road hugs the coastline and is relatively flat apart from one short steep bit near Imarcar and in calm conditions like today it made for easy cycling, i can imagine with a strong Northerly wind it might be a different story. I rolled into the beautiful and peacefull Lochranza at about 1.30pm. To fill the rest of the afternoon i went to the Lochranza distillery and went on a very interesting tour and followed it up with a tutored tasting session immediately afterwards where the drams kept coming….

This was my last full day on Arran and on paper it looked like the easiest one, cycling from Lochranza to Brodick….. if i took the main road it would be only 14 miles, a steep climb out of Lochranza up the Boguillie climb followed by a swooping descent and a largely flat ride into Brodick. However there is another way and this is the reason i brought my mountain bike on this trip. This off-road route uses sections of the Arran Coastal Path from Lochranza to Sannox, followed by a short road section past Corrie before entering Merkland Woods for the final section into Brodick. After a leisurely breakfast at Lochranza Youth Hostel, i got chatting to the warden who was also a mountain biker, he warned me that with the heavy overnight rain large sections of the route would be very muddy and difficult to ride but i decided to go ahead anyway and was prepared mentally for any hike-a-bike sections on the way. Leaving the hostel i cycled up the road and turned off left to the golf course and explored the tracks around Newton point, one goes along the coastline and the other climbs quite steeply and gives great views back over Lochranza. With my curiosity satisfied i then set off on the route proper, along the track to the right this time and climbed steeply up a stony path/track heading for Laggan Cottage. The hostel warden was certainly correct about the difficult conditions, this was more like a stream bed and was unrideable. At the top of the climb there are good sea views out over the Firth of Clyde and the isles of Bute and Cumbrae. The long grassy slopes leading down to the dilapidated bothy of Laggan Cottage were treacherous in the wet conditions and it was a relief to get back onto level ground, though the coastal path was still quite rugged, all the way to the aptly named Fallen Rocks, after this it’s an easy ride to Sannox. A short road section was next, taking me past Corrie and then I turned off right into the forest at the Moal Donn car park. This rough potholed forest track was quite hilly and had some steep ramps in places. There had recently been some logging activity here with piles of timber stacked up on the edge of the road and I may have missed a turn here because the track became very rough and muddy and was covered in the discarded branches from the felled trees, it was a great relief to finally emerge from this quagmire onto the well trodden path that descends from Goatfell. There are some good trails leading off this path and I explored a couple of them before finally rolling into Brodick.

Specialised Hardrock SL mountain bike with Apidura frame fitting bags

Arran, Mull and The Outer Hebrides, Sept 2019

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Arran, Mull and the Outer Hebrides route.

I had visited the Hebrides with the bike in July of this year but I didn’t have enough time to complete all of the 185 miles of the Hebridean Way from Barra to the Butt of Lewis. I really enjoyed the trip and so I decided to go back again in September and complete the whole thing, to make it more interesting I would be starting and finishing in a different place to last time. Last July i drove up to Oban with the bike in the boot but this left me the problem of what to do with the car when I was off cycling. also it meant that I would have to return to Oban to retrieve the car when I was finished, which was not ideal. This time I would be using the train and my intended route was to head for North Ayrshire town of Ardrossan where the ferry departs for Brodick on Arran, then cycle North to Lochranza to catch the small ferry to Claonaig on the North Kintyre peninsula, then cycle up to Oban and maybe spend a day exploring Mull. I would then return to Oban briefly to catch the ferry to Barra on the Outer Hebrides. After finishing the ride I would head for Stornaway and get the ferry to Ullapool and then cycle to Inverness to catch the train back home. The ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick only takes 55 minutes and bikes go free, so it only cost me £4 to get to Arran. Once off the ferry I turned right and cycled North heading for Lochranza Youth Hostel which is only 14 miles away, it’s flat until just after Sannox then it’s a steady climb over “The Boguille” and a rapid descent down to the beautifully located Lochranza. The next morning I caught the early ferry for the 30 minute crossing to Cloanaig on the North Kintyre Peninsula. I headed North to Kennacraig (ferry goes to Islay from here…) and turned right along the A83, just before Tarbert i turned left and took the quiet undulating road around the Knapdale Peninsula which eventually rejoined the A83 again and entered Lochgilphead where I stopped at a cafe for much needed pie and chips. Leaving Lochgilphead and heading northwards again I picked up a quiet road along the Crinan Canal for a while then the B8025 heading for Kilmartin heading for the quiet road on the North side of Loch Awe. This road was actually in very good condition and had recently been resurfaced, I think with European money, to make it easier for big lorries to get the timber out, the drawback was it was extremely undulating with lots of short steep climbs coming one after the other, it was a relief to finally get to Annat and head left to Taynuilt, from here I took another small road along Glen Logan and eventually rolled into Oban at about 5.30pm. The next day I caught the early morning ferry to Craignure on the Isle of Mull, I was booked into Tobermory Youth Hostel for tonight so I had a full day to explore the island. From Craignure I cycled South through the mountains of Glen More and descended down to the road junction at Loch Scridain, here I had a decision to make….

Wet and very windy conditions on the road along Loch na Keal, heading for Tobermory.

I really wanted to visit the island of Iona but it would be a detour of at least 40 miles to do so and I would still have a long ride to get to Tobermory after that. In the end I decided to go for it and kept up a steady pace all the way to Fionnphort where a regular ferry does the short hop to Iona. The crossing was quite choppy and the ferry captain said that they would be halting sailing early because of an impending storm, so I had about an hour on the island and made my way up to the famous Abbey for a look around before returning to Mull and the 20 mile ride back to the head of Loch Scridain to continue my journey to Tobermory. It was quite calm cycling through Gleann Seilisdeir but when I descended down to Loch Na Keal the weather got quite wild with some very strong gusts making cycling hazardous. I had intended on cycling round the coast past Loch Tuath to Tobermory but in these conditions I had to bail and headed across the narrow neck of land to Salen and reached Tobermory via the main A849 road, the rain was very heavy by now but I couldn’t get much wetter and it was a relief to finally reach the hostel. I left Tobermory early in the morning to cycle back to Craignure and to catch the 09.45am ferry back to Oban as I was going to get the afternoon ferry out to Barra this afternoon, an island at the Southern end of the Outer Hebrides. The ferry from Oban to Castlebay on Barra takes 4hrs 45 minutes and during the voyage I got chatting to Helena a student from Glasgow who was also going to do the Hebridean Way, we agreed that after we landed we would team up and do the short ride over the causeway to Vatersay and to try and find the elusive sign signalling the start of the Hebridean Way which had eluded me last time, the poingent Annie Jane memorial is close by too, so we visited that also. After this Helena checked into the Dunard Hostel in Castlebay and I cycled off into the twilight heading for Barra Airport (Traigh Mhor) to bivi on the beach. Early the next morning I cycled further North on Barra and had a look around small church of Cille Bharra before catching the ferry for the 40 min voyage from Barra to the small island of Eriskay, which is connected to South Uist by a long causeway.

Part of the causeway linking Benbecular to North Uist

South Uist is fairly flat and the cycling is easy (providing the wind isn’t a problem!). I stopped off again at the Kildonan Museum cafe for some hot food, which has what looks like a Viking longboat parked outside it. The Hebridean Way continues Northwards along the main road and every now and then there is a detour off into the Machair, a low lying, fertile grassy plain, before returning to the road, then past Our Lady Of The Isles statue and over another causeway to Benbecular. This time I took the coast road which passes a supermarket and the airport. Yet another causeway takes you onto North Uist, i took the West coast route and the terrain here along the single track road is more undulating and harder work than earlier in the day. Eventually the final causeway of the day came into view, the one leading to Bernarey, last time I was here I stayed at the picturesque Gatliff Trust hostel but this time I decided to check out John’s Bunkhouse and I’m pleased I did as it was a very comfortable and pleasant place to stay. Chatting to a couple of other cyclists who were also staying at the Bunkhouse it was clear that the weather the day after tomorrow was going to be pretty horrendous for cycling, with rain and very strong winds forcast. I wasn’t booked in anywhere for accommodation tomorrow yet so I decided the best plan was to catch the 07.15am ferry from Bernarey to Leverburgh on Harris and see how far I could go. Harris is quite mountainous and has some long road climbs but with a strong Westerly blowing most of the day they didn’t really seem that bad and I was making really good progress and very soon I was past the turn off for Rhenigidale, which was as far as I got last time, with all the big hills behind me. The section where I turned off the main A859 and headed West to Callanish was torturous however and was straight into the wind. I stopped off to see the impressive Callanich standing stones and also made a small detour to see Blackhouse village at Gearranan.

The Callanish Stones on the West side of Lewis are arranged in a cruciform pattern.

Now the wind was greatly helping me and I was flying along the never ending road on the top of Lewis and reached Port Nis at 4.30 pm, from here it another 2 miles or so on a side road to the iconic end of this ride, the impressive Butt of Lewis Lighthouse. Now I had to find somewhere to stay for the night, the weather was changing, it was getting cold and windy and rain wasn’t far away, i tried at the pub a couple of miles back up the road and they suggested Galson farm about 4 miles away so I headed there and very luckily I got the last bed. It was only a small farm type hostel with 6 beds but it was warm and cosy and had a small kitchen to cook dinner, what more could you want after a long day in the saddle? As forecast the weather the next day was very bad, i had 20 miles to do to get to Stornaway so I made an early start. Progress was painfully slow against the wind and as soon as I turned South onto the exposed A857 that heads up and over the moors to Stornaway it became quite dangerous with very strong side gusts forcing me to walk at times, it was a massive relief to finally drop down into town. I checked into the cosy Heb Hostel and headed straight for a hot shower and some dry clothes then had a wander round town and explored the culinary delights of Stornaway. Before catching the 3.00pm ferry to Ullapool the next day I had time to cycle the length of the Eye Peninsula and visit another impressive lighthouse at Tiumpan Head, on the way back I made a small detour to see the Iolaire Memorial recalling the loss of over 200 lives as HMY Iolaire, which was carrying troops home from the First World War, hit rocks and sank very close to Stornaway in 1919. I stopped that night at the lovely Ullapool Youth Hostel and the following morning set off at 8.00am to cycle the final 60 miles of this holiday to Inverness Youth Hostel, the next day I caught the train home.

Cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500

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North Coast 500 route http://www.northcoast500.com/

Scotland’s North Coast 500 is probably the best bike ride I have ever done. A combination of the route, scenery and beautiful sunny weather for the entire trip made this a memorable ride. The route starts and finishes at Inverness Castle and is 516 miles long. The route was officially launched in 2015 by the tourism board for the North Highlands to boost visitor numbers and increase business and it has been a huge success though not universally welcomed by all locals who value their quiet way of life. For the cyclist the NC500 presents a tough challenge with some serious climbs and exposed roads where you are at the mercy of the elements. There are a few recommended variations to the normal route for cyclists, eg around Lochinver and later on near Portskerra where the A897 can be taken, which avoids having to cycle south on the busy A9 road. The week before I set off I came across a great YouTube video by the GCN boys with Simon Richardson and Mark Beaumont it’s called Bikepacking Scotlands North Coast 500 , it’s beautifully shot and well worth a look.

Day 1 Inverness to Applecross

Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

An early start saw me in the Inverness Youth Hostel car park reassembling the bike from the back of my car and making those last minute adjustments about what to take based on how the weather was looking. It was about 8.00am by the time I cycled round to the castle for the obligatory setting off photo. By chance it was here I got talking to a guy called Liam Harris, he runs a cycle touring holiday business www.gocycletours.co.uk and this week he had 5 clients doing the NC500 and setting off at the same time as me. The clients do the cycling without carrying anything and Liam provides the backup with a transit van and they camped there way around the route. Over the next few days we would be leapfrogging each other and meeting up in cafes and pubs a lot. I made my way out of the city via the end/start of the Great Glen Way, (a route I had done a few years ago), then cycled along the Caledonian Canal until I reached the A862 and headed for Beauly and Muir of Ord, then left to Contin and Garve. It was a beautiful sunny morning, quite chilly to start with but it wasn’t long before the gloves and arm warmers were stashed away and as it turned out never used again for the whole trip! The riding from lnverness to Lochcarron is quite easy with gentle climbs, that changes quite dramatically when you leave Lochcarron when a 20% climb has you reaching straightaway for the bottom gear… a good warmup for what is to come……. The Bealach na Ba is one of the highlights of the whole route, a fearsome long climb and swooping descent that allows access to the Applecross Peninsular. My bed for the night was the SYHA affiliated hostel called Hartfield House, about a mile away from the popular Applecross Inn.

Day 2 Applecross to Kinlochewe

Robert on the hilly road around the Applecross Peninsular

my cousin Robert was by chance stopping at Kinlochewe caravan site this week, he is a keen cyclist and despite being 71years young is still strong on the bike. He set off from the caravan about 7.30am and we met on the Applecross Coast road at Fearnmore. We then cycled back to Kinlochewe together along the very hilly northern section of this road to Shieldaig, stopping off at the very nice Nanny’s cafe for a big breakfast, where we also caught up with Liam and his cycling group. Then it was a stunning ride down to Annat and along Glen Torridon with great views over to Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe and down to Kinlochewe where I spent the night sleeping in the awning of his caravan. This was only half a days ride really but it allowed us to visit a rather nice pub at Badacro and to go and visit Gairloch.

Day 3 Kinlochewe to Polbain

Gruinard Bay

By 7.45am the next morning I had said my goodbyes to Robert and Delia and was enjoying the early morning sun cycling on the road alongside Loch Maree With the imposing Slioch in the background. It was fairly easy going as far as Gairloch then it got hilly before descending down to Poolewe and past Inverewe Gardens, another steady climb takes you up to a good vantage spot of Loch Ewe, which was a marshalling point for Artic convoy ships during the Second World War. Then it was round Guinard Bay with its beautiful beaches followed by another long steady climb up to a viewing point looking down the length of Little Loch Broom, followed by a very fast descent past the Dundonnell Hotel, well known to mountaineers as its a good base for climbing the mighty An Teallach located behind it, one of the grandest Munros. Another long steady climb ensues before a fast descent down to join the A835 for the 12 mile run into Ullapool along the banks of Loch Ewe. I spent a couple of hours in Ullapool, enjoying the beautiful weather and then resupplying at Tesco’s, I was planning to bivi out tonight so I needed food and drink for later on as well as something for in the morning, when all that was sorted I had an enormous fish and chip supper just to make sure, I might have gone for something smaller had I known about the big climb coming up straight out of town. About 10 mile along this road I turned off left on a small road leads to Achiltibuie and skirts Loch Lurgainn and gives great views of Stac Pollaidh, once past this mountain I was on the look out for somewhere good to bivi for the night, I nearly chose a small sandy spot on the loch side but instead carried on to Polbain and found a good spot on some low grassy cliffs overlooking the Summer Isles and fell asleep listening to the ferry chugging its way back and forward with the sun still shining on my face.

Day 4 Polbain to Durness

Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

I was out of the bivi by 6.00am and had a quick cup of coffee and some food and was back on the road again before 7.00am making my way around around the tiny hamlets of Atlandhu and Achnahaird then a stiff pull up to join the road I travelled last night past Loch Osgaig turning left at the next junction signposted to Lochinver, this was a beautifully quiet, scenic and hilly road and in the sparkling morning sun I was seeing it at its best. I was looking forward and slightly dreading this next section to Lochinver and Kylesku , Dave Barter in his book “Great British Bike Rides” brings together 40 of the best rides in Britain and highlights this ride (done as a loop from Lochinver) as his personal favourite and he stresses how hilly it is and labels it a bit of a leg ripper! I rolled into Lochinver very hungry and called into a new looking Bunkhouse and cafe (An Cala cafe) for a big Scottish fried breakfast, it was a chance to recharge my phone too. I forgot about the famous pie shop here which I intended to visit and only noticed it when riding out of the village, the road steepened up straightaway but after a few hundred meters I turned off left onto the minor road that gives access to the beautiful beaches at Achmelvich, Clachtoll and Clashnessie Bay. At the tiny hamlet of Drumbeg I called into the very well stocked little store for an ice cream and juice and sat outside on the benches enjoying the sun. After Drumbeg the road got proper hilly with several climbs and one long steep climb in particular standing out. Eventually though the Kyelescu Bridge came into view in the distance across Locha’ Chairn Bhain and it was a long swoop down to rejoin the A894. Here I turned left and crossed the eye catching bridge, stopping to take a photo and admire its sweeping curves. I found the 10 miles to Scourie hard work, a series of long steady climbs combined with a rough road surface and an increasingly strong headwind took their toll and I crawled into town looking for refreshments. Here I teamed up with another cyclist doing the 500 too and we set off for Durness vowing to “take it easy” but competitive instincts took over and I think we both went harder than we really wanted. There is a massive long steady downhill into Durness which goes on for miles but the wind was now so strong we were pedalling downhill just to maintain our speed. The Cape Wrath running festival was on this week and all accommodation in Durness was taken, so after a good meal in the campsite bar/restaurant, it was bivi number 2 on the beach.

Day 5 Durness to John o’ Groats

East side of Loch Eriboll

After a quick cup of coffee and some bars I was back on the road again by 7.00am basking in the warm early morning sun, cycling past Durness Smoo cave and then the millennium cairn and onto the pleasant circuit around Loch Eriboll. The landscape was changing now, the rugged rocky terrain of the West Coast was gone and it was rolling smoother hills which reminded me of the North York’s Moors at times. I stopped at the store at Tongue for some breakfast before continuing onto Bettyhill enjoying scenic views over the Kyle of Tongue on the way. Just before Strathy I came across the section of moor that had been burning for some days, there was a convoy system in place to escort vehicles the mile or so where visibility was really bad due to all the smoke. At Melvich I called into the Haladay inn for a bar meal and pint, where I caught up with the cyclist I rode with yesterday. This was a decision point in the ride. My original intention was to turn right just after Melvich onto the A897, this road would head south on cycle friendly small roads and would be in keeping with the route so far, this was the way the GCN boys went in the video mentioned earlier. However I had never been this far north before and a couple of years ago I was all set for a Lands End to John o Groats attempt before a broken knee cap spoilt everything, I was curious to see the finish point, so I carried heading East on the A836 past the decommissioned nuclear power station at Dounreay, through Thurso and past the golden sands of Dunnet Bay. The strong and cold Easterly wind was making progress slow and I eventually rolled into John o’ Groats at about 5.30pm, after the obligatory photo next to the famous finger post, I headed for the Seaview Hotel just up the road for a bar meal and a couple of pints. I checked out the price of their camping pods, they wanted £50, so I ordered another pint and mentally prepared for bivi number 3 on John o’ Groats Beach. I was tucked up in the sleeping bag by 8.30pm listening to the waves lapping on the nearby shore.

Day 6 John o’ Groats to Inverness

John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

I was up again at 5.00am, quickly packed my gear away and scrambled back up to the finger post again and took another picture hoping to capture the early morning golden sunshine. The plan today was to try and make it all the way back to Inverness, a ride of about 120 miles. The 17 miles along the quiet A99 into Wick went quickly, where I spotted the Old Pultney whisky distillery. Another 17 miles on the A99 following the coast brought me to Latheron where the road becomes the A9 and the traffic was noticeably heavier. Somewhere near Dunbeath I stopped off at a little roadside cafe and gallery near a Croft to get a sausage sandwich which helped get me up a long Braes of Berridale climb, then continued on to the picturesque Helmsdale, the last 4 mile down to the village is a very fast descent. I arrived in Golspie about 11.30am, just in time to get a huge Scottish fried breakfast at Poppy’s Cafe on the main street. I was looking for ways of getting off the busy A9 now and was advised my best bet would be to continue along it as far as Tain. Just before reaching The town I passed The Glenmorangie distillery, another old favourite single malt of mine, this time I stopped and had a look around. In Tain I picked up the marked cycle route that takes you on a very quiet back road to Alness. This way marked cycle route in fact takes you all the way back to Inverness via Evanton, Dingwall and across the Moray Firth using the Kessock Bridge and delivers you right in the centre of the city. I finally arrived back at Inverness Castle at about 5.30pm, 6 days after setting off, I then cycled round to the Youth Hostel and managed to get the very last bed, a good end to a memorable ride.

: North Coast 500 route map http://www.northcoast500.com/

: Stayed at Inverness Youth Hostel before and after the ride

: Looking over the River Ness to St. Andrew’s Cathedral from Inverness Castle

: Loch Carron

: Inverness Castle… the start and finish point of the ride.

: The Bealach Cafe at Tornapress at the foot of the Bealach na Ba climb

: Bealach na Ba warning signs

: The early slopes of the Bealach na Ba

: Looking back to Tornapress on the way up to the Bealach na Ba

: Bealach na Ba hairpins

: Hartfield House Hostel at Applecross

: Highland cow at Applecross

: Deer at Applecross

: The Applecross Inn

: Applecross war memorial

: Applecross Peninsula views

: Robert on the hilly road that goes around the Applecross Peninsular

: Beinn Alligin

: Shieldaig

: Gairloch

: Loch Ewe, North of Poolewe

: Loch Broom on the run into Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Ullapool

: Had a bivi near to Polbain,looking out to the Summer Isles

: Not far from Lochinver

: Inverkirkaig

: Lochinver

: War Memorial in Lochinver

: North of Clashnessie

: Clachtoll

: Clashnessie Bay

: North of Clashnessie

: Beautiful views on the Nedd to Unapool section

: The road from Nedd to Unapool has a reputation as one of Scotland hilliest roads

: Nedd to Unapool road… looking over to a long steep section (20%)

: View looking North from Drumbeg

: Gruinard Bay

: The Kylescu Bridge which spans Loch a’ Chairn Bhain in Sutherland, opened in 1984

: Durness Beach, site of my second bivi…

: Durness Smoo Cave access

: Durness millennium cairn

: East side of Loch Eriboll

: Loch Eriboll, close to Heilam

: Moorland fire on the road to Portskerra

: Dounreay nuclear power station, which is now being decommissioned

: Dunnet Bay, East of Thurso

: Nomadic Boulders sculpture at John o’ Groats

: John o’ Groats famous finger post

: John o’ Groats harbour

: Bivi site on John o’ Groats beach (8.00pm)

: John o’ Groats Hotel and finger post (5.30am)

: Glenmorangie Distillery at Tain

: Glenmorangie Distillery

: Kessock Bridge from the North

: River Ness flowing into Moray Firth (view from the Kessock Bridge)

: Back at Inverness Castle 6 days later ….

Etape du Dales 2016

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The Etape du Dales sportive is an event I have wanted to do for a long time, I have cycled many times in the Yorkshire Dales and knew the route well but have never previously linked it all up. This year the omens were lining up nicely, the race date coincided with my weekend off and more importantly the legs were in reasonably good shape from all the training we had been doing for the Mallorca 312 event at the end of April, so after a quick check online to see if spaces were still available, I entered. The Etape is 110 miles long and has about 3500m of climbing in it. According to Wikipedia the Etape was started as an alternative to the regularly oversubscribed Fred Whitton Challenge (112 miles, 3950m climbing) over in the Lake District and while it may lack the horror of being faced with a climb as steep and gnarly as Hardknott Pass after already cycling a hilly 100 miles, the Etape is still a significant challenge for most cyclists, with several long, tough, climbs. The ride features 8 climbs.

Fleet Moss
Buttertubs
Turf Moor
Tan Hill
Mallerstang
The Coal Road
Dent Head viaduct
Dale Head

The event starts at Wharfedale Rugby Club in Threshfield, very close to Grassington. I drove over here late on Saturday afternoon, the day before the event, to register and to get familiar with the layout and then had a wander around the attractive cobbled village square in Grassington with its numerous cafes, pubs and shops. After this I drove over to Kilnsey and had a meal in the Tennants Arms Pub, the barman recommended a special on the fish and chips, he said it was quite substantial and he wasn’t kidding, the fish must have been at least 18 inches long, even a couple of locals kept glancing over to see how I was getting on. The plan had been to find a campsite nearby but it was such a pleasant and calm evening I decided to find a quiet bivi spot instead and sleep out in the open. Once the sun went down it did get chilly, down to 1 or 2 degrees but tucked up in a warm sleeping bag inside a gore-tex bivi bag I was comfortable and was treated to a calm starry night. After a restless night (I never seem to sleep well before big events) I was up at 5.00am for a breakfast of muesli and coffee before packing all the gear away and then driving the 10 minutes or so to the start of the event, the marshals were already in place directing the cars into adjacent fields for parking. After reassembling the bike from the car and attaching the race number with its integrated timing chip, the next major decision was what to wear….. It was still rather chilly but everyone seemed to agree that the weather was going to be ok, dry with light winds and sunny, so I set off with a gillet, arm-warmers and gloves and crossed over the starting line, which made a reassuringly large beep sound, at about 6.40am. You can start the challenge at anytime between 6.30am and 9.30am and with over 1000 entrants it’s a good way of spreading the cyclists evenly over the sometimes narrow country roads. The first few miles up to Buckden are quite flat and a good opportunity to find a group of cyclists going at your own pace, at Buckden you turn off left to Hubberholme and Yockenthwaite along a beautiful valley and today the cyclists had it all to ourselves as the road was closed to vehicles as they were repairing the damaged road from the previous severe winter. It’s a gentle climb mostly until you reach Oughtershaw, there the first test of the day starts, the climb of Fleet Moss, even though this is from the “easy side” it’s still a long tough climb. About half way up i came across a cyclist who had snapped his chain and was asking passing cyclists if they had a chain tool, as it happened i did so i loaned it to him and carried on hoping to be reacquainted with it someday! From the top of Fleet Moss it a terrifyingly fast descent down to Hawes and you could certainly break your personal speed record down here, as well as your neck probably if you came off, I like to keep it below 40mph though and keep the wheel wobbles under control. After passing through Hawes main street you turn left on the Sedbusk road and arrive at the first feed station (22.5 miles). Feeling good at this point and with plenty of fluid in my bottle I didn’t stop for food and just passed over the timing mat and continued up the road heading for the next big obstacle, the climb over Buttertubs, going in the same direction as the Tour de France riders went back in 2014, this is the easiest direction but the 17% climb up to the cattle grid certainly gets the heart rate soaring, once over the grid however it’s a steady climb and not too bad and I was treated to lovely weather, beautiful views and another blistering descent towards Swaledale where the route turns right and it’s a fast run down to Gunnerside and onto Low Row, here you turn left onto a steep side road that links Swaledale with Arkengarthdale. This small side road is the start of the climb of Turf Moor and it was the only section of the route that i hadn’t done before (the bit leading up to the ford). From the main Swaledale road I have often glanced up when passing and thinking, crikey that looks a bit steep, and once on it, it didn’t disappoint, it has just recently been resurfaced with loose stone chippings which made things interesting, once past the cattle grid it eases off a little but is still quite tough. Eventually you drop down to the infamous ford at Surrender Bridge, where a small stream, maybe 2 metres wide and a few centimetres deep, crosses the road, the problem is that the surface underneath the stream is covered in very slippery green moss, I had done a mountain bike route up here previously with a friend and we tried to ride through it and before we knew what was happening we were both lying in the water, so today i unclipped and used the little footbridge to the right. Apparently during last years event there were about 20 bathers…. After a steep but thankfully short climb away from the ford it’s a fast downhill section to Arkengarthdale where the route turns left and heads north-west for about 8 miles to the pub at Tan Hill, it’s a steady climb most of the way but the road is very exposed to the elements and if there is a head wind it can be a tortuous section. The second feed station was located outside this iconic pub (47 miles completed) and was well stocked with energy drinks, sandwiches, fruit cakes, bananas and boiled potatoes, all of which went down a treat. The route then turns left and it is another fast descent down Stonesdale Moor with a couple of technical hairpin bends at the bottom to keep you on your toes before you turn right on the undulating road through Birkdale which eventually climbs up to the border between the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria before yet another blisteringly fast descent all the way down to Nateby. Here you turn left and begin the long drag up Mallerstang past Pendragon Castle and up past the viaduct at Ais Gill, the high point on the Settle to Carlisle railway line, before eventually you swoop down to the third feed station at the Moorcock Inn (69 miles). I had been feeling pretty good on this ride so far and had been pushing quite hard on the climbs but on that last climb up to Ais Gill, while standing up on the pedals I started to get little twinges of cramp in the front of my thighs, this seemed to go away when I sat down again but I was worried because I knew full well what was coming next….the crux of the whole ride, the long steep climb of the Coal Road. From the Moorcock Inn you turn right along the B road through Garsdale then turn off left and climb steeply past the railway station of Garsdale Station, from here the road curves to the right and gets even steeper through the plantation, I was in serious trouble here, because as soon as I stood up on the pedals I got painful cramps in the front of my thighs so was forced to sit and slowly grind away but I could feel the energy slowly draining away but I was determined to keep pedalling and get past the steepest bit, at last the gradient eased a little and I tried standing up again to stretch my aching legs out but again I got cramps straight away, so I was forced into more slow, painful, grinding all the way to the very top, what a relief it was when the road finally flattened out and I began the long technical descent past Dent Station and the hairpin bends to the t-junction at the end. Here the route turns left and follows the stream for a while as it flows over great slabs of limestone, the road then starts to ramp up as it approaches the Dent Head Viaduct and then gets even steeper and turns into quite a vicious little climb which had me zig-zagging across the road and I was mightily relieved to get past it and I knew that once back on the B road the next few miles down to Horton in Ribblesdale, via the Ribblehead Viaduct, would be a lot easier and fast, even with my tired legs I made good progress. After Horton the route continues down to Stainforth where you turn left and is the location for the fourth and final feed station at 90 miles completed. Straight out of the village you are on to the final big climb of the day up Silverdale to Dale Head, the hardest bit is at the bottom where the road ramps straight up, levels off, then goes up again, once over this I found, much to my surprise, the rest of the climb was ok and as you draw level with Pen-y-Ghent on your left all major difficulties on this ride are over and the last few miles are a pure joy, you are on a narrow strip of Tarmac going through some stunning scenery, the last descent is another fast one down to Halton Gill where you turn right and can zip along the narrow lanes of Littondale at a cracking pace, through Arncliffe to join the B road that goes past Kilnsey Crag and into Threshfield, here a couple of left turns take you back to the pot-holed lane that leads down to the Rugby Club and the Finishing line. All the riders were entitled to a free meal in the rugby club house, I went for the pork pie and mushy peas and a cup of coffee all of which tasted delicious, in the mean time my finishing certificate was being printed off with my times through all the feed stations printed on it. My time for the ride was 7 hours 38 minutes which considering the difficulties I was having from 70 miles onwards I’m pleased with, with hindsight I now realise that I was pushing too hard on the Buttertubs, Turf Moor and Tan Hill sections and paid the price later on, maybe a more even pace/effort strategy would have got me closer to that much sought after gold standard, especially as the conditions on the day were almost ideal, with a new course record being set by Thomas Denwood from Harrogate Nova, beating Malcolm Elliot’s 2010 time and stopping the clock at a very impressive 5 hrs 40mins 32 seconds.

Gold : less than 7 hours.
Silver : less than 8 hours.
Bronze : finishing inside the cut-off time.

Mallorca 312, April 30th 2016

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The Mallorca 312 cycle sportive is an annual event that starts in the north-east of the island at Playa de Muro near to Alcudia. The route goes anti-clockwise around the circumference of the island passing through the beautiful Tramuntana mountains to Andratx then onto Palma, Colonia Sant Jordi, Porto Cristo, Arta and finally back to Playa de Muro, a total of 312 km. Or at least this is what we expected the route to be when me and my friend Brian entered the event and booked flights and hotels six months prior to the event. In April however, all the entrants got a surprise email outlining a big change to the route, it would now be confined to the mountainous northern part of the island and there would now also be a choice of three routes, 167km, 232km and 312km. Also the event would now take place on roads closed to other traffic. This was to be the 7th edition of the event, it was first held back in 2010 when a total of 199 riders set off round the island, this years entry was 4400 (with several hundred more on a waiting list). In a way the event has become a victim of its own success, with the organisers coming under pressure from the Police and authorities to make it easier to control and safer for the riders involved, hence the unexpected late changes to the route. We flew in 5 days prior to the event, which was enough time to get some good rides in and explore the island without exhausting ourselves before the big day.

Mon 25th April An early flight into Palma airport gave us lots of time after the transfer to our hotel in Port d’Alcudia. Our hire bikes were ready and waiting, we both opted for a Canondale Synapse, I chose the version with disc brakes and electronic Di2 gears and Brian opted for one with standard mechanical shifters and brakes. After setting the bikes up we headed out for the traditional first day out ride, to Cap de Formentor, ” the lighthouse ride” a very scenic road along a peninsula with stunning sea views and one of the best rides on the island. 60km ride.

Tues 26th April A big day out. We pre-booked places on the Mallorca Cycle Shuttle that leaves from Port de Pollenca and takes cyclists and their bikes to either Soller or in our case Andratx, leaving them free to cycle back to our hotel along the beautiful Ma-10 road through the mountains and along the coast line back to Pollenca. We needed an early start to grab some breakfast and cycle the 8km or so to meet the bus at 7.30am and we were treated to a beautiful sunrise as we rode along Pollenca Bay road. The shuttle bus takes about 90 minutes, along the motorway towards Palma and through the busy early morning rush hour traffic before dropping us all off in a quiet back street in Andratx, right next to the Ma-10. The weather was good all day and we got to see this beautiful route at its best, the climbs are never that steep but are long at times and care is needed on the fast twisty descents. We made a small detour to visit the beautiful bay of Port de Soller, had a coffee and mentally prepared ourselves for what was coming next…. The 13.9km climb up to the Monnaber tunnel on Puig Major, the longest climb on the island. From this high point Port de Pollenca is about 40km away and most of it is downhill with only a couple of shortish climbs to slow you down, at the Port we called into Tollo’s bar and restaurant for a beer and had a look at Wiggo’s world time trial and Tour de France race bikes which hang from the ceiling. We finally got back to our hotel at 7.00pm tired but happy. 142 km ride.

Wed 27th April After a short lie in to recover from yesterday’s hilly ride we had a look at the map and decided to do the last 80km section of the Mallorca 312 route from Playa de Muro that makes a loop to Arta before heading back to the finish at Playa de Muro. We stopped off in Arta for some lunch in one of the restaurants in the pleasant town square, it took us a while to locate the square through all the narrow alley ways and one way systems but it was with the effort. On the way back we checked out the beautiful beaches and sea front at Can Picafort.

Thurs 28th April We awoke to the sound of steady rain and a chill in the air, so after a relaxed breakfast we decided to check the hotel gym out for an hour and done some gentle weights and rowing, followed by a few lengths in the outside swimming pool, an experience that can be best summed up as bracing. After an early lunch the weather was much improved and we headed out for a ride along the Ma-3433 to Sa Pobla, Muro and from Santa Margalida picked up the Ma-3400 to join the Arta road that headed back to Alcudia, about 50km or so. The expo for the Mallorca 312 event was already up and running at Playa de Muro and we called in hoping to pickup our race pack and event race shirt, but there were big queues for everything so we went back to the hotel instead. Later on that night we got the bus back to the expo and got our packs no problem, even the race shirts fitted. We celebrated with an “Indurain” burger (recommended) at the Bike Point Cafe next door.

Fri 29th April The day before our event so no heroics on the bike today, instead we had a very relaxed ride out in the warm spring sunshine. We headed along the Ma-3433 to Sa Pobla again but this time followed the signs to Buger along lovely quiet lanes and onto Campanet. Here we turned right and headed down to the very old and beautiful church of Sant Miguel and made a short detour to have a look inside and chat with a woman who was a guide or guardian of the church. Back on the bike we headed down the quiet pot-holed country lane and were amazed by the hundreds of cyclists constantly coming the other way, probably heading for the Coll de sa Batalla and beyond. We turned left along the much busier Ma-2200 and followed this all the way to Port de Pollenca where we found a nice quiet bay front restaurant and filled ourselves with pasta, after this feast we crossed over the road on to the beach and relaxed on the sand for an hour, before completing our ride along the bay road back to our hotel in Port d’Alcudia. 60km ride approx.

Sat 30th April Mallorca 312 day! The alarm went off at 5.00am, giving us plenty of time for a good breakfast as it was going to be a long day. All the weather forecasts seemed to vary in details but one thing was certain there would be rain and sure enough as we cycled the 20 minutes or so to the start outside the Iberostar Hotel in Playa de Muro we felt the first drops, cyclists were appearing from everywhere and hundreds were already lined up at the start a good 45 mins before the official start at 7.00 am. The rain got heavier as we waited and there was an air of excitement and anticipation as we chatted and watched the clock tick down. It was good to get moving and the wide closed roads at the start allowed people to quickly find their own space and tempo. The first obstacle of the day was the Coll de Femenia, then up to the aqueduct and the tunnel that leads to Gorg Blau, the blue lake, where the first watering station was located, more climbing leads to the Monnaber tunnel and the start of almost 14km of fast downhill road. In the dry and especially with closed roads, this would be a blast, but today the roads were very wet and at times the mist was quite thick. I found this to be a nervous descent and I saw one guy getting tended too at the side of the road with his head covered in blood. It was a relief to finally hit the outskirts of Soller and begin the climb up to the Coll de ca’n Bleda, however just over the top of this climb as we started to go down again I came off. There were three of us in a line, the first guy went down braking on a slight bend, the second guy squeezed his brakes to avoid him and he came off too and as soon as I braked I was off too, the road was really greasy in the wet. Physically I was ok, just cuts and bruises down my left hand side, (plus a hole in my new bib-shorts!) but the impact on the bike was on the left hand brake hood and I soon found out that I was unable to shift from the small chain ring to the large one (the hire bike had Di2 gearing – so I guess a wire or contact had come loose in the crash). I was gutted at the time and thought that this would really slow me down but in reality the route was so hilly it didn’t have such a big impact and it was only at the end when the roads flattened out a little that I felt I was being held back by the lack of faster gears. The first feed station was after 94km at Nova Valldemossa but when I got there I was told they had ran out of food…..Just drinks and oranges left! After a couple of minutes chomping on orange segments, Brian pulled in and he told me he had also come off his bike in a similar incident to mine. He was going downhill following someone, they braked and slid off and as soon as Bri touched his brakes he came off too. Fortunately he was ok but now we both had matching holes in our shorts. Conditions however were improving rapidly and the roads were drying out quickly and the rain jackets and arm warmers were stashed away for the rest of the day and we could enjoy fully the fantastic sea views on this elevated roller-coaster of a road. We dropped down to Andratx and started heading back to the finish direction over a series of long hill climbs, never that steep but a lot of them were several kilometres long. The next feed station was after 143km at Galilea and thankfully there was plenty of food this time and we got our fill here. The last long climb was over the Coll des Grau and after this the terrain got noticeable easier and faster and we managed to tag onto the end of a peloton and the kilometres were starting to go by much quicker but just as we were closing in at the feedstation at Biniamar at about 190km, Brian had a major problem with his gears, he was the unable to shift the chain up the cassette and was stuck in the smallest sprocket and with tired legs was reduced to walking up anything remotely steep. With the cut-off time of 5.30pm getting nearer I pressed on hoping to be able to do the full 312km and i teamed up with a couple of others hoping to do the same, but time was against us and we rolled into the Playa de Muro finish line with the way to Arta blocked off, I had missed the cut-off. Initially I was disappointed, I had wanted to do the full 312km but that feeling didn’t last long, it had been a long eventful day which I had greatly enjoyed. I grabbed a free beer and tried phoning Brian to see how he was getting on but got no answer but then a few minutes later I saw him near the finish line, he had battled on gamely with his now single-speed bike and finished the 232km route in good style. As we stood chatting near the finish line a camera crew approached us, the interviewer asked Brian to sum up the event in one word and after a couple of seconds thought and with a flourish he said “Magnifico!” And that sort of perfectly summed up not just our day or even our week but the also the preceding 6 months, because the Mallorca 312 had been our motivation to get out on the bike early on a Sunday morning, sometimes in not so good weather, to get some miles in the legs and prepare properly for this demanding event, it’s good to have something to train for…… We may just have to come back next year and complete it…. The organisers even put Brian on the official you tube video!

: Pollenca Bay (photo: Sportograf)

: Pollenca Bay (photo: Sportograf)

: Photo: Sportograf

: Photo: Spotograf

: Photo: Sportograf

: Photo: Sportograf

: Playa de Muro

: Wiggo’s Tour de France bike at Tollo’s bar

: Conditions improving on the way to Andratx

: Approaching the Monnaber Tunnel on Puig Major

: Moma’s restaurant, Port d’Alcudia

: Photo: Sportograf

Majorca Easter 2015

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The Mediterranean island of Majorca has in recent years become a favourite destination for both professional and amateur cyclists, the combination of a good climate, good roads (both flat and mountainous) and cheap plentiful off-season accommodation has proved irresistible to thousands of cyclists every year. There are also lots of hotels and businesses offering structured training camps for cyclists and triathletes and most of them can hire you a good quality bike, so all you need to do is turn up with your training kit.

I went with my friend Angus who has recently joined the South Shields Velo Cycling Club and they had a group of about 18 members over here for the week. We stayed at Port d`Alcudia in the North of the island about a 50 minute transfer from the airport at Palma at the Viva Tropic and Spa Hotel, a comfortable 4 star hotel near to Alcudia Bay. The hotel is well used to dealing with groups of cyclists and Viva Cycling which is connected to the hotel has a fleet of quality Cannondale bikes for hire at very reasonable rates. The rides we done were :-

Port d`Alcudia to Cap de Formentor – the light house ride. Only about 60km long but a tough ride with lots of up and down and a very scenic ride along the narrow peninsula that forms one side of Pollenca Bay.
Sa Colobra. This route is probably on every adventurous cyclists list who comes to Majorca. You have to climb over a couple of cols to get to it and then descend it because it is a dead-end road that goes down to a sleepy harbour, both the descent and the 10km climb back up again are stunning, check out this Video showing Team IG-Sigma Sport descending it.. Our route to get there was Port de Pollenca, Col de Femenia, the aqueduct Cafe and then the final climb up to the Coll de Cal Reis which is the gateway to Sa Colobra (118km).
Rest Day. Done a short ride with Angus then we came across a nice beach and chilled out there.
Northern Majorca and the Tramuntana Mountains
Sa Colobra again this time via Caimari and returned to Alcudia via the Col de Femenia (118km).
Sa Pobla, Campanet then Caimari and done the very pleasant climb up the Col de sa Batalla and continued west along the Ma-10 to the Aqueduct Cafe. Returned the same way to Caimari then Inca and Sa Pobla (125km).
Puig Major and Soller – a big day with a lot of climbing. We Headed up the Col de Femenia again following the Ma-10 road and kept on going past two beautiful mountain lakes to the Monnaber Tunnel. From here it is a stunning descent about 9 miles long all the way down to Soller, we continued on to the picturesque bay of Port de Soller for refreshments. We went back the same way for the 9 mile climb up numerous switchbacks to the Monnaber Tunnel – an hour of pain (138km).
A slow ride to the pleasant town of Arta and a meal in the town square, returned the same way to Port d’Alcudia and continued along the coast road to Port de Pollenca to a packed Tolo’s Restaurant to watch the conclusion of the Paris-Roubaix bike race on TV. Bradley Wiggins gets in there now and then when he is training and there are a couple of his bikes hanging off the ceiling, including the one he won the world time trial on in 2014 (82km).