Left Barrow for Scotland on the 22nd March (Easter Sat).Mainly for time considerations the train to Carlisle,bought some gas and 1ltr bottles.Cycled through the lowland/borders to reach Hawick , on Sat evening. Stayed in B&B for comfort and a good breakfast,leaving Hawick on Sunday long climb out using main roads.Lunch stop at Innerleithen,a crowded cafe full of cyclists.Not one of whom spoke to me even though I made the effort,what has happened to the comraderie of cyclists.Anyway snow brought an added spice to the journey to Penicuik and my first host in Scotland.Met Jane who showed my room.Bath and change, into tea and met Roger the other half.
Five days of Help Ex work followed , mainly digging mud and repairing landslip.
Leaving Penicuik using NCN to Edinburgh,managed to pick up a puncture in rear(new tyre).Which turned into a small series of dramas unable to locate hole in tube put spare on which turned out to have a slow puncture.So again another stop to repair that,then into Edinburgh and a train upto Inverness. Arriving in Inverness with another flat,found a Halfords and replaced tube.
So leaving Inverness now in rain , a stop for fish and chips. Quiet roads upto Alness and another B&B."Getting soft in my old age". Good breakfast and repairs to all of my spare tubes,on then to Spinningdale and Joe & Jim my second hosts. A good ride ,steady climbing fantastic views.Headwind made it a bit slow. Coffee and cake at Bonar Bridge,onto my hosts.Here till the 14th April doing Help Ex.
Broad plan then is to go North to John a Groats ride West then down the West coast and a return to England and my daughters.
So left Jim & Joes on the 10th to cycle up to John o Groats ,which took two wet days.Decided to look at Orkney so the ferry from Gill Bay and 3 days of wind ,rain ,hail and snow . However despite all that a beautiful place with great ,friendly people.After 3 days I gave up and got the ferry to Aberdeen.
Arriving at 07-00 on Tues,grey and cool but after a good breakfast great.Onward to cross Scotland going via Loch Tay,Loch Lomond,Balloch,Stirling to reach another host.
Left them on 30th to reach Barrow and family on the 1st.
Changed brake/gear levers (STI's) again and on the second went to my daughters for a Grandad babysitting visit. Which is where I am now..
