TOUR DE LA BODA (WEDDING) - Scotland - September 2023

Sharp Edge

Skiddaw from my house!

The happy couple

Tour de la Boda 🤵‍♂️💒 👰

As the wedding of the year was based in Glasgow, I decided to plan a tour around the now great reborn city….so with tent, gravel bike and hiking boots, I checked the 12 day weather forecast…rubbing my eyes assuming, I must have searched on a Dumfries somewhere near Athens…but no! You lucky b****** ☀️😎☀️

So first stop, Dumfries and Galloway, or more accurately Gatehouse of Fleet…specifically to check out the The Gralloch. The route for this years inaugural UK qualifier of the UCI World Gravel Bike Champs…comprising of mainly bleak moorland and forest trails, I had the place to myself…For one day! 🙄

As coincidentally that weekend, was a 3 stage gravel bike race, The Raiders…and suddenly I was immersed in bloody cyclists, I can’t seem to get away from them 😜 all good though, met two top guys, and on the second stage went out on the course to cheer them on…and returned with a lady World mountain bike champ, in the car! She’d ripped out a side tyre wall, and couldn’t repair it….she was leading the women’s race too…

The course has a reputation for a very high percentage of punctures and ripped tyres, so not sure why it is used for championship racing (although I didn’t get a puncture on the whole trip, so maybe it’s a skill thing! 😜), and on the third stage, my campsite pal Jason, who was 13th overall and only seconds behind first place in age cat…ripped out his side wall too! 

For a short period, I got sucked into thinking that maybe next year I’ll have a go at some racing…seems fun and so informal, but after a couple of days, I reassessed: unless there’s a category for stopping taking photos, sitting looking at views and chatting to random strangers….I’m out!

For the record, Alastair Brownlee (yes, the triathlete) won the overall event. 🥇

The coastline overlooking the Solway Firth was quite impressive, best seen on my first night with a sunset ride. And before leaving I visited the ;local Kite feeding station, with over 100 Red Kites - it was quite impressive!

Next stop Dunoon (nothing to report, quite sketchy) and miles and miles of more forests and moorland…But starting to get into the “real Scotland” with its lochs and Bens, and the wildlife. As a boy, we used to watch the tide bring in the Eider Ducks etc in the Sea Lochs...and there they were with a number of other species.

After a hearty "Full Scottish" at a cafe in a small village looking across to Inverary, I headed over to Loch Lomond then further north to Crianlarich. Getting into to the very real Scotland I love by now, and so tempting to go further north to Oban...but the Stag was calling!

Third stop (after the Stag do in Glasgow 🍻🤪) were the Trossachs - the nicest of the locations….Aberfoyle and Callandar are the two main towns, and very purdy…campsite was idyllic in a gorgeous location next to the river Forth, and with that endless blue sky! 

A little more varied with the gravel bike ride, although forest and moorland still a plenty…still quite nice, with coffee and cake in Callandar.

The wedding (la boda) was a lovely occasion, with a super evening do, and some interesting shapes on the dance floor! So congrats (once more) to George and Donna, and thank you for inviting me ❤️

The morning after I headed south, in glorious weather, I decided on a final pitch stop near Keswick. Call me biased, but nothing, absolutely nothing beats the Lake District when the weather is so fine! I had enough time to climb the classic Catbells with its glorious views of Keswick...in very steamy conditions (was 28C in the car), giving me a thirst for a beer stop in Threlkeld.

The following day I planned a near 50 mile gravel bike ride underlined that diversity of the Lakes, with such variation and ever changing landscapes…the difference to Scotland is the compact smaller nature of all the features, which gives that diversity…a fantastic ride including: a challenging wild circuit of Skiddaw, the shores of Bassenthwaite and the trails of Whinlatter Forest plus more, made the best ride of my trip, by a distance….

Sorry but: Lake District 4-1 Scotland ⚽️🤷‍♂️😎

A perfect day, completed when long term friend Kim (and multi event endurance athlete) coincidentally was in the vicinity for the weekend too, so we hooked up for a nice Thai dinner….I described my measly gravel bike ride, whereas Kim had legged it up Helvelyn, no doubt also swam the length of Thirlmere and cycled the coast to coast….all before breakfast! 😂

The forecast on the following day were heavy thunderstorms breaking the glorious weather, but not until mid afto…for some reason I’d never climbed Blencathra, and the particular enticement of the grade one scramble of the notorious Sharp Edge, so decided I could get up and down before the onslaught….and I did, but seriously only just, before a tropical like deluge flooded the M6.

The hike was well worth it, I hooked up with a Geordie CID detective, who said she needed the Lakes to counter balance the intensity of her job…interesting cases were discussed, and I understood why she needed this mental redress….Sharp Edge was as exciting and challenging as documented, a big step up on Striding Edge….and the views were tremendous…😍

Within a few hours I was sat in Sheffield, and wondering where I will go to next as the Summer slowly comes to an end…opening my post and revealing some maps of Italy and Slovenia…I need to act quickly though ☀️😎

                                                                      Trossachs bike ride

From Blencathra

Sharp Edge

Solway Firth

Solway Firth

Otter Pool - Galloway

Red Kite

Oystercatcher

Red Breasted Merganser

Near Dunoon

Loch Eck - nr Dunoon

Campsite on the River Forth

Curlew and Redshank

Above Aberfoyle

Above Aberfoyle

Scales Tarn - Blencathra

Above Aberfoyle

Sunset over Skiddaw

Blencathra from campsite

View from Catbells

Catbells summit

BP - SUSSEX - HANTS LOOP - DAY 1, 2 & 3 - From 24th July 2023

DAY 1 - Guildford to Amberley 

Let loose on a proper multi dayer, albeit only two nights under canvas - after NZ not the first time, but the first time with “half a house” i.e. camping kit and kitchen!

Nicked a route off Komoot, which included the Sussex South Downs Way, and returning further north, partly on the North Downs Way, amongst other trails primarily in Hampshire.

Starting in Guildford, dumping the car down a “safe” suburban street…it took a while to load the bike up, now with fork cages for extra storage! The bike was surely at its max as far as loading went, but whether staying one night or a month, the same kit, as a start point, is still required? Probably?

Combining Komoot navigation on my phone (the little lady in my pocket) and the uploaded GPX on my Garmin computer…interestingly the Garmin proved more accurate….I think, again as previous experiences, smart phones with GPS, aren’t super accurate…the Garmin may use more satellites?

So, off I went with “half a house” on what became evident as a legacy of Beeching….along the Guildford to Shoreham ex railway….a good two hours plus, quite fast…but uninteresting, as these rail trails often are….hardly out of the trees too, so not much to stop and photo for…and it was a very grey, albeit dry day…not helping the enthusiasm for el excursión.

Arriving in Shoreham, the most exciting thing was the pork pie I had packed…a few miles West hugging the pebbly desperate excuse for a beach , eventually I veered inland and climbed onto the South Downs Way.

It hardly improved, expanses of tedium and that grey sky….ultimately it improved, it had to….I descended into the village of Amberley, which was quite quaint, with a pub! A pint helps….together with a steak pie etc (realising no need to cycle with prep for an evening meal!)

I climbed out of Amberley, over the River Arun (which flows down to Arundel) and after a breathless climb, picked a spot to WILD camp….and for the first time today, it started to rain….

DAY 2 - Amberley to Bordon (Hants)

Not the best of sleeps…the mattress is ridged, very narrow and uncomfortable….but at least a sunny morning, and with the height I’d reached a lovely view across the valley below.

Made my coffee and porridge, but nowhere to properly sit…and when it came to packing my kit away, there was nowhere to lean my bike against, which makes it very difficult to attach the bags….lessons clocked!

Heading west over the South Downs Way, re tracing known steps from romantic days bygone….Cocking and Harting to name two….the good news was the scenery greatly improved, but the effort on the bike at times became very challenging…with some gradients of near 20%…and thank goodness it was dry. The flint and smooth chalk would have been very slippy and practically impossible to maintain friction, and possibly balance!

Two cafe stops, and both a chain….called Cadence, apparently five of them along the SDW with a few more planned….mine were at Upwaltham and Cocking (where I gorged on a full English!).

A rest above Harting, with lovely views, was welcome but with mixed emotion, as after a while it suddenly clicked I’d been here before in the aforementioned romance on a walk…Not many miles further, I realised how early it was (think 2pm) but when wild camp, no point it stopping until early evening. So I rested (and snoozed) on the edge of a wheat field on the way to Petersfield…and decided as I had so much time, I’d head for Winchester.

And I did, for about an hour, when stopping at a cafe on the A3 - I’d lost the enthusiasm to cycle for another 2 hours….so soon I was in Petersfield and beyond. Now tracing mainly off road trails through woods and over farmland….stopping in the unremarkable Liss for a pint, and another with a Thai meal, I think in Bordón.

Riding out of Bordón, but still in suburbia I rode through a forest, and spotted an ideal area for the night….around a camp fire in a clearing with logs to sit on…was ok, with occasional dog walkers mainly ignoring me, except a panicky woman who had her fvckin pitbull off a lead, the woman saw me, but the dog fortunately didn’t…

DAY 3 - Bordon to Guildford

Another poor night: the mattress really is not comfortable; it was cold, I finished with my fleece on, but worse the condensation was too much, added to inner roof being too low…I cannot see how I can pull it closer to the fly height? I’ll have a play back at home….but I awoke with damp hair, and the sleeping bag was damp, especially at the bottom end where the bag was in contact with the roof.

A nice morning though, coffee and porridge, although I soon stopped at a lovely cafe in Tilford. Ensuring I had a support for the bike to load up (a tree!) and did a little rejigging of the load…

Only a relatively shortish ride to Guildford, I estimate 2.5 hours riding time which was about bang on…

More nice woodland trails and some farmland, and commons nearer Guildford, quiet lanes and roads too, in order to link up those trails…

This was mainly Hampshire, with some rather salubrious villages and isolated impressive properties.

One trail, then another and another (part annoyingly heavily sanded for horse riders, which was impossible to ride on)…a left on a main road, an immediate right, and there was my car (which I initially rode past, before recognising the street!).

A pork pie awaited for me, which was consumed with glee…

So, my first full multi dayer with wild camping, a mix of pros and cons, but after returning to Tooting the impression was, one looking forward to another attempt. Maybe with less emphasis on taking a “full kitchen” depending on the route next taken….?

And at last I could shower - 3 days without a proper wash! As Gaston, indicated on my arrival!! 

BIKE PACKING (BP) - THE TEST - Slippery Stones - 19th Aug 2023

Wednesday 19th July

Test Ride and Camp - Slippery Stones - Ladybower, Peak District

So, I bought my new gravel bike back in September 2022, and had a £150 voucher to use before the end of March, just two weeks after returning from NZ.

Going the full hog, I spent the £150 and more…on full bike packing gear. Taking it with me to Mallorca and back, and not using it once, I was getting bored of talking about it rather than doing it…but the UK weather was not helping!

An opportunity arose! A cycle out to Slippery Stones, was an ideal first test, on a forecasted sunny evening and morning.

Surprisingly apprehensive, part of which was cycling with such a load at rush hour. But irrespective the bike rolled quite well, of course uphill needed more effort, but it wasn’t a race…and I managed Stanage over to Ladybower without putting a foot down.

Arriving at my destination at 7.30pm - I unloaded the bike and set up camp. I did notice lots of tiny flies, but thought nothing of it, and continued with a coffee and some rice and tinned curry!

The flies got worse, which forced me into my tent…and it wasn’t the greatest sleep!

I nearly fell down a bank in the middle of the night, getting up for a little relief….but emerging fully at about 8am the sky was full of what I realised were midges. They engulfed me, and I still had to pack all my kit away, then load onto the bike.

I just tried to stay cool and methodical, task by task….but intermittently wiping by bare skin, especially face and legs…they engulfed me, no matter where I went, they followed!

I later learnt midges love, dawn and dusk….they are attracted by C02 and emit pheromone when they (females) bite, which attracts more of their pals! They don’t like direct sunshine and wind of course.

I cycled the direct route home on the A57, and on arriving at my gaff, couldn’t believe the multitude of bites on my legs, but also on my face….so DEET next time in the kit bag, and also a head net! And this is fun!? 

One down…I’ll persevere to complete at least five trips, and then reassess….we will see!

ROAD TRIP FROM MALLORCA THROUGH FRANCE - PART 3 HAUT-ALPES - June/July 2023

From Col d'Izard

Ascent of Galibier

Nr Le Cassett - Briancon

THE ALPS

So I headed north, targeting ultimately to Briançon, using Digne as an overnight stepping stone….now this was a drive to savour. The mountain scenery of course got more and more impressive leaving the Provence Alpes de Haute and entering the actual Hautes-Alpes. Passing Le Sauze du Lac, and the nearby bizarre geological features of Demoiselles Coifees de Pontis! 🗻😍

I booked into a campsite for three nights, to give me some stability to explore that region….the plan was to repeat at two more locations probably Chamonix and Annecy. The scenery was breathtaking…dare I say, levels above even NZ. The last time I visited the Alps was over 11 years previously, and I’d forgotten how magnificent the vistas are! On my first evening I did a 2 hour walk to Lac de la Douche….from the village of Le Cassett….mainly through trees (again!) but soon with amazing soft light evening views….mind blowing! ❤️🗻

The next day I DROVE to the Col d’Izard (2390 metres) and couldn’t resist a hike to the top of a local enticing peak via Col Perdu….really steep….with worthwhile views on the top….the walk was strenuous but seemed ok….but shortly after, whilst driving, I felt wiped out and eventually needed to sleep….😴

The next day I planned a bike ride, but along The Valley and to take it easy….I felt really wasted….on returning to my campsite, my resolve on persevering had been broken. I hadn’t been savouring this excursion like all my earlier travels and I was sure because I couldn’t be as active as I wanted but also, being unwell, my days were lethargic and underwhelming, even in this environment. 😭

Packing my tent up proved to be an effort….but I decided to head back to Blighty. Firstly over the Col de Galibier and Telegraph (11 years after I rode up on my bike!) via St Jean du Maurienne - the views around the Galibier climb were the most amazing yet.❤️🗻

But unfortunately yet unsurprisingly I jumped on the toll rode and headed north. 10 hours to Calais….I managed nearly six, couldn’t get any accommodation, so decided to partake in my first “wild camp” experience in a lorry car park at a service station! Not the sort of environment I envisaged with Wild Camping! 🙄😅And of course, although I got some Kip, not much….four hours after my camp breakie, I’m sat on the Eurotúnnel. Two hours later, I’m at my pal’s place in S London looking forward to a siesta and an evening beer….but Gaston was bed bound with an intermittent intestinal issue….see a Doc mate! 👨‍⚕️🩺

Katie (also South London) was tied up in meetings all day, and another pal, midway back to Sheffield was not available either….so Sheffield it was! Through hell on the M25 and M1, I drove into Sheffield with a sad tear in my eye (not happy sad!) and just tipped over 10 hours driving and 575 miles in one day….a personal PB, I didn’t want…..

I saw the Doc amazingly quickly, and was informed I have Post Virus Syndrome….more common Post Covid / lockdown where immune systems are weaker to fight back to normal fitness after catching normal colds etc….can take 6 weeks! We will see….👨‍⚕️🤷‍♂️

So Blighty now, but it was always planned as an opportunity to explore my own country, perhaps not this soon, and start my initiation into bike packing….so a week or two to reset and then watch this space……🚴‍♂️🎒🚴‍♂️

Demoiselles Coifees de Pontis

Le Cassett

From Lac de la Douche

From Col d'Izoard

Looking down on Col d'Izoard

Briancon

Evening walk - Lac de la Douche

Evening walk - Lac de la Douche

Snow Finch

Glacier - from Lac de la Douche