Keith's Globe Trotting Blog

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

EURO TOUR 2023 - Stage 1 - Annecy (France)

Stage 1 - Annecy - Tues 19th to Thu 21st Sept

Arriving in glorious sunshine, which lasted most of the two days…and first I needed to plant my tent. The first place the reception was on a 3 hour siesta, in friggin September, and the second was full for the next two days, so I dumped my car, and decided to complete the circuit of the lake, and then look for a campsite.

However I killed two birds, as after only 25 mins, I passed a campsite and popped by….and a nice setting it was to (20 euros per night for reference). The ride was very nice, one I’d done some 12 ish years ago, on my road bike!

I popped into Annecy in the evening, including a walk at sunset along the lake…very nice centre and walk of course. (* leaving the campsite the sill on my car had an argument with a very low concealed post…Awaiting for Hamish to advise on whether I can continue the trip!) 😫 ** STOP PRESS: “It’s only cosmetic” 😅

Awaking to glorious sunshine, after breakie, some reading, watching the hot air balloons and eventually set off on a more arduous ride. In fact another repeat from years ago, on the 16km climb up to the summit of Mt Semnoz, I didn’t really enjoy that part..Too long, nearly all in trees and on tarmac, back ache, a gravel bike etc etc

But the views on the top were worthwhile, looking across the Alps with Mt Blanc standing proud.😍

It was nearly all downhill after, creating a circuit, along a typical elevated Alpine valley…wooden chalets, cows with bells, beautiful views…Tremendous!

After a recovery, I drove up to the Col de Forclaz (8km from the start) and what a delightful setting, overlooking the Lake, with a constant flow of paragliders whilst I drank my coffee and ate my blueberry pie!

A pitstop at McDonalds (Jamie’s fault) mainly so I could use the WiFi…after which I eventually found the rather concealed Lake Bar…a huge American style sports bar, with interestingm sexy bar girls to match…it reminded me of the film Coyote Ugly! Shame they never jumped on the bar and produced a dance, well, not while I was there!

And then, the two night rule completed, so tomorrow off to my next stop….Chamonix

EURO TOUR 2023 The Prologue!

Day 1 Calais to Dijon - Mon 18th Sept

Actual target is Annecy but from Calais it is approx 8 hours, so an Airbnb near Dijon takes out 5 hours, and after a rather semi heavy weekend in that London, mainly with my old pal Gaston, but stayed at Katie’s place in Clapham / Brixton - a good weekend all round, except for a rather bad faint in the early hours of the Sunday…sudden blood pressure loss, I passed out, and came to, with blood all over the place…needing help, so awoke Katie and BF, Ben, who I’d only just met, tidied up the bathroom whilst Katie tidied me up and nursed me! Lovely intro to Katie’s old man! 🙄😂

Anyway, surprisingly feeling better hours later, except the gash on my forehead (Katie was calling me Harry Potter!) and by the Monday morning drove to the Chunnel, as if nothing had happened.

After Calais, and over 4 hours, I arrived at my AirBnB somewhere near Dijon (St Maurice sur Vingeanne), to be met by an elderly Frenchman, Guy, and his dog, Leo, in a very old rustic 18th century chateau! And very pleasant Guy was too, alarmed I had no food, he made me a meal and gave me a bottle of beer. Guy had worked all over, including the Middle East, but also Shropshire where he worked on a stud farm..attempting to associate orphan foals with mares that had lost theirs (apparently by putting the dead foal skin on the orphan, so the smell would be familiar to the mare!).

The chateau was rather interesting, a huge place, perfect for a ghostly film setting…in fact, just before I crashed, Guy did say, be careful of the ghosts! Not sure if he was joking or not!!😳😂

Anyhow, it was only a one stop to break the eight hours to my first true destination…..Annecy 😎

Saturday, September 9, 2023

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 ☀️😎