Where have all the hills gone?

New phase, York to Selby

Today I set out on a completely new stage of my trip. Having been a bit unlucky with the weather in Scotland I thought I would go as far away as is possible on this small island, so I'm almost in East Anglia.

I decided that taking a train from Leeds to York would be a good way to get the high density traffic around Leeds out of the way and the National Cycle Network route passes through York and can be picked up close to the station. I used the coffee and muffin combination to fuel up and then put on my waterproofs, umm, it's raining again and set off. I'm hoping that as the week progresses the weather will improve, tomorrow does not look great at the moment.

The cycle path runs along beside the River Ouse in York, it is very pretty, lovely old buildings, lots of river boats, people rowing and to add to the interest the local Hash Harriers running all over the place looking very intense and a bit damp. There were lots of family groups out, seemingly enjoying a walk inspite of the rain and lots of dogs just relishing being out and about.

The next bit of the track ran alongside and then right across York Racecourse, there was no racing today but the track was being made good use of by runners and more dogs. There is something about a racecourse that I find really exciting, I can always picture galloping horses, brightly clad jockeys, hear the thundering hooves and smell the unique horse smell, it gives me goosebumps, silly I know, but I cannot help it.

There was a short and rather uninteresting section of track alongside the busy main road before the route joined an old railway line. This section of the cycleway was apparently bought by Sustrans in 1987 for £1.00, it is great to ride on, the surface is tarred and for the most part well maintained. It is signed every mile and has some interesting seats and shelters along the way. I'm sorry I have no photos, it was just too wet. It goes through mainly arable farm land, all very green at the moment. There are quite a number of small waterways, one was being well used by a chocolate Labrador who was loving the rather muddy water and paying no attention whatever to his slightly irate owner who thought it was time to go home, I wonder if they are still there?

As I pedalled my way along the track I noticed various models of planets and realised that most of the Solar System seemed to be there, along with signs stating distances to various heavenly bodies. I eventually managed to find out what it was, this link explains it http://www.solar.york.ac.uk/. If I pass this way again in sunshine I will have a better look.

I was making quite good time and was in danger of arriving at my B&B destination too early so decided to stop in Selby to find a bite to eat. As I neared the town centre there was a lone male cyclist stopped on the pavement, I asked him if he was local and could recommend somewhere to eat. He apparently used to live in the area but just happened to be there today as part of his training to ride from Lands End to John O 'Groats with some old university friends, celebrating twenty years on from their graduation. As we were about to go our separate ways he glanced down at my bike and commented on the fact that my back tyre was almost flat. What pain, it was raining, the bike was filthy and I really did not feel like fixing a puncture. What to do, I walked down the High Street and found a sort of bike shop that was open even though it was a holiday. The guys in the shop were very nice but I could see that they were less than enthusiastic about fixing my bike. They pumped it up for me and suggested it might just be the valve, I was not convinced. I went off to find some lunch, on returning to my bike the tyre was flat again, so much for the valve theory! I pleaded helplessness and produced a result, if I bought a tube the manager was happy for me to pay one of his tyre bay employees to fix it, job done. I am still slightly unsure of why it went down, I took the old tube and inflated it in their water tank, I found a hole, seemingly in the wall, a pinch maybe, but why now after having ridden quite a long way? I just hope it is still inflated in the morning, if not I will just have to do it myself.

Time was now progressing and I could safely continue to my B&B without being embarrassingly early. The route south of Selby runs for a little way along a canal, I have no clue which one though. I was merrily pedalling along splashing through puddles admiring the beautiful traditional narrow boats when the name of one seemed familiar, 'Phyllis May ll'. Of course it was Terry and Monica Darling's boat. Terry wrote Narrow Dog to Carcassonne, an amusing account of their travels across the Chanel inn their narrow boat with their narrow dog, a Whippet called Jim. He followed this up with Narrow Dog to Indian River and apparently a trip to Wigan Pier is on the horizon. I had to stop, I spent a moment or two having a shouted conversation with the Darlington's then continued on my way.

My ride for today, about twenty five miles was almost over, it may have been wet but it wasn't windy and I really enjoyed it.

The B&B is very nice and they provide supper, which is good as there do not appear to be many alternatives close by.

I have planned a longer day tomorrow, I just hope it is not too ambitious, especially as thunder storms are forecast. Watch this space.

Remote beauty

Journey to Mallaig

Tuesday morning was bright and blustery but the gale blowing for the last twenty four hours had calmed considerably. I left the haven of the hotel hopeful that the ferry would leave Brodick for Ardrossan and the train to Glasgow. I was not disappointed, the ferry left on time with a few words of warning from the Captain that there was a possibility that berthing in Ardrossan could still be a problem. We were delivered safely back to the mainland and I rode my bike off the ferry and onto the rail platform to board the waiting train. The train journey to Glasgow is not very special but I was looking forward to the next stage; I had booked myself and my bike on the legendary West Highland Line from Glasgow to Mallaig via Fort William, this single track journey is arguably the most scenic train ride in the British Isles.

The railway leaves Glasgow along the banks of the Clyde, passing Greenock (Billy Connolly country); Glencoe, site of the massacre of the MacDonald clan in 1692; Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK at 1344 metres and still covered in snow in May. A large stretch of the line passes through country that is completely inaccessible by road.

Many of the stops in the remoter areas serve as hostels as well as being railway stations, they are all painted white with green windows and doors and the walls are clad with something that gives the effect of small curved tiles, almost like fish scales. Every stop seemed to have hordes of Goretex clad walkers waiting to board the train to bag their next Munro.

The scenery along the route is beautiful, wild and dramatic. Mountains, lochs, rivers and streams and a lot of wildlife as well as sheep and cattle. It was quite tricky to get many photos from the train for various reasons, rain, dirty windows, trees adjacent to the track blocking the view and on a few occasions the speed of the train. The latter excuse was infrequent and only on the downhill sections, the gradients up and down were quite marked in some places.

The train leaves Glasgow composed of six carriages, two are taken off to divert to Oban, two further carriages get left at Fort William and two carriages then continue from Fort Willaim to Mallaig. I think that the reason only two carriages go to Mallaig is that the gradient is too steep for the train to pull more, it is the only time I can remember really having the sensation of climbing a steep hill in a train. The train terminates at Mallaig, it is a ferry port for Skye and lots of other small islands and a destination for walkers. I unhooked my bike from the rack, attached the panniers and cycled off around to the east side of the harbour to find my B&B.

I had decided to spend three nights in Mallaig so I would be able to have a good look around. I decided that my first excursion would be to take a ferry to Knoydart. Knoydart is a remote peninsular inaccessible by road and the tiny hamlet of Inverie boasts the remotest pub on mainland Britain. It sits on the northern shore of Loch Nevis and has a population of about 100 adults. The ferry drops you off in the morning and returns to collect you at 3:00pm for a short cruise up the Loch and then back to Mallaig. The hamlet has a Post Office, a pub and a small tea room. The weather was wet and cold so I decided that before setting out for a walk I would sample the tea room, hot chocolate and freshly baked carrot cake supplied the necessary calories and thus fortified I set out to explore, nothing radical as I was not equipped to conquer the great outdoors.

I walked east beside the loch, the road was through beautiful deciduous woodland, lots of moss and stones and obviously carefully managed. The Knoydart Foundation exists to preserve the unique character of this largely untouched landscape. Most of the dwellings are traditional cottages, some now holiday let's and some very much lived in. One aspect of local life would appear to have changed, the church is no longer in use as a place of worship but is now a dwelling. The foundation has a bunkhouse situated in an old farmhouse, a popular spot for walkers and others who come to savour this remote spot. I walked on to 'Long Beach' where there is a campsite, in the summer sun it must be idyllic, a grass roofed wooden shelter, a fire pit, running water and some wooden benches and tables surrounded by hills and silence, if you don't count the lazy waves slopping on the shore. The shells and other jetsam on the beach after the gales were colourful and varied, the blue of the many mussels adding a cheerful touch.

The rain was getting heavier and I was getting hungrier so it seemed as though retracing my steps to the pub for some lunch might be a good idea.

The pub 'The Old Forge' was an appealing refuge. Situated on the edge of the Loch with an unimpeded view of the pier the pub seems central to local life. It is obviously patronised by all types, locals, walkers, yachtsmen, holiday cottage residents and anyone else in need of shelter and refreshment. It would appear to offer live music too, guitars and bodhran's lay waiting to be played.

I picked a table with a good view of the Loch and had some really great tomato and basil soup with crusty bread, I followed it up with toffee pudding, working on the theory that if I had a decent lunch then I would not really need to worry about supper, hmmm. Having enjoyed lunch there was not much time to explore more before the ferry returned to collect us. Once aboard the warm dry Ferry we were taken up the loch, the idea being to see the view and possibly some wildlife, the lack visibility rather marred this bit of the trip but it was still nice to have a look around, the scenery is beautiful.

I am writing this hoping that the clouds might lift a bit and I may be able to enjoy a local ride on my bike, time will tell. If the weather does not change I may just go to Mallaig and try out the Heritage Centre, tomorrow it is back on the train to Glasgow and south.

Wild and Windy West

Lochranza

Well, I've got to the west coast of Scotland & how!

I left my B&B in Edinburgh on Saturday morning and cycled into the city to catch a train to Glasgow. It was a nice downhill trafficless ride and I almost wished that I had decided to stay. I took the chance to buy myself a new book at the station bookshop, found my train, loaded my bike into the purpose built bike compartment and settled down to enjoy the trip. Arriving in Glasgow I changed trains for a local service to Ardrossan harbour and the ferry to Brodick on the isle of Arran.

The weather had been slowly deteriorating as I travelled west and by the time the ferry arrived in Brodick it was pouring with rain and quite windy. I had about 14 miles to cycle to the Youth Hostel in Lochranza where I had booked two nights stay. I stopped off at the Coop to buy food for two days in the hostel because there is no shop in Lochranza. I set off along the coast thinking that although it was raining it wasn't too bad, the road was flat and sheltered and I was doing a reasonable speed. That was until I turned away from the coast and up the hill, straight into the teeth of the wind, I could not actually pedal into it it was so strong, it was going to be a long walk! The trudge up the hill seemed interminable, the rain was getting heavier, as was the bike and I'm sure the wind was getting stronger too. The hillsides were awash with torrents of white water, it would have been very pretty on a sunny day but it was somewhat lost on me plodding uphill pushing my bike. As I suppose always happens I eventually reached the top.

The ride down was almost as much fun as the ascent; the hill was quite steep, it was mostly covered by running water which concealed all the gravel and potholes. If you ride a bike you will know that these are both things you would normally try to avoid, the wetness of the conditions and the weight of the bike made the brakes a bit less effective than usual, all contributing to a ride that lots of people would pay good money for in an amusement park. I got it for free. I managed to stay with the bike and we arrived safely at the Youth Hostel. I parked my bike and went into the reception area, the lady on duty looked at me standing there dripping onto her tiled floor and said, "I hope you don't want a bed, I don't have any left." I could have cried, but I had booked. I pointed this out to her, she hurriedly consulted her computer, apologised, and said she did have space, whew, that was a relief.

I found my bed, had a shower, got some food, dried my clothes and my view of life improved. Tomorrow had to be better.

Tomorrow was indeed better. It was a bright and blustery day and I took advantage of the sun to walk around the Loch. I took lots of photos which are uploaded to picasa if you would like to see them https://picasaweb.google.com/josephine.parkes/Lochranza?feat=directlink.

My original plan was to take the ferry north from Lochranza and cycle on towards Tarbert. The weather forecast was bad and the distances quite long so I took a decision to return to Brodick, catch the train to Glasgow and from there take the train to Mallaig. I hope that this will mean I get to see the rain from the train. It means that I can see the Isle of Skye and perhaps do some shorter local rides. The train ride is supposed to be an experience in itself.

I am now writing this, still in Brodick. The weather was too bad for the ferry to sail. I booked myself into a very nice hotel and have enjoyed a day of comfort and warmth with a good Internet signal. I have also eaten too much and spent too much money, but I've really enjoyed it. Let's hope the weather allows the ferry to sail tomorrow.

Final countdown.

Innerleithen to Edinburgh

To say that I had misgivings about the ride over the hills to Edinburgh would be an understatement. I stayed in Innerleithen last night to try and ensure the shortest ride possible, there is a large area of high ground between the start and finish of the ride and although there are figures on the map I'm not very good at translating them. The peaks of the hills measure between 400 and 650 meters, I did not climb to the top of any of them but it gives you an idea of the height.

The weather looked good before I had breakfast. I had been advised not to leave too early as the road is busy with commuter traffic. I had breakfast, packed my panniers and went to load the bike, aargh, the cloud had descended and it was pouring, what to do? The landlady kindly offered an extra nights stay if I did not want to ride. I sat down and had a quick look at the weather forecast, it looked as though it would improve towards the middle of the day but remain windy, gusting up to 36mph! With the prospect of an improvement I donned my waterproofs and set off. The ride started along a very flat part of the valley, really nice to ride along, it was just the weather that was rubbish. I soon realised that I had too many clothes on and as it was still quite wet I decided I needed to stop and divest myself of my middle layer. I was by now approaching the small local golf club so I nipped in and asked if I could strip off, I got a funny look but was directed to the ladies locker room and took a layer off, much better, off I set again.

The road now started a gradual climb and continued thus for about six miles, I think. It was a much more gradual climb than I had envisaged but quite a sustained effort, I was warming up again and the rain was almost over. Once again I stopped to change, removing the waterproofs and exchanging the trousers for my warm cycling tights, much more comfortable. Had I been carrying my original load I would never have got going again and I was still a way from the top.

The road was quiet and most drivers seem to be very courteous, giving cyclists a wide berth which is just as well looking at some of the potholes along the side of the road. This is a bit unfair as a lot of the road has a perfect surface. I continued to climb and eventually thought it looked as though the summit was nigh, but no; it was a short downhill and then up it went again, but this was the last push and the road swung right as the most amazing view across to Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth appeared. There was a place to pull over so I parked the bike to take in the view. The wind was blowing very hard, I struggled to hold the camera steady enough to take any photos, the visibility was not perfect either but it was a great vista non the less.

From here it was downhill big time, wow, what ride. I didn't,t actually allow myself to go over 25mph as the bike is heavy and starts to wobble so that was fast enough, after having spent most of the morning travelling at about 7mph.

Now I had to negotiate my way to the B&B I'd booked, I only managed to get one night as Saturday is the Edinburgh Marathon and rooms are scarce. This leg turned out to be the most difficult bit of the trip. After a few false starts and getting caught up in some really awful traffic I found it. It is very nice, they even insisted I bring my bike into my room.

Today is tinged with a bit of sadness, I'll never have a first trip again, my trusty map is unlikely to be used again; but onwards. I have decided not to stop in Edinburgh, I cannot face the city traffic, what I encountered today was much worse than anything I experienced in Leeds. I have elected to take a train with my bike to Ardrossan and get the ferry to Arran tomorrow. I have booked into the Scottish YHA hostel in Lochranza for two nights, so I'm off to see the west coast.

Along the way today I saw some lovely birds, some species I never expected to see here. I will just list them, if anyone wants to see a pictures the RSPB site http://www.rspb.org.uk/england/ is easy to use and has good illustrations.

Oyster catchers, Curlew, Golden Plover, French Partridge, Grey Heron, Ring Ouzel (red status), and the more everyday but still very pretty Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Black Headed Gulls, lots of Skylarks and others I did not note.

Today's ride was about 30 miles again, I'm not quite sure how long it took as I took a bit of time getting lost and found once I reached suburbia.

Short ride day.

Melrose to Innerleithen

Having seen the sights of Melrose and there aren't very many, I set out for a relatively short day's mileage to the small town of Innerleithen, it is about 20 miles from Melrose. The logic behind this was to be as close to Edinburgh as possible, there is not much between here and Edinburgh and a lot of it is uphill. Tomorrow may involve a lot of walking!

The weather was quite clement as I set off just after 9:00 am. No rain and not too much wind, a good start. The route was mainly along quiet roads running beside the Tweed, lots of bridges to cross today.

The first part of the route after leaving Melrose was right next to the river, I tried to take a photo of my bike and I but didn't look at it very carefully and on inspection this evening I was headless, pity, it was a pretty bit of the river.

The route turned into cycle path and passed through beautiful treed avenues lined with spring flowers, idyllic.

Onward to slightly higher ground riding through fields full of ewes with already fat lambs. This bit was quite undulating, not serious hills, but not flat either and I didn't have to walk, hooray.

Returning to the valley floor from the hills I was able to actually achieve speeds in double figures, it hasn't happened often. I stopped just before the route got back to a busier road to have a squizz at the river and yet another bridge at Yair. A Dutch couple were busy taking photos and I chatted to them for a few minutes, they obligingly took a photo of me for me, James keeps complaining that I should have more pics including me, it's quite tricky to find places to put the camera & use the timer.

After a short ride along a stretch of relatively busy road the track returned to a little used lane through Forestry plantations and deciduous woodland, all very pretty in the sunlight. It was fairly up and down but altogether a lovely ride to my chosen stop for the day, Innerleithen.

I left my bike at the pub where I had booked B&B and had a look around, there was not a lot to see but I bought two delicious pies from the local butcher for eighty pence, they filled a gap. I had been advised to try the local ice cream, I did, inspite of the fact that the temperature was nearly freezing; it was a bit of a disappointment, not up to Argentinain standards.

I still had some time to fill in before I could occupy my room so looked around for something to do, the main attraction in the town appeared to be Robert Smail's Printing Works, so, nothing venture, I went to have a look. It was fantastic. The business was owned by three successive generations of the Smail family, the last of whom never married and when he gave up the business in the 1980's it was purchased as is, by the National Trust for Scotland.

The business was started in the 1800's and the family kept everything, it appears today very much as it did when it started.

The visit started with a look at what they call the case room, here all the type was set. The compositor who looks after this area is hugely enthusiastic and shared her love of this ancient skill with humour and lots of information. For example, did you know that 'mind your p's and q's' comes from telling printing apprentices to be careful whilst sorting letters, not to muddle them up; or upper and lower case comes from how the trays of capital and non capital letters were laid out for the compositors to use, capitals in the top tray and little letters in the lower one. There were other examples but I cannot recall them all.

The machine room was looked after by an ageing Aussie with long grey hair! He trained as a printer in pre computer times and obviously loves the ancient presses, he is responsible for maintaining as well as printing.

The visit was rounded off with a look at the companies books, they have a copy of every job they have ever done with date and quantities, a remarkable record.

By now I was feeling a need for a hot shower and a change of clothes so I returned to the pub. Once refreshed I went to sit in the bar to use the wifi, within minutes I was joined by a young Border Collie bitch who climbed on the next table and brought me a mouthful of beer mats, apparently I was meant to throw them, but there is not a lot of space in a pub for throwing games, we managed a few goes but it was getting a bit rowdy so we had to stop, she was so sweet; her Mum and brother were here too.

I'm off to find something to eat, I need to fuel up for the ride tomorrow.

Tweed Valley

Berwick to Melrose
The day dawned (I don't really know how it dawned, I was still asleep), bright and clear apart from a few fluffy clouds scudding across the blue sky. I was cheered by the weather and the fact that this was to be my first day with a much lighter load.
I had a very good full English breakfast in the hostel and had the bike loaded and was ready to depart by 9:00. There are some very steep hills in Berwick and as the hostel is down by the river I had to climb up through the town. I elected to push the bike as there are numerous one way systems and narrow streets, the lighter load definitely made this easier, a good start. The route for the day is mainly on quiet country road with little or no traffic rather than on dedicated cycle paths.
Just a little way outside Berwick I crossed the Border into Scotland for the first time, not an impressive crossing but a milestone nevertheless. For most of the trip the route follows the river Tweed, the lanes meander along the valley, sometimes beside the river and sometimes along country lanes through productive farmland. The valley has long had a reputation as one of the most fertile agricultural areas in Scotland. The past wealth of Berwick was based on its location as a port to carry the grain south to places such as Newcastle for brewing and flour milling. Along the way I spotted my first Highland cow, shaggy coat and long horns. There is a mixture of arable farming and stock rearing, both cattle and sheep, all looking very well fed. There were a lot of pheasants too and evidence of feeders; I think there is a lot of shooting here too. The farms look big and affluent, with beautiful old stone buildings.
Soon after Berwick the road crossed the river for the first time, this brought me back into England over a lovely old small suspension bridge more suited to horse drawn transport than modern traffic (which is restricted). Across the bridge the road climbed up the side of the valley past a large honey farm where words of encouragement were shouted as I pedalled past. I would have had to walk with my previous load.
A little further on at Norham was the ruin of yet another castle, there are fewer now on the route, it is no longer 'Coast' and not much 'Castles' either. Just after Norham the road crossed the river Tweed again, this time on a beautiful old stone bridge, I stopped for a few minutes to watch some people fly fishing. Crossing the Border once again back in Scotland the road climbs steeply away from the river and again I had to push.
The route was now towards Coldstream of the Guards fame, they originated here in the days when fighting was was part of daily life. I bypassed the town and continued through back lanes in the direction of Kelso. There was quite a lot of climbing, some I managed, some I didn't and had to get off and push. I don't know much about Kelso apart from the fact it has a racecourse, my route took me right beside the track with it's hurdles and steeplechase jumps. It looked as though they were preparing for a race meeting with lots of watering and grass cutting going on. Before I lightened my load Kelso would have been a days ride, about thirty miles; but I felt carrying on to Melrose was not unrealistic, about another fifteen miles.
The latter part of my day was hard work, partly because of the hills, and partly because I am still not really fit enough. I did lots of stops for snacks and drinks and lots of bike pushing. I was cheered at one point by the appearance of four Guinea Fowl who ran in front of me for quite a distance before they realised that heading for the hedge might be a good idea. Some of you know how dotty I am about these silly birds, I have lots of happy memories associated with them. The route crossed the river once more, this time on a beautiful little suspension bridge, it was just a footbridge and I suspect built largely for the convenience of anglers, very picturesque.
I made it to Melrose in the late afternoon, very tired but happy to have completed about forty five miles.

Nearly in Scotland

Seahouses to Berwick

Sunday dawned grey and windy but with no rain. The clouds were higher and not as black so I hoped I would at least stay dry. The wind was not quite head on so things looked good. For the first time I booked accommodation before arrival and just hoped I could get there in time. I have been cycling about thirty miles a day, this seems achievable at the moment; hopefully I will manage more as I get fitter.

The start of the day was riding through quiet country lanes a little way inland. I headed towards Bamburgh and it's iconic castle hoping to get a good photo, I managed a OK shot but the weather was a bit gloomy, so I had to make do.

The route continued through some very pretty countryside with a few steep valleys, whizz down one side, push up the other. I nearly bumped into a Peregrine Falcon who swooped across my path whilst looking for a snack. I also passed a beautiful old stone windmill that had been converted into a gorgeous home, sorry I don't have a photo to show you,it didn't seem a good idea at the time.

The ride progressed well along quiet minor roads until it turned back east towards the coast at Beal. I had misgivings at this point that I would be able to ride this section along grassy tracks across sheep grazed dune and wetlands. I actually quite enjoyed it, it was like riding across waves (without water). Some bits enforced a stint of getting off and pushing but it was a beautiful bit of coast and worth the effort. The track eventually joined the coast path, this was a bit perilous for my loaded bike in parts, I didn't fancy falling off the cliffs with or without my bike, so once again I walked quite a bit. The weather had by now deteriorated and it was damp and windy and I just wanted to get there.

Berwick hove into view around a bend in the track, nearly done. I found the YHA where I had booked for the night, it is amazing, a newly converted old Granary and only open for three months. I found my room and enjoyed a hot shower in the shiny new high tech bathroom. The hostel has a nice Bistro type restaurant where I had an excellent chicken Caesar salad for supper.

I will spend tonight in Berwick and set off tomorrow minus my camping gear. I have sent all 10 kgs of it back to James. I hope that I will really be able to enjoy the ride with a smaller load. I now have only two panniers, previously I had four, and the tent and sleeping bag. The weather has not been really conducive to camping, so I will just have to find a bed every night. We'll see how it goes in the morning.