Day 3 dedicated to big George Scott.
The day started well although I was an hour late in setting off (from Comrie)but the sun was shinning. There is no real alternative on a road bike but to go via the A85 (there is the South Loch Earn road for a few miles). Still it has it's compensations not least the chance to stop at The Real Food Cafe at Tyndrum. Long before I arrived there ( a mere 3.3 miles from Comrie) I was rewarded with a close up view of a red kite, no doubt on the look out for road kill. It wasn't convenient to stop and take a photo though otherwise I may have become the road kill!
I had been told that the cycle route up Glen Ogle was a gentle climb up the old railway ...... It was but only after the first mile of steep hair pin bends. With the trailer on the back I ended up walking, not something I normally do with a bike.
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| Loch Earn |
Somewhere back on the road, a large motorhome towing a small car passed me. Later, in between Crianlarich and Tyndrum I saw it parked in a layby. The small car had the logo " Angel Cakes Ellon" written on it. I immediately stopped and spoke to the couple saying "I know you, or at least I know someone who knows you" one of my colleagues was telling me how she had met this couple in Hawaii and they have remained good friends. The couple were delighted , offered me a drink which I declined as I was desperate to get to Tyndrum ( I did have one of Jimmy and Vicky's hen's eggs with me but was saving that for tea)
At the Real Food Cafe I sat outside in the sun , ending up talking to Sarah the owner about what I was doing. She does iron man events but gave me lots of encouragement. I left her with a copy of the John Muir Trust vision.
After a superb lunch ( veggie rosti , salad , chips and beetroot and choc cake for later, I was back on the road feeling full of energy, next stop Loch Awe. However the south Loch Awe road was meant to be flat. Again the reporter failed to mention the couple of very steep hills to start with. not good when you are looking to put dome more miles in before bed. Towards the end of the road I started looking for likely camping places by the lochside . Unfortunately they were all taken , popular place and I ended up camping near a campervan .
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| Loch Awe |
Total on the clock 121.1 Milesge today 67.3.
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| Sunset, Loch Awe |
According to Les at Edin bike co-op towing a trailer is like halving your normal distance (double the effort). I don't know if it is quite like that. I would say I could have covered a hundred miles without a trailer. I also had to contend with a westerly wind which I certainly felt.
Day 4
After a restless night, with no alarm set, I again set off later than intended. My aim was to catch the 2 pm ferry to Islay , an impossibility as it happens as the ferry is at 1 pm!
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| Early morning dew on thistle |
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| Crinan Canal |
It was a lovely day , I can't believe my luck so far, let's hope it holds until next week. However when I arrived at Kennacraig I discovered that I had remembered the time of the ferry wrongly and had over 4 hours to wait. The tide was wrong for a swim so I went in search of butterflies to photograph. No success but I had some more views of Arran which I had seen earlier in the day. Couldn't quite see the Paps of Jura. Saw a roe deer who barked at me in a disgruntled fashion. Back at the ferry terminal a man came and asked me about my trailer. He turnedout to be an Islay man and keen cyclist. He suggested a beach beyond Bowmore for camping and also warned me about the very slow pull up out of Port Askaig.
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| Jura |
As it happens I didn't get to the sandy beach. It was getting dark by the time I rolled into Bowmore and I headed for the nearest beach. I am now perched on a very soft bank above the stony beach. If the wind gets up I may be on trouble but at the moment it is a beautiful calm evening with oyster catchers and curlews calling.
On the clock 166.0
Mileage today 44.9
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