life In The Rain... Cycle to Torness

 

Weekend cycling around Blair Atholl...

 

Thursday afternoon and work finished for the week I headed off up north on the A9 to meet G at Blair Atholl, she had just bike packed the Rob Roy Way over 3 days.  with more camping gear in van we soon had the tent pitched and after some food were soon out for a peddle around Blair Atholl...

Parked up we then walked down The pass Of Killikrankie, a famous battle was fought here and a famous act of bravery by an English soldier fleeing the battle chased by Jacobite left a 5 meter gap across the gorge, for his impressive feat he was later recognised for this...

Old roads....

Signed too..

Killikrankie Gorge...

Next morning we were up and after a breakfast of porridge, and then two filled rolls bought on the campsite along with cups of coffee brewed on the stove, we set off along to the start of the track up Glen Tilt, an historic route that was once used to cross to Aviemore and beyond...

What a stunning Glen...

You can't eat scenery...

After 20 km of track we had a short hike a bike to the famous Falls of Tarf...

You don't really realise how much you have climbed up the Glen to the waterfall, until you return and despite a headwind there was plenty of freewheeling down the winding gravel track down to Bridge of Tilt,

Being my Birthday I enjoyed a couple of pints at the Blair Atholl Hotel basking in sunshine in the Beer Garden.. a fantastic 40 km cycle through fantastic Highland Scenery...

Made a film as usual, but some reason it has not uploaded to Youtube in full widescreen, I think as often happens with iMovie it need removed and uploaded the app to the PC again, as every so often as it often has small glitches,

Music is by Scottish Band Mogwai, tracks are; Hungry, Wizard Motor, Danphe and the Brain, and Dry Fantasy

More soon...

Cycle around Duns Estate

 

With a visit to Duns In Berwickshire we took the bikes in the van and got in a cycle around Duns Estate, 

A lot of the tracks were as expected blocked with fallen trees after Storm Arwen, but there was enough accessible to get short but pleasant cycle despite the horrendous mud!, you know I hate mud!, give me coastal sandy loam trail any day!, anyhow the plan was to show G the WW2 Auxillary Units Bunker location right behind me in the pic, but with the fallen trees pushing bikes to it would be more trouble than it was worth so we will return here on foot and do a specific visit...

We did happen across this stone construction in the woods just off of a track that we would later find out after G emailed the Estate is an Ice House, common on most Estates where meat was stored...

Here is a shore film, song is `Take Me There (Acid Washed Remix)` by Scratch Massive Feat. Jimmy Somerville, 

More soon...

Last cycle of 2021...And into 2022!...

 Happy New Year everyone!...

Rewind 48 hours and it was the day before Hogmany... and the end of another year... with work  winding down I finally got an end of year cycle, though sadly on my own as G on nightshift and sleeping, so on stealth mode I headed out early along to John Muir Country Park (JMCP) and although mid morning it was hoaching with people, probably no where else to go so did not bother filming or stopping for pictures along the busy beach at Belhaven until I rounded the point and headed across the empty Belhaven sands...

A lot of greasy mud out here at low tide but I was on the Army Pugsley and with it's 65mm rims and 3.7' (4") Surly Nate chunky tyres makes it ideal for out here.  I know I ride Surly Moonlander wheels on Surly Pugsley 2.0 which is the widest available Fatbike wheel set combination but this size of Fatbike wheel still has its place in places like out here and I definitely think the Surly Nate is the best 4" Fatbike tyre size where the narrower rounded profile if on the original 65mm wide Surly rim is the best option...

All was quiet away from the hoards out walking around on the beach alongside the river Tyne Estuary...

WW2 barb wire coils - aka pigs tails...

Cloud reflections on mirror still water...

NATE Power!...

Wee film of the cycle, song is `Nylon` by Phontaine...

Back home and after a quick hose off of mud I wheeled the Jeep out and fired it up and headed out a short drive around Town... This years mild winter weather is a blessing and it's nuts I could drive about with the hood and windscreen down!, Now, if the council would just stop spreading road salt when the temperatures are over 10 degrees Celsius!, And the forecasts are for the warmest New Year temperatures on record!,  who makes these decisions?...

New Years Day...

The 1st dawned windy but dry and clearing skies by mid morning, we headed out just before midday and being high tide the narrow beach was busy again as we cycled a loop around JMCP, I never took any pics today and just took stills off the Go Pro Footage...

Looking forward to this year, I always look forward to another new year!, Life is Good...

Wee film from the 1st, Song is `Mercy` by Gary Numan...

More soon...