Louch
105% knowledge on 105
- Location
- Kingdom of Kinnard
think we now have enough of us doing it to invoke the no one left behind ruleSounds good @Louch, I really only do 'relaxed' these days:-)
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think we now have enough of us doing it to invoke the no one left behind ruleSounds good @Louch, I really only do 'relaxed' these days:-)
"Invite" or "invoke" ??think we now have enough of us doing it to invite the no one left behind rule
You mean you're not wearing the usual CC Ecosse full-finger gloves ?cold fingers after cycling in the rain
Great to hear I'm not alone. Lol.My sense of direction is so bad that I might actually qualify for a GPS on the NHS!
My sense of direction is so bad that I might actually qualify for a GPS on the NHS!
Just got in from a ride of sheer terror!! (Well, more an ever increasing sense of doom!)
Headed out at 8.30pm for an hour around local routes. Light until 10pm so didn't take lights (first mistake).
Headed towards Granada roundabout from Denny then took a left before it (seem to remember @Louch saying there were nice roads this way - note to self: pay more attention to what people say beyond the first bit of information)
All was well until a fork in the road 8 miles into my journey. Carron Dam (I think) 3 1/2 miles to the left, North Third Dam (or fishery or something) 1 mile to the right. I took the right turn, sensing that this might take me out towards the road that comes back down through Fankerton (my sense of direction is the real villain of this story you will begin to realise). This decision was by far the stupidest one of the evening.
Past North Third Fishery, I got to a crossroads - I headed up left as I thought this was the general direction I needed to be going in. What a monumental mistake that turned out to be!!!!! The resultant climb nearly ended me - when I upload my route to the computer I'm sure I will discover this climb is famous for killing people!!
As I travelled up this road, and up, and up further, I began to realise my situation had deteriorated rapidly. The light was still ok but not great, I had no food (although the roast beef dinner I ate tonight could probably fuel me to Manchester) and I began to realise I had absolutely no clue where I was! My phone inexplicably reduced to 14% power and had no signal for Google Maps to work.
I was 12 miles in, and didn't have another 12 miles in me to go back the way. So on I ploughed.
As I realised I was in the middle of a wilderness at roughly 9.45 at night with no lights and the temperature dropping, I suddenly began to picture the headlines: 'Naive, overweight and sweaty teacher dies from exposure 10 miles from home' I began to panic. I couldn't phone my wife as I had no signal and even if I did had no clue where I was and she'd have to get the 3 kids out of bed and come looking for me.
Sensing the beginnings of a life or death situation, I roared into the semi-darkness in frustration and desperation at my own stupidity. Time to man the **** up ya stupid erse, and words to that effect.
I cycled on and on through the terror, until a glorious thing happened. I came out the end of a road at a reservoir, which turned out to be Carron Dam, which I knew to be no more than 7 or 8 miles from Denny. With failing light, I was in a race against time!
I appeared at my house at 10.30pm, 2 hours and 24 miles after I left it. "Have you had a nice cycle dear?"
I wept.
And resolved to buy a proper bloody GPS (Garmin 1000 here I come!)