Paging CC Ecosse - Mull and Moidart rides, first week of Sept, 2016?

[Pale Rider]

Yes to the spoiler

A partners' meeting for most of us could be held in a phone box.

 

[ColinJ]

Thanks for the company, lads!

My family went to watch a big shinty final in Oban (just a few kms away across the water) and said it hammered it down at half time so were lucky to miss that rain.

I was so glad that we didn't have heavy rain for the ride! I had been stressing about it for days in advance. With Fubar and Pale Rider having made such long journeys to be there, it wouldn't have been right to cancel, but it wouldn't have been nice to ride ...

I remembered quite a lot of the route from the time I rode it in 2014 but there was a climb mysteriously missing. I have a distinct memory of struggling up a stiff climb next to a forest, and seeing signs about birds of prey. No sign of it yesterday ... Fubar wondered whether the trees might have been felled since the previous visit, and I am fitter, so maybe I just didn't take much notice of the gradient? I'll search for it on Street view later and see if I can solve the mystery.

We decided not to do the full route, but Fubar and I still got metric centuries in. My total for the day was 111 km (69 miles).

I had ridden from Connel to Oban on the main road to make sure that I arrived in good time for the ferry. The road was not too busy at 06:30. I didn't fancy it on the way home though. There was an awful lot of traffic passing through Oban then. I took 5 minutes to get round a small roundabout in the town centre! I reckon a lot of that traffic would have been thousands of spectators from the big shinty game heading for home. I took a very scenic back road route back to Connel instead. My cousin told me about that road, which I had not noticed on the OS map. It is a steep climb out of the town but then becomes more undulating for the rest of the way. It has splendid Highland views and I think it will be my route of choice for future rides in and out of Oban.

I have some photos on my phone and will try to post some of them later.

 

[Fubar]

Had a day trip to Iona today, really serene and peaceful (@ColinJ there are a few McPhail's in the cemetery there). On the way back we took the scenic route to Salen and were flagged down by a very posh lady in a Volvo who had broken down - to cut a very long story short we ended up at her holiday cottage and gave her our jump leads! Good deed done we got some ice cream in return, fair trade.

What a fantastic weekend, thanks @ColinJ again for organising otherwise we prob would never have come, Karen loves it here!

 

[Fubar]

Must have been one hell of a headwind...

Ok maybe a slight exaggeration... The last couple of miles were downhill but the rest was hard going on tired legs (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...)

 

[Fubar]

Sitting in the cafe at Craignure ferry terminal and guess what... It's raining! End of a great weekend.

 

[ColinJ]

I am dog-sitting for a few hours while the family have gone off to shop for a clan meal tonight and then visit the local Sea Life centre. It is a bit overcast and drizzly so I don't mind taking a day off the bike. When the family get back, we will don our waterproofs and take the hounds down to the beach for a good walk.

I have ridden nearly 110 miles since Friday morning and will probably add about another 90 miles before I come back on Thursday. I have 2 rides planned which go to places that I have not been to before

I remembered quite a lot of the route from the time I rode it in 2014 but there was a climb mysteriously missing. I have a distinct memory of struggling up a stiff climb next to a forest, and seeing signs about birds of prey. No sign of it yesterday ... Fubar wondered whether the trees might have been felled since the previous visit, and I am fitter, so maybe I just didn't take much notice of the gradient? I'll search for it on Street view later and see if I can solve the mystery.

I have checked the map and Street view and I think it is from 3 miles after we turned onto the B3085 just before we dropped down to the west of the island, where we took several photos, including the one with the sheep on the road.

Funny ... I have no recollection of that forested climb at all. It must be a combination of getting fitter and being distracted by chatting with Fubar?

I still haven't tried editing/uploading photos from the phone. I will get to that shortly.

Had a day trip to Iona today, really serene and peaceful (@ColinJ there are a few McPhail's in the cemetery there). On the way back we took the scenic route to Salen and were flagged down by a very posh lady in a Volvo who had broken down - to cut a very long story short we ended up at her holiday cottage and gave her our jump leads! Good deed done we got some ice cream in return, fair trade.

What a fantastic weekend, thanks @ColinJ again for organising otherwise we prob would never have come, Karen loves it here!

Excellent! It was great to meet you and I am glad that Karen enjoyed her break too.

 

[ColinJ]

For logistical reasons, I am not doing the Moidart loop but my niece and partner like the sound of it so they are going to drive round it with their dog, stopping off for walks, picnics, coffee, sight-seeing, whatever ...

The forecast is ok for tomorrow. Dry, mild and windy but not unbearably so. I have worked out a superb-looking route which I will be tackling. It looks close to 60 miles so I will add a bit on to get my metric century done!

In case you would like to check it out on a map ... A828 to Connel, quiet road above Oban through Ardchonnel down to the A816 at Kilmore. Then southwards down the A816 to Kilmelford. I don't know how bad the traffic is on that road, but that road is the only way to get where I want to go. At Kilmelford I will be turning off onto the kind of quiet, scenic roads that I like to tackle ... Passing through forests beside Loch Avich then Loch Awe, through Inverinan and Annat to Kilchrenan on the on the B845. Up Glen Nant to Taynuilt on the busy A85. I intend to do just 1 mile on that road towards Connel before turning off and passing through Glen Lonan until I rejoin the road that I went out on in the morning, and then follow that back to Connel, then back on the A828.

I will take some photos and will post them when I have time and work out how to do it from my phone!

 

[fimm]

@ColinJ I was going to say I'd ridden a lot of that route but looking more carefully I went down the east side of Loch Awe while you will be on the west. I think you will be fine on the A816 - I don't recall any particular issues with it. I think I was using it on a Saturday. I remember the road through Glen Lonan as being very small and bumpy! (I think I have the right road; it has a NCN on it.)

(In fact, I remember the A85 as "OK" given it is a main road. In fact my chief memory was a set of traffic lights at a narrow bridge which simply didn't "see" me on my bike. They obviously defaulted to red unless a car was detected and I was reluctant to simply go through as I didn't know how narrow the road would be and I didn't want to meet oncoming traffic. When two cars did show up I politely let them go first - whereupon the light went red again as I was following! So I went through anyway and found that the bridge, although narrow, would have let a bike and an oncoming car pass without difficulty. Anyway you won't meet that bridge, it is much further east.)

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ I was going to say I'd ridden a lot of that route but looking more carefully I went down the east side of Loch Awe while you will be on the west. I think you will be fine on the A816 - I don't recall any particular issues with it. I think I was using it on a Saturday. I remember the road through Glen Lonan as being very small and bumpy! (I think I have the right road; it has a NCN on it.)

(In fact, I remember the A85 as "OK" given it is a main road. In fact my chief memory was a set of traffic lights at a narrow bridge which simply didn't "see" me on my bike. They obviously defaulted to red unless a car was detected and I was reluctant to simply go through as I didn't know how narrow the road would be and I didn't want to meet oncoming traffic. When two cars did show up I politely let them go first - whereupon the light went red again as I was following! So I went through anyway and found that the bridge, although narrow, would have let a bike and an oncoming car pass without difficulty. Anyway you won't meet that bridge, it is much further east.)

Thanks. I did the ride yesterday and enjoyed it a lot.

The road from Connel to Kilmore was very nice. A bit like a rollercoaster, and narrow, with passing places. Most of the minor roads round here are like that.

The A816 appears to have been resurfaced recently; proper tarmac, not that nasty surface dressing that often gets used! It was fun whizzing along on it, unfortunately into a 10 mph cross/headwind. Traffic was fairly light and drivers were polite, patient and careful, except for one who overtook me slightly closer and faster than I like.

The singletrack road from Kilmelford to Kilchrenan was great. It had some 15% ramps on it, and the rest was more rollercoaster stuff. Lots of craggy hills, forestry (unfortunately lots of close-planted conifers rather than natural woodland), distant mist-shrouded mountains and views of the sea and lochs.

The surface on the singletrack roads was not so great, but similar to a lot of rough lanes in Yorkshire so I am used to that kind of thing.

The B845 up Glen Nant was wider and better surfaced so I cracked on a bit up there and down to Taynuilt.

The A85 probably would have been ok, but I was looking forward to Glen Lonan - it did not disappoint! More ups and downs, and twists and turns, forests, cottages, sheep, hills, MORE distant mountains ... And ... AND I finally found the Highland cattle! My family had been discussing our holiday and someone asked where all the Highland cows were. Answer: Glen Lonan! I found about 50 Highland cows and their calves wandering about in an unfenced field next to the road. In the midst of them was a huge Highland bull with a contented look on his face ...

Back to Connel, then a quick blast back to the holiday park. 103 km (64 miles), 1,800 m (5,900 ft) of climbing, and despite lots of photo, snack and pee stops, I still managed to get round within my 6 hour goal - 5 hours 56 mins.

I am dog-sitting while my sisters go to visit a young mum in the family, to see her new baby. I hope to get one more short ride in after they get back. I will be taking the loan bike back to my cousin this evening, and giving him a half bottle of Oban whisky as a gesture of thanks.

We have been remarkably lucky with the weather on this holiday. I have got all of my planned rides in and most of the walks. One last stroll on the beach with the dogs in the morning and then we head home. It is supposed to be raining all day here after we go!

 

[ColinJ]

Ha - the 'half bottle' turned out to be only 20 cL! I thought that £19 was a bit cheap for a half bottle ... Still, it was a good deal for me - the cheapest hire bike I could find was £35 if we picked it up and dropped it off, or £50 delivered and picked up.

I returned the bike and handed over the whisky.

Bonus: My other cousin has a new turbo trainer so he gave me his old Tacx! I will get rid of my old gym bike and replace it with the TT. I can store one bike on it, saving some floor space.

 

[Brandane]

Glad to hear the ride went ahead and that the weather did eventually show some kindness. Now if I had been there - all day!
France was good. St. Malo to Caen, via Avranches, Barneville Carteret, Barfleur, Carentan, and Bayeux. With some additional side trips and navigational errors, I managed 360 miles in 6 days - and only some light drizzle on the Monday morning.

 

[fimm]

Ah, oops, I hadn't spotted the day when I was posting.
Glad you had a good ride.

 

[Edwardoka]

Glad to hear the ride went ahead and that the weather did eventually show some kindness. Now if I had been there - all day!
France was good. St. Malo to Caen, via Avranches, Barneville Carteret, Barfleur, Carentan, and Bayeux. With some additional side trips and navigational errors, I managed 360 miles in 6 days - and only some light drizzle on the Monday morning.

I was just about to compare our times on Strava between Ouistreham and Caen but then I remembered that I never got a chance to upload any of my ride data

 

[ColinJ]

Just back in Todmorden and I discovered that I won £25 on my premium bonds while I was away, so that was the whisky covered and £6 left over!

I did rides of 19, 69, 19, 64 & 21 miles in Scotland, a total of 192 miles over 6 days, with one wet day off for recovery.

Coming home, we saw an horrific car fire on the M6 northbound near Preston. The car was completely engulfed in flames. For a moment we feared for its occupants but then we spotted a couple a safe distance away making a phone call from the embankment beside the hard shoulder. A fire engine was rushing towards the scene but there was no sign of police. They really needed to get there ASAP to slow the traffic or stop it because thick smoke was billowing across the motorway and drivers were staring at the burning car as they passed it.

Time now to get used to the smaller scale beauty of Yorkshire and Lancashire again after the majestic scenery of the Highlands!

 

[Brandane]

I was just about to compare our times on Strava between Ouistreham and Caen but then I remembered that I never got a chance to upload any of my ride data

I arranged for the theft of your Garmin so that you wouldn't be able to embarass me. He wasn't supposed to take the bike it was attached to!
(Not funny I know; I would have been gutted if similar had happened on my much lesser trip ).