Your ride today....

[NorthernDave]

I need to start off with an apology to @Brandane Sorry.

I've done my best to restrict myself to 10 photos today... 2 of them were not taken by me (sadly.... this means that I am in them instead!)

It was the last day of our holiday today and we woke to dense fog that was much wetter than of late (OK I know this sounds mad, but everything was soaked and dripping wet in the fog this morning whereas the last few days, well the fog hasn't been as well, just foggy.). It also took much longer than yesterday to burn off, but when it did burn off, unlike yesterday it burnt off completely leaving cloudless blue skies and a completely calm loch. It was going to be a very hard decision between cycling and photography! But my big camera is just on the wrong side of being too heavy for me to lift with my bad back and well it was the last day here and there was something I wanted to do on the much quieter roads up here whilst I had the opportunity.

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So setting out was difficult. I just wanted to take pictures instead!

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Yep - this is going to be a beautiful day and an excellent ride. Photography or cycling?

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A little bit along the road and the fog has burnt off completely but there is clearly a barrier in the air, that is smoke from a log fire and it has formed the most wonderful arc!


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One of the reasons for there being fewer photos today is that is me on the bike. Not trike - bike... yep - first time since my back went. Balance hasn't been too much of an issue, mounting the bike is more interesting, I needed help for support. Stopping is fundamentally, err, very interesting and needs planning but on the whole I can manage it by myself, just not everytime! It is things like taking a hand off the handlebars that is more interesting and the least said about my ability to look over or under my shoulder or even turn my head 90 degrees to look around, well the least said about that the better. I am going to need someone with me for quite some time to come!


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So back to me taking photos, some more of that light and the trees I rather like...

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Yep - enough of that, someone else was carrying my camera. that was the real reason for the lack of photos today on what has to be described as almost perfect cycling weather, scenery and roads. Almost because, well the roads are getting busy and I have had to start to use both hands and then both hands and both feet to count the number of vehicles we meet and today, well I had to borrow some hands and feet as well!

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And so I had to watch the amazing light and amazing scenery plus almost mirror perfect images on the scenery rather than photo it until an agreed stopping place and rest point! Some assistance was needed with the stopping at this point because my legs were rather tired and I am also without my crutches, so I was also needing assistance to get to where I wanted to take photos, which wasn't the road and namely uneven ground that I struggled with, but it was worth it, at least for me it was! As you can see the autumn colours are amazing, as was the reflection! I have seen waves 6-8 foot high on this loch, but not today! The only thing causing ripples were the kayaker at the other end of the loch, the white throated dipper we stood and watched at this spot, and the fish who were jumping out of the loch fly catching!

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A few more of those autumn colours against the loch as a background.

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Schiehallion (yet again, sorry!)

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The reflection - almost perfect.

Cycling back to the cottage was getting increasingly hard for me, but the light and the amazing autumn colours more than made up for the difficulty and the pain in my back. It had taken extra morphine, paracetamol, and was going to need more morphine, paracetamol and the heat mat before I was out of pain at the end and there was one final hurdle waiting for me at the end of the ride - the track. I did make it up it! It took some doing and I came close to falling off the bike twice on the track (mostly for lack of low enough gears) and I needed my OH to catch me at the top because there was no way my leg was going to hold me (he did luckily catch me literally because I didn't make a clean dismount of the bike sadly). But I managed the round of the loch in 2 hours 4 minutes with an average speed of 10.9mph before the bottom of the track. I can't describe the feeling of elation that I have finally managed to ride my bike again. I hadn't dreamed of a full lap of the loch, I don't care that I wasn't trying hard around the loch, I couldn't afford to. I needed to take it easy and I needed to be careful. there were times when the pain was almost too much for me, and there were times when I was thinking this is really easy... I have no idea when I will be able to ride the bike again, and I will need to fit mirrors to it, and I will need someone with me for the time being, but I CAN FINALLY RIDE MY BIKE AGAIN!

https://www.strava.com/activities/414181962 the standard 23 miles for a lap of the loch and one very happy rider!

Well done! This is the post of the week, no doubt!

My ride today pales into insignificance - a quick local spin round post-work / pre-tea:

8.37 miles in 31m at an average of 16.0mph - for once I was paying attention when I got near home so added once around the block to push past 8 miles.

 

[EltonFrog]

@SatNavSaysStraightOn once again great photos and great report. Thank you.

 

[i hate hills]

It seems like everyone had a stunning day yesterday and it was no different here in the Highlands either (so this a 2 parter... I took too many photos again ), except that we started off at dawn with the fog rolling in and a decision to make on how long to leave our ride before we set out in it. We left around 11am just as colour was starting to show in the fog and within a mile had cycled out of the fog. It was bitterly cold and very definitely winter kit territory today.

The loch was stunningly beautiful with the fog on it and I was cursing being on crutches and not being able to clamber down to the loch shore to get the pictures I wanted. I had to send my OH down twice on one occasion, he just doesn't see pictures the way I do, but I managed to get what I was after in the end.

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Where the fog started to burn off...

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Decision time - cycle ride or go back to the cottage and get the big camera and the car and have a photography day? It was a close call I have to say...

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The autumn colours and the last of the fog. Time to whimper and make the decision.

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It's a bike ride day. The other end of the loch is just looking so tempting and I know Rannoch Moor will be stunningly beautiful today.

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My view from the road and the last of the fog...

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My OH was sent down to the loch shore for an attempt at a picture or two

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Second attempt! And he has almost captured what I was after

Around the corner and Blue was out waiting for us today and instead of running away, he ran towards me playfully, full of excitement and happy to see me. He even repeatedly allowed me to stroke him which is fantastic. I was in return duly slobbered all over. Sadly it was time to leave and face the climb up onto the Moor which actually surprised me. I found myself in 4th gear for the steepest part and 8th and 9th gear on other sections, far higher and easier than I was expecting!

Lunch was taken earlier than anticipated. The plan had been to have it at the station café with a cup of coffee, but photos and Blue had taken their toll on our time and we stopped and pulled up off the road on a track, sitting eating our soup and sourdough bread in glorious sunshine trying to work out why I had left the suncream at home (not even in the holiday cottage, but at home!) I had already caught the sun. Coffee was taken at Rannoch Station café again sitting out in the wonderful sunshine.

But it was time to leave and time to head off the Moor, enjoying the downhill. Only there were photos to be taken and then there was a yell. My heart sank - not another fairy visit for my OH surely? No. He had apparently decided that today's route was not long enough and left his gloves at the café. He would go back and catch me up. No arguments, I can get some photos in and enjoy the moor which I love so much.

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Sadly it is almost impossible not to have these old power lines in the picture and that grass hides a lethal bog that you don't venture onto...

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Just before my OH realises he has left his gloves behind. It was that warm that it took a long time for him to realise.

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I just liked the reflection of Schiehallion.

Part 2 shortly...

Stunning photography as always Sat Nav.

 

[i hate hills]

Part 2 of yesterday's ride.

So I have some freedom whilst my OH returns to the café to get his gloves... and time to enjoy the downhill and a few photos...

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Back the way I have come and the obligatory wing mirror photo

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The obligatory Frog Rock photo and today he is looking really good!

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The fog has gone, but the loch is still amazingly calm and this is the view from our next rest stop. Liarn Farm is opposite and in the sunshine right now.

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Looking good in the sunshine.

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The view back down the loch towards Rannoch Moor where we were not that long ago. It is starting to cloud over now, but still looking beautiful but it is time for woolly hat and gloves. It is cold out of the sunshine.

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And the view up the loch to where we have to cycle to get back to. It is rare to see the loch so calm.

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We have finally made it to Kinloch Rannoch and another rest is in order. My legs are starting to tire and I need some more food. It is further than I have cycled for quite a long time and on top of that, my average speed is higher than it has been since my back went almost 12 months ago.

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Those mountains in the distance are actually on the west coast on the other side of Rannoch Moor!

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A touch of autumn colours, but the day is getting cold now and it is time to get home after a glorious day on the road. I am also getting the 'warning signs' from my OH about his patience levels and my photography. At the end of the day I have only taken +70 photos from today's ride... I would count that as a good day on the road!

Anyhow, somewhere around the 34 mile mark and an average of 9.3mph before the track up to the holiday cottage knocked me back to 9.2mph. But those new tyres seem to have made the world of difference to my speed despite all of the stops for photos! https://www.strava.com/activities/412717471

I'm being serious when i say that Visit Scotland really need to sign you up as their photographer.....stunning pics just stunning.

 

[i hate hills]

I was trying to out-ride this when I passed a farmer trimming/savaging a hedge. Three minutes later and I'm sitting on the side of the road mending a puncture caused by a thorn from the clippings and singing Lou Reed's Perfect Day as I tried to ignore what was creeping up behind me. I did not succeed in out-riding the rain.

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It's a twister Auntie Em it'a a twister it's a twister.....

 

[i hate hills]

https://www.strava.com/activities/412941986

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80.5 miles today.

Buns of steel....buns of steel......

 

[HertzvanRental]

Anybody that rode in East Kent today needs their brains testing!!

 

[i hate hills]

@SatNavSaysStraightOn once again great photos and great report. Thank you.

Second that...

 

[ColinJ]

I have been enjoying the reports from your Highland holiday @SatNavSaysStraightOn - that last report especially, both for the lovely photos and the great news that you are riding a bike again. I remember how important it was for me to get back on my bike after 8 months off due to illness! Keep it up, but please be careful not to fall off and hurt yourself. (I am beginning to sound like my late father, as well as looking like him - ha ha!)

Today, I finally managed to do the 100 km ride which had been postponed from earlier in the week. I have mentioned elsewhere that my route was loosely based on the Season of Mists audax route. I normally ride that event every year but had my family up last weekend when the ride took place so I skipped it.

The weather was disappointing today. Conditions were very overcast and my phone camera failed to take any decent photos because of the poor light. The scenery was great but it didn't look at its best. There was a chilly NE wind blowing all day which started to bite every time I stopped..

My pal Bill wanted to join me for about 90 km of this ride so I met him in Todmorden this morning and we did an easy warm up along the A646 towards Burnley before turning off and climbing up to the end of the Long Causeway at Mereclough. We then followed the SoM route through the fringes of Burnley as far as the village of Fence. I had plotted an alternative route which largely did the SoM route from there in reverse, so we turned right there instead of the usual left.

We passed through the villages of Newchurch and Barley, and began a long drag up round the eastern side of Pendle Hill to Twiston Moor. Bill suddenly called out that he had a puncture. The cause turned out to be a huge thorn. we had ridden round piles of the things in the road where farmers had been hedge-trimming, but Bill did not spot that one. He took longer than usual to sort the problem out and I got quite cold standing in the wind. I thought I would be ok with long-sleeved base layer and jersey plus a gilet, but a long-sleeved windtop or armwarmers would have come in handy.

We got going again and crested the summit, then did a rapid descent through Downham to Chatburn and then on down to cross the river Ribble. And then the road started going up again ... I'll post a route elevation profile at the end of this report so you can see how crazily hilly a route it was. There was hardly any really flat road in 100 km of riding, and many of the hills were steep. A toughie for a cold day late in the year!

We were making fairly steady progress towards Slaidburn when I became aware of an urgent need to up the pace. How can I put this .... Er, the management of the 'Slow boat to China' had been taken over by the Rapid Transit Authority!

So, a rapid descent to the village led to a frantic public toilet strip. Damn those bibtights with a jersey and gilet over the straps!

Feeling much better, I rejoined Bill for a quick butty break and chat and then we set off again.

We took the 'quiet lane' from Slaidburn through Laythams to Newton and then began the ascent of Waddington Fell. Bill slowly climbed away from me but only got about halfway up before pulling into a layby with a second rearwheel puncture. I suspected that he had missed a second thorn from the initial puncture incident, but neither of us could find anything penetrating the tyre. We checked the tube and there was a distinct hole in it, but there was nothing stuck in the tyre. We double-checked - the hole was 9 inches from the valve but the corresponding parts of the tyre were unmarked - yes, we DID check in both directions from the valve! My theory is that Bill had got a piece of grit inside the tyre when he fixed that first puncture but that it fell out again when he took the tyre off to fix the second one. The second replacement tube stayed inflated for the rest of the ride so I don't think there was anything wrong with the tyre itself that second time.

Up over the Fell and then an exhilarating descent to Waddington. It is very easy to hit 50 mph on that descent. That is pretty safe until you get down towards the village, where the road surface starts to break up. You do NOT want to be hitting a pothole at speed, so slow down in good time!

We normally turn right at Waddington to ride back to Whalley, but today we rode on through Clitheroe to cross the A59 and then climb up over the Nick o'Pendle and descend to Sabden. That's quite a hard climb in both directions. After Sabden we immediately did another hard climb, that of Black Hill to Padiham Heights.

My upper body was starting to feel the strain from all that hard climbing. My arms felt more tired than my legs did!

We rode along the singletrack lane back to Fence, and then descended to cross the M65 below the old mill town of Brierfield.

There is a long draggy climb up through the town to Marsden Height, and then we descended through Haggate and took the undulating road down to Worsthorne, and then on to Mereclough for the second time. From there we began yet another long climb, up the Long Causeway,

Bill wasn't fussed about his distance for the day and had done enough to satisfy himself so he left me at the summit to take a shortcut home. I wanted to get my full metric century in so I rode on down to Blackshaw Head, then round to Great Rock and down Cross Stone Road to the A646, then followed that home.

I did my metric century plus a loop round the block to bring my distance up 101 km so I could claim 63 miles towards my annual MCL mileage. I am now about 500 miles up on my target for mid-October and should complete my target before the end of November - yay!

Anyway, a great ride despite the cold and the delays.

Here is that elevation profile ... (spot the flat bits, if you can!)

 

[galaxy]

Late home again, so turbo trainer, again.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Our eldest Lad has taken his Mum out for the day, leaving me with a morning free to enjoy a bike ride. I did an enjoyable 35 miles calling at Ullusthorpe, Palmers Garden Center, where I bumped into a group of old friends and stopped for a gossip. Unfortunately the ride was spoilt by a major near miss just outside Coventry on the way back, car driver let the car that had passed me go by then pulled out from the road on my right and went down the road on my left, fortunately a combination of alertness, fast reactions and the nimbleness of a modern bike meant I was able to turn inside them and go down their nearside, though I did think for several seconds I was going over their bonnet, I don't have many near misses but this was a major one, it's also rare for me to turn the air blue with a foul rant but on this occasion I turned the air a darker shade of blue. Apart from the near miss it was a good morning.

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/414657454

55 odd miles today.

.

 

[Goonerobes]

Given that my avatar picture was taken this weekend last year I can confirm that I certainly wasn't wearing shorts & just a jersey today as I set out into the Test Valley again on a new route containing some previously ridden roads & a few new ones thrown in for good measure.

There was a good start to the ride when an HGV driver coming in the opposite direction courteously flashed me & allow me turn right (not something that happens every day down here so worth a mention) as I headed up to the northern tip of the New Forest before crossing into the Hampshire countryside.

The first village was Whiteparish where roadworks meant an early new road up to Dean Hill before descending down & up through West Dean, West Winterslow & Broughton to the half way point at Stockbridge where the busy high street meant a bit of a crawl as cars jostled for parking places. The return leg, now with a tailwind, took in narrow country lanes to Kings Sombourne & down through Braishfield before picking up some the more familiar roads of Awbridge & Wellow & back into the forest for home.

64 enjoyable miles in total on quite a lumpy route for down here & on roads where the surface was at best broken & in places at worst almost off road so the old body certainly knows its been out for a ride today!

https://www.strava.com/activities/414701178/

If you look carefully there are a couple of trout swimming in the bottom centre of this picture of the river Test.

 

[gavgav]

I'm up at my dads caravan, nr Barmouth/Harlech in North West Wales, for the weekend and brought the bike up in the car with me last night.

Set out for my 1st ride up here, after spending 10 minutes cleaning and re-lubing the chain, as it was in need of it after recent rides in muddy areas.

Began by heading up from the Caravan Site to the main "A" road that leads down to Barmouth. It's not a nice road and it carries a lot of traffic, most of which isn't observing the speed limits along there! Rather oddly there is a section of shared use path (not really wide enough) which takes you off the road for a while, but just stops near another campsite, despite the path itself continuing all the way to Llanaber!

I was glad to arrive in Llanaber and leave the main road, with a steep short descent down to the railway track, where I had to dismount to negotiate the 2 gates and walk across the track.

I was then on Barmouth promenade and had a leisurely ride along there, stopping for a couple of photos. Quite a gloomy day and so not sure how well these have come out.....

Whilst cycling along the front I could hear a buzzing sound getting louder and louder and soon enough I found out what it was. Barmouth motocross weekend is taking place, with races on the beach. I stopped to watch for 10 minutes and it looked great fun!!

I reached the main road again, for a short steep climb out of the town and then quite a nasty right turn on a blind corner to join the path across the wooden Barmouth Toll Bridge. It was great fun bouncing along the wooden planks, but I think my fillings were in danger of dropping out! I can't believe that Gwynedd Council want to close this bridge down! What in gods name are they thinking of?

View up the estuary from the bridge

Once leaving the bridge I joined the fabulous Mawddach Trail that follows the estuary up to Dolgellau. It's a very good surfaced gravel path and almost completely flat. It was fairly quiet today, and so I could make good progress. I imagine in Summer it will be very busy though.

I did have one very annoying moment when a group of 3 cyclists, riding abreast, came towards me and I thought eventually they will drop in line so that we can pass easily......but no they continued as they were and forced me to swerve off onto the grass . Well thanks very much, and no you aren't getting a "good morning" back from me.

I continued along to Penmaenpool, where there is another fabulous old bridge.

The trail crosses the A road near to Dolgellau and then continues alongside the river, before coming out by the bridge in the town. I followed the one way system and then veered left onto Cader Road, where I embarked on the big climb that I knew was ahead of me......and boy did it climb, up towards Cader Idris.

I climbed the best part of 1000 ft in 5 miles, including my single biggest climb ever (so Strava tells me) of 784ft. I stopped a couple of times for a breather and water, but managed to stay in mid range.

Some shots of mountains towards Cader Idris

Eventually the road flattens out for a while, before it climbs up again and over cattle grids, for some proper wild scenery. I continued to follow NCN route 82 up to Cregennan Lakes, for my lunch stop. The scenery was just epic, but I want to go up there again on a sunny day!

There was 1 more very steep climb and then an exhilarating downhill section, through hairpins, with lots of gradient arrows, but you need good brakes as you drop 800ft in 2 miles!!

View down to Barmouth before the descent

The road is gated and I soon realised why, as I rounded a corner to be confronted by my least favourite animals.....COWS! And there were lots of them, blocking the road as well. I took a deep breath and rode slowly towards them and a couple got a bit skittish but most weren't bothered, however I quickened up when a gap came and descended to the safety of the final gate!!

I arrived at another main road, but this one was much quieter and it's only a short section to Arthog, where I turned right and through yet another gate, arriving back at the bottom end of the Mawddach Trail. I went back across the wooden bridge, which was much busier now and necessitated a lot of bell ringing, which the walkers were appreciative of.

I descended back into Barmouth and back along the sea front, across the railway line and had to walk the bike up the very steep path that leads back to the main road, due to almost falling off through wheelies!!

The main road back to Talybont was not nice at all, with multiple fast close passes and I was glad to get off it and cruise back down to the campsite.

An absolutely fantastic ride, with 33 miles done, 2120ft of climbing.

 

[Mattonsea]

First time on bike for five weeks, a west to east split of the New Forest. 50miles in 3.5hours.