A final summary of 26 days in Scotland May-June 2018

Positives.

1.       Favourite places: Glencoe for hiking, St Magnus Cathedral (Kirkwall, Orkney Islands), Castle of Mey, Dunrobin Castle, Handa Island, Cape Wrath, Skara Brae, Hunterian Museum, South Uist Museum (Bonne Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald), Calloden Battlefields.

2.       Appreciating Scottish history back to Neolithic times.

3.       Enjoying single lane roads and particularly special bike roads like route 78.

4.       Fun to ride on a total of 9 ferries.

5.       Bicycles from Gearbikes in Glasgow – hybrid, 24 gears and disc brakes.

6.       Finding that one could cover 1127 KM in 23 cycling days for an average of 49 KM a day at the age of 79!

7.       Very fortunate to have excellent weather – only three days of rain in 26.

8.       Excellent accommodation in B and Bs and some hostels.

9.       Special thanks to friend Neil for his meticulous careful planning of the trip and for his companionship. He was going down memory lane (having been born in Scotland, been to school in Scotland and visited many times.) I was along for the ride!      

10.   You can see the Highlands in many ways – cycling, hiking, public bus, motorcycle, motorhome, car, sports car, in a vintage car, private coach, as a bird watcher, as a fisherman etc. We met them all.

11.   Appreciating Scottish people and visitors from many places – particularly the north of England.

Negatives? None really.

1.       Could have taken a few less things in panniers.

2.       When on highways (2 lanes) much traffic passing close  including large trucks, buses, motorhomes and many noisy motorbikes!

Back in Glasgow again

It was sunny once again as we took the train from Oban to Glasgow on Friday morning. We left our paniers at the Scottish Youth Hostel in Glasgow and proceeded to Gearbikes where Jo agreed to purchase back our bicycles. I would recommend anyone thinking of bicycling from Glasgow be in contact with Gearbikes. Jo said he currently had 18 bikes out on rental but our arrangement for 26 days to purchase end of season rental bikes (six months ago) and then sell them back worked out well for us. Here is Jo with the two of us.

At the top of Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow (close to our hostel)  is a statue of Earl Roberts. He was an incredibly distinguished but also brutal soldier known as Lord Roberts of Kandahar. Many places and institutions named after him. He was born in 1851, took part in the Indian Mutiny and later the Boer War and was eventually known as "Commander in Chief of the Forces".  He died in 1914 of pneumonia when at the age of 82 he was visiting troops in France during WW1. See: Lord Roberts of Kandahar.

 

Glencoe to Oban

It was a perfect cycle ride to-day. Sunny with a few clouds. Route 78 took us around and across A 828 several times. Much of it was along on old railway track so it was fairly flat. However to-wards the end as we approached Oban it challenged us and went up a few steep hills that we walked up.There were some great views of Loch Linnhe - we passed a marina, an island called Shuna (after which Neil named his eldest daughter) and an old castle. We cycled 59 KM to-day. Our total for the 23 days we have cycled is now 1127 KM. We have averaged 49 KM a day! This is the end of our cycling as to-morrow we put the bikes on the train to Glasgow, sell them back to the bike shop or have them sell them for us. Then for me its WestJet back to Victoria via Halifax and Calgary. It’s been a great adventure and we have ended it on a high note. We have been very lucky with the weather. Only three days of rain and one was mostly on the ferry from Stornaway to Ullapool. My anxieties at the start of whether ones physique was up to daily cycle rides were for naught. Another worry was health and safety but that has not been an issue for either of us. The training and preparation paid off!  I am very grateful to Neil for his meticulous planning which worked out so well and his encyclopedic knowledge (having been born in Scotland, been to school in Scotland and visited many times). 

Neil with Shuna island in the background.

Linnhe Marina.

This was Castle Stalker. There has been a castle on this site since 1320. This one was built around 1450. The only way of reaching the coast was by sea and some of the castles would have been built to defend against the Vikings.

We found a seat looking out onto Loch Linnhe for our last lunch. 

   

Glencoe - a hikers paradise

To-day it was sunny at breakfast time and already warm. This was an optional day as we are staying two nights at this hostel. We rode (without our panniers) for half an hour on the main road towards Glasgow. We then did a four hour hike up  "The Lost Valley" trail. We probably hiked 8-10 KM. Magnificent scenery of the many hills and some Munros around. It was sunny with clouds all day. A Munro is a peak over 3000 feet (over 900 meters) and many keen hikers try and bag as many as they can in their lifetime. We decided that we did not have the energy to bag a Munro to-day. There are numerous hiking trails in the Glencoe area surrounded by the magnificent Scottish hills. We have seen it at its best to-day. Neil wanted to visit the Kingshouse which was an historic building but is now undergoing a renovation so we carried on in an easterly direction with a slow uphill most of the way but downhill on the way back to the hostel. When we got there it was just a construction site but by the time we got home we had bicycled 35 KM. I think we are getting fitter! We were passing a section of "The West Highland Way" which hiking friend Ian did with his family a couple of years ago. To-morrow is our last cycling day from Glencoe to Oban - we hope we can continue on the dedicated Scottish cycle route 78.

The lost valley trail

The lost valley

This was as far as we went. We had probably climbed about 300 meters.

Looking back down the lost valley.

Spean Bridge to Glencoe

For the first few KM to-day we were in traffic as we made our way back to Gairlochy from Spean Bridge. This was preferable to cycling in the busy A82.  However it meant that we could enjoy the excellent cycle path along the Caledonian Canal. It took us all the way to Fort William where we observed "Neptunes Staircase" the eight locks at the western end of the Caledonian Canal. In Fort William we said goodbye to Anna who was taking a bus back to Inverness and then will come back to Fort William where she was able to leave her bike at a place that supported scooters for disabled people. We then rejoined cycling route 78 (you can look it up on Google) by taking a somewhat rustic passenger ferry to the west shore of Loch Linnhe and enjoyed a mostly flat route with very little traffic until Corran where we took another more substantial ferry back onto the A82. From here we made our way to Glencoe Youth Hostel but missed a turn and ended up doing about 5 KM more than we might have. To-day we did 61 KM. Neil now reports that we have exceeded one of the objectives of this trip and we have done 1033 KM. This means that for the 22 days of cycling we have averaged 47 KM per day. OK for two older chaps!! Two more days of cycling - to-morrow is optional as we are staying at this hostel for two nights. We will decide at breakfast what we will do to-morrow - hiking or biking or both! Along the way to-day we had great view of Ben Nevis and Glencoe. As was usual we started off in a fairly cool cloudy day but at the end of the day it was sunny! We have been really lucky with the weather and it looks as though it is going to hold for our last two days.

Ben Nevis

Along the Caledonia canal again.

Neptunes Staircase - eight locks.

The small passenger ferry we crossed Loch Linnhe on to the west side to avoid the A82 and find the route 78 bike path. Ben Nevis in background.  

Our last of nine ferry crossings we have done! 

Fort Augustus to Spean Bridge

It was a perfect cycling day. It started off cloudy (about 16C) but as has been usual the last few days it was sunny by midday. We had a following wind all day getting quite strong later. The first part was flat - along the Caledonia canal. Later in the day, helped by advice Anna had obtained, we passed through some forest land on a track which was quite rough in places and we twice had to walk up hills. However - no traffic. We did encounter quite a number of hikers. We only encountered traffic and were on the A82 for the last few KM as we went into Spean Bridge. Total KM to-day estimated to be 45 KM.

Here we were along an old railroad track with wonderful Rhododendrons all along the track.

This was the Bridge of Oich, that was not over the canal but which was built after floods in 1849.  The floods also resulted in the need for an extra lock on the canal to prevent further flooding. 

Just before Spean Bridge was this memorial to the Royal Marine Commandos who trained near here from 1942 onwards. 1700 Commandos died during WWII. The Americans developed the Navy Seals with training and responsibilities similar to the Commandos.

We had mostly been cycling along the 78 Scottish Cycle Route to-day, with its excellent signage.We did a short detour to our B&B at Spean Bridge. Anna will ride with us to Fort William to-morrow then she will take a bus to Inverness and pick up her car and then come south to pick up her bicycle.  

 

The Caledonia Canal

Port Augustus is quite a tourist trap but it is interesting to see the Caledonia Canal locks - similar to the Rideau canal that joins Kingston with Ottawa that was completed in 1832 ten years after the Caledonia canal. I was delighted to find an Ocean Cruising Club member boat Terrapin, a Valiant 47 and had a pleasant chat with owners Baxter and Molly. They were heading towards Norway and plan to cross back across the Atlantic in September.