Day 5 - Fort William to Crianlarich

Bob has asked me to write a few words giving my side of the great adventure. My thoughts, as usual, are all over the place but I will try to sum up our first few days. First of all I must say (and I mean this most sincerely folks) my admiration for Bob in doing this ride is tremendous. I have seen him riding up mountain roads that I've had trouble driving up. Plus the weather in the last two days has been dreadful but through it all he has been as cheerful and upbeat as ever. He keeps saying that he is enjoying himself and not to worry - I'm trying to do that. For my part, I'm having a really good time and although the weather is bad, the scenery and friendly welcome everywhere is more than making up for it. We'll definitely be coming back to Scotland for a proper holiday! My main role is support driver and sorter of carrier bags. My driving is getting better: I've coped with single track roads with tiny passing places, steep downhills (on which Bob goes faster on his bike), and loads of sharp bends. Perhaps now is a good time to mention the affair I'm having with NavMan. While Bob is cycling all those miles NavMan and I have managed to get to all the destinations without too much trouble. I've only overshot one B&B and today I stopped at the wrong visitor centre: after sitting there for 10 minutes I got a call from Bob asking where I was. NavMan and I sheepishly drove on to meet him. Getting back to the carrier bags (my girls will really laugh at this) I've been carting half a dozen of them in and out of every B&B we've stayed at. They're all Tesco's bags apart from one posh one from Tods. But at least I haven't forgotten anything as most of my worldly goods are packed in the car. My best moments so far have been:1. Laughing so much on realising I'd packed the fake apple.2. The view from the B&B at Fort William.3. The views of the mountains as I drove along Strathnaver.4. The huge skies forever changing.5. Hearing The Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen in Love With Someone" being sung country style in a Scottish/Italian restaurant. This is Jan signing off and I love you all.

Here's the boring statistics bit:
Accumulated mileage: 265 miles
Todays Mileage : 52 miles
Todays average : 12.8 mph
Todays max speed : 30.7 mph

Day 4 - Fort Augustus to Fort William

We were supposed to have a rest day today but as we were unable to book tomorrow nights accommodation and there's nowhere else close by, we're having to rejig the timetable. So we've travelled the 30 odd miles down the Great Glen to Fort William (however, in geological terms we've gone 10 miles backwards!! - look up about the Great glen Fault if you don't understand wat I'm on about). The rain has been omnipresent and the low cloud has obscured any view of Britains highest peak, Ben Nevis. The first two-thirds of the journey was on the fairly busy A82 and I'd just like to go on record as saying "I hope your engine blows up" to the drivers of a silver Porsche Cayenne and a silver Megane with a boot - two feet off my handlebar is NOT enough clearance. Other than those two twerps, all the other drivers have been most considerate to the drowned rat crawling along into the headwind. A possible reason for being unable to book tomorrow night intended B&B is that a round of the Mountain Biking World Cup is being held here this weekend, so Jan has done very well getting us into a very nice B&B. Mind you, I reckon the landlady may have had second thoughts when I turned up on her doorstep. To make my ride easier, I'd ridden the last 10 miles on the canal towpath alongside the Caledonian Canal - good move in that there were no gradients to deal with, bad move in that it was a loose sandy/stony surface and the bike and me became absolutely covered in sandy dirt! Still after Janice emptied a bucket of water over me I looked vaguely human again. I then spent the next half hour washing the bike down and lubing it up. Still, if I hadn't gone down the towpath I wouldn't have seen the heart-warming sight of ten Scotsmen striding through the rain in their kilts! They were nearing the end of their charity walk along the Great Glen raising money for children suffering from Leuk emia. I must apologise for the spelling error that crept into yesterdays blog - Janice was not going to "run me down" but instead was going to "rub me down". Anyway, as predicted, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. My legs were aching last night but they've been fine today. We might go and see a Led Zeppelin tribute band tonight as they're playing the local civic centre - dunno whether we can get tickets though. Also, I fancy some Italian food, so we may try hunting some down. Todays stats:
Accumulated mileage: 213 miles
Todays mileage: 34 miles
Todays average speed: 11.8 mph
Todays max speed: 31.4 mph

Cheers my dears, Bob & Jan

Day 3 - Bonar Bridge to Fort Augustus

The day started wet and windy, so it was on with the waterproofs right from the start. Four miles later and into the first climb: the rain has gone and the sun is blazing- off with the Gore-tex! I'd met up with a party of cyclists from an Edinburgh school yesterday and there they were on the hill (leaving me behind). However, one had a technical problem and lo and behold Bicyclerepairman swung into action. Quickly changing into flat hat and brown dustcoat behind a convenient sheep, I appeared brandishing my multitool. One of the teachers intervened but I managed to adjust a full set of spokes before sending the young lad on his way! After the climb and some undulating moorland there was a nice fast downhill - unfortunately limited to 16mph due to a ferocious headwind - whose idea was it to do the JOGLE rather than the LEJOG? Next the Cromarty Firth swam into view, populated by three oil rigs and several seals (I took pictures of one of each). With the wind constantly in my face as well as occasional squally showers, I plodded on south through Muir of Ord to Beauly where I had a late lunch of tuna sandwiches washed down with three cups of tea. The sky looked clear, so I gambled and discarded all my waterproofs and ancillary gear (I kept my Gore-Tex jacket tied round my waist though) in order to sprint the final 32 miles in the dry. Wrong choice! The first twenty odd miles were fine & dry but then the rain came and I got a tad wet. The wet chilled my muscles and for the first time I ended the day with an aching ......... bottom. I'm hoping for a nice run down from Jan but I suspect I'll be asleep as soon as I lie down. Doh!
Todays stats:-
Accumulated mileage : 179 miles
Todays mileage : 69 miles
Todays average speed : 12.6 mph
Todays max speed : 42 mph

p.s. M.Boik informs me that the "Skip Lorry denial of service attack" has been repulsed and the website is firing on all cylinders. Hurrah for M.Boik. p.p.s. Any ornithologists out there? I saw a bird today that had a black head, white chin (or possibly cheeks) and a crimson chest. Size-wise it was mid way between a Robin and a Blackbird. I saw it up on the moors - heather and small scrub. Please let me know what it is via my normal e-mail address. Cheers, Bob and Jan