A late start today due to the fact breakfast was not till 7:30am and we had to drive back to where we finished the day before. (sadly a McDonalds and the smell almost made me do a lap and go through the drive through on my bike)

After a minor detour trying to find the route we crossed it twice and realised it was on the canal beneath us. We dropped onto a great 20 mile cycle path all the way from Loch Lomand through Glasgow city center and out the other side. We stopped of at magic cycles on the canal and his lordship bought a new pump. .. (more on that later)

DCIM100DRIFT

After the city the route climbs over Lanarkshire and more more and more sheep. We follow the B road alongside the motorway, which had about 10 cars on it all day. (I am sure when the motorway is shut its a different game)

I plod on and eventually see this character by the side of the road

Puncture number .. (I lost count )
THE PREVIOUS EDITOR HAS BEEN SACKED, YOU MAY ALL REJOICE NOW…

this was the drivel he had noted to post on next….

I now get my late afternoon legs and bomb it down to Lockerbie at some crazy average speed.

Tomorrow we break for the border… (it looks like it will be a wet one) and then onto the Lake District

see what you were saved from.  Now for those of you who are concerned the driver spent the day in the spa from the previous hotel and on a distillery tour at the Glen Goyne distillery.  After a suitable rest, the intrepid driver bombed down the highway collecting tickets like so many feathers, reaching the accommodation with time to check in and begin drinking for the evening.  

So as our hero were off “bombing it down to Lockerbie”  ( i mean really what kind of insensative idiot uses that turn of phrase)  —  what they really mean to say is that drenched in rain –and other fluids — and were a new level of fresh upon arrival. Seriously, if the white knights of the world showed up like this the Ogre would always get the girl.   

Tomorrow the invasion of England commences again, i fully expect to drive by as the SCOTTS are repelled once more and force to eke out a meager existence cycling the highlands and moaning about it.  They will cross tomorrow at 1000  (ish, only if their legs allow them to get out of bed) See you on the green — have your longbows to hand. 

Younger bro signing on now……all I can say is that if I had used these inner tubes for condoms I would have 25 kids by now!

Apologies… unable to write much due to this…

I will now attempt to get out of bed to have some breakfast…. see if walking is still an option. I may crawl to the dining area.

Here is a little photo of the top of Glen Coe, I channeled the power of the polka jersey to gert me up and over the highlands.  Its competition time…. wheres wally ?

DCIM100DRIFT

The day started a bit later due to breakfast only being served from 7:30am. Full English again, and James had his 1st taste of Black Pudding. We set off about 8:30 and made reasonable progress to Bonar Bridge where we had to stop for the obligatory silly photo

We pressed on to Dingwell for coffee and brunch (this is essential to keep the fuel up) There was some tough hills to get over before we eventually dropped down to the shores of Loch Ness where we met up with the support driver for a few coffees.

The road down to Fort Augustus was pretty hectic (loads of tourist traffic and timber trucks)  but it was a nice 20 mile ride along the Loch where we checked into Morags Hostel – very cheap and full of interesting people. We have a 6 man dorm to ourselves, but apparently there is one other sharing.

I pity the poor individual that has to wake up the smell of us lot (and the sight of his Lordship applying more butt butter)

Day 1 started with rather different weather conditions to the evening before. We awoke to sea mist and fog and went for an early breakfast. After a full English was devoured (to the sounds of celtic flutes and drums) we set off into the fog.

The sun soon burnt off the fog and by 10am we were at Thurso in cloudless skies. Of course we forgot to put sun screen on and the tan lines are looking pretty good. The Caithness coast is amazing but I can imagine in a bad storm you would not want to be up here on a bike. There is nothing but hardy sheep and cows.

We rode on and stopped at 11 for a massive sugar intake of apple pie and custard .. and some original Orkney ice cream at the Bettyhill cafe. We rode a beautiful road along the loch to the most remote pub in the UK (The Crask Inn)

We overstayed our time slot to sample the beers and then had a long descent into Lairg where we are staying tonight. His lordship got a puncture 300 meters from the hotel

We had some dinner and then watched this spectacle

Onwards tomorrow to Morags hostel in Fort Augustus (another long ride)