Day 2: Loch Venakar, Glen Finglas and The Meall......oh, and Stirling Community Hospital

Callander meadows

Was it a sign? If it was a sign, I wish it had come with trumpets blaring and a huge bright yellow flag| Parked up at Callander Meadows car park, which was Pay & Display. No problem, I thought it might be. Went to the parking meter, cash (coins) only - problem, I only had a £20 note. No problem, off to Tesco Express to buy something, bottle of water for later, head to tills, ooh, some protein bars. that'll be good also. Head back to car park with change, £1.40 in coins, charge was £3.20, didn't think that one through! At that point I was seriously considering jacking off the ride and heading off to Aberdeenshire......if only. Back to Tesco, buy a sandwich, back to meter to put coins in, £1, £1, 20p, 20p.....looked down for another £1 only to discover I only has a £2 coin. Aaaargh. Still, it was a lovely day, so chucked it in and set off for what I was hoping was going to be a cracking ride.

Out of  Callander, the route led onto a "walker and cyclist friendly road", which it was, before turning off onto an undulating and twisting gravelly path alongside Loch Venakar, where tourists were parked on the lochside and swimming in the water. This eventually turned out onto a forest road and led through a farm offering ice-cream (open an hour after I passed). Here I caught up with an elderly couple on narrow tyred hybrid bikes who were on a family cycling holiday, and exchanged pleasantries.

Shortly after, the road turned over a lovely stone bridge, and then passed a pub with a London Routemaster bus in the car park! One of us must have taken a wrong turning. 

The route then followed the A821 to Brig O' Turk, where I went left, passing a tearoom - this time I knew it would be closed as it only opened Friday to Sunday. The road continued upwards, passing a school and eventually onto a farm track, not before I had cycled past a couple walking their dog - I had to ring my bell as I didn't have enough breath to call out!

The road eventually became an undulating farm track, with lambing sheep again, and soon I was treated to some glorious views of Glen Finglas reservoir.

The route then came to a split point, and I turned off to follow the Allt Gleanne nam Meann river (stream?). This gravel track undulated for a couple of miles before finally cresting out, following some more pushing, at a cairn. 

What goes up, must of course come down. What followed was a long downhill run of reasonable surface and occasional very steep ramps, including one that looked suspiciously like a dry ski slope! I took this carefully, but unfortunately came across a tricky rocky surface just round a corner, hit a rock, my front wheel got thrown and I came down heavily. Picking myself up, I found I had a lot of pain in my right shoulder, which I couldn't lift above chest height. Worse, I found I couldn't hold onto the bars when I tried to continue riding downhill, so for the first time in my cycling life I actually walked downhill.

Beware rocks!

Fortunately after about half a mile the track eased off, and I found I could ride again, although still needing to get off and push up the rockier slopes. Eventually I got back to the split point from where I was able to ride all the way back. I ditched my plan of following a forest path back to Callander in favour of the road, it being smoother and less likely to necessitate more pushing, and finally turned back onto the disused railway back to Callander Meadows and my car.

A trip to the very lovely people at Stirling Community Hospital confirmed that I had a fractured clavicle, and after much soul searching I decided that was the end of my holiday. Disappointing, as I was really looking forward to visiting Aberdeenshire again, but at least I can now include other rides (the distillery laden Isla Way for example) when I return later.

Lost, I wonder?

The track uphill

The cairn at the summit

The track downhill

Scotland Day 1: Callander to Killin, a nice hike......

Me having just crossed Glen Ogle viaduct

Day 1 started in the traditional fashion, with breakfast. In this case it was the Ultimate Scottish Fryup. Suitably sustained, I set off from Callander and joined NCN route 7 just outside my B&B. From Callander to Strathyre, the path is tarmaced and slightly rolling, the slightly boring surface made up for by the superb views (and sounds) of the fast flowing Garbh Uisge. A treat that I'd get on the way back as well!! Shortly the track went through Strathyre Forest Holidays, think of Center Parcs and you wouldn't be far wrong, other than the significantly fewer number of chalets. After the holiday park, the track turned into a gravel one, and soon rose in a series of hairpin bends to test the unwary rider. The reward at the top was a stunning view south over Loch Lubnaig. This was followed by a track down towards Strathyre which was in the process of being resurfaced, sadly the roller hadn't been over it when I went through.

From here I chose to ignore the turn into Strathyre and thence along NCN7 and took the quiet forest road through Strathyre Forest, an undulating affair with some nice downhills and short climbs to take the breath away. The views eventually opened out over Balquhidder to the mountains, and the road came to a bridge over a river (Loch Voll) emptying from the Loch of the same name. Balquhidder Parish Church is where Rob Roy MacGregor is buried, so I stopped for a gander. I may have been looking at the wrong grave (quite possibly as there were two graveyards) but I watched the Susan Calman Secret Scotland program where she visited the grave, and it looked similar (although given my powers of observation and recall I'm not putting any money on it). Anyway, I told two women visiting from London what I thought was his grave, and remarked that it wasn't that grandiose. One of them replied that it was like Robin Hood's house wasn't it - neither of them were real! 

Rob Roy's Grave. Or not.

Leaving Balquhidder, the road rollercoastered towards the A84 main road, where I picked up NCN7 again for a short while. I'd decided to take a ride over three Glens rather than take a smooth and slightly rising old railway track, and so diverted off left after a short distance into a nice gravel track. It was going uphill, but that was ok as the gravel surface was comfortably rideable, so all was good. That was until I went through a gate into some lamb filled fields where the surface turned into good old farm track - where the wheel tracks are filled with stones of various sizes that make it hard / impossible to get any consistent momentum going. It was only a few km, but it got steadily worse, so much that I decided (or rather, my legs decided) that it would be easier to walk. Ha ha - hard as it is to ride up a surface like that, it's as much of a bitch pushing a bike up it! Must admit I had a few stops on the way, to take photo of some lovely waterfalls you understand, and it was absolutely bloody lovely just standing there with no noise other than the birds, the lambs, oh, and me panting like an old dog!

Gate, lulling me into a false sense of security

Finally though, I got to the top, looking forward to a nice descent. Fat chance! The track continued in the same vein, requiring the use of both brakes virtually constantly to avoid being catapulted off the bike. Not only that, there were sheep and lambs to contend with. Dozy buggers would run along the track ahead of me to get away (just jump to the side you fools!), I swear there was one on the side that was giving me abuse as I went past, the amount of baaing that went on. Finally though, the track became more rideable and I eventually got to the bottom, not before it threw up one final treat - a wide flowing water flow that had to be crossed using stepping stones! I was now back on a disused railway track, and headed off to pick up the main road into Killin.

Where's the ferry???

Just before Killin, there is a great view of the River Dochart flowing over some boulders, so I stopped for a photo.

River Dochart

Just as well, as the Falls of Dochart, which can be spectacularly beautiful, were covered in tourists clambering over the boulders. I crossed the bridge into Killin and stopped at the gift shop for a bottle of cold water and a cold Coke (heaven). I then followed the road through town and turned right into Pier Road, then picked up the old railway track again back through Killin, going over a bridge over the River Lochay, and then the River Dochart on Dochart Viaduct (the second oldest mass-concrete constructed railway viaduct in Britain - didn't take a photo as a) it is only the second oldest and b) you couldn't really see it). I left Killin and turned into the forest. I ignored the sign for NCN7 as I'd cunningly plotted
a different route and climbed up to get onto a forest road only to find my way barred by Forestry Commission works. Bugger! Back down the descent to the NCN7 sign, I picked it up and worked my way through the forest, on rolling roads that had me blowing hard, still I knew that there would be a takeaway cafe by the road for a coffee and cake. There was. It was shut - the curse of the cafes continues to follow me around! It was just before here, when I was puffing uphill again, that another cyclist, on a road or gravel bike, came past me, claiming he'd need an e-bike! 'Oh bother' I thought, or something similar, if he needed an e-bike what would I need!

Takeaway. Shut. Shit.

NCN7 runs from here alongside the main A85 road, and soon it moves away from and rises above the road. It's a good track though, and soon comes along to the Glen Ogle viaduct, which runs in a curve just in front of the hills behind it.

Glen Ogle viaduct, without me

I stopped for a couple of photos (and not because I was puffing and blowing!), including the obligatory touristy selfy. The route continued on good surface, and mainly downhill, passing Lochearnhead, which afforded superb views of Loch Earn nestling in the hills. Eventually NCN7 reached the road to Balquhidder where I continued on southwards towards Strathyre. The track continued to be well surfaced and there were some lovely views towards the hills.

Lovely view towards the hills

There's a good cafe in Strathyre, apparently. I didn't know where it was. Still, it was only 10 miles from Callander so it didn't really matter. Leaving Strathyre I noticed a couple of cyclists ahead of me, but thought nothing of it. Soon though, I came across them talking to a walker on the route, and nipped between them, thinking nothing of it. There were more views of the lovely Garbh Uisge and so I stopped to take a video. Whilst I was doing this, who should come past (and make a noise) but the two cyclists! Thinking nothing of it again, I remounted and set off and who should I see shortly on the rocks

in the water but the two cyclists! Once more I stopped to take a photo (and make use of a handy bench alongside the river) and again the two passed me. 

Garbh Uisge

That was it until just before entering Callander I saw them again - they were across the road from me at a junction with the track. At that point I lost the will to live, and let them set off in front of me. It was only a short ride to the B&B from here, and the end of the first ride. Hard work at times, fun pretty much most of the time, awesome scenery throughout. And fish and chips and beer to replace the calories expended. All in all, a grand day out!

The route

The evolution of the Scotland Trip

The Formartine & Buchan Way

The seeds of the Scotland cycling trip were planted when I found out about the Formartine and Buchan Way. The Formartine and Buchan Way is a long distance shared cycle path, built on the bed of the former Formartine and Buchan railway, that starts at Dyce Railway station, on the outskirts of Aberdeen, and runs some 25 miles through the heart of rural Aberdeenshire to Maud where it splits, continuing north for 15 miles to Fraserburgh and east for 13 miles to Peterhead.

Maud is where my mother is from, and growing up I spent many summers at my grandmother's house, Bank Villa. I have many fond memories from that time, one of which is running up the steep back garden to the top of the hill and watching the daily freight train go through Maud station on its way to, and back from, Fraserburgh. After the line closed in 1979 I remember walking the trackbed towards Peterhead on a later visit, although at that time it was still just an abandoned railway line.

Having found out about the F&B Way. I thought it would be great to ride it, and revisit the old haunts we used to go to when we visited. So began a long process of working out how best to do the route, where to stay, how many days etc. Eventually I settled on three separate trips, based around staying in or near Maud itself, each heading in a separate direction. That done, I then thought about how I could extend it for a couple more days to make a real holiday of it. I looked at a couple of options around Aberdeenshire, including the Deeside Way from Aberdeen to Ballater, and the Isla Way running 13 miles between Keith and Dufftown, passing by 11 whisky distilleries (so, so tempting but very dangerous!). However, these would mean a six hour journey both ways, which wasn't ideal, so I decided to look closer to home.

We had planned a holiday in Oban and Fort William in 2020, but the Covid pandemic put an end to that. I'd always wanted to go the Western Highlands, and so investigated potential routes around here, and this unearthed a few rides in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. This meant that I only had a four hour trip from home, and a two hour short hop linking the two centres. I created a couple of rides, based around Callander, by merging together some of the short ones I'd found and hey presto - holiday created!

It has been great fun planning and researching the rides, with Google Maps and You Tube being very useful for seeing what I would come up against. Now I just can't wait to get there and get the pedals turning!

Football's coming home, to Robin Hoods Bay!

25 years ago today England beat Scotland 2-0 at Wembley at Euro 96, with Gazza doing his famous 'dentist chair' celebration. At the same time me and five mates rolled into Robin Hoods Bay at the end of a seven day Coast to Coast trip,  starting in St Bees and following the Wainwright route for much of the way. We were blessed with good weather for most of the journey, with just one afternoon and early evening of wind and heavy rain, and stayed in some fabulous places. Most of us were working for Barclays at the time and raised money for charity using the Bank's matching scheme.

I have some really good memories from that week, and 23 years later did a Devon Coast to Coast for charity. Might have to look at the Scotland MTB Coast to Coast at some point in the future 😎😎

Don't worry, be happy......

On Monday the government will announce their plans for removal of the next level of restrictions in place for the COVID pandemic. I'm hoping that, even if the next set of easing of measures is delayed by four weeks, as is being suggested, it won't prevent me from going to Scotland at the end of the month for a cycling holiday.

It seems the biggest risk at the moment is whether or not the Cheshire East area will have some additional restrictions set due to the recent rise in the number of cases, particularly the Delta variant.

Whatever happens, it is out of my control so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. I'll lose sleep because the cat keeps jumping on me and poking me in the face, but at least I can control that. If necessary I'll rebook my holiday for a later date.

In the meantime, I'll keep getting out on one of my bikes and enjoy the freedom it gives me. And the excuse to eat large pieces of cake of course!