North Sea Cycle Route - the story so far

Hello bloggers. Here's the latest on my trip around the North sea cycle route. I reached Gotenberg yesterday in the worst rain of the trip so far. It was a relief not to put my tent up in it. I am staying with a friend until Tuesday to see the city and recover a bit from the journey.

My intention to post copies of my journal still holds good, but I have not been able to do so since leaving Stavanger, because I camped every night. It was more often wild camping rather that in a camp site and I had no wi-fi available in either place... so no ability to blog. This is likely to be the situation when I leave Gotenberg, but I will update when I can.

I have cycled 870.19 miles so far. The first part of the trip from Bergen to Fredrickstad were hilly, around Ergunsund where I did a mountain pass followed more  mountains.  The scenery in Norway on the C1 cycle route is truly superb. It takes you through out of the way places and along fjords and through forests. Some of it is on tracks. I have been off route alot of time but only truly lost once. If it hadn't been for two runners turning up  in the middle of the woods I would still be there now. Without exception, people have been helpful and friendly and always wished me a 'Good Trip' Crossing over the bridge at Idefjorden into Sweden was  a real milestone. I have travelled through the beautiful west coast islands on route to Gothenburg and I'm enjoying the city and few days off. Keep in touch with then blog and I will post the journal enteries, photos and paintings.

Ray

Three weeks to Bergen

I'm looking out of the window at the incredibly heavy rain and counting off the 21 days till I head off to Bergen, Norway on the first leg of my cycle trip around the North Sea Cycle Route. Twenty-one days may sound like a fair amount of time, but I know from my experience last year that the evil fairy of cock ups makes sure you only  just scrape together the necessary plans in time. (When I went to New Zealand last year, I arranged my proxy vote for the election at the airport.) I managed to defeat the evil fairy by making extensive lists - which, as I have mentioned in an earlier blog, is the way to save the world. It was touch and go last time but I made it. The main problem was that the bike I was taking was not up to the job. Hang on a minute, I'm taking the same bike with me this time... but I'm sure it is okay this year... gulp. The problem was the handle bars wouldn't come off, but that's sorted this time and you may have seen my beautiful new butterfly handlebars (on my blog) http://triboy57.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/butterfly-handle-bars.html  which are designed to make my life easy as I cycle around the 3000 miles of the trail, haha. Whether I make the whole distance back to Scotland, is down to where I have got to by the end of July. I have decided that I must be home by then to welcome my daughter Zoe and grandson Soli who will be here from Melbourne for a month. So, if I happen to be in Holland or wherever, I will hop on a train and do the  rest of the route another time.
I'm guessing that the hardest bit of the route will be the first bit. Bergen is near the fjiords and no doubt the coast line will be hilly. By the time I get to Holland it will be nice and flat. It might sound like I don't know much about where I am going, but I have been reading up bit on the very good web-site called NSCR North Sea Cycle Route, it's well worth a look  http://www.northsea-cycle.com/ . By the way, my bike is getting new tyres and a cycle computer fitted. Those together in new front panniers and my brand new Smartphone (to put travel reports on my blog) and 'I'm good to go.' Although, I'd better not get to cocky or the evil cock up fairies will get me.

Committed!

I've been getting back into the swing of running again after my enforced lay off due to pulling something in my back. The pain in the back has become something in the past, so I decided to run in the Devilla 15 kms, track race. The idea was to take it very steadily, and restart my running season. The first half of the race was one of those nice things that sometimes happen in running. I felt really good and was simply gliding over the trail and enjoying every minute of it. I knew that my three and a half weeks without running  meant that my stamina would be lacking and I was right. After about 45 minutes the first real hill in the race appeared in front of me. I struggled up it, remembering that the hills at Berwick a few weeks before were a breeze... not any more. From there till the end of the race I was running on memory and resorting to asking the marshals how far till the end. I know that if I do that, it's red alert and danger signals. I made it to the end in 1.21 and kicked myself. Why hadn't I thought it out and started at the back and used the race as a way back into running. As it was I felt knackered and had a recurrence of the sore knee, meditation injury (that's another story.) Since that race, a week last Sunday, I have run three times and the sore knee is reacting the way it did earlier this year. The soreness recedes after a few miles. Last time the doc, told me to keep running because it wasn't cartilage  trouble and it would be best the keep the knee muscles strong. So, I've been using the ice pack and anti-inflammatory gels. This is a first for me, so lets hope it works. Fate was good to me last Sunday because the Lasswade 10 miler, was full when I tried to enter it. Instead I ran down the railway track and then along a track through a field towards Letham mains. I hadn't run there for years and really enjoyed it. I was out for 1 hour 15 and felt pretty good.
Yesterday, I went for a longish cycle on my bike with the butterfly handlebars. http://triboy57.blogspot.com/2012/01/butterfly-handle-bars.html
It was an interesting ride! The new handle bars mean that I am not so crouched over the bike and less likely to get a crick in my neck. I feel as though I am much higher on the bike. The good news is that it feels good holding onto the top of the bars going up hill. The news gears are working well. The only glitch is the odd feeling of not being completely in control going around corners at speed. This must be because the butterfly handlebars are much bigger than the previous drop handle bars and so a smaller movement of them leads to a bigger movement of the wheel than I am used to.

The BIG NEWS of this week is that I have bought a flight ticket for me and the bike from Edinburgh airport to Bergen, dated 18 May 2012. This is where I will start the North Sea Cycle Trail. My original idea was to head south from Haddington towards Harwich and onwards to Holland. The route goes north from there and eventually reaches Bergen where the ferry used to take you to Lerwick. The ferry no longer takes you to Lerwick because it has stopped running, hence the Bergen start. I have been dithering about whether to do this trail since last year, buying the ticket means I'm committed to it, so now the planning starts. I will need a tablet to take with me so that I can write about my progress as I go. I would also like to let people know where I am so that I can get some riding buddies. Advice on cheap and durable tablets would be appreciated because I know nothing about them.

Butterfly handle bars

Last year I took my bike with me to New Zealand and Australia. I also found out about butterfly handlebars. I intended to take my ex-triathlon bike with me and had new gears fitted into the bargain. When it came to dismantle the bike in readiness for the flight, all went well until  it came to the drop handle bars. They wouldn't shift. I tried everything I knew to get them off but they didn't budge a centimetre. My good neighbour Harry came to help me but we did not get any further. I was a bit desperate because the flight was a couple of days away and I had to prepare. Next stop was the bike shop... I was convinced that the professionals would be able to shift it, but no, all that happened was that they broke a rubber hammer on the stem and left it looking in a sorry state. At this point I decided I wouldn't be able to take my planned bike and opted instead for my cobbled together mountain bike, with a lot of unexpected consequences. I wrote about them between March and July last year if you want to find out the ups and downs.
Now I have to admit that the ex-triathlon bike is getting on a bit. I reckon I bought in 1994 or 95 when I first started doing tri's. But it is still pretty sturdy and I have used it over the last few years for some long cycles including the trip around Shetland. But time had taken it's toll. The aluminium handle-bar pole had corroded with the steel bike body to become one.
When I was in Chithurst monastery last November I met a guy, who, like me is retired and likes cycling. I think he is writing a book called 'Zen Cycling.' We got talking about long distance cycling and he explained to me the delights of the butterfly handle-bars. No more sore necks and backs because you can sit up, but you can also hunker down in the wind or when you are putting in a fast pace.  Fast forward a month to the Lennoxlove book festival and I am sitting in the marquee listening to Mark Beaumont describe his trip down the American continent on his bike and yes... you have guessed it - he had butterfly handlebars.

But how would I get the drop handle bars out... Mike in the Haddington bike shop was the answer. He has a reputation of getting out any seat post or handle bar, no matter stuck they are. He did admit to me that he had a challenge with this one. It required heating up the stem and the use of a five foot bar by two people to get it off.  So now I have what feels like a wonderful new bike. It will take a bit of getting used to and I am looking forward to that.

Oh yes... I am thinking of a long distance cycle along the North Sea Cycle trail, starting sometime in May. It looks like a fantastic cycle and is supported by Scotland, England, Belgium, Holland, The Netherlands, Sweden and  Norway. In fact all of the countries it passes through.
COME ALONG AND DO SOME OF IT WITH ME.

You can find out more about it on:
http://www.northsea-cycle.com/

Back in the groove

The last few weeks have seen me getting back into a few of the things I enjoy doing. I have been out running, done some cycling and splashed about in the swimming pool. I always feel alot better when I'm involved in regular exercise, with any luck, I'll keep injury free and get fit again.

I have also renewed my aquaintance with Sheena Philips. I admire her water colour paintings and it's a delight to go to her classes and learn the tricks of the trade. Here is a water colour we did in class over a couple of weeks, called 'The Garden.' On this occassion I would say that the real thing has more impact than this version taken through the scanner

'Tour de France' - No worries!

Just like half the population of Australia, I was up till the wee hours last night watching the 'Tour de France.'  Cadelll Evans is the new hero over here and what a time trial he did. When you consided that the previous two days in mountains he had battled to stay with mountain specalist Frank Shleck and to overcome a bike failure and get back to the leading group you realise what a good effort he made last night. Cadell is the first Ozy to win the Tour. It has put the event on the map over here in a big way... no worries. The Tour rolls into Paris today for the last stage of a great event. I have enjoyed the way race has not been decided until the near the end. Much better than the usual outxome which is often decided long before the final stages.
Earlier in the day I did a cycle along Beach road on the East coast of Phillip Bay to Black Rock. It is a very popular ride with hundreds of cyclists of all levels heading out and back. My guide Micheal took me through the streets to get threre and back again - a nice way to finish a cycling holiday.

Not long until I board the plane for Edinburgh! I will be going to one more art class before I leave. Here is a still life I did a few weeks ago.

Table with cans and veggies.

Some last minute things to do

I set off from Edinburgh Airport on 19 March and I'm heading back home a week today! If anyone asks me if it's good to travel for a few months I will say 'Yes... if you like travelling, meeting new people and seeing new places.' It may not be for everyone but it is for me. I've now got a whole pile of experiences which are worth their weight in gold, particularly seeing my grandson, Soli grow and develop over the last two and a half months. There as still a couple of things I want to do before I leave. The first one is to take a cycle down the coast, along Beach Road on the east side of Port Phillip Bay. I am told that there are thousands of cyclists who do this one on Saturday mornings, so tomorrow I will be another one of them. The other thing is to attend at least one more art class at Footsctay Community Art Centre. The new term has commenced and I went along to a 'Life Class' last Wednesday. The tutor really gets you to go for it during the two hour class. We start off by doing about five - one minute sketches to get our eyes in and work on proportions and angles. Then there are a couple of three minute sketches and a five minute. After that there are a couple of ten minute drawings and one or two fifteen minutes, depending on how it is going. Not only do we have a pile of drawings at the end but also some invaluable experience with tips and advice from the tutor.
This is one I did last Wednesday.

Megan

Auckland - you beauty!

18 March 2011


Arrived in Auckland jet-lagged and no bike box. The nice people from Qantos must be used to this kind of thing because they gave me a little bag of toiletries and a T shirt and pants with the Qantos logo on them for sleeping in. Just as well seeing as all my gear was in the bike box.

Headed off to the backpackers wondering what they would think of a grey haired, retired cyclist turning up amongst all the gap year trendy students. I didn’t need to worry because the first person I met was the receptionist Vee, a lovely young lady from Glasgow who made me feel most welcome. If you are thinking of staying in a backpackers and don’t want to kept awake all night by partying 18 year olds, here’s a tip… pick a smallish place on the outskirts of town. Doing this stood me in good stead throughout the trip. I stayed in Oaklands House, at Mount Eden which boasts the highest volcanic cone in the Auckland volcanic isthmus.

 There are 27 volcanic cones in this area which I found to be a bit disconcerting. Traveling to the other side of the world does strange things to your head. I wondered around Mount Eden thinking that I would pay a visit to the local artist’s auction which was being held on the next day…Saturday. As I was about to get on the bus, someone said I should visit the local artist’s auction which was just around the corner – I’d lost a day!

The idea was that about 20 local artists set themselves up in the park and paint Mount Eden. At the end of the day the paintings were auctioned to support the local art scene. The local artists were very chatty and quite happy to tell me about their painting process. A guy called Ewan Woodruffe told me about his way of painting resin-oilcolour on linen. He gave me his leaflet with examples and he called it ‘The Dangerous Looseness of Doom.’ There was a trio playing some laid back music so I sat in the hot sun (my first touch of sun since last October) and soaked it all in.

Mount Eden Volcanic Cone

Here’s another tip… if you want a great view of Auckland go up Mount Eden and keep away from the tourist buses which deposit their contents for a five minute look. They get off the bus and start shouting at each other… oh for peace and tranquility.

My bike arrived, I put it back together and set off down the hill to have a look at Auckland. They have a GPO tower that they call Sky City and it being NZ people jump off it on an elastic band. Visited my first ‘i-site’ and discovered just how well organized the tourist trade is over there.

The closer you get to the sea front, the more glitzy and high rise the place becomes. The place is awash with mega bucks yachts. Did a water colour of the Auckland bridge. There seemed to be a fair bit of $ around juding by the bids for the paintings of Mount Eden.

Cycled back up the hill with an armful of maps and ideas but dear oh dear the bike was in poor shape. A spoke was broken, I couldn’t get into bottom gear and the brakes were a bit iffy. Dropped it off at a bike shop for some necessary repairs.

My Watercolour painted at this scene

On the advice of Adam and Claire I decided to head north to the Bay of Islands and Cape Renga on the northernmost tip of the North Island. My cycling book had a five day trip which fitted the bill. The trip started 100km north of Auckland which meant a bus trip. In my experience bus companies can be mediocre, bad or very bad when it comes to catering for the needs of cyclists. Inter-city are mediocre. They allow bikes on at the discretion of the bus driver but want you to take off the front wheel, remove the pedals and cover the chain and oh yes loosen the handlebars!

I picked up the bike which seemed to be going a bit better, so I was all set and after a good nights sleep raring to go. Just before bed logged on for a quick update on the weather and saw the heading  Flooding had hit Northland.

On yer bike or why I went to New Zealand

16 March 2011
I have met a few Kiwi's on my travels and I've heard about New Zealand from Ross Hope - a fellow triathlete so before I left I had an idea that NZ is a lot like Scotland but also has volcanoes, geothermal mud, glaciers and big mountains thrown in.  I hadn't seriously thought of going there until a few things came together... all of them were good.

• My baby Zoe who lives in Melbourne had her own baby boy Soli... another trip to Oz was immediatley on the cards.
• I decided to take retirement and thereby set myself free from the world of drudgery
• Zoe's sister, Sally offered to look after Harvey (my dog) for me while I was away.
• I got a lodger who was happy to keep an eye on the house and feed the fish.

Given all that, there was nothing to stop me going away for an extended break. The idea of visiting NZ before going to  Melbourne stirred in me. I decided right away that I wanted to take my bike with me which isn't as tricky as it sounds. You can put your bike in a bike box (got from a local bike shop) suitably dismantled and as long as it is less than 23 kilos the nice people from  Qantas let you take it on as luggage. Only trouble was that my ex tribike that I use as a touring bike had proved to be too highly geared to go up the big hills with panniers on them. I got some new gears fitted and they worked like a dream. The week end before my flight I dismantled the bike and all was going well until I tried to take the handlebars off... they wouldn't budge. Even with the help of my DIY expert neighbour, Harry I couldn't get it off. The bike shop man broke his rubber hammer on them! It looked like I wouldn't be taking my touring bike with me. I had three days to think up an alternative. It so happens that I have another bike which I took to India for the LEPRA charity ride. Although it was rough and ready and not serviced (this came back to haunt me later) I decided to take it with me. It dismantled like a dream and I fitted my panniers into the box and carried my new all weather back pack as hand luggage. I kept the amount of stuff I took with me to a bear minimum to keep the weight down but I had my 'Cycling in New Zealand' book with me and my new pair of all purpose gortex running and biking shoes bought from Joe Forte Sports at the last minute. With some useful tips on where to go from Adam and Claire who had lived in NZ for two and a half years I was cruising.When Sandy Wallace came to pick me up for the airport, I had done nearly all the 19 last minute jobs on my list and I did the last one before boarding - organising a proxy vote for the elections on May 5th. Off I went to Auckland via Heathrow, Bangcock and Sydney. 

Cycle to Taupo

I was sorry to leave Rotorua and the Funky Green Voyager, where I had made friends with some nice people. It was time to go south to Lake Taupo after being delayed by rain on Sunday. People keep telling me horror stories about the bad drivers in NZ. The owner of the backpackers even gave me a high vis shirt to wear! The first thing to say about the ride was the humidity... I was sweating buckets after a couple of kms. The 30 kms was a long drag up through pine forest which pinned in the humidity nicely. After about 15 km I filled up my water bottles from a camper. I was on the busy SH5  but the drivers were okay and gave me space when I needed it. My bike gave me another headache because a nut and bolt had come loosed and fallen out of the pannier rack . This meant the rack rubbed against the back wheel. I took the quiter road through Reporoa which is famous for an Iron Man going through it. A man at the local shop gave me a cable tie which got me to my destination. I met 2 Germans cycling with their 4 year old daughter attached at the back. They were really laden with tents and loads of other stuff. They had been all over the south island and even over one of the mountain passes. This was a long cycle of 85 kms and it felt longer on my mountain bike. I was really glad to get to Rainbow lodge backpackers. Today is lovely, sunny and fresh.
Gerrard, Vera and Loz looking happy but efficient!

Reporoa Iron Man

Mount Eden, Auckland, NZ

Mount Eden is 3km from central Auckland and boasts the biggest volcanic cone in the area. There are 27 or 40 around here, depending on what you read. Went up to the top yesterday and got a great view of Auckland on a hot, sunny day. That was a bit different from when I arrived when there was a down pour!! I am staying at the Oaklands Lodge hostel which is proving  to be very friendly. Last night I was invited to join in with a bbq, so that was a good start.
But to catch up on things - since the last blog it has been a roller coaster of getting ready for the trip.About 2 weeks before the off, I thought it would be a good idea to take my bike with me. After my experiences on the hills of Shetland I decided to get the gears renewed with a granny gear for the hills. I also invested in a bike computer. Colin at Belhaven bikes was really helpful and I got my bike back with new gears... it worked like a dream. Last Sunday, I dismanlted the bike and everything was going great until I tried to take off the handle bars... they wouldn't shift even with my neighbour helping. So I took the bike alon to Colin thingking a bike man would fix it. He broke his rubber mallet on it and didn't get them off. So I was snookered  and started to wonder if the trip really was such a good idea. A day before the off I decided to take a look at my dirty unserviced hybrid bike which i took with me to India. The long and short of the tale is that I now have it with me  in NZ. The bike box arrived a day or so after I did and it now put together again  but I think that before I tackle the hills it needs a service and the gears looking at. So that is todays task.
Oaklands Lodge

Apart from that bit of news the trip is going splendidly. Yesterday I took a walk into Mount Eden village and I was imp[ressed with the number of runners out . I sat at Fraasers Cafe enjoying a really healthy muesili and yog watching them run by. I noticed that there was an Art auction with local artists paintiing Mount Vernon and then the paintings being auctioned... the proceeds go to encouraging local arts. I thought I would go the following day andonly realised It actually was Saturaday when I was standing at the bus stop intending to go down town...  jet lag is really wonderful. Anyway I'm glad i  went to the art  auction . I got to talk to a lot of the artists and sat in the sun listening to a trio belt out some good music. The tip into central Aucklnad is planned to happen today, on my bike this time.

Retirement and more!

I haven’t been too active on my blog recently, but I have been busy in other areas. One thing that I have been up to  is retiring from work :-) This is one of those life events that you know will happen eventually. When it arrives, you think - wow, I’m a free man, I don’t have to go into work anymore and I can follow my dreams. I can also wax lyrical on my blog if I want to. So now that I have got time to paint and write and keep fit I have decided to go to New Zealand and then Australia. Well you would wouldn’t you! The trip starts on 16 March when I head off to Auckland. I will stay in NZ till the end of April and I’m planning to do as much cycling as possible. Although the trip is nearly on me, I haven’t got a very well worked out plan of where I will go and what gear I will need. Don’t get me wrong, I have been reading about NZ and looking up cycling information on the web, but it was only this week end that I thought I would see if it is possible to take my bike with me in a bike box. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, because I took the bike to India a couple of years ago without any problems. This time I got some inspiration from the web-site Barry and Margaret Williamson who cycled a 4,641 mile circuit around NZ in five months a few years ago. Have a look at their web-site, its pretty impressive. http://http://www.magbaztravels.com/


I haven’t left everything till the last minute, I have tickets arranged and travel insurance and some NZ dollars ordered. Between now and 16 March, there are quite a few things to do, starting with checking about taking my bike… I will keep you posted!

Painting and drawing has taken a back seat recently, but this is something I hope to put right as I travel around NZ. But I did manage a sketch, when I was waiting for a flight from Belfast International airport at the week end.

Cycling, cross country and a Dragonfly

It will be nice when it's warm enough for Dragonfly's to perform their dainty dance again. At least we are moving in the right direction, it has been a mild week end here in Scotland. I made the most of it by going out on a huge bike ride over the Lammermuir hills. I went through some places I hadn't heard of before. At one point my pal Frank and I were up higher than the wind turbines!! Today, I took part in the Borders cross country race at Norham and I would guess that it was the muddiest, wetest race I've been in. The organisers made sure that we got properly wet by routing us through a burn (stream) nine, yes nine times, so now I'm feeling tired but happy.
The Dragonfly was done about a year and a half ago and has spent most of it's life on the wall of the art room at Tynepark. The funny thing is it went missing for a couple of weeks and then returned to the same place. Maybe he was visiting relatives.

Related articles

• Dragonfly's stability in flight inspires micro wind turbine design (news.bioscholar.com)

Cycling - here, there and eveywhere

Image via Wikipedia

Cycling is on my mind at the moment. This could be something to do with the weather improving. It has also got something to do with my entry to the Audax - ‘around East Lothian’ cycle organised by the Musselburgh cycling club and taking place on 13 February. I have done this the last two years so I know what I am letting myself in for. It involves a trip through country lanes and up over the Lammermuir Hills and then along the coast back to Musselburgh. Last year I used my converted touring bike, which I soon found out had faulty brakes. The year before I used my generic town and country bike, put together by the bicycle shed. This year I am intending to use my Giant road bike which should give me a faster, but not so comfortable ride. The route itself depends a bit on the weather. If there has been snow or it is very icy the route may not go to the top of the Lammermuirs… we will have to wait and see about that.
I have also been looking at information on the net about cycling in New Zealand. It looks like an ideal location with stunning views, quiet roads and fresh air. The organised tours I have seen look a bit pricy, so maybe I should wait till I get over there and hire a bike. If anyone has any experience of cycling in New Zealand please let me know

G'day Mate

Some good news and some really good news. What can I say… I went for a run tonight with the group at Meadowmill. We did some fast reps and for the first time since Christmas day I felt really good. Looks like I can put the virus behind me! Yippee!


The really good news is that I have booked a trip to the other side of the world. In the middle of March I will be flying over to New Zealand to explore the North and the South Islands. At the moment I am investigating the possibility of doing some cycling over there. The web has lots of links to cycling in New Zealand, so I should be able to come up with something, but any suggestions from anyone in the blog world will be welcome. In my time I have cycled around a few islands, including Mull, Skye, Lismore and Shetland. I am sure that cycling in NZ will be an exciting way to discover the secrets of that beautiful country. After that I am going over to Melbourne to visit my daughter, Zoe, and her new born baby, due 20 February. So Grandpa is going over to say hello! A very exciting few months in prospect.



Here is a sketch of the River Esk in Musselburgh which I drew in the autumn.

Pradelles en val

Last week I braved the strikes and spent just under four days in South West France. Rob Mulholland, a fellow cyclist and a proper artist and I flew from Prestwick to Carcassonne on Mr. O’Leary’s bargain basement flights. Rob hails from Glasgae and a fellow Wegie picked us up at the airport and took us the to the medieval village of Pradelles en val. The village is about thirty minutes from Carcassonne in a wine growing area set between the Montagne Noir and the Pyrenees. At this time of year the vines are an amazing mixture of green, yellow, brown and red. These colours contrast to the back drop of the villages with their ancient brown stone and the wild country beyond the arable fields which harbour truck loads of boar. We were there during the hunting season and ‘truckloads’ isn’t just a fancy phrase.

The idea of the trip was to get in a spot of cycling, maybe some drawing and shut down the maison chez Rob for the winter. The house is wonderful, having been made up from a wine making ‘Cave’ and some other buildings. It’s a bit like the Tardis, with two stairs and rooms all over the place. There is a tremendous garden which backs onto an eighteen century church, built around the time of the French Revolution. The houses and Chateau are ancient and quite a few of them are falling down.

We were invited into one of them and low and behold, there were another two Wegies living there.

Le Jardine - Chez Rob









The highlight of the trip for me was the cycle to LaGrasse. We were lucky to get some nice sun, but the wind was just like the one I had left behind in Scotland, only colder. It was worth the effort, LaGrasse is a really beautiful small town with amazing bridges, buildings and a wonderful Abbey. It also boasts a boulangerie with pattiseries to die for. The cycle back was along a river gorge, with some beautiful views and incredible river sculpted cliffs.

The Cite in Carcassonne is a UNESCO heritage site with fortified battlements all around. As in LaGrasse, there are lots of windy streets with artisans working at the back of galleries. The atmosphere is truly medieval and reminded me of Kate Mosse’s story ‘The Labyrinth,’ which tells the tales of the Cathars and religious wars of the fourteenth century

Action Medical Research – Cross Border 100 mile bike ride

When I heard about the Cross Border 100, I was intrigued. Action Medical Research descibe it as a brand new ride with a difference, offering a choice of starting points, one in Scotland and the other in England. The Cross Border Scotland stared in Haddington and a fantastic new 100-mile circular ride offered some of the best cycling terrain through the challenging Border region including some truly lung busting climbs. At the half way point you cross the border and meet with fellow riders who have started their 100-mile challenge in Alnwick, Northumberland. Further information on the site described the ride as 'Grade 7 hilly route with some testing climbs, training required!'
The group of four local people who had planned to take this on whittled down to Frank and me. We started the ride, late and in pouring rain. By the time we got to Gifford my rather flimsy rain jacked had soacked through, but I didn’t notice this because the hills above Gifford into the Lammermuirs took up all my attention. But I did notice that East Lothian Council have been busy in the hills and the roads are newly tar-macked. We cycled up through the switch back hills and on to the crossroads and headed for Longformackus. This is when I realised that the back up team were doing a splendid job. There were two motorbikes on the road and an ambulance with paramedics, plus a bike repair van. Each turning was well signed and there were other helpful signs such as ‘Pot Holes’ or ‘Single File.’ The other major attraction was the feeding stations and lunch stop, which were first class and very welcome and .

When we reached Duns the roads became a lot flatter. We took a circular route to Coldstream. This is where the riders from the south joined us and where the weather took a real turn for the better. Replenished by a fantastic lunch we set off again and had to take off our rain tops!. The circular route continued to Norham and then back to Duns. This marked the start of the trek back over the Lammermuirs, this time taking in Whiteadder reservoir. We were told by one of the back up staff that it was all downhill from there on, but I knew better, having ridden this route before. The last range of hills was over the B road to the Catholic monastery and Garvald. From there we travelled down to Morham and back to Haddington to a round of applause, a medal and a goody bag. It took us nine hours to do the route and I have to agree with the description of the route, it  has some fantastic scenery and some lung busting hills.

The charity helps to stop suffering in children. Every tmile ridden helps fund medical research to treat sick babies and tackle premature birth, to make life better for children with disabilities, and to target a group of rare diseases that together severely affect many forgotten children. One of the leaflets in the goodey bag described a Cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats next May, now there’s a thought!

Bike rides

Bike rides often produce, involve or are associated with good experiences. The physical act of going somewhere under your own steam is a kind of declaration. In the background is the thought ‘I can go to a place… lets say, Edinburgh, and I don’t have to rely on my car or the bus. Maybe that’s why I like going to a particular place, perhaps to visit someone, or on holiday, moving from one place to another. I like travelling to Pats place in Leith, on my bike. It’s about 20 miles and the route passes through countryside to Macmerry and Tranent and then on to the city and Portobello. There is the sea along the prom and the aggressive city driving, so lots of contrast and interest. Another thing… when I set out I know where I am going, but I don’t know the details of the plot… things happen en route. It could be a rude van driver gesticulating at me near Tranent, as happened this morning, or I could meet someone I know and stop at the beach café on the prom for a cappuccino.

The trip to Pat’s last night had all the right ingredients. There was bright sunshine, a cold breeze, and the miles slipped by. The sea at Portobello was calm apart from the constant arrival of perfect waves, which were a surfer’s delight.

Getting to Pats place was only the start of the journey. Once I had changed, we sped over to Wegieland and a party to celebrate the refurbishment of a Terry and Danny’s classically designed Victorian house. Good food and wine made for a relaxed evening and I got talking to Anne Marie Hughes and her husband Richard Cox. It turned out that Anne Marie is a very good runner and her husband is the sports psychologist of the Scotland rugby team. It was a pleasure to find out that Anne Marie has run in quite a few races that I have run and that we have a lot of mutual friends. Richard has also been a runner, but his passion now is rugby. Richard’s stories about his involvement in international rugby were a pure delight.

Cycling home through Musselburgh and up the hill to Tranent I thought ‘ the nights are getting lighter and I will be able to get out on my bike a lot more in the next few months.’