Wednesday 16 August 2017

Doing the Skyline in mist and heavy rain and a dead Bambi

Last Saturday morning and things were looking a bit on the misty side as we pedalled up to the 
final climb to the summit of West Kip!

Its too steep to pedal now so it's hike-a-bike time now...onwards and upwards!

Eventually we reached the top and set off into the mist for the descent where Barrie nearly came to grief right at the start as he took the right hand side to descend from!


The dead roe deer I came across on Monday evening, which, by the look of it had been shot but not fatally and had run on before succumbing to its wound, no doubt whoever had shot it had no licence nor any love of wild animals either, I passed it on Tuesday night and at least some other wild animals had benefited from its carcase rather than the scumbag who'd shot it.

An adventure last Saturday morning in the mist and heavy rain as we pedalled along the Pentland Skyline, my cycling glasses proving worse than useless and Barries worn out tyres sliding on the wet grass and greasy track. This must go down as the slowest descent on record from Turnhouse Hill down to Flotterstone but at least we made it in one piece. 

Sunday 6 August 2017

The Forth Bridge to the Tay Bridge via The Fife Coastal Path

6.30am and the adventure begins

Dalgetty Bay and a view back to the Forth Bridges and they're now about 5 miles into the ride



The caves at East Wemyss rumoured to have some of the oldest cave writings in Britain

The East Neuk of Fife and the path goes over farmland and past a herd of cows that Dougie mistook for bulls and fell into a ditch in his panic to avoid them!

Barrie consults the map for inspiration!

Anstruther's world renowned fish and chip shop was just too much of a temptation to pass by!

Barrie said a rock jumped out and forced him to use the ejector seat!

The path crossed the golf course at Kingsbarns where the British Ladies Golf Championship was in its final rounds, our two bold riders were told to silence their clicky freehubs and noisy brakes as they were upsetting the concentration of the golfers ( what a pathetic bunch golfers are!!)

They discovered cycling on soft sand when you're not on a fat bike ain't easy 

Eventually after 13 hours of blood (in Dougies case) sweat probably both of them, and tears,mostly mine as I waited for them at St Andrews, they reached the end at the Tay Bridge, where Barrie's dog, Rebus, was waiting to greet them.
Barrie's dream which he's he's harboured for some time has been to bike the Fife Coastal Path from the Forth Road Bridge up to the Tay Bridge in the north of Fife. Dougie agreed to accompany him and I was back up crew with food, water and a change of clothing when needed every so often.
They set off at 6.30am and after 13 hours and a few adventures, from upsetting a herd of cows to upsetting professional lady golfers (not really much difference there then) they eventually reached their goal with the weather alternating from bright warm sunshine to torrential rain and easy going bike tracks to soft sand and hike a bike in places, that's now been ticked off the bucket list, thank goodness my services as back up are not  required for a while again, sitting around waiting is nearly as tiring as doing the actual ride.......well maybe not quite!