Day 12 - Thursday 22nd August - Glencoe to Inverness

Day 12 – Glencoe to Inverness – Thursday 22^nd August

The BIG day, the hardest day of the trip, we had been informed.  83 miles and a big climb after lunch. 

Not a good night’s sleep, lots of drying of kit going on and the room was really warm, although most of the kit when put on in the morning was still damp – nice.  My cycling shoes are so smelly they have to be put outside on the window ledge, I am hoping to make them last the trip before hermitically sealing them in a polythene bag so that I can tackle the problem when I have industrial cleaning equipment back at home.  I daren’t wash them as I am not sure I can dry them over night and wet shoes to start the day would not be good!

So we arrived at the morning briefing, smelling and a bit damp but ready to go.  We all sang Stefan Happy Birthday and headed off.

The route out of Glencoe heading north is the A82 and there is no alternative.  This is a busy road with logging lorries and vans and tourists.  We did our best to make ourselves safe, lots of flashing lights, pulling over when big vehicles wanted to overtake etc, but this was scary.  The only time this trip that I have felt worried about traffic and safety, and we were all glad when it was over!  It is interesting watching peoples’ driving habits and levels of attention as you get overtaken, it is very clear that some people have never been on a bike and understood just how vulnerable you feel when overtaken by a big chunk of metal travelling at 30 or 40 miles an hour faster than you.

We continued up the side of Loch Linnhe and into Fort William.  Stopped off at a cycle shop (as you do) for some supplies and noticed a steam train just leaving.  We waited and got the whole thing on film as it built up momentum out of the station – just awesome!

The route then took us to the bottom of Loch Ness, famous of course for the Loch Ness Monster.  In my view one of the best marketing exercises I know of…here’s how (one) story goes. 

Billy Smart’s circus was very famous in the 50s and has now grown into an international business.  But in the 50s the circus business was largely about trained unusual animals, elephants, tigers etc.  Well some photographs got taken while Billy was bathing his elephants in the Loch, which he often did when the circus was in town.  People said they looked like a monster, (indeed I think they look like the trunk of an elephant bathing, but hey ho) and being a shrewd businessman, he heard this and offered a $1m award for anyone who could capture this ‘monster’ so he could tame it and put it in his circus.  A massive amount of money at the time and obviously a safe bet – the legend was born… sorry if I have shattered any dreams, as I said at the beginning, this is just a story.

After lunch it was the hill, 1500 feet up in 5 miles, an average of one in ten, but some sections one in four with some down bits which we didn’t enjoy, because we knew they would immediately have to be made up!  It was easy.  Team Marshall is in its stride, not done at race pace, but done with shouts at the top, ‘was that it, is that all you’ve got!’  We are both really feeling very fit, powerful and to be frank all conquering…we can take on anything Scotland has to offer.  Stefan raced up in 33 minutes, record time is 24 minutes, so disappointing Stefan, especially on your birthday!

We arrived in Inverness at around 5pm, a fair day’s work, but could have done more.  83 miles, we’ve never cycled that in a day before, another first.  Also 4190 feet up hills.  Met up briefly with Stefan, Leizel, daughter and Stefan’s parents who had come up to share his birthday with him.  Washed, changed and team boss ‘fancied an Indian’, (which I took to mean in the culinary sense) so we found one and consumed the said spicy stuff whilst replying to best wishes text messages.

Only two more days to go and then we will have to find something else to occupy our lives….

PS Vera behaved today and dutifully pointed out interesting Lidl and Morrison stores on the way and has now taken to pointing out McDonalds as well.  Not much purple line left though…

 Michaela with Anne (fello rider) at Glencoe

 Sunset at Glencoe - just wonderful

 The view from our window in Glencoe

 The off...before the A82

 The steam train out of Fort William

 Neptune's Staircase, a series of locks to navigate across Scotland

 The morning 'brew' stop

 Vera, usefully instructing us to 'Go North' - useful!

 After the big climb, 'isn't there any more?'

 The birthday boy and family in Inverness - just look at those "Chris Hoy' thighs!

the day...

Day 12 - Thursday 22nd August - Glencoe to Inverness by Bike27 at Garmin Connect - Details

Day 11 - Ballach to Glencoe - Wednesday 21st

Day 11  - Wednesday 21^st August – Ballach to Glencoe

Today was described as hard, but turned out to be the most enjoyable day of the tour so far.  In fact it felt easy.

We started out along westerly shore of Loch Lomond and were soon joined by Veronica and Lawrie, who pedaled with us for about 10 miles before they had to turn back and head home.  The scenery was nothing short of stunning, although as we were to find out we hadn’t seen anything yet!

Vira (the sat nav) was behaving herself today, although seeing as we only had to stay on one road (the A82) for 69 miles, she had a pretty easy day.  As she had little to do all day, I risked navigating her pages to look at some data.  The distance we have travelled so far, including today’s trip, 849 miles, calarories burnt (each), 45,000, feet climbed 32,000 feet, mileage to go 201.  Time spent pedaling, ie in the saddle a bum aching 90 hours!

As we pedaled on, the scenery just got better and better.  Rannoch Moor is stunning and Glencoe awe inspiring.  Today for the first time we tried a bit of music whilst cycling along and given the scenery and the music we didn’t notice the (quiet considerable) hills that we were climbing – a state of flow was experienced by Team Marshall, as we felt very insignificant amongst absolutely stunning countryside, steeped in history and battles that held to shape Scotland as it is now.

We frequently stopped, took loads of photos and film, although none of then will capture the splendor of this place. Truly magical and almost dare I say it worth the pedal up from Land’s End on its own!

Several of the group had punctures today, the record being held by Emily, who managed 5 today.  We met up again with other cyclists who were doing the same thing and swapped stories, mainly it has to be said about saddles…I must remember to invent a comfortable saddle, could make a fortune!

Dinner was in the Glencoe Inn, which started off quite quietly as I think most people were feeling like us.  This is a magical place and really gets you to reflect on your own humanity and in some ways (in) significance.  With this environment, especially the mountains shaped by massive forces of nature over many millenniums, there is a timeless feel that somehow makes you feel reflective as well as sanguine.  As we watched the many cars speeding through this magical world, we felt sorry for them because like most things in life, to really appreciate and learn from something you really have to be with it, rushing through in your own air-conditioned environment just won’t do it.

So we’re now in the Highlands, not just Scotland but the Highlands, and I am sure there are more experiences to come.  However, only three more days to go and it’ll all be over.  Then what?  How will we fill our days?  Life has been so all consuming and frankly hard, that in some ways it has been easy.  You get up, start cycling, stop at the ‘brew’ van, stop at the lunch halt, stop at the next ‘brew’ van and continue until Vera says ‘you are at the end point’, dinner bed and repeat the next day – no decisions, no hassles it’s all taken care for you.  Simple.  However there are a few things that we miss from the ‘outside’ world and I am sure we will soon adjust….

Anyway tomorrow there is a BIG climb in the afternoon, the toughest day of the tour so far, so wish us luck!

PS It’s Stefan’s birthday tomorrow so to celebrate (and help him up the climbs tomorrow) we bought him a couple of nice whiskies tonight, are they strong he said ‘no not really’ I replied, hopefully this might slow him down tomorrow!

  

Lawrie and Veronica joins us at Loch Lomand

 The team (at least for the next 10 miles) - really appreciate the support Veronica and Lawrie!

 Craig demonstrates how to change a tyre without getting dirty - not

 The journey so far

 Michaela celebrating after conquering Glencoe!

click on the below link to see our route...


Day 11 - Ballach to Glencoe by Bike27 at Garmin Connect - Details

Day 10 - Moffat to Ballach

Day 10 – yes we’ve made it to day 10! – Moffat to Ballach

Today we both woke up feeling great.  We’ve made it to Scotland!  Just look at the distance we have covered, we’re still amazed with how far we, the unathletic ones have come,  still cant believe it.

After the 8.30 am briefing, we setout on the longest day so far some 80 miles, a day described as ‘hard’ that would take us right through the centre of Glasgow.  But first the morning was characterised by three things.  Firstly wind farms, there were many of them in the rural location we found ourselves in as we did the big hill out of Moffat, bumpy roads and pot holes, and road kill.  So let me have a rant.  Scottish roads are terrible, the road surface itself is not smooth at all (use more bitumen in your tarmac) and some of the potholes you could turn into swimming pools!  Then the repairs.  Sometimes the repairs make the surface worse.  I can see why most people seem to have 4 X4s up here, after all driving on the roads is like driving off-road!  The group got 3 or 4 punctures during the morning.  Scotland get it sorted!

The road kill is prolific, again time to wonder, is this because there are more animals in Scotland? - probably  Is it because the animals are not very good up here at crossing the roads?  - not sure.  Is it because Scottish drivers are drving along having to avoid all the potholes and hence hit more fury animals? – I would guess so .

The morning was pretty uneventful and Michaela and I were feeling better than we had at any time during the last 10 days.  I think finally we are fit enough to start!  So feeling confident I made a call to Melanie, Elle and Dan (our 12 year old) whilst moving along the road (hands free of course!).  Dan was very impressed with how far north we were, and again said that he wanted to do the trip.  I promised him in a couple of years I’d do it with him – I must be mad…

At lunch we saw Stefan briefly as he left with his little team of  ‘athletes’ - he did pause momentarily to say hello. And comment how easy it had been for him.  Now flat tyres in the morning is obviously not slowing him down enough, and in addition each evening I have been trying to buy him an extra drink, ‘one for the road Stefan?’ but even this isn’t working.  So Liezel (Stefan’s wife), if you are reading I need your help.  This situation calls for serious action now.  Could you call him, around mid morning tomorrow, with some fictitious domestic crisis, say ‘there’s water pouring through the ceiling!’, and keep him on the phone for around 45 mins?  Then maybe the same in the afternoon, say ‘the electric power’s gone off and I don’t know where the fuse box is,!’ – again keep him  talking and that should give team Marshall a bit of time to catch up.

During the conversation on the road (apart from how bad the road was) I found out that Jonathon, is and HSE inspector, inspecting any type of lifting equipment around the UK.  During the conversation he told stories of how he continued to be amazed at how people continue to take unnecessary risks and wondered why they did that – well as you can imagine this opened up an interesting conversation….

At the centre of Glasgow Michaela’s cousin (another Simon) or should I say Dr Simon, as he is researching at Glasgow University, met us and cycled through the centre of the town before heading back.  He pointed out some interesting buildings that have been constructed in Glasgow as it prepares to host the Commonwealth Games shortly.  He peeled off heading home and we continued to head north.

As we headed out of Glasgow via its excellent cycle ways that follow the Clyde river, we came across three gregarious Glaswegian women who were struggling to get one of their bikes moving.  They were shouting ‘ we need a man!’ (to repair a puncture).  We came to their rescue, got the bike sorted and they asked where we’d come from.  We told them and they were suitably impressed – ‘We’re just away down the pub and it’s just round the corner!’  They asked us if we were doing it for charity, we told them about The Hunger Project and they offered us a contribution.  Another three people enrolled.

As we came into Ballach after cycling 80 miles, we both commented that had been in fact easy and fun, really enjoyable. 

For dinner we met up with Lawrie and Veronica Parrett, who live about 10 miles away.  I m very pleased to report they are both in very good shape, loving life and working hard on developing their new house in Scotland.  It turns out that Veronica has always wanted to do LEJOG on bike and so there were many questions about how it’s been and which is the best bike etc.  And you’ve heard it here first, they are both going to do it next year!

Looking forward to the next few days, two days of cycling to Inverness, then two days to the top of Scotland, and then we’ll have to stop.  What I wonder will we do to fill our days then?

Is this the first Scottish thistle (national emblem)

 Craig and Dave - two other guys doing the same thing, we met along the way - we spotted them in Devon

 Third puncture of the day...

 Dr Simon....

 Fixing the ladies bike - well Graham was...

 The journey so far...

 Lawrie and Veronica at dinner - they will also be riding with us tomorrow

Day 10 - Moffat to Ballach by Bike27 at Garmin Connect - Details