Land’s End to John O’Groat’s. 3rd 1/4

Day 11. Dent to Kirkoswald. – (48 miles) – Climb 3,400 ft.

This day had all the makings of a disaster. When we woke up rain and wind were beating against our window. We decided to take off at about 9:30 am and almost immediately Mike broke his chain. It cost us about an hour before we finally left the lodge. At that time it was still raining. We fought the rain through the morning but it let up. Due to the weather the guides changed the route to a more direct, less challenging route which was much appreciated.

The weather cleared and it turned into a very good riding day except for some strong headwinds. After our lunch at about 30 miles there were no major climbs. The only problem was that I developed a flat tire about 8 miles from our destination. We were able to fix it and got in at about 5:30 pm.

It actually turned into a pretty good riding day. The scenery is beautiful. I am amazed by the stone fences that extend for thousands of yards up hills and through pastures.

We ate dinner a a pub tonight. There was one young lady that was running the place. She was blonde, statuesque and voluptuous. You would have thought she was the owner of the place based on how focused she was on managing things. She said she is a student learning to be a chef. She said that Wednesday is usually a slow night so she had very little help. She managed to do everything. She took the food orders, served the meals, tended the bar, cleared the dishes and took care of the bills. It was amazing! Rarely do you see on person operating so efficiently. We all commented on it. It was nice to see someone with such competence. She is bound to be a success.

Tomorrow we enter Scotland. We are making progress!

Day 12, – Kirkoswald to Moffat – (59 miles), – Climb 3,210 ft.

More miles, more smiles!

Today was the longest segment of the trip in miles but it wasn’t the most challenging. Today we didn’t get rained on. The first 20 miles had hills but nothing too dramatic. We made good time and felt strong. The last 40 miles leveled out but there was a strong headwind fighting us the whole way. A headwind over many miles can really sap your strength. Also, for most of the way we were doing a gradual climb. Nothing severe but the combination of the headwind and the slight climb didn’t provided much rest.

We entered Scotland today. The scenery is awesome. Since tomorrow is our one rest day, we are unwinding at a very nice B&B. We need the rest day.Tonight we had dinner at a small pub/hotel in Moffat. While not gourmet food, it was excellent. Marie had vegetable lasagna and I had chili con carne with rice and chips (fries). It was very, very tasty and I don’t think it was just our hunger.

We are having a good time and tomorrow we relax. Life is good!

Special note: Today is my first day ever in Scotland. Apparently, the Pope heard about my visit and decided to show up on the same day. What a guy!

It was a much needed and relaxing rest day. In the itinerary of the trip Moffatt was described as a “spa” town. We brought bathing suits and expected to schedule massages for our overworked muscles. It turns out the Moffatt was a spa town but the hotel where the spa was located burned down many years ago. People still come to Moffatt because it is a place to stop when visiting Scotland. It is a charming town but there is not much to do there. No spa, no massages. Except for a walk through town to get lunch we mostly hung out at our very nice B&B to recuperate.

My rest day mini-rant: We really like the United Kingdom and enjoy people and the touring. However, the Brits do a few things that seem crazy. My primary annoyance is the wash basins with separate hot and cold water spigots. When you wash your hands a single spigot that mixes the water so you can maintain a good temperature only makes sense. We constantly see modern bathrooms with the two spigots. In some public bathrooms there is a sign over the hot water spigot to warn you that the water is very hot. The bathtubs have a single mixing spigot. What’s the deal?

The other thing is that the placement of the faucets is not consistent. Sometimes the hot will be on the right side and the cold will be on the left side. This is particularly troublesome when you do find a mixed faucet with a lever handle.

Remind me to never hire a plumber from the UK.

Day 14 – Moffatt to Strathaven – (43 miles) – Climb 2,300 ft.

Easy does it!

Today seemed to be far the easiest day of the trip. There was a long gradual climb out of Moffatt, another gradual climb later but then things leveled out and made for a fairly smooth ride. A good portion of the ride was on a bike path that followed the highway. There was some rough road but it was tolerable. For most of the way the wind was either at our back or a mild crosswind. The last 10 mile had a moderate headwind but nothing too punishing. We did take a alternate, shorter route that cut about 10 miles from what the route could have been. It good to have an easy day after a rest day to get you back into the routine without killing yourself.

The weather was mostly excellent except for a light misty rain that lasted less than a 1/2 hour. It was nice to get to the hotel fairly early and not feel exhausted.

Tomorrow we go through Glasgow.

Day 15 – Strathaven to to Luss – (53 miles) – Climb 1650 ft.

A long, wet day.

We set out from Strathaven and did a moderate climb and descent for about 13 miles. The weather was very changeable. There was misty rain mixed with clear weather and mostly wet pavement. Then we entered a cycle path that we followed for about 40 miles. It took us through Glasgow, mostly following the Clyde River. We did not go through the city center. We saw a lot of industrial areas. Cycle paths are good in that they are usually flat but they can be a bit challenging due to walkers and bikes coming from the other direction. Also, due to twists and turns, narrow paths and crossings, the progress can be much slower than expected.

Glasgow is a bigger city than you might think. Most of the Scottish population is in Glasgow and Edinborough. There is a lot of new construction. However, it looks a bit “rougher” than the British cities but that is just my observation.

While on the bike path the weather began to turn against us. We rode through light to moderate rain most of the way. We didn’t get to the inn until about 6:00 pm although we were at 20.5 miles before noon. The afternoon included a lunch stop, a coffee stop and a flat tire of one of the riders but still the progress was slow. The riding itself was not challenging except for the rain. Wind was not really a factor.

Luss is near the Loch Lomond which is a beautiful lake surrounded by hills. It is nice to be inside and warmed up. The air has been quite chilly the last few day which definitely gives one the sense that fall is about to arrive.

One of the more interesting bridges in Glasgow. Note how the arc goes from one side of the road to the other.

Day 16 – Luss to Bridge of Awe – (56 miles) – Climb 3,020 ft.

A nice ride, with glitches.

The ride today was long but it was quite enjoyable. There were a couple of significant climbs but they were long and not too steep. After we descended we were almost at sea level and rode on fairly flat roads through Inverness to get to our B&B.

The weather was quite good except for a few rain showers in the morning. The temperature is cool but that is quite good for cycling.

The glitches were that Mike had a horrible day mechanically. About 6.5 miles after we left our B&B he hit a curb and blew our a tire and tube. We had to wait for the support van to supply a new tire. Later, on one of the climbs a cable came loose so that he couldn’t shift. We made a roadside repair. Then, his rear gears were failing to engage with the hub. That is something that cannot be torn apart and fixed on the road so he will have to spend a good portion of tomorrow in the van going to a bike shop for a repair. We suspect that dirt and grime has gotten into the hub and caused the malfunction. We have done a lot of work to keep the bikes clean but you can’t get at all of it.

This trip has been hell on the bikes. If something isn’t tight it comes loose. If something is loose, it falls off. Today I was riding along a straight stretch of rough road and my rear emergency light fell off.

Mike is about 7 feet tall, big and strong. That put a lot of stress on the bike. We’ve pushed these machines harder than they were probably intended and the conditions are demanding. Anything that isn’t exactly right or is a little bit worn is prone to failure. Let’s hope they can survive with no serious problems for the next few days. Then we can get them back home, thoroughly cleaned and back to almost new.

The castle at Inverness.