Has Summer Arrived???

        Well, well, whatever happened to our weather, blue skies and 16 degrees, pity about the 16mph wind. The sun made me think of Aberfoyle, so that's where I headed, it is an easier ride home that it is on the outward journey, more long incline drags, as you gain height to about Ward Toll, then you get some nice runs down towards Aberfoyle. So naturally that 16mph wind was in my face on the run out, but gave me a wee push back home on the easier stretch. Still a wonderful afternoon. The sun brought out all manner of cyclists in all shapes and sizes of bikes, but the Lycra clad brigade in their light weight bikes, out numbered the rest. I now accept that they will pass me at regular intervals, usually with a "Hi" as they with their young legs and lungs zip along the road.
       Last year after a run that was meant to end in Aberfolye, but was foiled, I posted about the pipes that run from Loch Katrine to supply Glasgow with its fresh water, and how the road at Ballot Toll  was closed, as where the pipes cross the road at that point, there seemed to be problem, as it was all supported by steel columns across the road. Well it seems that it is still a problem, though the road is open in a controlled single line traffic arrangement, with height restrictions on vehicles, the pipes still look in a precarious condition. Perhaps the fresh water supply to a major city is not a priority.

        Liz MacGregor's is a pleasant watering hole when visiting Aberfoyle. Good soup, nice cakes and not expensive.

        The might River Forth that ends up entering the North Sea on the east coast at Edinburgh, starts its life in these parts. Here it is, just a little river, as it winds its way through Aberfolye. 

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Warm And Windy Scotland.

      It has been a good week on the bike, Wednesday, reported as the warmest day of the month so far, saw me round what is more or less my home stomping ground, the Campsie area. Warm but cloudy, still great cycling weather. 

View from Clachan of Campsie tearoom. Ooops, forgot to place the bike.

         Saturday it was up the Aberfoyle road and pulling into Ward Toll tearoom, they always do a nice plate of soup. From the windows you can look in one direction towards Aberfoyle, in the other direction you see the hills behind which nestles the town of Callander. 

View from Ward Toll tearoom, Callander sits behind the hills in the distance.

        Not so many years ago Callander was my favourite Sunday run. Going out via Lennoxtown, the Crow Road, Fintry, Kippin, Thornhill and on to Pipps Tearoom in Callander. Heading home by a different route, over the Braes of Greenock, past the Lake of Monteith, south down the Aberfoyle road past Ballott Toll, up the Blane Valley, turn at the Kirkhouse Inn and head for Lennoxtown and home to Springburn. Some of the most beautiful countryside in the land.
       Sunday it was up the Loch, (Loch Lomond). In a previous post I stated that when up the Loch I always seem to stop at Tarbet and take a photo, but promised I would perhaps stop at Inverbeg or Luss, for that wee photo. Well I did, it was Inverbeg. The photo doesn't do the view justice. It was very windy on Sunday, around 20mph. This was great on the way up the Loch, but I had to work hard on the way back. Still a magic weekend.

 Looking across the Loch from Inverbeg Hotel.

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Aberfoyle Old And New.

       Wednesday 24th. was a glorious day, lots of blue sky, beaming sunshine and a light wind, a cyclist's dream world, so I headed for Aberfoyle. The little town of Aberfoyle in the Trossachs area is a lovely little spot. It has been the haunt of walkers and cyclists from away back and still is, though there has been a lot of changes. As a young apprentice in the shipyards one of my interests was hill walking and the bus from Dundas Street Glasgow to Aberfoyle was a weekend regular. At the Weekend I think it was walkers and climbers that made up 100% of bus company's customers.

The main street Aberfoyle, with Ben Lomond in the distance. 

      It was a ritual, you all poured off the bus at Aberfoyle square, a small square in the centre of the town. The ragtag bunch that hit the town soon head of in usually two directions, some would take the road to the right and head over The Duke's Pass to Lendrick Youth Hostel or to their favourite camping or dossing spot. Others would head along the shores of Loch Ard to the Loch Ard Youth Hostel or likewise their particular camping spot or doss. Our spot if the weather was good would be to follow the Ledard Burn up the hill, where there were plenty of good camping spots at the side of the burn with the clear water of the burn gurgle down to the loch. Lots of those walkers/campers/climbers arrived with a guitar slung over their shoulder and for the crowd that made Loch Ard area their base, it would almost be obligatory at night to head to the Alskeith Hotel on the shore of the loch, where there would chatting sing and general mayhem until the hotel decided it was time to throw us out, then the little groups dispersed in the darkness to their hostel tent or doss.

 Outside The Forth Hotel, Aberfoyle.

      In those days the last bus out of Aberfoyle on Sunday night was something that you will never see again. All the now dirty, sweaty hoard, would pile into the bus, and if it was a wet night the windows would soon be steamed up. People would be taking of socks and bits and pieces, wringing them out and drying their feet etc. It was not that unusual for someone sit in the floor of the passage way in the bus, light a Primus stove and start to do some sausages or what ever was left over and share around. Guitars would be strumming and songs would be ringing out. All this as the bus wound its way in the darkness through those winding twisting roads back to Dundas Street Glasgow. Once there it would disgorge it human cargo who would then thin out as the made the last bit of their journey on a corporation bus or tram, usually to one of Glasgow's many slums or some housing scheme.

      Still popular with walkers/cyclists etc., Aberfoyle has changed, now a popular tourist attraction with special parking places for tour buses, but is still very much recognisable, however, the main difference is that now the main means of travel to the town is by car or tour bus, they are everywhere.

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The Bumpy Road To Aberfolye.

 

        Still the sun shines, and our dour Scottish personality is already saying, "Aye, we'll pay for this", but grab it while we can. Another glorious day temperature in the 20's and a light wind, magic. After last weeks nasty experience on the Loch road, I decided to go for the Trossachs and settled for Aberfoyle. It has been a few years since I took the bike to this lovely spot. It was a very pleasant run though not much in the way of flat roads. However, again the road surface raises its ugly head. After you go round the round-about at the Rob Roy Inn, the road is a disgrace, as the main road into Aberfoyle, it is broken, potholed, rough  and a danger to cyclists. You have to suffer about half to three quarters of a mile if unrelenting bangs and bumps, on a narrow busy road. I don't know if it is a fact that many motorists are unaware of what goes on under their car while driving over these road surfaces, and they just accept it, but it is costing them money on damaged shock absorbers and tyres. Perhaps if they wake up to that fact they may complain more and get something done about the problem. Of course you face the same road on the way out of Aberfoyle. Never the less, a beautiful day out.

About four years since I visited this lovely spot on the bike.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk