It's A Hilly Country.

         Like I said, I'm a fair weather cyclist now, with all my bits and pieces needing an overhaul, I only come out when the sun shines. The last week was a bit wet and windy, so it was a little over a week since I had been out on the dream machine, but today was beautiful, so off I went. This time it was up round Killearn and Fintry and had the obligatory plate of soup in the "Town and Country Coffee Shop" they don't seem to have cafés in Killearn. While there a young team arrived, they had cycled from the south-side of Glasgow, over the Crow Road, for the uninitiated, that's the road that takes you over the Campsie Hills,  real name, Campsie Fells, not an easy climb. Their way home would see them climb out of the Blane Valley, I'll repeat, not an easy climb.

         Around that area there are quite a few climbs that test you. The other side of Fintry there is the Tak Ma Doon which climbs from Carron Water, and drops you down in Kilsyth, it used to be used for the Scottish hill climbing championships. Then the B road know to cyclists as, The Tap o' Th' World. This beast start at Arn Prior and winds and twists its way up for about three miles, at the top you have the option of turning left, and continuing your climb up through Kippin and Thornhill, or turn right, and get a magnificent three mile descent  down into Fintry. Of course let's not forget The Whistlefield, you meet this fellow when you are cycling from Drymen back through to the West of Glasgow. The first time I climbed this one, many years ago, on reaching the top of the climb, I swear I saw St. Peter, standing at the side of the road ready to welcome those who fell by the wayside.  

      So, today, two photos for the price of one, both taken outside the said coffee shop in Killearn.

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This Sunny Scotland!!!

       Well my optimism was well founded, the sun came back. Saturday, another lovely day, plenty of sunshine heading my way. Not only that, but the wind dropped, the first time in over a week, a mere 6mph, a bit cooler, around 13 degrees, isn't life wonderful. So it was off around the familiar territory of the Campsie Hills, well why not? It is a beautiful area, and has lots of twisting turning roads with not a flat one in sight. Pot-holed roads, heavy traffic, but never the less, a magic afternoon. My optimism prevails, it is going to be a fantastic summer, just you wait and see. 

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It Was No Dream.

 

         Up early this morning, sitting at the computer, looking out the window, yes, this is Scottish weather. It is all very grey, the grass is wet and I'm thinking of a heavy woollen top, though, the eternal optimist, it will clear up again soon, and the sun will return. Or, were all those wonderful bike runs of the last ten days, in glorious sunshine at 18/20 degrees, all a dream? Was it all wishful thinking and the product of an over active imagination? A glance at my arms, traces of sunburn, then there are the photos, so, yes it really did happen. Yesterday's magnificent sun, a total contrast from today, saw me around the Campsie Hills area, AGAIN, the countryside looked gorgeous, the array of colours, the changing contours, the glowing sun, a paradise. Of course nothing is perfect, the wind was 20mph exacerbated by occasional sudden gusts, so I had to work very hard on stretches of the road, but so what, I was out on the bike in a half-sleeve top, in glorious sunshine, ain't life wonderful.

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Great Ride, Pity About The Roads.

 

         Let's hope that this most unusual Scottish weather continues. Another lovely run out on the dream machine, again the wind was not playing ball with us cyclists, approximately 20mph, not a nice companion when pushing up a hill. Another shocker, tearoom at Campsie shut again. So I just sat in the sun for a few minutes contemplating the dire effects of not having the obligatory plate of lentil soup. Obviously none, as I just got back on the bike and cycled home. 

        However, I think it is time that we cyclist and you motorist got together and took the various councils to task on the state of our roads. Surely the councils have a duty to keep the roads "fit for purpose". I know that motorists don't always feel the bumps in the roads the way a cyclist does, but the damage to the suspension system and wheels of cars must be an ever increasing cost. To the cyclist it is a bit more than an uncomfortable ride, and a bit more than damage to wheels etc, it is a matter of life and death. While cycling on our roads it is hard to believe that we live in the 5th. richest country in the world. The cyclist has to manoeuvre and zig-zag through an array of potholes, cracked tarmac, rough troughs, sunken drain covers, tarmac patches that are raised abruptly above the level of the road, and general crap rough surfaces, all the while being very much aware of fast flowing traffic that flies past you with very little space between you and the vehicle. All this while councils and government bodies are spouting that more people should take to cycling.

 

        I consider it criminal neglect on behalf of the councils to allow our road system to fall into such a state of disrepair. In doing so they are risking the lives of cyclists and other road users. Somehow, we must be able to hold them to account. Any ideas? 

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I Saw The Sun!!!!

       Our weather has seen fit to take pity on us sun starved Scots. The last few days have been wonderful, and it looks set to continue for the next week. So Sunday saw me out on by usual territory, around the Campsie Hills area, I cam always get a good plate of lentil soup there.

      It was hot, but yet again, the wind stayed with us, it was an easterly wind and quite strong, but still a great day.

       I believe that Scotland's countryside is so beautiful that it doesn't matter where you point your camera, it's always a pretty picture.

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Tropical Scotland.

       What a beautiful day, Thursday, 5th. of April, 13 degrees, by Scottish standards that is practically tropical. Another run round familiar territory, the Campsie area. The one draw back was the 17/18 MPH wind, great as it got behind you, as you whizz along thinking that your really good on the bike, but hell when you come down to earth and find yourself grinding uphill with the full blast in your face. Never the less, a great afternoon out, feeling good, it has been a wee while since I have managed to grind the pedals along the road. Let's hope this is the start of something good.

 Outside Her Majesty's Lowmoss repression centre

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Oh What A Beutiful Day---

        Sunday, another glorious day, but still COOOLD. Out round Gartmore, beautiful sunshine, not much of a wind, it just needs to move up a few more degrees to enter that zone of super magic. I have never seen so many cyclists on the road before. There were individuals, groups of two to six or seven, bunches of a dozen or more and one pack of around twenty. You didn't have to cover much ground to see another couple grinding their way around. All ages, young and some grey-bearded, fantastic to see. In the first photo, if you look carefully, you can just see the top of Ben Lomond peeking above the horizon, with some snow still visible on its slopes.It looked better in reality than it does in the photo.

Just visible, Ben Lomond, in the centre of the horizon.

Just outside Gartmore.

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Summer Creeps Closer.

       Another wee run out on the dream machine on Thursday afternoon, still tooooo cold for me, but lovely afternoon. Though I did misjudge the weather, I left a bit early and it was overcast, and by the time I was heading home, the sun had come out and it looked great, but still cold. The end of the month and the clock gives us an extra hour of light, hopefully an extra few degrees in temperature.

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Giving Myself A Workout.

     Headed out on the bike today, but it is getting too cold for my bronchial tubes. One of the many labels from the medical dictionary that have been pinned on me is CRAD, (chronic restrictive airways disease), the result being that as the temperature goes down so does the efficiency of my lungs. Hence the fair weather cyclist, I usually put the bike away when the clock is moved back. So this might be the last run of the season.

       Today as I started to cycle, I found it rather hard and couldn't get any pace at all, not that I have much of pace now-a-days, but it was a bit worrying. However I just gritted my teeth, swore under my breath, and continued to grind the peddles. As I was cycling past Kirkintilloch, a car drew along side and the passenger said, that something had fallen of the bike. I immediately stopped, and the car stopped in front of me. The woman driver got out and come up to me and informed me again that something had fallen from the bike, just back along the road a bit. At that I noticed that my wee bag at the back was open and empty, I thanked her and went to get what had dropped, but she said she would get it, and made off like a gazelle, and retrieved one inside tube. At that I noticed that my other tube, (I carry two just in case) it was wrapped round my back brake and jammed between the brake blocks and the wheel rim. So in fact I had been cycling more or less with the back brake on, it must have been the first to drop off just as I started the run, but got tangled round the brake, I definitely don't recommend this a a cycling method, perhaps good if you really want a workout and to ruin an inside tube. The rest of the run was much easier, with a little bit more pace. 

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The Exploited And The Exploiter.

      Another fine day, what a country, what a climate, I know, I know, but we really don't have to take into consideration, March, April, May, June, July or August. After all if that babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, can leave out great big junks of necessary information, why can't I?

       The photo below, raised the question in my head, "why did I grow up with six of us, in a room and kitchen in Garngad, one of Glasgow's many stinking slums, with no hot water, and a shared outside toilet, while others lived in houses like the one in the photo, surrounded with trees?" Was it because my father didn't work hard enough? Well it certainly wasn't that. My father was a coal miner all his life, with all the obligatory injuries that go with the job. The only time he wasn't at work was during the miners strike after the first world war. During those lean years he would turn up at the boxing booths on Glasgow Green to go three rounds with their man, to earn bit extra cash to feed his family. He eventually retired with a strained heart and pneumoniconiosis. So what was it that made our houses so different? The answer is simple, I was born into a capitalist system of exploitation as one of the exploited and not one of the exploiters.

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When Autumn Leaves Start To Fall.

 

     September and October have been very kind to us, long may it last. Another wee run out on the bike, round Militon of Campsie area. A beautiful day, and the benefit of virtually no wind, glory be, I love it when that Scottish cauld blast disappears for a while. Though in the photos I think the leaves were actually last year's, they looked rather dirty and wrinkled, anything for effect.

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A'Kin Feel Th'Cauld Blast.

      A bit late with this one. I was out on the bike on Thursday, but computer problems held up this wee post. It is most certainly getting to the end of my cycling season, a'kin feel th'cauld blast goan doon ma tubes, but still enjoying it when I can grab a day. Everywhere you look, the colours are now changing to that mosaic of reds, rusts, golds and yellows, but it is still a very green and pleasant land.

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Scotland's Beauty.

      Scotland's beauty is the wonderful mosaic of cities, towns, small towns, villages and varied countryside, all compacted into a small country. Another dry day, another run out on the bike. It is now getting a bit cold for my old damaged bronchial tubes, so it is getting near the end of the cycling season for this fair weather cyclist. I usually put the bike away when we shift the clock back, then hibernate and wait for the seasons to turn. However, I'll grab each day I can.

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A cool day, on a cool bike.

How can you not be captivated by the Loch?

       Looking at September, I think some how, some where, somebody, has got our season mixed up. March to August is our cold wet and windy Autumn, followed some how by our September summer, then we can expect our October to March to be our lousy cold, windy, winter. Spring is some kind of illusion.

        In saying that, today I had another nice day up the Loch, you know the one. When I left the north end of Glasgow, it was warm with lots of sunny intervals and little cloud. The loch side was cool, and rather cloudy, not the sun caressing my ageing body with warmth, that I had hoped for, never the less, a great day.

 The plate of soup is just round the next bend.

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