Cycle trip to Arran

Today's challenge would be a day spent cycling around the Northern half of the Isle of Arran and the willing participants were myself, Ryan, Ann, Kath and Jim. The Isle of Arran lies of the West coast of Scotland and from my house is a thirty minute train journey to Ardrossan and an hour on the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Brodick on the Islands East coast.

For more information on how to travel to Arran go to http://www.calmac.co.uk/islands.html.co.uk

Map of Arran

The day got off to a bad start when I woke up at 8.10, thirty minutes after I had set my alarm, so I jumped out of bed and raised Ryan from his coma and we washed and dressed as quickly as possible. We left the house at 8.45 and cycled the short distance to Miliken Park train station and got there seconds before the train arrived. Phew, that's today's hiccup out of the road, nothing else would go wrong, thought I. Little did I know....

As we boarded the train with our bikes, I spotted Ann at the back of the train and Kath at the front. No Jim or Wendy though, then I realised that they must be putting the bike on the bike rack of the car and going directly to Ardrossan and Kath called me a few seconds later to confirm this.

We purchased our tickets and relaxed on the short journey before the rigours of the day ahead and at 9.20 we arrived at Ardrossan Harbour station. As Ryan and I disembarked, Kath came to join us and we turned to see Ann approaching with an evil grin on her face (nothing new there!). She broke the news that Jim was back in Neilston getting his spare bike as the one that he been transporting on the bike rack had fallen off while he was driving and was a right-off!

He had phoned Ann and said that he would try to make it there in time for the ferry departure at 9.45 and knowing Jim Arthur's driving, this was a distinct possibility. So we had no choice but to sit tight and hope that he could make the deadline.


Ann & Ryan, waiting to board the ferry

Ann went to buy the tickets to take our bikes over on the ferry and while she was away I sent Jim a text asking if he was going to make it. The reply came back a couple of minutes later, "only if the ferry is running late!".

At 9.40 we decided that we had better board the ferry as it was almost time for departure and Kath, Ryan and I cycled to the bow of the ferry to load our bikes. The rather sombre ticket man asked me for my tickets and I handed him the ticket for our bikes. "Where's your ticket" he snapped. "I thought I paid you!" I exclaimed having forgotten I was on a ferry, not a train. "Well, you can't get on" he replied, "What?, Are you joking?" I exclaimed, my voice rising several Octaves. I had that sinking feeling which is never a good thing when going on a boat!

The man shook his head, obviously thinking I was a complete idiot (no argument from me) and said that since the wee fella was there he would let me on, but don't let it happen again. I thanked him and climbed onto my bike after removing the tail from between my legs!

We looked up to see where Ann was, only to see her abandoning her bike on the quay and running to the ticket office to purchase a ticket for Jim. Despite us shouting on her, she disappeared and we had no choice but to get into the ferry. We cycled down the ramp and as we turned round the huge door began to close. Kath and I turned to each other in disbelief. Now Ann had missed the ferry too. Things were not going to plan at all, but there was nothing we could do.

We secured the bikes and the three of us climbed the stairs to the main deck. All we could do was look over the side of the boat and wave goodbye to Ann. Just then, we looked over to the gang plank only to see Ann scuttling up with her bike. The staff had stopped letting people on the ferry as it was full but had asked if anyone was on their own and Ann lied through her teeth and was let onboard.

We went to the side of the boat and Ann's phone rang. It was Jim just arriving on the dock with the replacement bike, but by then it was too late. Ann tried to talk him into getting the next ferry over and joining us, but he was too pissed off by then and I can't say that I blame him. Jim returned to his car and as the ferry pulled away from the quay, we watched as he drove away into the distance.

The ferry was absolutely packed and the reason for this became clear as we overheard someone say that there was a round Arran road race. For a minute we assumed it was a race on bikes, but fortunately it was a bunch of nutters jogging round the Island. Rather them than me!

By 10.30 we had arrived in Brodick without any more catastrophies. We let the crowds disperse and had a toilet stop before setting off on our expedition. Ryan was champing at the bit to get going and I wondered if he was going to be as keen in forty miles time. I had a feeling that he wouldn't be! Ann suggested buying my return ticket just now to avoid the crowds later on, and after the debacle on the way over, I agreed.

As we set off Kath informed me that Arran is known as "Scotland in minature" and it is clear to see why, as you could have easily have been in the Trossachs as the scenery was reminescent of Loch Lomond with Goat Fell dominating the landscape for miles around, hills, valleys and small villages. It is a beautiful place.

Ann cycling for "Team Ferrari"

Ann set the pace and was obviously a Woman on a mission as she set off like a woman possessed and I had the feeling that she was feeling a bit maternal as so many things had gone wrong this morning, I think she wanted to get us back in plenty of time to catch the ferry home.

We travelled up the A840, past Corrie and Sannox which had a pony treking club and just beyond that there was a a group emerging from a van fully dressed for a good day's hillwalking. The explorers were part of a team from the Arran Adventure Company, details of which can be found at

http://www.arranadventure.com/ Suffice to say that there is plenty to see and do when you visit Arran.

We carried on cycling up a lot of steep hills, stopping every so often to catch our breath, but eventually we arrived in Lochranza and decided to stop for lunch. We found the perfect spot, right beside Lochranza Castle and settled down to eat. I had packed ham & cheese rolls, bananas and cherry tomatoes, Ann had her sandwiches, however, Kath had really pushed the boat out and produced a couple of small bottles of red wine, Napoli salami, Cambazola and a host of other tasty treats. I was only too happy to accept the delicacies that she offered me, but of course it was all in the name of reducing the weight of her bags!


Lunch at Lochranza Castle


Ryan imprisoned and not before time!


Ryan at Lochranza Castle

Click here for a clip of Ryan climbing the castle walls.


Ryan, Kath & Ann, stand guard


The main stairway in Lochranza Castle

After we had finished lunch Ryan and I decided to explore the castle which dates back to the 16th Century and I did my best to terrify the life out of him as we climbed through the ruins. I particularly enjoyed when I entered a pitch black room, that had been the prison, and I let out a blood curdling scream. The look on his face was priceless!

By 2.00 we were ready to head off again and we headed towards Catacol. There were some pretty steep hills to negotiate but of course the good thing about that, is descending the other side.

At this point I began to get a little concerned with Ryan's cycling as he was trying his best to keep up with Kath and going a bit too fast for my liking. Despite me telling him several times to slow down a bit he was riding at brake-neck speed at some points, but boys will be boys and I used to do the same when I was a kid.

As we travelled a bit further, we started to decend a particularly steep hill and our speed increased rapidly. This time I would definently have to get Ryan to take it easy so I accelerated so that I could catch up with him and as I looked down at my speedometer I was shocked to find myself freewheeling at 42 mph!

I passed him and began to shout instructions to use his brakes and slow down incase he crashed. I turned round repeatedly to check that he was cycling safely, but in a moment of irony suddenly realised that there was sharp turn ahead and I was not going to make it. I lost control of the bike and aimed for the grass verge to try and have a soft landing. As Ryan cycled passed me I shouted "keep going, I'm fine". But I don't think he was too convinced as I had my bike more or less wrapped around my neck!

Kath takes the lead with Ryan in hot pursuit

Anyway, there was no damage done and we carried on up the B880 without any further disasters and were on the home straight to Brodick at 4.30. Ryan, Kath and I arrived with 39.6 miles clocked up on the mileometer and found a pub where we could have a drink before the ferry departed. Ann arrived 10 minutes later and a round of drinks were purchased.

The four of us just sat and relaxed and enjoyed the scenery which was only spoilt by the large group of holidaymakers being loud and wearing sombreros at the next table and the three lads at the opposite table who had drank so much that one of them fell out of his chair! It just seems like a big shame to come to such a beautiful place and not even remember it because you are blind drunk.


The ferry

By 7.00 the ferry had docked and we finished our drinks and made our way to the front of the queue in order to make sure that we would all get aboard without any problems. As we waited Kath did some Yoga to relax and managed to convince me that I should give it a go, and promised to get a DVD to teach myself how to do it. I am expecting to get the rip taken out of me by Thomas, sometime soon!


Kath relaxes after a hard days cycling

The ferry home was pretty uneventful, but it was such a beautiful night that I spent most of the journey on the main deck with Ryan, enjoying the view. He was thrilled to spot Jellyfish in the water and Cormorants diving in headfirst to catch fish.


Ryan & I


Goat Fell, as seen from the ferry

An hour later and we were approaching Ardrossan. I could see the blades of the wind turbine spinning gently in the breeze and I couldn't help but admire them. Some people think they are a blot on the landscape, but I think they have a strange kind of beauty. I love them.


The wind farm above Ardrossan

We left the ferry and cycled the short distance to the train which was sitting waiting patiently for the ferry to arrive and stowed the bikes away. We all sat together reminicing over the day's events and making some plans for our next trip, but before long it was time for Ryan and I to leave, so we said our goodbyes to Ann and Kath and left them, back where we had started at Miliken Park.

Ryan and I cycled home and made it in just in time for Big Brother. Sweet! Fiona was sitting out the backdoor relaxing and commented that our friends, Susan and Ian were wanting to come up but thought that I would be too tired. Never one to miss the opportunity to have a beer with some friends I phoned them and told them to get their backsides up to the house (but only when Big Brother was finished) and they agreed.

At 10.00 they arrived with their kids and I told them of our adventure and plugged the camera into the television to show them the video clips and pictures. We had a good laugh and the party grew a little bigger when Astrid and Billy from next door popped in to join us at around midnight.

Astrid and Susan

By 1.00 I was starting to feel the pace and I could see that Ryan was too and fortunately it wasn't too long after that, that everyone headed for home. I climbed into bed shortly before 2.00, relaxed, happy, a wee bit drunk and with a bit of a sore bum!

Would I do it all again? Absolutely, but not for a week or two!

A big thanks to Ann for taking the time and trouble to organise the trip and a big thanks to Ann and Kath for being good company. I just wish the rest of the gang could have made it too. Maybe next time,eh?

Camping at Rowardennan

As Fiona was visiting her friend down in England for a long weekend, I decided that Ryan and I would go camping to our usual spot at Rowardennan on the banks of Loch Lomond. So come Saturday morning cheese and ham rolls were made, all the essentials for camping were gathered and the rucksack was packed. We were ready to go.

Jim and Wendy, were giving us a lift up to the campsite and as I had time to kill until they arrived I decided to go for a shower. I swear that my friends hang about my front door waiting to hear the shower clicking on and then decide to ring my doorbell. As soon as I had stepped into the shower the bell chimed. Ryan answered it and shouted up that Ann was at the door.

I hurried to get ready and went downstairs to see "Big Bird". I was pleasently surprised to see her as this was the first time that Ann had dropped by. She was cycling down to Lochwinnoch in training for next week's trip to Arran and wanted to know if Ryan and I wanted to join her. Obviously we would be unable to join her this time, but I was really pleased that she had went to the trouble of coming to ask us.

We caught up on all the gossip and Ann decided to hang on to see Jim and Wendy before she set off. They arrived shortly afterwards with a bit of a surprise. In the back of the car was the latest addition to the Arthur household, Dana the dog! She is a cross between an Alsation and a Collie and was rescued fom the kennels by them, several days earlier. We said goodbye to Ann, who trundled away on her bike and the five of us set off towards Loch Lomond.

Forty-five minutes later and we were walking the short distance from the car to the campsite. Dana was proving hard to handle and Wendy will have her work cut out calming her down. Jim, who was obviously smitten to have her was grinning like a proud father and if he spoils the dog as much as he spoils Ryan then it will be one, happy pooch!

When we arrived at the campsite there were several tents already there and unfortunately we were going to have to share it. Jim took the dog for a walk and Wendy stayed with Ryan and I while we asembled the tent and when they returned they decided to head for home and leave us to it.

With the tent organised I suggested to Ryan that we go for a swim in the Loch. So we headed down and gingerly made our way into the chilly water. Ryan decided that waist high was enough, but I bit the bullet and went under the water, but after 10 minutes of being macho I decided that I was frickin freezing, so we got out of the water and dried off.

Ryan, takes a dip in Loch Lomond


It's hard trying to pull your stomach muscles in when the water is so cold

It was time to gather firewood so that we could get a good fire going later on. The last time I had taken Ryan camping I was unsuccesful at starting the fire and so this time I had come prepared. I had brought matches, firelighters and some alcohol hand rub that would go up a treat, and after getting a tip from Thomas I had brought Tampons as he assured me that they get the fire going without any problems.

That's not strictly true, as I actually had purchased a packet of Tampons and a packet of Tampax as I was not sure which one would have been better. When I was in the Chemist buying them I noticed the assistant watching me lifting up every packet and reading the back. She must have thought "poor sod, his missus must have sent him to buy them and he hasn't got a clue". I was actually hoping she would ask me if she could help me, just so I could see the look on her face when I replied, "yes, which one of these are easier to set on fire!", but alas she didn't.

Anyway, back to the story. A few hundred metres away from the campsite there is a little house that is either owned by a family or rented out to people. I have only ever saw people there once in all the times that we have camped there and I find it strange why it is never used as the view from it is spectacular.


The holiday home on the hill

At the side of the house there is a little shed that is full of chopped logs and as usual I decided to borrow some firewood. Not strictly legal, I know and one of these days I am going to caught, no doubt by Special Branch! So after a couple of trips we had enough to get a nice big fire going later on.


The shed from where I "borrowed" firewood!

We went for a walk and went to the pier and watched some people water skiing for a while before moving further along the beach where we found a rope swing with a tyre attached to it and Ryan amused himself for 10 minutes and of course I had a shot too!


Ryan has a swing, but soon becomes "tyred"

Eventually we were at the Rowardennan Hotel which was full of weary walkers and people who had obviously just descended Ben Lomond. I had a pint of beer and Ryan had a coke and we watched the Open Golf Tournament from St. Andrews, where Monty was giving the Tiger a run for his money.

http://www.rowardennanhotel.com/

While we were sitting there a couple who looked like husband and wife were setting up their musical equipment and were going to be the band for the evening. I suggested to Ryan that we stick around for a while as he had never seen a band play before and he was fascinated as they tuned their instruments and got ready to sing.

We watched their first three songs and I would have happily stayed there for longer but Ryan was itching to get the fire going. We headed back to the tent and made dinner then relaxed for a while. The other campers who were sharing the site with us already had a fire going and the speedboat they had arrived just then, with a top up of several cases of beer.

Just then, another group of about a dozen people arrived and set up their tents next to ours. They too were laden down with cases of beer and bottles of Vodka and I whispered to Ryan that I hope he wasn't tired as it was obviously going to be a late night! They seemed friendly enough but must have decided it was a bit too crowded where we were and so moved 20 metres up the beach from us.

Ryan and I prepared everything we needed to get the fire going and after pouring alcohol hand rub onto my Tampons and chucking on a couple of firelighters, we had the beginings of a good fire. We gradually put bigger logs on and before we knew it, had a raging inferno.

Ryan, like any other 10 year old loves tending the fire and here is a picture of him in all his glory!


Ryan. No, sorry wrong Firestarter!

We chatted late into the night and toasted marshmallows on the fire. The young group that were just up the beach from us had a guitar with them and were singing away to their hearts content. However, 50 metres in the other direction, another group of campers who also had a guitar were trying to upstage them and we were treated to a kind of bizarre, Battle of the Bands.

The funniest moment happened when one group started to sing The Proclaimers song, "500 Miles" and the other group joined in, each taking it in turn to sing one line of the "Da da da da" chorus. By 2.00 it was bedtime and Ryan and I crawled into our sleeping bags and left the partygoers to their fun.


The next morning, we awoke at 9.30 and I immediately startred to cough heavily, due to the smoke from last night's fire. Is this what it is like for a smoker every morning, I pondered. We got washed and brushed our teeth in the Loch and then made breakfast. Crosse & Blackwell's "Hunger Breaks", an eclectic mix of beans, mushrooms and sausages in a tin, which is only outdone by it's posher cousin, HP's fantastic "All Day Breakfast". Mmmm!


Breakfast for campers - Crosse & Blackwell's "Hunger Breaks"

After we had eaten we packed up our gear and dismantled the tent and set off towards the Hotel again as a large drink of water and a decent toilet break would be required before today's exertions.



Ryan and I at the Rowardennan Hotel


Ryan staggers out of "The Clansman" bar

We began to walk towards Balmaha which is a good 8 or 9 miles hike away and I knew it was going to take all day and be a bit of a slog for Ryan. Twenty minutes later and Ryan was already asking how much further it would be. Just then some walkers who were coming in the opposite direction stopped and asked how much further it was to Rowardennan and I assured them that they were almost there. I then asked them if they had walked from Balmaha and they said it had taken them almost four hours. I saw the dismayed look on Ryan's face and decided it was time to be a bit more pro-active.

A couple of minutes later and I turned to see a van approaching us. I had noticed it the previous day, parked outside the Youth Hostel and so I decided to chance my luck and stuck my thumb out for a lift. The driver stopped and I noticed that the van was half full of foreign walkers and ther rucksacks. "Where you off to lads?" he asked. "Balmaha", said I half expecting him to say no chance, but instead he told us to jump in.

Thirty minutes later and we were climbing out of the van in Balmaha and I thanked my lucky stars for our good fortune. I suggested to Ryan that we climb Conic Hill and he didn't look to impressed. "Come on it's easy" said I and he grudgingly agreed.

We went into the tourist information office and asked when the bus to Balloch was due and the lady informed us that we would have to wait an hour and a half as we had just missed one. I asked her if she would watch our camping equipment while we climbed the hill and she looked a bit perplexed, saying that she did not think we would be back in time to catch the bus. Never one to pass up a challenge I assured her that we would be back within the hour. I saw her gently shake her head as we walked outside!

I set off at a brisk pace with Ryan in tow and we climbed the increasingly steep path as quickly as we could. The sweat was dripping into our eyes and at one point I stopped and asked Ryan if he could really feel his heart beating. Isn't it great, I asked. He didn't look too convinced.

Anyway, we ascended all 1,200 feet of the hill in 32 minutes and it was bloody hard work. I explained to Ryan that we had just climbed 1/3 of the height of Ben Lomond and he seemed quite happy with himself when I put it like that.




On top of Conic Hill


Unfortunately there's no loo at the summit!


Just incase you find it hard to imagine how we climbed Conic Hill, then here is the idiots guide on how we did it!

We sat for ten minutes and drank plenty of water before we set off back down. 17 minutes later and we were walking through the door of the Tourist Information office to pick up the gear. The assistant asked if we had changed our minds and decided not to climb the hill. I informed her that we had just done it and she looked a little cynical. However, our bright red faces should have been a bit of a give away!

The bus arrived shortly afterwards and 30 minutes later we were in Balloch where the train for home was sitting, ready to depart. We had really knocked it off with the journey home today and we took our seats just as the train doors began to close.


Ryan, lets the train take the strain

A couple of hours later and we were home. Ryan went for a long hot bath and I ran about doing the housework and feeding the cats before having a nice hot soak while I read my Star Trek magazine. Bliss.

I had just lit the candles when Fiona arrived home. Ryan was delighted to see her and was nearly crying. I was of course nearly crying too as the silence would now be shattered (only kidding babes).

We all shared our stories and had supper before heading off to bed. Three very weary travellers!

Paisley Olympics 2012 - the untold story

This afternoon, against all the odds, London has won its bid to host the 2012 Olympic games. It was only by 4 votes that the capital city clinched it from their arch rivals Paris. Other cities bidding to host the games included New York, Moscow and Madrid.

For more information on the winning bid, go to http://www.london2012.org

I am delighted that our great country will be hosting it and I hope that we can compare and surpass the fantastic events held in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. My only concern is that we may end up in a huge amount of debt if we try too hard to impress the rest of the world and at that point the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be obliged to make the whole of the United Kingdom dip into their pockets in tax and it will not just be the citizens of London, who are already going to have £20 per year added to their Council Tax every year for the next 10 years, to pay for it.

Now, I know that it is England that will be the hosts and nothing pisses a lot of Scottish people off more than the "English Broadcasting Corporation" and the English press banging on about how good they are at this and that, but we, Scots are just going to have to live with it. After all it was not a bid by Scotland that won, it was our English counterparts that won, fair and square.

We can take some comfort from the fact that we will undoubtedly get a large increase in the number of tourists that will take advantage of visiting the games to come and see our beautiful country, and that can only be a good thing for us.

Less well reported on the news was Scotland's unsuccesful bid to win the 2012, games to be hosted in Paisley. The reason for this became clear when it was decided that the River Cart was too full of discarded shopping trolleys to host the rowing events and so the organisers came up with an unconventional alternative!

Click here for the Paisley Olympic bid's alternative rowing venue!