Living the Dream I am totally buzzing! Today I left my bags in the tent and hit the off-road trails to ride the legendary 29 mile Torridon circuit. I was a bit apprehensive going out to ride it alone as the guide book had rated it hard with a time of about 7
Bikes, Bothies & Booze I'm tired this morning. I didn't sleep well at Leckie bothy last night, mostly because it was too quiet. That may sound crazy but when you're camping you hear the birds and maybe the sea or a river and you don't get that indoors. I heard only one bird and
Just keep pedalling It's funny that when I write these blogs I always tend to forget the pain of the bad bits of the day. The last few days of riding have been really enjoyable, the change in scenery here has really refreshed me and I am one of those people who can
Hello Mainland I'm writing this by candlelight in Lochivraon bothy. All I can hear is the drum of the rain on the tin roof and the odd whistle of the wind. I'm alone but it's only just after 9pm so you never know if a walker or two may arrive after a
Whale of a time I've just spent the last hour with a lady called Janet who is a volunteer watcher for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC). I'm overlooking the lighthouse at Tiumpan Head on the Eye Peninsula of Lewis and I cannot stop smiling. Janet loaned me some strong binoculars and told me
Edge of the World Today I finally feel like I've made it as a cyclist on an adventure as I was chased along the road by a dog snapping at my feet. In all of the books I've read of cycle touring there always seems to be a time when there is a dog
A Rough Ride Today turned out totally differently to how I'd planned it. I said farewell to Ben early this morning as he got the 7am ferry to Ullapool and I indulged in another few hours in bed snoozing as the room was full of snorers last night and it was hard to
Big City Lights What a long night. After another lazy rest day hanging around the bothy yesterday we had to leave but pitched the tents just up from the cliffs. The wind was relentless last night and the flapping of the tent was so noisy that it was very difficult to sleep. I
Miles & Smiles It's Wednesday today and we were sat in a cafe just after 9am waking up with a big pot of tea. We're headed west from Liurbost to Mangersta today via Great Berneray and hoping that the wind is at least in our favour for some of the ride after yesterdays
Windy McWindface After a lovely rest day with Ben and Till in Rhenigidale yesterday, today was a harsh wake up call. I think today was the toughest 30 miles of the trip yet. 30 miles of strong winds right in my face so that I even had to pedal hard on the
Hills & Spills After a few rather long and heavy showers last night I was happy to feel the sun warming the tent this morning. I was up and ready to roll early and was glad of it as about 10 minutes into my ride the heavens opened and there was a heavy
In The Zone What an absolutely cracking day's cycling today. I'm sitting in the tent and it's chucking it down but even with a damp end to the day I'm still smiling! Waking to blue skies after a long awaited good nights sleep I packed up and headed back to Leverburgh ferry terminal
North Uist I'm very happy to say that I survived the night without being washed away by the tide. I woke at 4am for a wee and the tide had come in but was still rather far away from my camp spot so I slept the last few hours knowing that I
Pedalling strong It's June today. This is my 5th week on my adventures but there are still many more islands to visit, many miles to be pedalled and many whiskies to taste! This morning was wet and grey and so I wasn't in any hurry to move. I didn't sleep as well
Learning the hard way I left the hostel this morning full of anticipation of a day of adventure. I was attempting to get to Uisinis bothy on the east coast of South Uist. It was a lovely ride out to Loch Sgioport, the sun was out and there was only a light wind. There
South Uist This morning looked grey and overcast as I poked my nose out of the tent. At least there was a wee breeze as last night the midges were out in force with the rain whenever I opened the tent I then spent a good 5 minutes squishing them all inside
Clean Socks Today was an exciting day, clean socks day! They are so nice and fresh and I can guarantee that by the time I take them off tonight they will reek. It's my shoes, they stink and so transfer the stink to my socks - it's still nice to have clean
Beautiful Beaches Waking on the north east shore of Vatersay I listened for rain. I arrived on Barra last night after a 5 hour ferry ride from Oban to rain and wind. I'd been told the nearest wild camp spots were in Vatersay and so rode the few miles over the causeway
Lismore Island Waking after a pretty good sleep it was nice to just go downstairs and sit on a sofa drinking tea and eating breakfast. It's the change to a routine that is refreshing when you're on a long trip and it's always nice when you don't have to pack away a
Best Laid Plans I've been pedalling every day for 23 days and I need a bit of R & R. My plan was to go to Oban and stay in the hostel for 3 nights to chill and sort out a few bits and bobs before heading to the Outer Hebrides. The ferry
Scotland 1, Cycling shorts 0 It looks like Scotland has taken it's toll after my 23rd day in the saddle. Whilst drying from the soaking I've had this afternoon in the hotel in Craighouse on Jura I went to the loo only to do a double take when I went to flush it because right
A Near Miss The journey out of Proaig and back to Ardtalla was much easier this morning. I followed a track closer to the coast and it was about 20 minutes quicker although parts of it were much muddier and it wasn't long before I was ankle deep in mud. Back on the
The last piece of the 'Bikes, Bothies & Booze' jigsaw - the Bothy! I'm sitting on a woodworm riddled bench writing this. The wind is howling outside and the tin roof is rattling like there is no tomorrow. The rain is lashing the windows and I feel the breeze swirling around the room. This is Scotland and thankfully I'm inside! Today I woke
Exploring Colonsay Colonsay is a small island of only 8 miles long and 2 miles across at it's widest and one of the remotest communities in the UK being 8 miles from it's nearest neighbours, Islay and Jura. South across The Strand lies Oronsay which is only accessible a few hours of
Biking Booze Cruise The last few days seem to have passed in a blur. You would think time would slow down when you're cruising along by bike but I find that the days fly by with so many sights and experiences that it's hard to keep up and even know which day it