North Coast Cycle Day 2: Stoer to Durness
The weather was kinder today, the steep grinding climbs and exhilarating descents through cnoc and lochan scenery that comprise the rollercoaster coast road to Kylesku were completed in substantially dry conditions. The photo is of shifting cloud on the summit of Quinaig, not quite to the same standard as yesterday’s stolen image of Suilven. Kylesku […]
North coast cycle day 1: Ullapool to Stoer
By bike bus to Ullapool and on into a day of contrasts; a delightful dry sweep through Coigach, remembering hill days past and plotting hill days still to come, then a soggy slog round the coast road to Lochinver. Food stops ended hurriedly, pedalling into the drizzle, fumbling bars with midge-blackened hands. When Suilven appeared […]
Turned down in Melbourne
Not being accustomed to luxurious living I was, until very recently, blissfully unaware of the existence of ‘turn down’ services. The first I heard about it was on the flight to Melbourne when I watched Michael MacIntyre’s standup show. In his words, it is when rich people pay poor people to fold back their duvet […]
Cairngorms: Carn A’Mhaim from Lin of Dee
The southern approaches to the Cairngorms have a charm all of their own, the crunch of granite gravel under the mountain bike tyre, camping amid great stands of Scots pine. All in all a more leisurely and dignified experience than rushing towards the ski infrastructure from the Coire Cas car park to the north. A […]
Ben Bhraggie, Golspie
From the village of Golspie Ben Bhraggie appears to be a tiny hill, yet on climbing it I found that it is actually a respectable 1300 ft. It is dwarfed by the whopping 100 ft statue of the Duke of Sutherland that graces (or defaces) its summit. Someone has sprayed ‘Monster’ across the base of the […]
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