Category: Scotland

Ben Lomond Bitching

Aimi is up to Glasgow visiting me at work for the first time… it only took a year to get her up here. The main attraction wasn’t spending time with me, or visiting a new city, or seeing what I’m working on. It was to climb Ben Lomond, which I’ve proclaimed widely is my favourite mountain walk in the UK to date.

This is also the last big walk that Aimi is allowed to do before the 3 Peaks Challenge she is doing next weekend. Shes in top condition, worked hard and knows the mountains, so this one shouldn’t be an issue right?

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007 Foot Trauma

We found out last night from our waitress why we have been having trouble on this trip. The hotel we stayed at, the coffee bothy, the seafood restaurant, the crafts and things cafe and now the local gathering pub in Glencoe all have staffing problems. There just isn’t enough (willing) people to fill the available positions in the hospitality sector.

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Duck Duck Duck Otter

Not often do I actually set out on a pursuit where the pursuit itself is to spot nature things doing nature things. Wildlife spotting is something I enjoy doing as part of other activities. For example, while biking up a hill you might see mice or birds dart out the way. Maybe when you get to the top and recover your breath, you appreciate the view and see a buzzard floating around in the valley beneath you. Or while sipping coffee and chatting, you see the birds doing relay races back and forward to the feeders on the window.

And that pretty much summed up our day today. 

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Not So Relaxing Day Relaxing

2 solid days riding and one intense evening in a row finished me off physically so this morning dawned, and then 5 hours later I got up. This sounds horrendously lazy, but dawn in summer in Scotland is at about 4am.

Some tasty bagels later and apparently Aimi was still feeling energetic so got a lift to Fort William and tromped off up Ben Nevis on her own – nutter. I had a day of blogging, movie watching and bike maintenance planned, with no urgency and plenty of chatting and eating in between. 

Or so I thought…

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Inverse Karma

Have you ever tried to do something nice, and then immediately after, something bad happens?

Normally, for those who believe in such things, the act of doing something good builds a karma debt on the universe so that at some time in the future this is repaid with good things happening to you. Or at least that’s how I understand it? Do good things, and good things happen – Right?

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Trashy Blonde In Glencoe Woods

One of the major advantages of using an uplift service is that you haven’t had to spend 80% of your day pumping uphill – obviously. The not so obvious but really enjoyable side effect of this is that your butt hasn’t been pounded to death by an uncomfortable saddle. I’m not sure why MTB saddles have to be so uncomfortable but the day after a ride, my butt is usually so sore, I can’t look at a bike again. 

Butt today is feeling good! 

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