Monday, September 10, 2007
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Another mad idea!
Looks like a few of us are going to try to do the Hebridean Challenge next year: http://www.hebrideanchallenge.com/index.shtml
There are 5 of us - and it looks like I am going to be the kayaker - so I need to go from Novice to 4* Sea Kayak rated in less than 12 months. Pretty sure that is a tall order! Anyone out there have any advice?
Have my first lesson on Tuesday evening - will let you know how it goes if I don't drown!
There are 5 of us - and it looks like I am going to be the kayaker - so I need to go from Novice to 4* Sea Kayak rated in less than 12 months. Pretty sure that is a tall order! Anyone out there have any advice?
Have my first lesson on Tuesday evening - will let you know how it goes if I don't drown!
Friday, October 07, 2005
iPod misery!
I thought the other week that it would be a good idea to finally buy an iPod - so I searched around the net and found the cheapest 60GB one on www.mydv.co.uk. So I ordered it - at a great price of £259.95 and no charge for shipping - Amazing! Too Amazing in fact.
Whatever you do - do NOT order from these con-artists.
1. This is not a UK company - the domain is registered to Jeremy Paradies of 97 Anderer Ln, West Roxbury MA in the US of A - and this IS an American company.
2. The amount you are invoiced for is not what you will be charged. They charge in USD at an odd exchange rate and you will pay at least £20 more on a purchase of this amount.
3. They take the money out of your account/charge your card straight away. Under UK law your card cannot be charged until the purchase is ready for shipment. Well - this isn't a UK company!
4. They take 2 weeks before they reply to your email to tell you that your product is shipping. Yep - two weeks!
5. They take 2 whole weeks to ship the damn thing!
6. They ship it two days after they tell you it is shipping! I give up! No wonder delivery is free!!!
7. Nowhere on their website do they have their address, or any statement to say that the items will be shipped from the US, or that this is a US company. In fact they say - "The UK's best source for Digital Video Equipment".
8. Their telephone number is a UK one - 0207 669 4292 - which leads you to think that they are UK based. This is NOT the case.
I am amazed that people can get away with this these days.
Oh - and it still hasn't arrived yet!!!
Monday, September 12, 2005
Winter Riding and painful knees!
My leg is killing me today - had a really bad night - woke up loads. Every time I turn over the pain flares up and wakes me. I think I will sleep with my brace on tonight.
On a lighter note - once this has healed - a load of my friends have decided that they will go winter riding with me. It looks like the Peak District this year. Not sure which month - but maybe once this side of Christmas and once the other side. I doubt we will camp this time - expect we will stay in a B&B, YHA or something.
I quite fancy Jacobs ladder in the winter - not sure how difficult it will be.
I think I am going to get a new bike this Christmas - I fancy a Sepcialized Epic Pro (well I really fancy an S-Works - but probably cannot justify spending that amount!!!).
Anyone know any good winter rides in the Peaks?
M.
On a lighter note - once this has healed - a load of my friends have decided that they will go winter riding with me. It looks like the Peak District this year. Not sure which month - but maybe once this side of Christmas and once the other side. I doubt we will camp this time - expect we will stay in a B&B, YHA or something.
I quite fancy Jacobs ladder in the winter - not sure how difficult it will be.
I think I am going to get a new bike this Christmas - I fancy a Sepcialized Epic Pro (well I really fancy an S-Works - but probably cannot justify spending that amount!!!).
Anyone know any good winter rides in the Peaks?
M.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
A Tour of the Cairngorms - Sep 2005
Recently completed a tour of the Cairngorms. 4 of us rode the 200km trip in 2 and a half days carrying tents, stoves, sleeping bags etc. It was great fun - but I pulled the ligaments in my left knee during the second day and had to ride the rest of the route in agony! Still it was an amazing ride - photos are here: http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album37 Thanks go to Alistair, Tony and Neil for making the trip what it was.
We are looking at potentially repeating the trip again and just doing it in 25 hours - but with minimum gear to carry.
Next big trip should be the English C2C however. Hopefully in 4 days.
M.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 3
Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 3
A warmer night last night – however it was as uncomfortable as hell. I couldn’t get comfortable – my knee was awful and the lump in my back was very uncomfortable. I kept waking up with my face pressed against the side of the tent. Horrible. I strap my knee up in case it is a ligament issue. Pasta for breakfast – bloody horrible! I haven’t done too well for breakfasts, I look around and wow – what a wonderful place to wake up! My knee hurts already – I can see this is going to be a difficult day. I pack up and Tony helps me with my bike.
I start off down the road towards the Linn of Dee ahead of the others – pretty sure that it won’t take them long to catch up. We ride past the smallest youth hostel I have ever seen. The morning light is wonderful. We reach the woods – the start of the trail up to Glen Tilt. It’s a wide track and we start off – eventually reaching White Bridge and there find a number of what appear to be first time DoEers out wild camping.
Another river crossing and jibes to Tony – “How many more river crossings today Tony?” as he has the map. Then a bog, and a comment from Tony “It’s not a river – it’s a bog!”. We are all in a good mood – even me – although I am in a lot of pain. I have two painkillers left – next time I must bring more!
The track deteriorates – becomes rocky single-track. Probably great without Panniers – I can see that Al is loving it. It becomes very exposed as we enter Glen Tilt and start to head down. It is quite beautiful – but my leg is killing me and I am scared of heights! I walk an awful lot of it. The guys – to their credit – do not get annoyed with me – which is amazing considering how much slower I am. Eventually we reach the bridge at the falls. The track widens and I start to ride.
The climbs really hurt now – I am almost in tears on some of them. Al falls off in front of me – while turning around to look at a potential photo opportunity. Nothing damaged – we both take a photo and eat a sausage roll. This truly is a beautiful part of the world. The slog down is done one legged in the main – my left leg has become so painful that I am unable to put any power through it. Now I am peddling with just one leg – I speed up! We ride into the station to see the Pullman arrive and all the sightseers are getting off to be greated by four sorry looking muddy individuals.
Hands are shaken and bikes packed – a quick pint in the pub and that’s it. Even though my leg is on fire – I am sorry to be finishing. What a great three days.
It turns out that I have torn the ligaments in my left knee – so I am pretty lucky to have finished the ride at all.
One thing that made this ride for me was the people that I rode with. Tony Chaplin, Neil Sinclair and Alistair Biggin. These guys were great – very supportive – and always waited for me.
Thanks guys.
What’s next? :-)
A warmer night last night – however it was as uncomfortable as hell. I couldn’t get comfortable – my knee was awful and the lump in my back was very uncomfortable. I kept waking up with my face pressed against the side of the tent. Horrible. I strap my knee up in case it is a ligament issue. Pasta for breakfast – bloody horrible! I haven’t done too well for breakfasts, I look around and wow – what a wonderful place to wake up! My knee hurts already – I can see this is going to be a difficult day. I pack up and Tony helps me with my bike.
I start off down the road towards the Linn of Dee ahead of the others – pretty sure that it won’t take them long to catch up. We ride past the smallest youth hostel I have ever seen. The morning light is wonderful. We reach the woods – the start of the trail up to Glen Tilt. It’s a wide track and we start off – eventually reaching White Bridge and there find a number of what appear to be first time DoEers out wild camping.
Another river crossing and jibes to Tony – “How many more river crossings today Tony?” as he has the map. Then a bog, and a comment from Tony “It’s not a river – it’s a bog!”. We are all in a good mood – even me – although I am in a lot of pain. I have two painkillers left – next time I must bring more!
The track deteriorates – becomes rocky single-track. Probably great without Panniers – I can see that Al is loving it. It becomes very exposed as we enter Glen Tilt and start to head down. It is quite beautiful – but my leg is killing me and I am scared of heights! I walk an awful lot of it. The guys – to their credit – do not get annoyed with me – which is amazing considering how much slower I am. Eventually we reach the bridge at the falls. The track widens and I start to ride.
The climbs really hurt now – I am almost in tears on some of them. Al falls off in front of me – while turning around to look at a potential photo opportunity. Nothing damaged – we both take a photo and eat a sausage roll. This truly is a beautiful part of the world. The slog down is done one legged in the main – my left leg has become so painful that I am unable to put any power through it. Now I am peddling with just one leg – I speed up! We ride into the station to see the Pullman arrive and all the sightseers are getting off to be greated by four sorry looking muddy individuals.
Hands are shaken and bikes packed – a quick pint in the pub and that’s it. Even though my leg is on fire – I am sorry to be finishing. What a great three days.
It turns out that I have torn the ligaments in my left knee – so I am pretty lucky to have finished the ride at all.
One thing that made this ride for me was the people that I rode with. Tony Chaplin, Neil Sinclair and Alistair Biggin. These guys were great – very supportive – and always waited for me.
Thanks guys.
What’s next? :-)
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 2
Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 2
It was a cold night last night. I had to put on all my extra clothes just to keep warm – there is no way that the rating on this sleeping bag is correct! The tent is very claustrophobic – there is hardly any
room to move and it doesn’t feel long enough – my bag touches the end. I wonder how it would fare in a wind? I get up and start to pack. Breakfast is one of the Rita breakfasts – it’s horrible – oats and fruit in a fruit juice sauce. Bleuch! Neil and Al are having porridge. This may be a better idea in future. We are joined by Tony’s friend today – who even comes complete with a pannier to make us feel better!
As we start – it is crisp – Al has his extra base layers on for the cold and I am wearing my Gortex shell to keep the chill away. The sky lightens to a red glow – and we ride up some lovely wide wild track. Tony, his friend and Neil all ride off ahead – they are obviously feeling good today. We stop to take off the extra layers and the midges strike! My goodness they are terrible today – my legs are bitten to pieces quicker than I have ever seen before – and the bites will last for over a week! I stop to take photos of Al riding up the track – and once again get bitten.
A great downhill through the southern part of the Abernethy Forest leads to yet another river crossing. I take my shoes and socks off for this one as it is early – and I dried them all out last night! I really don’t know why I bothered – the next one we try and ride and I get soaked! So does Al! A couple more crossings follow and some great singletrack lead us to the col above the Braes of Abernethy. I fall off my bike here after hitting a large rock that I simply didn’t see. I twist my right ankle – but more importantly (although it didn’t feel like it at the time) my left knee twists as well.
A decent, another river crossing – lead us eventually to the road up to Tomintoul and a lunch break at the café there. Bacon sarnies all round – and in hindsight – not enough slow release calories. Tea, cake and a brush with the local grumpy shopkeeper and we are off up the hill. Tony’s mate turns back at this point – leaving us to our own devices. We slog up the tarmac road after passing some very fine iron gates. We can hear the gunfire of the guys on the hill – grouse shooting. My left knee is hurting now and I know I have a problem. I don’t say anything yet as I hope it may work itself out – but when we accidentally cross the river and have to backtrack – I am in so much pain that I take some of the painkillers in my pack. It doesn’t help. I am worried that it is my cartilage – my other knee had a similar problem from playing hockey when I was younger.
The head wind is terrible – and after a long spell at the front – Al runs out of energy, We find him round the corner sitting down – exhausted. I take the lead and ignore the pain. Probably a pretty stupid thing to do in hindsight – but there we go – it gets us up towards Inchrory and the lodge there. What a lovely lodge. Tony is far behind – I am amazed that I have dropped him – given my knee pain, but all is revealed when he arrives. It turns out that when he broke his chain yesterday ( at the campsite!!!) – it was put on incorrectly. Minor repairs follow – and Tony is off! I am at the back now – and that is the way it stays.
The scenery all merges into a blur as my left knee is in agony. I tell the guys as we pass the Loch Builg where we were originally going to overnight – that I only have about two hours left in me – that’s all. We cycle on. Al is worried – we need to get over the Culardoch which stands in front of us at 900m and if we stay this side and my leg freezes then we are in big trouble as we are now in the middle of nowhere.
We meet a couple of mountain bike riders coming the other way – who say the climb is not that bad! I guess they had never ridden with panniers! I start pushing up the climb – there is no chance of riding with this weight. Al is always in fron and goes on to cycle up the latter half of the climb – a very impressive feat. Tony just keeps going – I overtake Neil – I didn’t realise it but he was exhausted.
At the top there is heather in cages and a weather station. Very weird! The descent is manic and I get a puncture. Neil rides by – which I think is strange. Takes me ages to change my tyre – left knee knackered! I can see Al riding back to check on me – thanks Al. Neil apologised – he was a mess! Not enough cals consumed and he had started shaking! Nothing like digesting muscle to make a mess of you!
We eventually get to the campsite in Braemar to find a Games going on. Its madness here – so we decide to push on and ride up the road. I am nearly in tears – my knee is on fire. We eventually decide to wild camp down by the river opposite Mar Lodge – next to the Victoria bridge. I am so knackered I do not even notice the big lump in the ground when I put my tent up. No sleep for me! I crawl into my bag – leaving the others drinking whisky that Neil purchased earlier in the day. I eat two meals and feel broken!
It was a cold night last night. I had to put on all my extra clothes just to keep warm – there is no way that the rating on this sleeping bag is correct! The tent is very claustrophobic – there is hardly any
room to move and it doesn’t feel long enough – my bag touches the end. I wonder how it would fare in a wind? I get up and start to pack. Breakfast is one of the Rita breakfasts – it’s horrible – oats and fruit in a fruit juice sauce. Bleuch! Neil and Al are having porridge. This may be a better idea in future. We are joined by Tony’s friend today – who even comes complete with a pannier to make us feel better!As we start – it is crisp – Al has his extra base layers on for the cold and I am wearing my Gortex shell to keep the chill away. The sky lightens to a red glow – and we ride up some lovely wide wild track. Tony, his friend and Neil all ride off ahead – they are obviously feeling good today. We stop to take off the extra layers and the midges strike! My goodness they are terrible today – my legs are bitten to pieces quicker than I have ever seen before – and the bites will last for over a week! I stop to take photos of Al riding up the track – and once again get bitten.
A great downhill through the southern part of the Abernethy Forest leads to yet another river crossing. I take my shoes and socks off for this one as it is early – and I dried them all out last night! I really don’t know why I bothered – the next one we try and ride and I get soaked! So does Al! A couple more crossings follow and some great singletrack lead us to the col above the Braes of Abernethy. I fall off my bike here after hitting a large rock that I simply didn’t see. I twist my right ankle – but more importantly (although it didn’t feel like it at the time) my left knee twists as well.
A decent, another river crossing – lead us eventually to the road up to Tomintoul and a lunch break at the café there. Bacon sarnies all round – and in hindsight – not enough slow release calories. Tea, cake and a brush with the local grumpy shopkeeper and we are off up the hill. Tony’s mate turns back at this point – leaving us to our own devices. We slog up the tarmac road after passing some very fine iron gates. We can hear the gunfire of the guys on the hill – grouse shooting. My left knee is hurting now and I know I have a problem. I don’t say anything yet as I hope it may work itself out – but when we accidentally cross the river and have to backtrack – I am in so much pain that I take some of the painkillers in my pack. It doesn’t help. I am worried that it is my cartilage – my other knee had a similar problem from playing hockey when I was younger.
The head wind is terrible – and after a long spell at the front – Al runs out of energy, We find him round the corner sitting down – exhausted. I take the lead and ignore the pain. Probably a pretty stupid thing to do in hindsight – but there we go – it gets us up towards Inchrory and the lodge there. What a lovely lodge. Tony is far behind – I am amazed that I have dropped him – given my knee pain, but all is revealed when he arrives. It turns out that when he broke his chain yesterday ( at the campsite!!!) – it was put on incorrectly. Minor repairs follow – and Tony is off! I am at the back now – and that is the way it stays.
The scenery all merges into a blur as my left knee is in agony. I tell the guys as we pass the Loch Builg where we were originally going to overnight – that I only have about two hours left in me – that’s all. We cycle on. Al is worried – we need to get over the Culardoch which stands in front of us at 900m and if we stay this side and my leg freezes then we are in big trouble as we are now in the middle of nowhere.
We meet a couple of mountain bike riders coming the other way – who say the climb is not that bad! I guess they had never ridden with panniers! I start pushing up the climb – there is no chance of riding with this weight. Al is always in fron and goes on to cycle up the latter half of the climb – a very impressive feat. Tony just keeps going – I overtake Neil – I didn’t realise it but he was exhausted.
At the top there is heather in cages and a weather station. Very weird! The descent is manic and I get a puncture. Neil rides by – which I think is strange. Takes me ages to change my tyre – left knee knackered! I can see Al riding back to check on me – thanks Al. Neil apologised – he was a mess! Not enough cals consumed and he had started shaking! Nothing like digesting muscle to make a mess of you!
We eventually get to the campsite in Braemar to find a Games going on. Its madness here – so we decide to push on and ride up the road. I am nearly in tears – my knee is on fire. We eventually decide to wild camp down by the river opposite Mar Lodge – next to the Victoria bridge. I am so knackered I do not even notice the big lump in the ground when I put my tent up. No sleep for me! I crawl into my bag – leaving the others drinking whisky that Neil purchased earlier in the day. I eat two meals and feel broken!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Tour of the Cairngorms - Day 1
Tour of the Cairngorms – Day 1My bike was very heavy as we cycled down the main street of Blair Athol after leaving the cars at the train station first thing in the morning of the 2nd September. The start was an early road ride along the B8079 and eventually onto a dedicated cycle track just past Calvine after our first navigation error – and it wasn’t going to be our last! We eventually turn off the track and cross the A9, we headed into the wilds along a landrover track past Dalnacardoch lodge North, and it wasn’t long before we felt totally alone – not another sole in sight. We stop at the bridge crossing the Edendon Water and take the obligatory photo of Al being daft – every trip has one! A quick jump across the river further up after yet another navigation error – led us to a singletrack by Loch au Duin. The singletrack is amazing – however we are seriously hampered by the panniers. Only Al with his rucksack seems to be able to fully enjoy it – although I also suspect that this is because he is a lot fitter too! We cross the river just after the Loch – Tony and myself just wade across as the river is pretty deep – and we had read the route description that tells you about getting wet feet! Al and Neil try to keep dry feet! Tony and myself sit on the other side laughing!
Lunch is after yet another river crossing at Lochan a Ghaorra. I pump some water through the water filter – but everyone else just takes it direct from the River. Tony makes a brew on his MSR – and it tastes great. There is something about tea brewed outside after hard work! Alistair and Neil both make pasta for lunch – mine consists of pork pie, salami type sausages and peanuts. In the afternoon I feel fully energised – it is referred to as pork pie powered!
We end up crossing a foul smelling bog just after Feshiebridge – I end up going in up to my thighs – and my shorts are now rust covered. We decide to try to make the campsite after this. Alistair is quite annoyed as he also ended up with wet feet! The ride after the bog however is great. Through the forest both myself and Al feel much better and could have carried on – we were enjoying the ride so much. We stop at the campsite – and arrive before the two mountain bikers that had overtaken us earlier in the day – I guess we must have taken a short cut with the route through the bog! Tents up and we manage a shower! Hand-driers are used to dry wet socks and shoes.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Well again and back in the saddle
I'm finally recovered - it's been a long haul. The balance is back - and apart from an occasional deafness in my left ear I am fully fit. With that in mind I went to Wales this weekend with a few friends to go mountain biking. Bloody great fun - piccies in the gallery at http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Wales-March-2005-Pencelli and Julian's piicies are at http://www.julian-edwards.com/gallery/Pencelli-2005. Great riding - good weather, nice beer and a great laugh. Can't wait to go again - which will be the South Downs in a couple of months - so need to get back on the bike regularly beforehand so I can keep up with everyone.
Also agreed to do the Meridia 100 at Builth Wells this year - I am going to do the 50k route as I am a wimp and its my first long distance "race".
M.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Labrynthitis
Not much has happened here recently - and that's basically because I have
been ill. Once I recovered from the accident on my bike and my arm had
healed - I came down with Labrynthitis 4 weeks ago.
This was a viral infection of my inner ear - causing me to loose my balance,
throw up, and have virtigo etc. Bloomin horrible - spent 2 days in St
Thomas's hospital in London and a further couple of weeks at home.
I am back at work now - but only 3 days a week and I still cannot drive or
ride my bike!
Hope it will all go away soon - I am still quite dizzy.
been ill. Once I recovered from the accident on my bike and my arm had
healed - I came down with Labrynthitis 4 weeks ago.
This was a viral infection of my inner ear - causing me to loose my balance,
throw up, and have virtigo etc. Bloomin horrible - spent 2 days in St
Thomas's hospital in London and a further couple of weeks at home.
I am back at work now - but only 3 days a week and I still cannot drive or
ride my bike!
Hope it will all go away soon - I am still quite dizzy.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
BHF Sponsored ride
I am riding for the British Heart Foundation on the 3rd October from Oxford to Cambridge - please sponsor me here: http://www.bhf.org.uk/sponsor/marksharrock/
This is a 70 mile road ride - a distance I have never covered before and I'll be doing it on my mountain bike! Go on - donate a few quid!
Cheers
Mark.
Fractured Arm
Last Thursday - riding along Grays Inn Road in London - a Blue Rover pulled out of a side street without looking. Unfortunately he pulled out right in front of me. I managed to stop by using my face to break on the tarmac and ended up in Hospital. Diagnosis - a fractured arm and a week off work to recover. Lots of swelling and bruising - my right knee is very painful as is my right wrist - which is in a splint to prevent me from twisting it. Still - am in one piece and there wasn't too much damage to the bike - scratches in the main.
Thankfully I was wearing a brand new Giro lid - as my head came down quite hard on the tarmac. It did it's job - cracked and dissipated the force - so thank you Giro - I am pretty sure if I hadn't been wearing it I would be in intensive care at the moment.
Recovering slowly - the use of my arm has not properly returned - I cannot grip anything and am having to type left hand only (getting quicker!)
As a goal - I have set myself the task of completing the Oxford to Cambridge bike ride on the 3rd October. 70 miles on road. The max I have done in a day is 50 miles off road - so this should be interesting, especially as I will be doing it on my mountain bike - so the gearing will be all wrong. If you fancy sponsoring me - please drop me a line, it's in aid of the British Heart Foundation.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Monday morning and a quicker ride!
Rode to the station this morning in 20 mins - 10 mins quicker than normal and 5 mins better than my previous best. Quite pleased with that. Took the weekend off from training. Not sure what I am training for yet - perhaps the autumn Polaris? Need to convince some other fool to go on that as well. Any takers? http://www.polaris-apparel.co.uk/Endurance%20UK/endurance.htm
It's going to be in the North West of England - most likely the Lakes and is on the 09 - 10 October. Drop me a line if you fancy entering.
Need to think up another challenge - something like the West Highland Way - that I can aim for and train for etc. Any ideas?
Saturday, June 26, 2004
New Web Site
I have got my web site up and running at http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/
Feel free to take a look - it has access to some of my photos, including my mountain biking trips.
Also there are some of my mothers underwater photography photos - she was included in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year book. Quite cool photos - just look under the link to Sally Sharrock.
The West Highland Way
Last year - myself and Alistair Biggin rode the West Highland Way in two days. I must have been a lot fitter then - but looking at the pictures I was just as fat! The whole story can now be found here: http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/west_highland_way.htm
The pictures are here: http://www.clansharrock.co.uk/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album14
I wonder what our next mad trip will be….?
Cycling
Have started cycling to work every day.
Only done a week of it so far, but it is quite adictive. Cycle to the station - about 9.5k and then put the bike on the train and cycle from the station to work - another 2k I guess.
Also started using the gym at work. I need to loose quite a bit of weight.
Only done a week of it so far, but it is quite adictive. Cycle to the station - about 9.5k and then put the bike on the train and cycle from the station to work - another 2k I guess.
Also started using the gym at work. I need to loose quite a bit of weight.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
A Fine Weekend
What a great weekend - the weather has been wonderful. My parents phoned to say that they were back from Nambia - they both took their new digital cameras and Dad's taken about 1000 photos - Mom no doubt many more. My son went to a fancy dress as a cowboy - he looked way cool. Can't believe he is 4 years old already!
Need to speak to Jason Smith again - seem to have lost touch with him recently which is a shame.
The guy on my early train into London every morning comes up with a weird "Thought for the Day". Every day! Is there a book for these sorts of things?
My new blog
Well - I am going to use this to just simply note down all the odd things I see/hear of etc. and perhaps some general comments etc. I might post a few photo - but I have a web site for that - see Clan Sharrock Web Site.
Monday, May 26, 2003
West Highland Way - Part 2
Monday 26th May
It’s overcast as we settle down to breakfast at the Little Chef in Tyndrum at 7am. We are waiting outside for it to open as we want an early start and the hotel doesn’t start serving until 8am. Omelettes are the order of the day – nothing too heavy or I’ll be heaving. I’m having trouble sitting down at this point and have decided that two pairs of cycling shorts are the order of the day. We are sore – but generally quite positive – surprised that we have got this far after yesterday’s problems and looking forward to today’s ride – although I am dreading the Devils Staircase.
At 8.15 we set off – climbing out of Tyndrum up a steep climb – why does it always start this way? I get to the top of the climb to my amazement without pushing – and in front of Alistair. My legs seem to be working – but Al tells me to slow down – not because he can’t keep up, but because I’ll be knackered if I don’t. It’s good advice.
This track eventually goes under the railway bridge – it’s slippy and there is a stile the other side – and then heads off down towards an old military road. We run into a herd of cows – big horns and shaggy coats look impressive – but we dismount and they let us through. This is an easy bit of the ride – the track is good quality, there isn’t much climbing (you have just done about 60m so far today out of 1300m) and in fact there are a few good downhills. Enjoy it – it gets worse. We followed this all the way down to a road where there was a house ahead of us. Straight across and to the left and we headed for the Bridge of Orchy. Look up to your right and you have Beinn Dorain standing at 1076m - incredibly impressive – this gives you an idea of what today is going to be like.
We ride down into the Bridge of Orchy and carry straight on – the road is signposted as a dead end – but don’t let that worry you! We stayed on this road for quite some time – and you can feel yourself becoming more and more remote as you ride around Loch Tulla. Across the Victoria Bridge and we see some of the walkers striking camp – soon the road turns into cobbles – we stop by the side of the road and read the notice telling us of how and when these parliamentary roads were set up. The climb from here is another long and arduous one – drop to the granny ring and spin, but at least there are no cars and the scenery is amazing. The wind gets up occasionally – but we don’t get more that a few drops of rain. I can imagine that it can get pretty hairy up here when a storm kicks off and I’m guessing you don’t get much warning. Gortex is the order of the day.
Ba Bridge is the next stop and here we scoff down some well earned peanuts. This is an impressive sight and a brief respite before the next climb. Off we went – up the long climb to the col between Beinn Chaorach and Meall a Bhuiridh. There is a big descent here down past the ski centre on our left and out on the access road to this. Straight across the A82 and another fast descent on tarmac (albeit with big holes) and we are at the famous Kings House Hotel. If you have read any mountaineering books you will have heard of the infamous climbers bar at this hotel – and it is here we stop for lunch under photos of mountaineers and climbers adorning the walls. Hot tea, Leek soup with extra salt and a big glass of orange juice and lemonade sate the thirst and hunger we have, then it’s off again on our trusty steeds – but not before a chance meeting with two other bikers who have come from Tyndrum this morning – leaving at 9.45am and arriving at the hotel at 12pm – only half an hour after us. They are riding to a deadline – they must catch the train from Fort William at 5.30 pm and hence they are pushing hard. We wish them luck, but doubt that they will make it (I hope they did).
We ride over the bridge and turn left – the track heading off left gives Alistair an idea for a future ride and then we are on the A82 again for a hard slog into a headwind up to the start of the Devils Staircase. I have been dreading this point all day long – and from below it doesn’t look any better. We step off the road and begin the climb. There’s no riding here – I know the MBR boys rode this – but that was the other direction. This is a push – hard and simple – there are tiny sections you can ride of about 5m in length – then you have to get off again and push which becomes tiring – so I pushed and Alistair carried. The switchbacks are deceiving, tiring and the drainage cuts are a pain to carry across. Eventually you see the cairns at the top and know that you only have 20m left to go.
I drink my fill of orange and eat a Mars. I’m knackered – but the view makes it all worth while. I can see the top of Ben Nevis from here – everything that surrounds me is massive. 3000 footers jostle for my attention – it’s a sensory overload and so different from the flat stuff of Northamptonshire. Even though I grew up in the Peak District - this is something completely different, and all of a sudden I know – I’ll be back to Scotland again soon, I need to see more of this.
Alistair bombs off down the rocky track – bunny hopping the drainage channels when his rear tube blows after said hop. He puts in one of my thicker fat boy tubes and sets off again 15 minutes later. It doesn’t take me long to catch him up as he has puncture number three of the two days. This time it’s a pinch flat to the front. I eat some more peanuts and repair the tube while Al puts in another spare. He say’s that he is going to take it easy down here now as we have spent an extra 30 minutes changing tubes – but he’s off again like a greyhound down the track. This is rough track – and while in some places it’s good fun – it’s hard work for tired legs that were looking to take it easy!
Soon enough we hit the forest track. This was constructed by Alcan – the local Aluminium works and has signs at the serious corners advising the cyclist to dismount – now while we didn’t follow this advice, we did slow for the corners, and they are quite sharp. We passed a walker who shouted at us that we wouldn’t be able to sue Alcan now if we fell off and broke our legs. A strange thing to say to us given the terrain we have covered in the past two days. Not sure what mountain biker would dream of suing a company because they rode too quick and fell off!
The track brought us out in Kinlochleven where we stopped to refill our Camelbacks and grab a bite to eat. It was 4pm and we still had to climb up to Mamore Lodge. We decided on following the path rather than the road. We thought we could carry the bikes up as quickly as we could ride the longer track. I’m not convinced about this now in hindsight – it’s an awful climb – comparable to the Devil’s Staircase only with rocky steps which I hate and you cannot see the top as it’s all wooded. Take the road.
I arrived at the top, wet but too warm, to find Alistair ready to take off again. “It’s all downhill from now on mate”. Yeh – right. This was to become a re-occurring theme as it was all downhill just round the next corner or after this next climb. If I only knew.
Again we were on an old military road and again, some of this was fun, and some of it was not. There were some good downhill’s with river crossings (go across the bridge like Al and not through the water like me) and some horrible rocky ascents. Tired legs now made everything seem worse than it probably was and I was no longer looking at the hills admiring them. This section seemed to last for ages – but eventually you descent through the forest and across another stream to Blar a Chaorainn. We now had to choose – the quick exit on the road to Fort William (which I was in favour of) or the longer trail through the forest following the route (which Al was in favour of). Well we had come this far – so it seemed a shame not to finish properly.
Much of the forest section is singletrack and rideable – it’s got some pushes from this direction as it gets pretty steep, but some of the technical riding is good fun. It’s just longer than you imagine. Alistair kept promising that just round the corner the descent started. There are loads of fences and hence stiles to climb over – and these are quite big. Still – all of a sudden you can see the sky and before you stands Ben Nevis. I could only see the bottom half – everything over 600m was covered in cloud, yet you could feel the very size of this mountain. Alistair – who has climbed this – pointed out the route up to the hanging valley. I didn’t feel as tired anymore – I had reached Ben Nevis and below us was Fort William.
The descent is fast – forest track and lots of it bring you out at the road where we turned left and raced to the round about and end of the West Highland Way in Fort William. Passers by were asked to take the photo of our finish and they told us how they had stood in the same place two years previously. They asked us how long it had taken and looked taken aback when Alistair answered “Two days!”
It’s overcast as we settle down to breakfast at the Little Chef in Tyndrum at 7am. We are waiting outside for it to open as we want an early start and the hotel doesn’t start serving until 8am. Omelettes are the order of the day – nothing too heavy or I’ll be heaving. I’m having trouble sitting down at this point and have decided that two pairs of cycling shorts are the order of the day. We are sore – but generally quite positive – surprised that we have got this far after yesterday’s problems and looking forward to today’s ride – although I am dreading the Devils Staircase.
At 8.15 we set off – climbing out of Tyndrum up a steep climb – why does it always start this way? I get to the top of the climb to my amazement without pushing – and in front of Alistair. My legs seem to be working – but Al tells me to slow down – not because he can’t keep up, but because I’ll be knackered if I don’t. It’s good advice.
This track eventually goes under the railway bridge – it’s slippy and there is a stile the other side – and then heads off down towards an old military road. We run into a herd of cows – big horns and shaggy coats look impressive – but we dismount and they let us through. This is an easy bit of the ride – the track is good quality, there isn’t much climbing (you have just done about 60m so far today out of 1300m) and in fact there are a few good downhills. Enjoy it – it gets worse. We followed this all the way down to a road where there was a house ahead of us. Straight across and to the left and we headed for the Bridge of Orchy. Look up to your right and you have Beinn Dorain standing at 1076m - incredibly impressive – this gives you an idea of what today is going to be like.
We ride down into the Bridge of Orchy and carry straight on – the road is signposted as a dead end – but don’t let that worry you! We stayed on this road for quite some time – and you can feel yourself becoming more and more remote as you ride around Loch Tulla. Across the Victoria Bridge and we see some of the walkers striking camp – soon the road turns into cobbles – we stop by the side of the road and read the notice telling us of how and when these parliamentary roads were set up. The climb from here is another long and arduous one – drop to the granny ring and spin, but at least there are no cars and the scenery is amazing. The wind gets up occasionally – but we don’t get more that a few drops of rain. I can imagine that it can get pretty hairy up here when a storm kicks off and I’m guessing you don’t get much warning. Gortex is the order of the day.
Ba Bridge is the next stop and here we scoff down some well earned peanuts. This is an impressive sight and a brief respite before the next climb. Off we went – up the long climb to the col between Beinn Chaorach and Meall a Bhuiridh. There is a big descent here down past the ski centre on our left and out on the access road to this. Straight across the A82 and another fast descent on tarmac (albeit with big holes) and we are at the famous Kings House Hotel. If you have read any mountaineering books you will have heard of the infamous climbers bar at this hotel – and it is here we stop for lunch under photos of mountaineers and climbers adorning the walls. Hot tea, Leek soup with extra salt and a big glass of orange juice and lemonade sate the thirst and hunger we have, then it’s off again on our trusty steeds – but not before a chance meeting with two other bikers who have come from Tyndrum this morning – leaving at 9.45am and arriving at the hotel at 12pm – only half an hour after us. They are riding to a deadline – they must catch the train from Fort William at 5.30 pm and hence they are pushing hard. We wish them luck, but doubt that they will make it (I hope they did).
We ride over the bridge and turn left – the track heading off left gives Alistair an idea for a future ride and then we are on the A82 again for a hard slog into a headwind up to the start of the Devils Staircase. I have been dreading this point all day long – and from below it doesn’t look any better. We step off the road and begin the climb. There’s no riding here – I know the MBR boys rode this – but that was the other direction. This is a push – hard and simple – there are tiny sections you can ride of about 5m in length – then you have to get off again and push which becomes tiring – so I pushed and Alistair carried. The switchbacks are deceiving, tiring and the drainage cuts are a pain to carry across. Eventually you see the cairns at the top and know that you only have 20m left to go.
I drink my fill of orange and eat a Mars. I’m knackered – but the view makes it all worth while. I can see the top of Ben Nevis from here – everything that surrounds me is massive. 3000 footers jostle for my attention – it’s a sensory overload and so different from the flat stuff of Northamptonshire. Even though I grew up in the Peak District - this is something completely different, and all of a sudden I know – I’ll be back to Scotland again soon, I need to see more of this.
Alistair bombs off down the rocky track – bunny hopping the drainage channels when his rear tube blows after said hop. He puts in one of my thicker fat boy tubes and sets off again 15 minutes later. It doesn’t take me long to catch him up as he has puncture number three of the two days. This time it’s a pinch flat to the front. I eat some more peanuts and repair the tube while Al puts in another spare. He say’s that he is going to take it easy down here now as we have spent an extra 30 minutes changing tubes – but he’s off again like a greyhound down the track. This is rough track – and while in some places it’s good fun – it’s hard work for tired legs that were looking to take it easy!
Soon enough we hit the forest track. This was constructed by Alcan – the local Aluminium works and has signs at the serious corners advising the cyclist to dismount – now while we didn’t follow this advice, we did slow for the corners, and they are quite sharp. We passed a walker who shouted at us that we wouldn’t be able to sue Alcan now if we fell off and broke our legs. A strange thing to say to us given the terrain we have covered in the past two days. Not sure what mountain biker would dream of suing a company because they rode too quick and fell off!
The track brought us out in Kinlochleven where we stopped to refill our Camelbacks and grab a bite to eat. It was 4pm and we still had to climb up to Mamore Lodge. We decided on following the path rather than the road. We thought we could carry the bikes up as quickly as we could ride the longer track. I’m not convinced about this now in hindsight – it’s an awful climb – comparable to the Devil’s Staircase only with rocky steps which I hate and you cannot see the top as it’s all wooded. Take the road.
I arrived at the top, wet but too warm, to find Alistair ready to take off again. “It’s all downhill from now on mate”. Yeh – right. This was to become a re-occurring theme as it was all downhill just round the next corner or after this next climb. If I only knew.
Again we were on an old military road and again, some of this was fun, and some of it was not. There were some good downhill’s with river crossings (go across the bridge like Al and not through the water like me) and some horrible rocky ascents. Tired legs now made everything seem worse than it probably was and I was no longer looking at the hills admiring them. This section seemed to last for ages – but eventually you descent through the forest and across another stream to Blar a Chaorainn. We now had to choose – the quick exit on the road to Fort William (which I was in favour of) or the longer trail through the forest following the route (which Al was in favour of). Well we had come this far – so it seemed a shame not to finish properly.
Much of the forest section is singletrack and rideable – it’s got some pushes from this direction as it gets pretty steep, but some of the technical riding is good fun. It’s just longer than you imagine. Alistair kept promising that just round the corner the descent started. There are loads of fences and hence stiles to climb over – and these are quite big. Still – all of a sudden you can see the sky and before you stands Ben Nevis. I could only see the bottom half – everything over 600m was covered in cloud, yet you could feel the very size of this mountain. Alistair – who has climbed this – pointed out the route up to the hanging valley. I didn’t feel as tired anymore – I had reached Ben Nevis and below us was Fort William.
The descent is fast – forest track and lots of it bring you out at the road where we turned left and raced to the round about and end of the West Highland Way in Fort William. Passers by were asked to take the photo of our finish and they told us how they had stood in the same place two years previously. They asked us how long it had taken and looked taken aback when Alistair answered “Two days!”
Sunday, May 25, 2003
The West Highland Way - Day 1
Sunday 25th May
The weather is reasonable – not too bright and no rain or wind. We stand by the start of the West Highland Way – the 100 mile track from Milngavie to Fort William and for some reason we have decided to do it in two days. What’s worse is that we have told others that we will be doing it in two days as well. Alistair sets the timer on his camera, jumps into frame for the mandatory start of route shot and then we are off.
The start winds up through Mugdock Wood, and a sudden climb leaves me out of breath and feeling sick – Alistair is riding ahead and is getting further away – not encouraging signs for the start of a route that climbs nearly 2500m including the notorious Devils Staircase. It takes me 15 minutes before I get my breath back and Alistair is waiting for me when we get to the road.
Straight across and following the signs through Craigallion and past it’s Loch until we reach the B821 then a left and a right and past a surprised cow and through some deep mud up to a style. Over this and onto a fantastic track that had us grinning from ear to ear and didn’t last for nearly long enough. Then onto an old railway line which we followed to Dumgoyne. Here we took to the road until we reached the railway track at Gartness where it’s off road once again for a short ride to the old railway bridge. Climb up again onto the road and say “Hello” to the walkers who have just left the campsite the other side if the bridge. We look at the GPS and see that 14km have gone already – not too bad a start really and we have plenty of time.
Along the road to Drymen now and then off up a long slog to Garadhban Forest. This is a killer slog – put it in a granny ring and just don’t stop – eventually, before we reach the top we turn left into the forest itself – happy with this I relax and take a drink from the camelback – but to my dismay they have re-surfaced the track in the forest. Once easy (and some might say tame) forest track has been turned into rubble. Worse that that – rubble and mud. It’s a mess and no fun to ride – and it’s not until we start to leave the forest that this gets better, I guess they have been logging and had to move in heavy equipment. The downhill into Milton of Buchanan makes up for this however and brings a grin back to our faces. 32k down and we’re still smiling.
Road work now – and I have to say that it’s a bit dull – apart from the scenery. We didn’t bother going off into Ross Woods by the side of Loch Lomond as it looked pretty messy and we wanted to catch the ferry after having time for lunch. Our plan was to catch the ferry from Rowardennan across to Inverbeg. The ferry supposedly runs during the summer months and we had been told that it left at 2.00pm – so we had plenty of time as it was only 12 when we arrived. The ferry is operated by the local hotel – so we checked with them here to see if it was definitely running, and were shocked to find the ferry out of the water round the back of the hotel. It wasn’t running and the only other ferry to get across runs from Inversnaid – 6m up the Loch and it leaves at 2.45 and 5.00pm. This was not good news.
The reason that we wanted to cross at Rowardennan were two fold. One – the path after this point is not strictly open to cyclists, and two the path after this point is not strictly suitable for cyclists! In fact it’s awful – still we had no option, it was either this or go back to Glasgow. So we set off – and the track lived up to everything we were told. Much of the track is a push – you can ride some of it – but you’d only do this if you had to. Imagine our surprise when we come across a family of four adults, three kids and a baby – all riding complete with Halfords bikes and stabilisers for the kids and a great big baby seat for the nipper. These guys must have been off their heads – and they told us they were heading for the ferry, well – now we know what the path was like after that point – I hope one of the walkers turned them back as they would never have made it – and some of it would have been damn dangerous for the kids.
We made the ferry with six minutes to spare – it had taken nearly two hours to cover 6 miles. The ferryman asked us if we were crossing and brought the boat round for us. He didn’t even charge for the bikes – just £3 each to cross and it takes you across to just below the power station pipes north of Inveruglas. I would recommend crossing – all the walkers say that the path onwards gets worse after Inversnaid and it’s simply un-rideable all the time rather than just the majority of the time.
If you don’t like busy roads – you may want to catch the train now – because the A82 is pretty busy – and the cars fairly fly up it. It’s a slog up this road – there is a pub half way up at Inverarnan and after this I’m afraid it just gets worse. Spin up past the Falls of Falloch and then we eventually, after what seemed like hours and in reality was, arrive in Crianlarich. We turned left and headed for Tyndrum. Just before Tyndrum the trail heads off left – and this is worth doing – it’s a good trail and lovely scenery. About 6pm we arrived – tired, sore and hungry at the Invervey Hotel where our bags awaited us along with hot food and showers. 74km done so far.
The weather is reasonable – not too bright and no rain or wind. We stand by the start of the West Highland Way – the 100 mile track from Milngavie to Fort William and for some reason we have decided to do it in two days. What’s worse is that we have told others that we will be doing it in two days as well. Alistair sets the timer on his camera, jumps into frame for the mandatory start of route shot and then we are off.
The start winds up through Mugdock Wood, and a sudden climb leaves me out of breath and feeling sick – Alistair is riding ahead and is getting further away – not encouraging signs for the start of a route that climbs nearly 2500m including the notorious Devils Staircase. It takes me 15 minutes before I get my breath back and Alistair is waiting for me when we get to the road.
Straight across and following the signs through Craigallion and past it’s Loch until we reach the B821 then a left and a right and past a surprised cow and through some deep mud up to a style. Over this and onto a fantastic track that had us grinning from ear to ear and didn’t last for nearly long enough. Then onto an old railway line which we followed to Dumgoyne. Here we took to the road until we reached the railway track at Gartness where it’s off road once again for a short ride to the old railway bridge. Climb up again onto the road and say “Hello” to the walkers who have just left the campsite the other side if the bridge. We look at the GPS and see that 14km have gone already – not too bad a start really and we have plenty of time.
Along the road to Drymen now and then off up a long slog to Garadhban Forest. This is a killer slog – put it in a granny ring and just don’t stop – eventually, before we reach the top we turn left into the forest itself – happy with this I relax and take a drink from the camelback – but to my dismay they have re-surfaced the track in the forest. Once easy (and some might say tame) forest track has been turned into rubble. Worse that that – rubble and mud. It’s a mess and no fun to ride – and it’s not until we start to leave the forest that this gets better, I guess they have been logging and had to move in heavy equipment. The downhill into Milton of Buchanan makes up for this however and brings a grin back to our faces. 32k down and we’re still smiling.
Road work now – and I have to say that it’s a bit dull – apart from the scenery. We didn’t bother going off into Ross Woods by the side of Loch Lomond as it looked pretty messy and we wanted to catch the ferry after having time for lunch. Our plan was to catch the ferry from Rowardennan across to Inverbeg. The ferry supposedly runs during the summer months and we had been told that it left at 2.00pm – so we had plenty of time as it was only 12 when we arrived. The ferry is operated by the local hotel – so we checked with them here to see if it was definitely running, and were shocked to find the ferry out of the water round the back of the hotel. It wasn’t running and the only other ferry to get across runs from Inversnaid – 6m up the Loch and it leaves at 2.45 and 5.00pm. This was not good news.
The reason that we wanted to cross at Rowardennan were two fold. One – the path after this point is not strictly open to cyclists, and two the path after this point is not strictly suitable for cyclists! In fact it’s awful – still we had no option, it was either this or go back to Glasgow. So we set off – and the track lived up to everything we were told. Much of the track is a push – you can ride some of it – but you’d only do this if you had to. Imagine our surprise when we come across a family of four adults, three kids and a baby – all riding complete with Halfords bikes and stabilisers for the kids and a great big baby seat for the nipper. These guys must have been off their heads – and they told us they were heading for the ferry, well – now we know what the path was like after that point – I hope one of the walkers turned them back as they would never have made it – and some of it would have been damn dangerous for the kids.
We made the ferry with six minutes to spare – it had taken nearly two hours to cover 6 miles. The ferryman asked us if we were crossing and brought the boat round for us. He didn’t even charge for the bikes – just £3 each to cross and it takes you across to just below the power station pipes north of Inveruglas. I would recommend crossing – all the walkers say that the path onwards gets worse after Inversnaid and it’s simply un-rideable all the time rather than just the majority of the time.
If you don’t like busy roads – you may want to catch the train now – because the A82 is pretty busy – and the cars fairly fly up it. It’s a slog up this road – there is a pub half way up at Inverarnan and after this I’m afraid it just gets worse. Spin up past the Falls of Falloch and then we eventually, after what seemed like hours and in reality was, arrive in Crianlarich. We turned left and headed for Tyndrum. Just before Tyndrum the trail heads off left – and this is worth doing – it’s a good trail and lovely scenery. About 6pm we arrived – tired, sore and hungry at the Invervey Hotel where our bags awaited us along with hot food and showers. 74km done so far.
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