Distance: 37.6 miles / 60.6 km
Elevation: 1,633 feet / 497 m
Time: 3 hours and 55 minutes (2 hours and 53 minutes cycling)
These holiday days were originally booked off work for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Because of coronavirus, the race has been delayed until September. Since I had taken so few holiday days so far this year, I decided to keep them booked and go on a mini adventure.
I decided to stay within the UK to avoid any drama. My options were still fairly limited, but I chose Scotland simply because I hadn’t visited in so long.
I had a vague idea of where I wanted to ride and what I wanted to see. Komoot really helped me fill in the gaps, and showed me other highlights not too far away. I have a couple of different options I can take, but the current plan is to go as far as Inverness. Hopefully I can make it that far in the time I have.
Bad Weather
Today I did not ride as far as planned, which doesn’t bode well. A number of factors caused me to set off from home much later than I imagined. This meant that I did not arrive in a very rainy Balloch (my planned starting point) until the afternoon. In a lot of ways, a shorter day has worked in my favour – I was wet enough (and ready to stop) by the time I got to Tyndrum.
I am sure the views over Loch Lomond are more than just low lying cloud normally, but that’s mostly what I got. There were some most excellent views at times but it’s inconvenient to stop when it’s pissing it down. At least the roads are smooth and quiet.
After Ardlui, Loch Lomond fizzles out in to the River Falloch. It is from here where the roads were noticably quiter (and wetter!) and the environment much more scenic.
Not too far from my destination, I noticed a sign for the tourist attraction The Falls of Falloch. It was raining quite a lot, so I went for a nosey. It’s not very friendly for cycling shoes to be honest! The rain had made all the grass very muddy, and rocks were the only alternative. To top it off, it also looked a bit shite after all that faffing about. A bit of a letdown really.
The Falls of Falloch
I have been lucky in that the accommodation, which I only booked at lunch time today, has a washing machine and a drying room. Sadly they wouldn’t let me put my bike, or myself, in the latter. Since I’m carrying the bare minimum of gear, this should really help on later days.
I’ve been enjoying some post ride tipples in a local pub. If Belhaven Best truly is the best beer they can brew the rest must be terrible. It’s probably better than Tenants though.
The weather looks more of the same tomorrow for my ride through Glencoe.
Next: Glencoe