“Don’t forget,” I said, “the website is always on the lookout for content, especially if it involves bikes…”
So after years of meaning to I thought I should make an effort myself.
Introduction.
This is the fifth cycle touring holiday – the first was a package from Breton Bikes, if you look on their website then you might recognise us from one of the videos. After that we were inspired by listening to another Riderz parent to head off on our own and they recommended The Outer Hebrides.
We always try to keep a holiday diary anyway, but it tends to be quite thorough for the first few days before kind of tapering off or being lost, hopefully doing it like this will make me stick it through to the end.
The plan is to drive to Uig on Skye, then get the ferry to Lochmaddy and spending 5 days cycling around the Northern Western Isles before getting the ferry from Tarbert back to Uig.
I’ll put links to the accomodation in a seperate post and maybe a map.
Day Zero – 248 miles, 100 yards.
So we leave Killie early for once and the weather is lovely!
Skye is miles away. Really far. Further than Wigan and Wigan is in a different country.
But dropping into Skye is like visiting somewhere foreign, the roads narrow the sun shines whilst I doze gently in the passenger seat. Long car journeys always involve an audiobook, it was to be “Paper Towns” but after the first 20 minutes or so it becomes clear it’s a bit certificate 15 so we listen to War Horse instead and when we arrive in Uig we are all in tears.
As we’re unpacking the bikes in the Ferry Carpark (free parking!) we got chatting to a couple just off the ferry on a tandem, which I once considered only as a subject of mockery (thans to the Goodies I think) but I am now beginning to covet. They are just back from 2 weeks on the Hebrides and tell tales of howling gales and beautiful beaches.
Things to remember – my wife and daughter in their Altura hi-vis jackets look just the same as the sailors on the ferry. Don’t follow the wrong people on the car deck is all I’m saying.
The Route.
I know I was consulted on the route but suddenly, sitting on the observation deck of the good ship MV Finlaggan, I’m having second thoughts. Tomorrow doesn’t sound too bad but the day after sounds a bit ambitious:
“36 miles and 1686 feet in a day?” I exclaim.
“We talked about this – I knew you were’t listening.” Suzy replies (This is true).
“Google maps reckons 3 hrs 20. What do you think?” she asks.
I think it will take us all day, involve taxis and probably a ten year old having a tantrum. And maybe a 43 year old too.
But I don’t say anything other than “Are you sure I agreed to this?”
But first we have to get from the ferry to the Lochmaddy hotel, a good hundred yards. During which my chain falls off and my rear mech hits my spokes.
Seem I hadn’t got away with the crash last month as well as I’d hoped and the rear hanger is bent but a bit of brute force and it’s running again.
To be continued…
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