I've never been so Cross.

It all started back in May when I took part in the Lovecross race which was part of the Tweedlove festival. Although an urban race around the streets of Peebles it gave me taste of things to come.

Little did I know back then, that I would go on to compete in another 11 cyclocross races over the next 7 months and enjoy every single one of them.

For those that don't know much about cyclocross here is the dictionary definition;

"a bicycle race over a cross-country course, featuring steep hills, turns, and sometimes muddy terrain, that occasionally requires a rider to carry the bicycle over fences and up stairs."

What this definition doesn't tell you is the complete lung and leg bursting effort that is generally required and the fantastically friendly atmosphere at every single event.

In August it was time for Haughcross over the bridge in Aberdour which I have previously blogged about in the August archive.

Next up was a trip to Fife and a great day out at Beveridge Park, the sun shone on this fine September day and it was toasty hot. The course was fast with a few good hills and tight corners.

The Battle at Balloch Castle was our next trip. As a non series race it too took on a slightly different format. When entering you had to sign up for either the A or B race. Alistair talked me into doing the A race. This like Haughcross was and hour long. I enjoyed the course but it was possibly my least favourite in retrospect, mostly due to the gravel. I am not yet confident on gravel and find it quite a formidable surface to ride on. Even with all my fire road practice I still squeal a lot of the time if my tyres slip and slide.

The weekend after Balloch was the first of the Scottish series events, this took place at Callendar Park near Falkirk. The format was the traditional 40 mins plus a lap, with the Juniors, Women and Vet 50+ all starting at the same time. The field was large, the womens field was one of the largest a Scottish Cross race has seen with nearly 50 of us on the start line.

I really loved the course at Callendar, it had a good mixture of fast and technical and for the first time included off camber switchbacks. In practice I was shockingly bad at them and was panicking at how I would do with all the other riders around me, but come race time I faired well and thankfully didn't manage to make a mess of them, much!

The third race in October was a non series again and took place next to the race circuit at Knockhill. It looked like it was going to be a wet and soggy day to start but thankfully the skies cleared in time for racing, although I was glad of my new birthday arm warmers. At first look on the warm up, I didn't think I was going to enjoy the course but as I raced I enjoyed it more and more. 

The last race in October took us up to Aberdeenshire and Knockburn Loch. We travelled up on the Saturday afternoon and stayed overnight in a Travel lodge, mostly so we could a a slightly longer sleep but also there was roadwork shenanigans happening on the Forth Road Bridge.

It was a chilly morning and we had to scrape the frost off the car windscreen but again the temperature rose slightly by the 11.30 start time. Lochore was one of the first races I watched Alistair in last year so I had a better idea of what to expect on this course. This course had a few tricky sections especially some off camber mud, but thankfully once again I managed round my laps without any mechanical problems or falling off.

At the beginning of November it was time to travel West and head for Strathclyde Country Park. The forecast was terrible and it was set to rain for pretty much the whole day. It had been raining for days beforehand also, so the course was extremely muddy. Until this point I had not been on too much mud as the weather had been kind, so was apprehensive about wether or not I could A) stay upright and B) have the strength to claw my way through it. I would be telling a fib if I said it wasn't hard work, my legs were bursting but thought it was a great course. I especially liked the single track through the woods.

Next was Lochore Meadows near Lochgelly. I had been told a few tales about this course. It was usually very muddy, it was very flat and incorporated a spiral that made you quite dizzy. This was another tough one as there was absolutely no respite, you just had to pedal all the time and pedal hard. This course definitely suited those roadies with millions of miles in there legs. It was quite different to the other courses but I still had fun. 

At the end of November we travelled to Plean outside Stirling. This was the worst weather I think I have possibly cycled in. It was extremely cold and started to snow before the start. Trying to stay warm even when cycling was difficult as the water falling from the sky and the water from the puddles were so very cold. I thought my hands and feet might fall off they were so cold. However poor Alistair was much worse and I thought he was hypothermic. It took us the rest of the day to try and warm up.

The last race of the series that we could compete in was at Irvine, this race also included the Scottish Champs. Again, I had been told many stories of Irvine, none of which were particularly good. Lots of sand and hills and generally a ten force gale coming in off the sea. My nerves only worsened after my warm up laps, this course had everything, off cambers, mud, sand, steep ups and downs and yes lots of wind. Up until this point I had never fallen off my cross bike in a race, but the big dipper and sand were to be my enemy that day. I lost a good few minutes having to pick myself up off the ground and detangle my bike from my still clipped in feet.

The last race of the series was just this weekend and it was on Mull, but as we both work Saturdays we could not make it. The series consists of 6 races in total but only 5 count towards the final points tally and you drop the lowest score. I only completed 5 so no points dropped. For much of the series I was lying in second place but I had a race in hand on most of the other ladies who were in the top 5. All would be decided by the race at Mull, and so at the end of it all I was placed 4th only 60 points behind the winner. 

I was overjoyed with this result considering that in April when I got my bike I had not really cycled with clipped feet, and could not get on and off my bike very quickly, never mind ride tricky off cambers, deep mud, sand, hills, single track and jump planks.

There are a few more races in the New Year but hopefully with some training next year I could do even better. I never thought I would love a sport as much as I used to enjoy my climbing, but cyclocross has so many elements that I love. It can be as competitive as you want it to be, it is so friendly and has something for everyone no matter what age and stage of life. It is a must try for any bike orientated person.

Here is a list of all my results;

Haughcross - non series - 3rd womens race.

Beveridge park - non series - 6th womans race

Balloch Castle - non series - 2nd vet woman

Callendar Park - series round 1 - 6th vet woman

Knockhill - non series - 1st vet 40 woman

Knockburn Loch - series round 2 - 2nd vet woman

Strathclyde - series round 3 - 3rd vet woman.

Lochore Meadows - series round 4 - 4th vet woman

Plean - non series - 2nd vet woman

Irvine - series round 5 - Scottish Champs - 3rd vet 40 woman.

Not bad for a first season even if I do say so myself.

All this of course could not be done without great support from Alistair and our friends Matt and Elisa who have helped with some handy coaching trips and our great Tuesday night training.

Here are a few shots from some great photographers. The lovely Anthony Robson took a few of these and I'm afraid I can't recall the others, oops. 

Peace x

Taking the Roller Coaster to Fort William.

Last year I attempted to do my first marathon but failed due to falling and breaking my wrist which was more than slightly annoying. I obviously had to sign up for another and hope that nothing untoward would happen a second time around.

So at the start of this year I signed up for the first Fort William marathon, then twisted Beth's arm to come join in the fun, which makes a change because it's normally the other way round!

The months soon passed and I had to make my 16 week training plan. I did some research about the best way to train for a marathon and eventually found a formula that I hoped would suit me. I knew that I would not be able to cope with a purely running orientated plan as I firstly didn't think my body would cope and secondly I would find it really dull and boring. I decided to make a plan around 3 runs a week (1 x speed, 1 x tempo, 1 x distance) and cycle my bike at least 2 or 3 times a week too.

This plan worked well for the first 4 and a half weeks and I was finding it fairly enjoyable and I think I was getting faster. Then one day when just out for a walk with the dog I stumbled on a tree root and felt a very sharp pain in my glutes. Had to come straight home, couldn't even walk it off! Although panicking about it, I still had plenty of time to get it fixed.

A few trips to the physio later and I was back, still a little sore and very cautious. I had tweaked old, almost chronic injuries, a tight piriformis muscle in my butt and slight tendonitis at the insertion of my hamstring into glute. Happy days!

So my plan was changed accordingly to suit my injuries. I cut out the speed sessions as going fast was out of the question. I upped the miles on the bike and reduced the miles on the trails for a few weeks, then as I improved I upped the running miles again.

I was training on the fantastic trails round and about Innerleithen so they were quite tough miles, quite a lot of elevation on fire roads and single track. However a combination of new trainers and the hills possibly contributed to me getting sore achilles, mostly the left one.

To say I was getting a bit depressed about the whole thing is an understatement, a few tears and tantrums were had but I wanted so desperately to complete this challenge. I hate to fail.

I soldiered on, ice baths for my feet, topical ibuprofen, anti inflammatories and pain killers became my friends.

The training went on though and the date was looming large. My positivity was growing, I can achieve this, I will achieve this.

Then 12 days before race day I woke up with a slightly stiff back, nothing unusual really but this one decided not to disappear and steadily became tighter as the day wore on. Panicking I texted the wonderful Gillian (friend and physio) for help and guidance. I was thinking the worst scenario, as my back has gone before and taken months to recover fully. She assured me that this may not be the case and not to give up hope just yet.

After some intensive physio sessions, more stretching exercises and 8 whole days of no exercise I tested my body on a 3.5 mile run 2 days before race day. I managed, it felt terrible and parts of me hurt but I was certainly going to go and give it the best shot that I could.

The roller coaster of Fort William did not stop there though, more bumps were to come.

It was initially planned that my parents would come and dog sit for us so Alistair could be our cycle support on the route, but like my training plan it also had to be changed. My Mum had taken ill and so therefore could not make it down. The hotel we were staying in was not pet friendly so what would we do? The only way was if we took Bdog and one of us would sleep in the car with him over night.

Upon arrival at the hotel I mentioned the situation to the hotel reception just to check that they wouldn't mind a guest sleeping in their car park. The gentleman was most helpful and with a whispered voice said that we could sneak him in after the owner had gone home for the day. Phew! Happy days for Bdog and Alistair.

Sunday race day was on me it was now or never. Beth and I were both fairly anxious at the start, it was my first and Beth's second marathon. The route on paper looked good but not really knowing the lay of the land that well, it was more of a "will just have to wait and see" kind of route. The weather might play a big part in the enjoyability of it. As it turned out the weather was near perfect conditions for running and unusually for Scotland this Summer, it stayed dry.

The route started at Nevis range and for the first 12ish miles followed a mix of fire roads, single track and roads. The scenery was spectacular and had to remind myself to lift my head and look around. The next 6 miles took us along the side of the Caledonian canal, again very scenic but this for me was the hardest point. The terrain was flat and seemed endless and because the small field of competitors had now been spread quite wide it was fairly lonely.

Having only run in training up to 20 miles the last 6 was going to be an unknown quantity, but apart from my legs starting to seize up, I felt ok. Every time I passed a mile marker I let out a little cheer, and said to myself "not far to go now". I plodded on trying to keep my legs going at a steady rate, but the last 4 miles was uphill so had to dig in hard.

Entering back into the Nevis range and following part of the X-country bike path I could feel myself getting quite emotional, all the blood, sweat and tears was eventually going to pay off. Not long after the 26 mile marker I rounded a corner and saw Alistair cheering me on. I smiled and cried at the same time, he was a very welcoming and lovely sight to see.

Crossing the finish line I have never felt so much relief and joy all at the same time. I had made it, Fort William had been conquered. In fact it felt like some of the best running I had done in a while.

With my medal round my neck I waited to cheer Beth over the line and shed a few more tears when I saw her round the corner and head toward the finish line. Another challenge completed.

As the title of this post suggests I found this a difficult challenge as my body was fairly uncooperative at times. As ever I am thankful to the people and dog in my life who help make things possible.

The day was topped off perfectly with a stop at Tyndrum for gluten free haddock and chips and a few glasses of champagne when safely tucked up back home in the comfort of my jammies.

 Bdog going on a road trip.

Car selfies.

Near Glen Etive.

Mmm never been here before.

Dinner outside in sunshine.

A calm and beautiful day at Fort Bill.

We can rebuild her!

Anxious.

More anxious.

Tears of joy.

The last few metres.

The red mat of joy.

Go Beth. 

I love you. 

All that for a tee shirt.

And a medal.

Boot party.

Where's my Mum?

That'll do.

Cheers. x

As always big love to all the Galls who make any weekend a great one, to Alistair chief photographer and supporter, Bdog for licking away all my salty sweat and Gillan for her amazing magic physio hands. 

Peace x

All photographs copyright to A. Dow and C. Gall.

Keep on Running.

Way back in January I was needing to find an event to enter to give me a target and keep me motivated over the Winter months. Normally I leave this task to my lovely friend Beth, who has  roped me into various cycling, running events over the years, but this time I thought I would have a look myself to see if anything took my fancy.

I decided on a running event as it is hard to do many road cycling miles in the winter unless you have a turbo trainer, which I don't. There were so many to choose from, 10k's, half marathons and of course the full marathon, what to do?

I plumped for the half marathon as it was more of a challenge than a 10k but required a lot less training than a full one. Rather than go for a city pavement run I chose the Loch Katrine half, which although was still on hard tarmac had the added bonus of some stunning scenery.

The race was last Sunday, which thankfully was a clear blue sky day, slightly cold with a bit of a breeze but no rain or snow.

We arrived in plenty time (Beth ran too, she is in marathon training) which was great as it gave us plenty time to register and settle our nerves and get a good warm up done. The event is relatively small in size, approx 300, but includes a 10k, half and full marathon.

The marathon runners set off first and their course would take them the 13 miles down the loch and back, our route was obviously half that distance down and back.

It is a very popular walking and cycling route but I have never done it before so the route was unknown to me, which I actually quite like, although I do usually prefer circular routes, but you can't have everything.

We set off and not having run with other people around me in a very long time I was slightly concerned that I might be tempted to run too fast etc so I just focused on a pace that I thought I would be able to sustain for the 13.1 miles.

The route was quite undulating and so tried to keep as similar a pace as I could on the ups and if my legs allowed make the most of the downs.

As I approached the half way mark I was feeling quite good as I and done quite a few 6 milers, but hadn't really done too many over the 10 mile mark, so my thoughts at this point were "can I keep this pace going for the same miles back?"

I knew I was going fairly well as I could check the time on my watch and I was under an hour at the turning point. I tried to keep fellow competitors in sight and where possible try to catch up or at least match pace.

My legs were feeling pretty good and my calf muscles which have been acting up recently were also feeling ok. Basically it was head down and try and continue the same pace. As I approached the 11 mile mark I was feeling quite tired and possibly a little dehydrated but I could hear feet pounding behind me and tried hard not to let anyone past. At 12 miles the feet were closer and I looked over my shoulder and there was a lady just on my shoulder. She spurred me on by telling me that I had been the best pacemaker for the last 6 miles and I should dig in and give my best to get to the finish in a good time. This comment really spurred me on and I eventually crossed the finish line in 1:54:38.

Under the 2 hours, I was very pleased.

The race was an extremely well organised event and the route although out and back was in some of the most stunning Scottish scenery. It was also a very friendly race with competitors give encouragement to each other as they pass. The winner of the marathon even gave encouragement as he passed me!! He ran a full marathon in 2:49:35. Impressive to say the least.

Sadly I was unable to stop and take photos, which was a shame as the day was beautiful, so this is one from the start line.

Peace x 

The Big Breakfast.

I have been a Coeliac (gluten free freak) for about 15 years now. In this time the availability of gluten free food in the shops has increased massively and the choice of snacky treats is definitely getting better, some are even tasty!

The food labelling for allergens has also become much clearer, which is not only good for me but excellent for other people who may be trying to feed me.

Restaurants in the UK, in my opinion, have been slow to catch up with the change of dietary needs within the population and I am always very wary when eating out, so when I see a menu with GF written next to items, I still get stupidly excited.

This weekend contained one of those excited moments. For a little change to our normal busy weekend schedule, we decided to go out for breakfast on Saturday morning. After dropping off my bike at the shop for a well overdue service, we drove into town to Urban Angel on Forth Street.  I had checked the menu on the web the night before and they had a good assortment of delights to choose from so was looking forward to my breakfast.

After a quick look at the menu and a double check of what they could offer I decided to go with the same as my lovely companion. French toast with organic bacon and maple syrup!

To say that it was fantastically, mouth wateringly tasty is an under statement. I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven. Such a simple dish to make, but the fact that I could order the same as a non gluten free person was so pleasing.

Obviously this could be easy, even for me, to make at home but the added decadence of going out for breakfast was just lovely. It's true that life is about enjoying the little things and for me those little things often revolve around food.

I did not take a photo of my delicious food so here is a rainbow instead.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey

Lovin' it.

The first full working week is over, thank goodness. It's always a thought knuckling back down to the dull repetition of work but in order to enjoy your free time, you got to make some bucks somehow!

The great thing about the end of the week is of course the weekend and this weekend was made all the better as the weather was fabulous. Cold, but fabulous.

Of course when the weather is good it makes the thought of going out and exercising so much easier and enjoyable. When the winter mornings are still dark and the urge to hibernate under the duvet is strong,  it is amazing to see a beautiful  blue sky take hold of the day. Even if there is no blue sky if it's dry and not blowing a gale, you've got to jump at the chance to get out and enjoy the few hours before darkness comes in again.

Saturday morning was one of those cold and very crisp mornings and having not run since the beginning of the week it was a great opportunity to head off the pavements and into the hills, or at least closer to them. The small amount of pavement and roads that i did go on were incredibly slippy with black ice, but thankfully I did not become a cropper. No speed records were made, but a successful 8ish miles were completed.

Sunday was mountain biking day. Yippee! Although the blue skies had been swapped for clouds it was dry, but still very cold and frosty.

The decision to head to Glentress and tackle the black route was made. I was especially looking forward to this trip as I recently treated myself to a drop seat (Rock Shock Reverb). This is a fancy seat post that you can lower and raise with the push of a button. This may seem a slightly pointless gadget to some people, but to me it is absolutely amazing. I like a high seat for climbing the hills but like it quite low for the downhills and on a varied trail this can be quite tedious and time consuming to do manually, but with this gadget you can do it on the move. It made me so happy it was beyond ridiculous.

Getting to the top of the black route is quite a leg and lung buster and is broken up with some technical downhills, but all the puffing and panting is worth it, not only for the views but for the great downhill at the end. To come down, we took the direct route that followed mostly red and then blue trail markers, and apart from having a few frozen gear problems it was a great run.

To top off a rather splendid January weekend, we stopped in at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Innerleithen. They have a gluten free menu that delights an especially hungry and slightly chilly me. A bowl of chips, a piece of carrot cake and a latte, blissful.

Now that, in my book, is a great weekend.

Morning run.

Morning bike ride.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey.

365 days later.

Well it's that time again! Christmas has passed and now the new year is upon us. 2014! Wow, 14 years after the millennium already, where has the time gone.

It doesn't need to be the start of a new year to make you sit back and reflect on the past, but you always fall into it, or at least I do. My reflections tell me that on the whole 2013 was a fairly good one for me. It wasn't so good for a few close friends and family, but they have all come out the other side and fingers crossed 2014 will bring better health to those who need it.

I have many happy memories of 2013, good laughs with old friends, adventures with new friends, physical challenges achieved, and so much more.

What does this new, even numbered year hold in store, hopefully the same and more. I have no specific plans but I know I want to make more memories with a certain gentleman who makes me smile. I want time with my friends. I want to cycle more miles. I want to run more miles, and generally be content and happy.

Not too much to ask really!

Life is what you make it so live it and love it. I'm going to try.

Wishful thinking.

I wish for more mountain biking trails.

I wish for blue skies and sunshine.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Wheelie good fun.

I love my outdoor activities and since being introduced to mountain biking about 6 months ago I have fallen in love with it. I loved my cycling anyway, but sometimes I am not prepared to fight with the traffic and am less inclined to do winter road cycling. With mountain biking however there is thankfully no traffic and I'm more prepared to get wet, cold and dirty.

At first I was very apprehensive of the downhills and feared the stones and tree roots that could be found on the trails. Now, although not as daring as I may have been about 25 years ago, I have gained in confidence and can tackle most trails, even some black routes!

The uphills are always hard and I usually huff and puff my way up to the top, hoping that at some point the ups will get easier. They never do! Although my times have improved, so I must be getting fitter. The feeling of getting to the top is always great though and the thigh burn is worth it when you get to whizz all the way back down to the bottom.

I have been lucky enough in these few months of taking up the sport to have visited several of Scotland's trail centres. They have all been very different in technical difficulty, layout, size etc but one thing they have all had in common is that they are all manmade trails.

I had an extra day off this weekend and was very much looking forward to heading down to Glentress for a good burn round the red route, but sadly the storms we had mid week stopped all my fun. I decided to check the website before leaving but it had not been updated for a few days, so texted the forrest Ranger to find out the extent of any damage that the winds may have caused. He promptly replied saying that the trails were being checked, so sadly the centre was closed until all reports were in.

Gutted, what to do now? It was a gorgeous day and I did not want to waste my precious day off. So jumping on my bike I started out on a route that would take me along the Water of Leith and then up to the reservoirs at the base of the Pentland hills.

It was an extremely cold day and I found that the ground was completely frozen, even where it was exposed to the sunshine. As I was puffing my way up the steep Currie Kirk road I thought that it might be a good idea to actually go over the Pentlands and follow the trail that I normally run.

 I have walked and run around these hills for many years and have always cursed the people that use it as a mountain bike trail, as the bikes have gradually eroded many of the paths and caused huge ruts in the ground that make it extremely hard to run over.

I reasoned this time that the ground was frozen so hard that my one trip round was not going to cause any further damage. Most of the paths were actually covered with ice, so much of the time my wheels didn't actually touch the earth!

I have to admit that it is a very good route to have on your doorstep, especially when you don't pass another soul the whole way round, but the extent of the damage caused by the number of people that use the hills is evident (walkers and runners included). There is extensive path building underway on the way over to Glencorse. At the moment it looks like a huge digger has just run up and over the hill and left this big ugly scar. I presume that the plan is to cover this in large chuckie stones, which is a shame because this is not very enjoyable for anyone to walk/run/cycle on.

I think it's always a shame when this happens, but it is inevitable when specific paths are so well used. It is great that so many people go out and enjoy this fantastic area of countryside that is literally a stones throw from the city, but when large paths are built it slightly ruins the look and feel of the hillside.

A gorgeous winter day out.

Huge path dug out of the hillside.

Very frozen big path.

My proposed Sunday ride with Beth in Carron Valley was also called off due to a storm damaged trail, so wanting to get out and keep up my mtb fitness I had an early morning ride up the Water of Leith. However with the temps being back above freezing the path is now very wet and muddy and I got rather filthy. I knew that I was getting splashed from my front wheel as I could see my very dirty jacket, legs and shoes but did not realise just how filthy my face was. I did get a few strange looks from some dog walkers and people in the garage forecourt when I took my bike for a power wash.

Not my best look! I have a mud beard.

Hopefully the trail centres will be open again soon.

Peace x

Mmmm interesting having just googled to see who has responsibility of ownership for that part of the Pentlands, I have found  that it is actually the land owners that are making a larger access path up the hill for their vehicles. Maybe I shouldn't worry as much as I do about the erosion after all.

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Gee Gee Riders.

I am not a big gambling sort and only ever have an annual flutter on the Grand National, but was very excited and very much looking forward to our girls day out at Kelso Races.

Our wonderful race day coordinator (Beth) had organised a mini bus to take us down to the borders for midday and arriving just in time to place our bets for the first race at 12.30pm. As a race day virgin the ins and outs of the day had to be explained to me by one of the more experienced members of our group.

Having bought our race book we decided to do group betting and put a tenner into the kitty. Our small group of 4 started checking out the first race and with our combined knowledge of the horse race world chose Last Samuri, because it is a Scoobydoo film that Lesley's youngest watches and Heart Dancer because we liked the name. We watched with bated breath as the horses thundered past for the 2nd time and whooped with joy when the Last Samuri won! We scored £9.50 and were thrilled.

With our pockets bulging with our winnings we once again had a very in-depth conversation about the horses, jockeys and trainers but in the end went back to the "cool name" and "those silk colours are pretty" way of deciding.

I had been given a few pennies to put on some bets for a friend and there was much excitement when one of those horses ran past in the winning position, but sadly was pipped at the post.

It wasn't until race 5 that we got our next win with a horse called Swift Arrow, bagging a whole £30.

That sadly was our last win of the day but meant that we broke even at the end of the day.

 In order to try and blend in to the horse crowd I resurrected my very old Barbour jacket, which I don't think has been out the wardrobe since high school. It would seem that tweed is still the order of the day with the country crowd, but I think I blended in reasonably well. My main concern was staying warm on what turned out to be a very cold but crisp November day. I was glad I put my thermals on, it took a few coffees and red wines to keep them chills at bay.

The day was finished with a lovely dinner in town. Although no big winners on the day, most people broke even. Maybe the next time!

Welcome to the paddock.

One out of three remembered sunglasses.

Gee gee riders.

Thunderous hooves.

A light lunch.

iphone panoramic.

Lovely evening clouds.

Betting slips.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

A Scottish Stay-cation.

The last time I took a proper leave of absence from work was back in February in order to finish off my flat redecoration, so I was very much in need of some relaxing time off and time away from home.

Despite all my world wanderings over the years, I have not holidayed in my own country for an extremely long time, so it was about time I had a look in my own backyard again.

The West coast was once again the focus of our attention and we had various ideas of where we would travel to, but of course being Scotland much of this would depend on the weather. It was hoped that we would have a mixed holiday bag of walking, road cycling and mountain biking, and stay in hotels, hopefully throwing in a spot of camping a long the way.

The starting point of my week of fun was Arran, a place I had not been since a family holiday back in 1978.

Me and my Bro back in 1978. Goat Fell in the background.

I was very much looking forward to going back, even more so given the fact that I was to be staying in the very luxurious Auchrannie Spa Resort. I have stayed in a wide variety of living quarters over my travels, but nothing this fancy, ever!

However, in order to get to the beautiful Arran, you do of course have to take the ferry. Not my most favourite mode of travel but thankfully only a half hour crossing and the waters were extremely calm. In order to get the maximum holiday time, an early sailing time was booked. Arriving in plenty time, we arrived in a sunny Ardrossan with great anticipation and excitement. This excitement was to be tinged with a slight apprehension, when the lady in the check in booth, told us that our sailing was actually booked for the following day!!! Thankfully, even although it was a bank holiday weekend the early crossing seemed to be on the quiet side and we were rebooked and boarded with no further problems.

Ticket.

All aboard the Cal Mac.

The day was so gorgeous, upon arrival we headed straight to Goat Fell and walk up the highest mountain on the island. It stands at around 874m which I think makes it a corbett. The path was quite busy with people but it was well worth it for the views from the top.

On the way up.

Looking down towards Brodick.

Blue skies.

Rescue helicopter practice.

Nice clouds.

The top.

The Auchrannie resort did not disappoint. The room was fairly spacious and nicely decorated and the bed was extremely comfy, what more could a girl ask for? A surprise bottle of bubbly certainly helped ease me into my lap of luxury.

A big part of travelling for me is the food and the often incredible difficulty I have trying to find anything gluten free. This always becomes more apparent when eating out in restaurants. I can not fault the menus and assistance I had from the staff at the Auchrannie in accommodating my dietary awkwardness. They were brilliant and I felt like a spoilt Princess.

Sadly the lovely sunny weather did not last and the next day we woke up to the usual wind and rain associated with sunny Scotland! Not to be put off we wandered in the rain to find a coffee shop before realising the rain was on for good, so we jumped in the van for a tour of the island. We had hoped to do this on the bikes, but it was not to be.

Day 3 and it was still raining. We needed to do something so a trail was found and off we went on a mountain bike ride. Not the best trail in the world, but it certainly blew away and drowned our cobwebs.

Rainy bike day followed by snooker.

Our hopes for doing some island hopping were dashed due to more bad weather so we headed north to Fort William, although the weather was not much better. the first night we stayed at the Holly Tree Hotel situated on the banks of Loch Linnhe. Again a very lovely hotel but sadly for me was let down by the less than helpful waitress when asked about gluten free choices.

View from ferry crossing back to mainland.

Ahh rainbow.

Room with a view.

Looking down the loch.

Looking up the loch.

We managed to squeeze in another mountain bike ride around the "Ten under the Ben route"without getting rained on, although the trail itself was mega muddy. It was a good route but not one of my favourites. I think it would be good for speedster types as opposed to my slowish pace.

That night we decided to camp and of course it stayed dry right up to the moment that we had set up and started cooking our dinner. Thankfully the master chef on hand was not phased and a mouth watering steak, mash and veg combo was produced. We were saved from further downpours by the very close proximity of the camp site and the pub.

The rain continued, so the dry tourist option was taken and a day out to Mallaig on the Jacobite steam train was booked. An all day activity but worth it for the views and experience.

Jacobite steam train.

It always rain in Fort Bill.

First class.

Views.

Steam and lonely church.

Steamed tree.

Glenfinnan viaduct

With continuing wet weather forecast we had to turn to plan E. As much as it pained my partner in crime the East bound plan was the only one left. Another mountain bike trail in Golspie was our destination with an over night stay at the coastal camp site in Dornoch.

The trail was set on the hillside of Ben Bragghie, but the only way to the top of the hill was via the black route. Now I have only been mountain biking for a few months so the thought of a black route at this stage was a mix of excitement and slight panic. The upper portion of the black was beyond my skill level so mostly pushed my bike to the top of the hill. The downhill was also quite technical and so some pushing was also involved on the way down, but I managed a fair chunk of it. The red route to the base was excellent and very enjoyable and so was the coffee bothy at the base that served me a BLT on gluten free bread. Mmmm Mmmm happy days.

Made it up and down alive!

Travelling home on the last day we stopped at Wolftrax to complete the upper and lower red routes.

The holiday was a great success on many levels and despite it being possibly the wettest week since May, much fun was had. I loved the fancy hotel but I also loved being back camping again. I also loved touring in my own country, I had forgotten how beautiful it is.

Sadly good things don't last forever and it's back to work tomorrow and time to save up for next year.

Haste ye back.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey