Having had a long week at work, I nipped off a little early on Friday, hopped on the train across to Glasgow with my bike and caught the last train north. The train ride up the west coast of Scotland is amazing, and I was glued to the window all the way - well at least till the sun went down! I got off at Rannoch station, dug out my end head torch and headed southwest along a vehicle track till I found a perfect camping spot on the side of Loch Laidon.
Next morning I set off. My plan was simple - be back in Edinburgh in time to recover for work on Monday morning, while doing enough miles to be considered training for July. In my Friday lunch break I'd come up with a rough idea for heading up round the back of Schiehallion, along Glen Lyon before heading down to Loch Earn to camp Saturday night. Sunday would be a dash along the Perthshire backroads to the Forth Road Bridge and Edinburgh. Simple - now I just had to do it!
The first day was great. Its the first time I've been up Glen Lyon, which is a beautifully picturesque and quiet part of the country. The climb up over to Loch Tay was a shock to the legs, coming 42 miles into the day. This was my first proper ride for almost a year, so the first day was definitely a case of getting used to the bike.
I woke on Sunday morning to find that there was a frost. Eventually I forced myself out of my warm sleeping bag, made some tea and was on the bike again by 8am. Once the sun rose, so did the temperature and it was a great ride south from Comrie and across the Ochils. I always speed past this part of the country when heading to the highlands, so the ride was a bit of a revelation.
I was home in Edinburgh a little after 3pm, 223km cycled in two days. Very happy - celebrated with good beer!
