After a delayed flight to Dubai and a dash across Dubai airport when getting the gate wrong we arrived on time in a cloudy and wet Hong Kong. Temperature is lovely for us brits but views poor so Victoria Peak is out for today. Wandered through Victoria Park and the bright lights of downtown last night. Then grabbed something to eat and crashed. Surfaced 12 hours later. Metropark hotel is really nice. Roof top pool is calling. Today is Star Ferry, central park, Man Mou Temple and Temple Street Night Market. Oh and trying to connect with my nephew which is proving quite difficult. Oh well!
Saturday 10 October 2015
Thursday 9 May 2013
Day 13: Inverness to Culgower
Another sunny day as I tried to extricate myself from a very squeaky top bunk without waking my fellow room mates. Success. Got packing to a fine art so up and out. Met a number of fellow cyclists many who have been quite pessimistic of my A9 plans, busy, steep climbs etc
All did not start well. The first bridge out of Inverness on the main A9 was closed north bound and working as a contra flow. I had to ride it causing the traffic to back up. To the guy in the Citroen who felt that sounding his horn at me all the way over would magically make the cycle lane open I say "learn some patience". Probably not my brightest moment but it was the only way other than a long detour.
After that it was the A9 slog!! Beautiful scenery but constantly needing to listen to the traffic. Detoured off the A9 to see Alness and Dornoch (cheers Harold) which is really pretty.
Crossing Dornoch bridge met a couple walking JOGLE. Left 1st May and coming up to there 100 mile mark.
After Dornoch the wind was head on and quite strong. Find this the most demoralising. Head down I sailed right past the B&B down the hill into Helmsdale! Damn. Turn round back up and eventually found this lovely place. Net with tea and cake and staying in a very plush room. No signal but good wifi.
Early start. Breakfast at 6 leave at 640. 3 big climbs and 56 miles to go then 20 to Thurso. Don't want to miss my 1629 train!!
Got to go breakfast calling.
All did not start well. The first bridge out of Inverness on the main A9 was closed north bound and working as a contra flow. I had to ride it causing the traffic to back up. To the guy in the Citroen who felt that sounding his horn at me all the way over would magically make the cycle lane open I say "learn some patience". Probably not my brightest moment but it was the only way other than a long detour.
After that it was the A9 slog!! Beautiful scenery but constantly needing to listen to the traffic. Detoured off the A9 to see Alness and Dornoch (cheers Harold) which is really pretty.
Crossing Dornoch bridge met a couple walking JOGLE. Left 1st May and coming up to there 100 mile mark.
After Dornoch the wind was head on and quite strong. Find this the most demoralising. Head down I sailed right past the B&B down the hill into Helmsdale! Damn. Turn round back up and eventually found this lovely place. Net with tea and cake and staying in a very plush room. No signal but good wifi.
Early start. Breakfast at 6 leave at 640. 3 big climbs and 56 miles to go then 20 to Thurso. Don't want to miss my 1629 train!!
Got to go breakfast calling.
Wednesday 8 May 2013
Day 12: Pitlochry to Inverness
Last long day. More than 3000 feet of climbing and about 90 miles through the Cairngorms. Beautiful morning. Alistair the warden had breakfast ready early so got away bang on 8.
The route follows the A9 but not actually on it. It uses the old A9 and a mixture of cycle paths and B roads. Pretty easy really except the headwind approaching Aviemore. Find headwinds totally draining.
Leaving Aviemore wind moved behind me. Ooo errr missus!! So made good time. Now sitting by a very full river ness having found 3G at last!!
Looking forward to the end now. 2 more days which look quite Devon esque. Ie roller coaster terrain.
Not expecting any network so will probably fall off the grid again.
This trip has lived up to the Lifecycle in a previous blog. The excitement became the norm which is going to change again now the destination is in sight!
I have been really lucky. No rain. Couple of damp days but no drownings. Lets hope it lasts two more days.
Today's learning point is Sustrans routes may be safe but normally add miles. 86 became 97 today. Justifies another pint me thinks!!
The route follows the A9 but not actually on it. It uses the old A9 and a mixture of cycle paths and B roads. Pretty easy really except the headwind approaching Aviemore. Find headwinds totally draining.
Leaving Aviemore wind moved behind me. Ooo errr missus!! So made good time. Now sitting by a very full river ness having found 3G at last!!
Looking forward to the end now. 2 more days which look quite Devon esque. Ie roller coaster terrain.
Not expecting any network so will probably fall off the grid again.
This trip has lived up to the Lifecycle in a previous blog. The excitement became the norm which is going to change again now the destination is in sight!
I have been really lucky. No rain. Couple of damp days but no drownings. Lets hope it lasts two more days.
Today's learning point is Sustrans routes may be safe but normally add miles. 86 became 97 today. Justifies another pint me thinks!!
Day11: Doune to Pitlochry
Well the weathermen said it would be nice but today has got to have been the best day for cycling ever!! Left Doune on time and many thanks to the Scott clan. A fantastic afternoon and evening.
Anyway, into Dunblane and lots of memories. Not changed much. Back onto the old rides I used to do. Up to Braco the Auchterarder and beyond. Met a fellow cyclist out on a training ride and had a good chat about the LEJOG and why I'm doing it. Been very interesting seeing people's reaction and recognition that as a society we really don't engage much with strangers. An interesting comment has been about why in early morning when its quieter people seem to say hi but later a village can change. It may be numbers but also may be people types. Early birds by there nature are probably of a disposition to say hello. It's kind of a early bird club. Dog walkers pretty much acknowledge each other. So there's something about having something in common. Question is how to reenergise someone worn out from trying?
Anyway. Got to Pitlochry at 1400. Yet again those nice Sustrans people put a steep hill right at the end - joy.
Found a great real ale pub / micro brewery. Moulin Inn. Recommended.
Shared the dorm with a lovely guy called Harold. 81 and a half. Still hosteling and writing a novel about sustainable living. Once he got his hearing aids back in we had a great chat!!
Pitlochry both friendly, sunny and pretty. Good day. As some one said the end is nigh for my LEJOG.
Anyway, into Dunblane and lots of memories. Not changed much. Back onto the old rides I used to do. Up to Braco the Auchterarder and beyond. Met a fellow cyclist out on a training ride and had a good chat about the LEJOG and why I'm doing it. Been very interesting seeing people's reaction and recognition that as a society we really don't engage much with strangers. An interesting comment has been about why in early morning when its quieter people seem to say hi but later a village can change. It may be numbers but also may be people types. Early birds by there nature are probably of a disposition to say hello. It's kind of a early bird club. Dog walkers pretty much acknowledge each other. So there's something about having something in common. Question is how to reenergise someone worn out from trying?
Anyway. Got to Pitlochry at 1400. Yet again those nice Sustrans people put a steep hill right at the end - joy.
Found a great real ale pub / micro brewery. Moulin Inn. Recommended.
Shared the dorm with a lovely guy called Harold. 81 and a half. Still hosteling and writing a novel about sustainable living. Once he got his hearing aids back in we had a great chat!!
Pitlochry both friendly, sunny and pretty. Good day. As some one said the end is nigh for my LEJOG.
Monday 6 May 2013
Day 10: Short hop to Doune
Good day today. 50 miles in 3.5 hours. Nothing much to report except the surprised looks of my hosts thinking I had arrived a day early!! Big family gathering which I was honoured to attend and loads of fuel!! Oops food.
Planned next legs up through the mountains. Going to be tough but beautiful I hope.
Everything working fine!
620 miles done. Only 270 to go!!
60 to Pitlochry
90 to Inverness
60 to Helmsdale
60 to John o'groats
Weds in the Cairngorms could be fun!
Watch this space
Planned next legs up through the mountains. Going to be tough but beautiful I hope.
Everything working fine!
620 miles done. Only 270 to go!!
60 to Pitlochry
90 to Inverness
60 to Helmsdale
60 to John o'groats
Weds in the Cairngorms could be fun!
Watch this space
Sunday 5 May 2013
The Loneliness Lifecycle
Nine days in and riding along some long wet roads I wondered if there was a Lifecycle to loneliness.
Step 1: planning to do something
Planning this trip was okay. On my own I was never sure it would work but no time to reflect to closely.
Step 2: the start. All adrenaline and learning. Buoyed by good luck messages off into the distance.
Step 3: normality.
Just another day. Initial euphoria now replaced by day to day planning. Successes climbing hills but no one to really share the experiences with.
Step 4: just me and the road
Reality that u are alone in this. Great support from family but each day is down to you to make the effort to connect
Step 5: ??
This is where it could go either way
Step 6: back to step 1
So many people plan there way out of something. Often the result is planning the next step up the ladder or starting again if unfortunate to have slid down a snake. (Not a euphemism)
For me I am enjoying this greatly. It's making me think about loneliness how I felt in South Africa.
I have family and friends supporting me but if this support network wasn't there how would it pan out.
I do honestly believe its very easy for people to become invisible in the UK. there are so few who seem inquisitive about others and will just pass them by or ignore them.
Only one person has proactively and unsolicited approached me and asked about what I'm doing. I've met lots of people through my making a connection!
Makes you think!! I hope.
Step 1: planning to do something
Planning this trip was okay. On my own I was never sure it would work but no time to reflect to closely.
Step 2: the start. All adrenaline and learning. Buoyed by good luck messages off into the distance.
Step 3: normality.
Just another day. Initial euphoria now replaced by day to day planning. Successes climbing hills but no one to really share the experiences with.
Step 4: just me and the road
Reality that u are alone in this. Great support from family but each day is down to you to make the effort to connect
Step 5: ??
This is where it could go either way
Step 6: back to step 1
So many people plan there way out of something. Often the result is planning the next step up the ladder or starting again if unfortunate to have slid down a snake. (Not a euphemism)
For me I am enjoying this greatly. It's making me think about loneliness how I felt in South Africa.
I have family and friends supporting me but if this support network wasn't there how would it pan out.
I do honestly believe its very easy for people to become invisible in the UK. there are so few who seem inquisitive about others and will just pass them by or ignore them.
Only one person has proactively and unsolicited approached me and asked about what I'm doing. I've met lots of people through my making a connection!
Makes you think!! I hope.
Day 9: the border crossing!!
Well crossed the border today. No passport needed, well not until devolution. Long endless roads up through Gretna, ecclefechen and then into Lockerbie. Lots of time to reflect on loneliness and how I feel at the moment. Today has been hard. I made no real connection in Carlisle. It seemed a very insular place where a tall guy in fluorescent jacket was more a source of drunken derision than intrigue This got me thinking. Are we losing our inquisitiveness to want to find out about others. Are we so wrapped up in work, tv and the Internet that taking time to inquire when something seems different or just to say hi to a stranger is no longer interesting. Personally I love getting talking to new people, if they'll let me.
In Lockerbie I met an HR Director who agreed that people managers are a dying breed. It's all process and book a meeting. Interesting. Good chat Keith, thanks. Then arrived a bunch of roadies on their regular boys ride out. Couldn't get a grunt of an hello from them - nice!!
Anyway on to Beattock summit. All pretty straight forward in the rain! Thought I'd arrived in Toulouse at one point!! See Facebook.
Arrived New Lanark about 1630. Guess what - it's at the bottom of a hill. Oh joy for tomoz.
Brill hostel in a fantastic location - apart from the hill.
In Lockerbie I met an HR Director who agreed that people managers are a dying breed. It's all process and book a meeting. Interesting. Good chat Keith, thanks. Then arrived a bunch of roadies on their regular boys ride out. Couldn't get a grunt of an hello from them - nice!!
Anyway on to Beattock summit. All pretty straight forward in the rain! Thought I'd arrived in Toulouse at one point!! See Facebook.
Arrived New Lanark about 1630. Guess what - it's at the bottom of a hill. Oh joy for tomoz.
Brill hostel in a fantastic location - apart from the hill.
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