Didn't get off to the best of starts this morning discovering I'd left one of my pairs of cycling shorts in Dunfermline, so I'm down to one pair now. hmmmm. Said goodbye to the guys and headed off about 10am. It was yet more hills. up and down and I didn't seem to be making much progress. I figured I was just tired from the past two days of 80 miles. Actually my lock had been rubbing my wheel for the past 33miles, which I discovered at lunch time and things got a lot easier after that.
Today's highlights included an old railway carriage on top of a hill, I have no idea how it got there and seeing Balmoral Castle even if it was a tiny blip on the landscape from my perspective.
The rain came in at about midday and didn't subside until about 4pm. Still I made good time and my host tonight Robbie asked if I had wings when I texted him at 2.30 to say I was only 25 miles away. I was tempted to say they were water wings due to my current sodden condition. Literally I had two buckets of water on my feet most of the afternoon. I got into Dufftown at 4.30pm and sampled some of Scotland's finest before doing the last 7 miles up to my final destination. The day culminated with a tasty dinner with Robbie and Nancy and a wee dram.
Monday 13 September 2010
Day 8 Dunfermline to Braemar 76 miles
Was up early in fact just after Sarah who'd woken at 7.30am. Well burns tend to keep unsociable hours. By 9am I'd cooked dinner and made lunch. At this point I decided to sort some accommodation for the next few days as currently I was going to be camping for 10 nights in the Scottish Highlands, brrr. This brought me to 11.30 before I finally left but not to worry as I only had a short day ahead of me, Blairgowrie around 40 miles.
The roads were good and I was stopped by a sweet old couple who gave me £7 in Kilnross. On I went and was given another donation when I stopped at a cottage to ask for directions. A good day unfolding and lovely weather. I loved Perth and vowed to go back. while I was there I looked for a bike shop for minor servicing but both were closed. My directions had come from the guys in Millets where I bought a fresh waterproof to replace the leaking pink one and an extra thermal layer.
On the road to Blairgowrie I passed Scone Palace and Old Scone both names amusing me and arrived in the township at around 4pm. Deciding there was still plenty of day left I chose to carry on and was glad I did because what lay before me was my first real taste of the Cairngorm mountains. Initially they were long, moderate inclines. but then came a 12% that went on for what must have been 2-3 miles. I was bucketing sweat but also running short of water, so limited my intake which wasn't helping. when i finally got to the top I filled my water bottle from the toilet sink of Glenshee ski resort that resided at the summit run down to Braemar. For I feared that I wasn't going to make it to Braemar before night fall with several miles still to go and the day pushing on.
As it was it was all down hill from there on and I got a good speed of about 23 mph all the way making it to my destination well before dark. The assistant warden kindly donated my spot for the night at the campsite on the edge of town and I settle in for a good evening of beer and conversation with the 4 Belgium gents who were pitched next to me.
The roads were good and I was stopped by a sweet old couple who gave me £7 in Kilnross. On I went and was given another donation when I stopped at a cottage to ask for directions. A good day unfolding and lovely weather. I loved Perth and vowed to go back. while I was there I looked for a bike shop for minor servicing but both were closed. My directions had come from the guys in Millets where I bought a fresh waterproof to replace the leaking pink one and an extra thermal layer.
On the road to Blairgowrie I passed Scone Palace and Old Scone both names amusing me and arrived in the township at around 4pm. Deciding there was still plenty of day left I chose to carry on and was glad I did because what lay before me was my first real taste of the Cairngorm mountains. Initially they were long, moderate inclines. but then came a 12% that went on for what must have been 2-3 miles. I was bucketing sweat but also running short of water, so limited my intake which wasn't helping. when i finally got to the top I filled my water bottle from the toilet sink of Glenshee ski resort that resided at the summit run down to Braemar. For I feared that I wasn't going to make it to Braemar before night fall with several miles still to go and the day pushing on.
As it was it was all down hill from there on and I got a good speed of about 23 mph all the way making it to my destination well before dark. The assistant warden kindly donated my spot for the night at the campsite on the edge of town and I settle in for a good evening of beer and conversation with the 4 Belgium gents who were pitched next to me.
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