Day 11 – far, far from Devon!

Yes, for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, we are far, far away from Devon. 
Last night we spent an evening in Glasgow, well The Radnor Hotel anyway.  It was comfortable and I had a bath full of hot bubbly water, so I was happy.  We set off this morning with a smile on our faces, because we’d done the extra mileage last night by mistake so John dropped us off at the point where he had picked us up yesterday(Coach is great 😉 )…..still with me so far?  We were also happy because it wasn’t raining when we started peddling – bonus. In fact over half the ride was in fine weather so we were able to take in the stunning views on the way to and along the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.  

David, Alex and Jackie by Loch Lomond

I thought of my sister Ellen when we cycled past the painted wall showing Helensburg left and Dunbarton right, and of the many times I’ve driven up the A82 on the way to Oban to go dive with the seals.  Mostly though I was taking in the fantastic Scottish scenery – WOW.  You notice so much more too when you’re on a bike going at an average 10 mph!  We stopped a few times today for photos ops, and I’ll try and put a few in.  Touch wood, the last couple of days it’s all been posted as written….  Other than the lack of rain early on today, the wind was quite an issue.  It buffets you from the side and can make you feel quite unstable, a bit scary sometimes.  Also it makes you feel as if you’re not moving very far!   Tomorrow’s forecast is for more wind and showers. Doh!   Snow on the high ground too, that would be exciting.  

Loch Lomond

So what else did we see today on our travels?  The crazy drivers who followed us into the coned off area of road works when we were trying to get out of their way – the angry lorry driver who didn’t like that we could get to the head of the traffic light queue.  He passed by us very close, just to prove a point.  Though which point I’ve not quite worked out. But most of all we saw such magical sights I’m not sure where to start….Loch Lomond was stunning as we approached it first in sunshine and as we stood watching some swans flew across the surface of the water – very elegant.  As we followed the Loch, mile after mile, we caught the changes as the weather changed, dappled sun turned into wind whipped crests, and then grey clouds descended to shower it (and us) with rain.  We saw and heard many waterfalls along the way, big crashing ones and small burbling ones, they were all worth a look.  Not that we stopped for all of them, we had some miles to cover.
By the top end, the sun was reappearing and rainbows formed – we saw quite a few – they really are quite magical in my book.  The final one was over Crianlarich, where we are staying tonight.  It seemed to be welcoming us home.  Jen, our hostess at the B&B also welcomed us as if we were home, and opened up the drying room too.  Bliss, everything is hung up and drying before tomorrows showers.  It’s always nice to start out with dry shoes, even if at the end of the day there like two puddles.   Tomorrow there is more wind and rain forecast too.  Never mind eh? Nearly there now just over 200 miles to go!                   

Rainbow over Crianlarich.

Today we covered 42 miles,  just a short  hop then!  Tomorrow it will be just over 60 again.  We aim to get past Fort William before tea.  Tee hee. Actually we just aim to get there in one piece.  We have covered 627 miles so far, for those who may have thought we couldn’t do it…..here we are, scratching at the back door to get in! 
I can’t wait.

As always, I must thank everyone who has left a comment, we  read them with excitment. Welcome to Brenda and thanks for the support.   Thank you too for those who have sponsored me to support the Alzhiemers Society, it’s not too late if you would still like to.  Check out my Just Giving link on this page.  Also to those of you who are new viewers, you can check out how far we’ve come be scrolling down the page to my previous blogs over the past 7 months.  
May I wish Steve a happy birthday for today -HAPPY BIRTHDAY-  thanks for your words of encouragment too. 
Just a note from David to all his friends, sorry his phone got a little too damp yesterday and is on the blink, so he is feeling lost and has ‘no contact with the planet’  A little over-dramatic I think! 

That’s all for today, I’m off to bed.  Although it’s only 9:30 it feels like midnight!  Wish us luck for the big, windy, wet adventure tomorrow and I hope to catch some wi-fi again to let you all know how it went. 
Night night,
Beth xx