Featured Rideout Ardnamurchan,the Most Westerly Point On The British Mainland

@Dougie D have you every done any Southern Ireland trips like around the Wicklow mountains?
Very nice there.
When I went, a few years ago .... before the Euro etc, they were on the punt and it was 1.10 to the £. (11 punts = £10)
In effect if you went in a shop and spent 1 punt using a £10 sterling note then you should have, should've, got a 10 punt note back

Oh yes it never worked out like that and I'm sure the locals took the piss out of the tourists

Harp lager, ummm it never tasted as good back in Yorkshire and we usually had a few pints midday then happily cycled on for the rest of the day no worries

 

Yes I've been to the south 3 times, twice with @andyc1 the first couple of times the weather was great, but not quite so lucky the 3rd time as it rained a couple of days. some great roads down the that way

 

Yes the weather is very fickle at times and can make or break a trip.
One trip in the 1980s as I recall was so hot that the tarmac was melting and pushbikes were leaving tramlines in the road surface.
Dinnertimes in the early trips were sarnies and a swim in a roadside river but a few years later revolved around a pub and games of pool. I was a pretty good player and with my mate once got totally fleeced by a pair of local scarecrow characters playing for money to top up their income

Lessons learned that day.

 

Great trip report @Dougie D, I loved diving into the pix to see more detail. Spectacular scenery and the roads sounded fun

 

Was there still lots of Red Deer about as there were plenty 15 years ago or so when I went?

 

Don't think I saw any in Ireland but saw a few over Ardnamurchan way. Best time to see lots of them is early morning or just as its getting dark, mind you you don't want to be bumping into them on a bike so you have to be on high alert all the time

 

Well done that man, excellent story and brilliant photos, looking forward to seeing the next one. M

 

Sorry @Dougie D I had moved back on to your original Ardnamurchan thread (not Ireland but I didn't make that clear).
Last time up there after dinner at Acharacle we were watching a few different herds jumping fences and generally running about.

On another trip, as I am a deerstalker amongst other things, I remember coming off the Spittal of Glenshee going towards Tomintoul.
The time of day was getting late and something in the back of my mind was saying deer about; See picture below.
Around 5 miles down the road I came around a left hander not totally settled so backed off loads when x20 or so Reds crossed from my left to right, the leaders saw me so did a prompt U turn ultimately blocking the whole road.
The route through, as in pick your gap at speed, would have been impossible and I simply pulled up smiling to myself whilst watching them go on their way.

Be very aware of the times of day with regard to considering wildlife movements; that early morning or late evening blast may not be as "traffic free" as anticipated!!!



Empty roads can be very tempting but this is only about 5 miles away from potential disaster.

 

Yeah Red Deer, deary me, early morning (3.30) last Thursday, commuting. Bloody thing cut across me then stopped, and turned, defensively, tried to head butt me, I recon his head was less than a foot from my knee.

Very nearly stopped and gave him a piece of my mind, let me tell you this boy!

 

Got to watch those teuchters mate. Tricky, are you sure thats what you saw?

 

I did see one in Ireland, i forgot about the little bambi that ran out in front of me and @andyc1 round about Molls Gap I think

 

Yes, cute wee bugger he was! Again, early morning, didn't we go a wee run up there before breakfast? I'm always wary now early mornings as we have encountered them a fair few times... them bloody sheep don't care what time of day it is though

 

Yeah best time to bump into them!

 

Hopefully not literally

 

They'll do it midday too! I was on a run once with a couple Dutch friends, and just past Acharacle a lamb did a runner towards mum, and killed himself under my mate's Fat bob... We found the farmer the lamb belonged to, and all he said was: "kind of you to find me, it'll end up on the bbq... ".

 

Great ride nice country

 

Great thread @Dougie D, so many great photos, you've made me realise I really need to stop more frequently.

 

if I'm out on my own I spend more time stopping for coffee and taking photos and just looking around and taking in the scenery, If I'm away for a days ride I normally do about 250 miles leaving about 8am and I'm usually back home about 4.30 so plenty of time to do the things I want, I do enjoy my weekly ride out with my mate but I also enjoy getting out on my own as much as possible

 

Many years of touring with SWMBO pillioning, with her snapping away as we travel, so I need to change old habits. (The wife rides her own bike in the UK)
Living near St. Ives is great in many respects, but available direction for day rides is limited, so gets a bit repetitive here.

 

What a brilliant report, @Dougie D! Your trips like this almost make me want to get an adventure bike and go off road.....almost. I absolutely loved reading about this trip and seeing the photos of the beautiful places you rode. And the quirky stuff, too, like the giant midge and the guys jumping off the bridge, and the tent in the middle of nowhere with no one home, and the sheep traffic jam. Thanks for taking the time to snap pics and to share your adventure with us. Outstanding!