things that might have been otherwise

I got there! Many thanks to all of you for your amazing support.

A big final day deserves a big blog post. Eccentric planning on my part meant today left me with a fairly ambitious 185 miles of pedalling. I didn’t tell people just how many miles were on the cards today in case they tried to talk me out of it.

It was hard to set off at an early hour with rain outside and wonderful hospitality within. Thanks to Ged and Bernie for a lovely stay!

I managed to steel my resolve and set off towards Dingwall. I saw some giant oil rigs looming jn the firth at Alness, then a road closure lead me off on a diversion of several extra miles.

The rain really picked up as I entered Bonar bridge. I made a tactical tea stop and it cleared.

On to Lairg, then picked up very remote single track road for nearly 50 miles to the north coast. Much nicer than the A9, the shortest distance used by a lot of end-to-enders. Quite testing though, and by Strathnaver I was getting fed up – stiff headwind while riding, stopped in calm spot and got absolutely devoured by midges. Now sporting polka dot legs. Also realised at this point that I’d left the map in the tea room at Bonar Bridge. (Rachel, if you’re reading, I’m very sorry!)

Finally came out to main road and saw sign proclaiming 55 miles to John O’Groats. Simultaneously encouraging and sobering. Good to know I was well on my way bit already had 130 miles in my legs. Shortly afterwards had the worst tea stop ever, a blow to morale.

The road along the coast to Thurso was quite aggravating – very up and down. One minute you’re swooping down switchbacks at 40mph, the next you’re struggling to claw back up the other side. I began to feel my secret plan to do it all in one last big day was foolish and doomed to failure. I set 7pm as my cutoff for Thurso. If I arrived later than that, I’d admit defeat and extend my trip by half a day. I then backed off the pace a bit and enjoyed the scenery. I was soon passing the nuclear power station at Douneray, now a big cleanup operation but still hiring apprentices for another decade’s work.

Much to my surprise I got into Thurso at 6pm. A following wind had built up through the afternoon and sped me along. This cycle trip has really reminded me of the power of the wind! So time to fortify myself with fish and chips, check into the worlds dingiest but friendliest hostel, then off up the road to do the final 40 miles.

Dunnet Head, the northernmost point, looked more dramatic. And it was closer. But I forged on ahead to John O’ Groats.

When I arrived, I could see all the touristy bits but no sign! I chased down a young lad on a lawnmower who explained that they take the sign in at night. That means they can charge a pretty penny during the day for people to take their photo.

I got a photo of sorts and headed off for the final 20 miles back to Thurso in the dark. Before too long I was showered and having a well earned lie down. Now for a long train journey home.

The first few hours of today featured midges, mist and mysterious hills en route to Glencoe. I heard a ‘plicketa plocketa’ noise on my jacket at one point while whizzing downhill, and thought it was a few spots of rain. Alas it was a cloud of midges flying in to me. I think I had about 1,700 adhered to each knee!

A rapid descent into Glencoe, then an ill-chosen coffee and muffin in Fortwilliam – should have spent longer seeking out a better cake stop.

I passed a fellow cyclist near near Spean Bridge, heavily laden with camping gear. From this point on, the riding got very speedy as I took advantage of a nice tailwind along the Great Glen. Although the A82 was quite busy, the wind sped me along almost effortlessly.

I’m not the biggest fan of cycle paths, but tried some today. They always seem to peter out after a mile or two.

Further down the glen I was passed by a moustachioed man on a big red motorbike with bagpipe music booming out from a speaker. It was intriguing to hear the Doppler effect on some pipe music.

I suffered a bit of a bonk at the 100 mile mark, but a little sit down and some stoats bars brought me back to life. Then a tea and a scone at Drumnadrochit, much needed energy for the final mega hill of the day. I like a wee hill as much as the next man, but nearly a mile of 15% is a bit much with 105 miles in the legs!

It was all worthwhile for the welcome from Bernie and Ged, who have put me up for the evening. Lots of food and fascinating conversations. Looking forward to a big final day tomorrow, hoping for favourable winds again.

I was joined all the way today by Alasdair and Pete from Ronde cycle club for a very enjoyable pedal to Crianlarich. The first bit of the ride to Kelty was quite familiar from regular club runs, including our regular scoot over the Forth Bridge and up to Cowdenbeath. We even met some clubmates out doing a secret early morning training spin.

We stopped for a well earned coffee and cake at Powmill, then a remarkably speedy haul up Glendevon and a brilliant descent to Gleneagles where apparently there was a bit of golf on… From there we picked up a brilliant back road which went last the ‘Rapha Therapy Centre’ – one for the aficionados of a certain reassuringly expensive cycling brand. Perhaps somewhere to have a quiet lie down after shelling out a mint on a pair of socks?

After a fortifying lunch at a very busy wildlife centre we whizzed down the hill to Comrie, then picked up another back road along Loch Earn, where we saw a mini hydro scheme, before tackling a pretty big climb up Glen Ogle. Thanks to Alasdair for tapping out an impressive but matchable pace all the way. We put the hammer down for the last 15 miles or so, Pete in particular swooshing along in his new aero helmet. I’d attempt a description but only a photo can do it justice!

Great to get to Crianlarich at the impressive clip of 17.5 miles an hour. Chainganging along with Pete and Alasdair made a huge difference. You can spin along at 20 but it feels like 15 if you each share turns at the front. A bit like using lots of intermittent renewables to provide a constant power source. Tomorrow I suspect will be considerably steadier!

Set off with Martyn from Gretna this morning, and had a very pleasant 88 miles on quiet roads in the Borders. The car traffic vanished almost as soon as we left the ‘First and Last House’ (includes a room where 10,000 marriages have been performed…) behind us. For the next sixty miles we encountered more cattle grids than cars!

Our route took us on winding back roads towards the Ettrick valley, skirting round to the west of Canonbie, under threat from unconventional gas developments.

Sights of note included the Tibetean Monastery at Samye Ling, and the seismic monitoring station at Eskdalemuir. Apparently this monitoring station is so sensitive that many wind energy projects in the Borders have been put on hold in case they make too much noise. So we cycled very quietly past it.

Though quiet, the roads were very smooth. Many have been resurfaced as part of the ‘Strategic Timber Transport Project’. One hopes the strategic timber isn’t all going to the big biomass plant we saw near Gretna!

A well-deserved cup of tea in Peebles, then a quick cycle home to rest the legs and eat lots in anticipation of another day in the saddle tomorrow, heading to Crianlarich.

I’m nearly ready to start my 450-mile cycle challenge. This Saturday I’ll be pedalling the length of Scotland. Everything seems to be falling into place at last. I’ve got:

• One expertly-serviced bike (thanks, @RondeBike!)
• A large supply of @Stoats porridge bars
• Generous donations from nearly 30 people, taking my fundraising total to over £900 (still time to donate too if you wish: help support Friends of the Earth Scotland)
• A fairly accurate idea of the route, and two maps to keep me on track
• My little pannier packed with clothing, tools, maps, porridge bars etc…
• The reassurance of some family and friends riding with me on the first couple of days
• An encouraging weather forecast (light winds from the south west, not too much rain)
• A train ticket back from Thurso

…now I just need the legs and stamina to get there! I’ll try to post updates from here as I go.

I’ve not started my Pedal for the Planet challenge yet, but I’m halfway there in one sense… Thanks to those who’ve supported me, I’ve reached over £500! So a big thanks to everyone who has donated. It’s a real encouragement, and it will make a real difference to my cause. If you want to give online, you can do that here. But you can also give offline too. Just drop me a line and I’ll make sure your gift is added to the total.

My journey is taking shape, too. I’ll have a longish ride on the first day from Gretna to Edinburgh. But I’ll be rewarded with mega cake stop and a night in my own bed. Then it’s a dogleg west to Achallader, before cycling through the Great Glen to Inverness. Then I head north to Tongue, and on the final day I head east to John O’Groats before whizzing back a few miles to Thurso for my train. A mere 452 miles! I’ve booked my train home now, too, so there’s no getting out of it!

Looking forward to a few long days in the saddle in the coming weeks to get my legs into shape.

Having worked out where I want to go (Gretna to John O’Groats) I now need to work out the best way from A to B…

Later this summer I’ll be cycling 400 miles through Scotland, highlighting climate change and raising money for the work of Friends of the Earth Scotland. Although I haven’t started riding yet, fundraising has been progressing well – nearly a quarter of the way to my target of £1,000. There’s still plenty of time to chip in!

In my early plans (see previous post) I’d gone with a very simple route: Gretna>Edinburgh>Braemar>Inverness>Tongue>John O’Groats. The idea was to stay away from the busiest roads, while making a fairly direct route north. But one of the advantages of cycling such a long distance is that there is a lot of choice about which route to take: there’s a whole country to cycle through! My friend David who has completed the entire Land’s End>John O’Groats emailed to suggest that I head west a bit and go up the Great Glen. This involves quite a bit of extra distance, but is much less hilly. Peering at a map on my office wall revealed a cluster of chevrons (marking steep hills) near Braemar, so I might well follow David’s advice! If you have any insights on cycling north through the Highlands, do share your wisdom in the comments.

Needlessly hilly? The road north from Ballater goes over some substantial hills…

I like the challenge of finding a good route for a long bike ride. Of course, whichever route I choose, it will still be quite a cycle. This reminded me of the challenge we face with reducing our emissions in time to prevent catastrophic global warming. The sooner we act, the more options we have open to us. If we put effective climate action off much longer, we will be faced with some very unattractive choices. So sometimes, it’s good to identify the best route early, and get going sooner rather than later.

Another point about getting from A to B is that the journey is often about much more than reaching ‘B’. For my bike ride, aiming for John O’Groats gives me a reason to cycle some long days through beautiful scenery. Although I am aiming for John O’Groats, I will not be ignoring all the points in between.

So it is with action on climate change. Some sceptics argue as if we have a choice between the life we’re accustomed to – ‘prosperity and growth’ – and some kind of ‘eco-austerity’. This is a false choice. Firstly, unrestricted prosperity and growth won’t continue if we ignore climate change and our rapid depletion of natural resources. Secondly, many of the best ways of responding to climate change (renewable energy, more active travel, less waste and overconsumption) are good things to do in their own right. An independent report commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland shows that Scotland could phase out fossil fuels, meet its own energy needs, and generate revenue from exporting renewable energy. That is a destination we should be aiming for. On the transport front, I read a funny tweet from Pedal on Parliament the other day:

Imagine if there was a vehicle that ran on porridge instead of oil so Scotland could hit its climate targets – oh, hang on… #RPP2

— Pedal On Parliament (@POPScotland) June 10, 2013

So getting to an important destination – carbon neutral transport – involves a very simple and desirable activity: getting more people on bikes. Porridge optional.

So I’m looking forward to my journey, even if it will involve a few hills. I hope more people like you will help me along the way with a small donation. It’s all for a very good cause!

Later this summer, I’m planning a big bike ride. I’ll be cycling from Gretna to John O’Groats, covering over 400 miles. I want to set myself a bit of a challenge, and raise funds for Friends of the Earth Scotland. Sometimes you need to give yourself a good reason for a big bike ride. Though as Conan Doyle notes, cycling can be an end in itself:

When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.

With atmospheric CO2 at 400 parts per million, I decided it was time for a ‘low carbon tour’. I want to highlight the issue of climate change, and raise funds for an organisation which is working hard to save the planet.

Graph via The Atlantic

Why is 400 parts per million such a milestone? Well, scientists have warned that if we want to avoid catastrophic climate change, we should keep the levels of atmospheric CO2 below 350ppm. See Hansen et al, 2007, ‘Target Carbon’. For more about what sustained CO2 levels in excess of 350ppm could do to the planet, see this Nature feature.

So it’s vital to tackle CO2 levels in order to combat global warming. Reducing our CO2 missions can be challenging. Our economic systems and some of the most familiar parts of our lives involve burning fossil fuels, hence the rapid rise in CO2 levels and global warming.

400ppm of CO2 visualised at carbonvisuals.com

I know I’ll find my bike ride a bit of a challenge. It’ll involve some big hills and some long days in the saddle. Friends have already warned me about the vicious midges north of Inverness. But I’m sure it’ll be fun and worthwhile too.

Why not…

• Support me in my challenge?
• Find out about Friends of the Earth Scotland?
• Set yourself a low carbon challenge?

There’s been quite a bit of hubbub in recent days over the Queen’s jubilee. Many are wondering, why all the fuss? In Quaker meeting this Sunday, I started thinking about another meaning of ‘jubilee’.

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