on your bike....

Just back from a trip to the Alps, it ended being far more social than active but it was great to catch up with everyone.
As I'm off to do this cycle trip through Jordan I really needed to get on my bike and do a bit of training. Sunday I was off on the Burma Road, this is a track from Carrbridge to Aviemore. We did it anti clockwise, which as I was delighted about. The slog up from Aviemore more would have been very hard work, it is 5oom vertical height gain but it was great to come down... woosh. The Burma Road is apparently names after the one in Asia for it's pink colour. Nice trip and not too hard from the Carrbridge direction. The climb is the same but the gradient is gentler. There is some wonderful wild country out to the west there and some wonderful views of the Monadliath hills.
Monday I was back out on the bike, this time just south of Nairn. We decided to go exploring and just follow the trails on the map, shame the map was not much use. A couple of the tracks just disappeared after you had got gone a fair distance along them. They just fizzled out leaving you in boggy ground. The bikes then had to be carried up a hill, through gorse bushes, ouch. Anyone watching must have thought we were just mad. FINALLY we got back to the road, what a luxury after the bog I had just been through.

Puddling about...

I'd love to tell yuo that I had a really active weekend but it just didn't quite turn out like that.

Saturday was a bit of biking, we cycled 24 miles as a warm up for Jordan but unlike the Jordan trip we managed 2 pub stops in the trip, can't say it was a hard cylce as half was on road. What wa amazing was the amount of fungi which are about at the moment, the woods are thick with them, great to see Fly Agaric, Sickner, Puffball, Inkcap, Boletus, Birch.......and loads more.. just amazing.

Sunday was a bit of a desk day for me as I really had to get stuff done at home (included blitzing the garden with weed killer as the weeds were waist height) and plan the Syria leg of my next trip... (more later ) Mark did offer to take me white water kayaking, but it really doen't appeal to me, bouncing bown a river on my head.

Monday I was off west to catch up with 'long lost' cousin Bob. Timing was perfect on the trip, we went for coffee on arrival and spent an hour in the cafe reading magazines and supping coffee whilst heavy rain passed through. Off for a paddle round Gairloch bay, loads of fish shoals jumping, I love it when they all jump at the same time. We arrived in at Badcharo just as it started to rain, so headed for shelter in the pub, the boys had a couple of pints and we headed back out across the bay, arriving back in Gairloch just as it started to get dark. We got the boats loaded and had just got into the hotel for a bar supper when it started to rain again..... perfect day!