Day 5 - Alston to Gourock (Glendarouel)

Wednesday 26/05/2021

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Had a great night. Lots of food, drink and laughter. Everyone agreed to split into groups and do different things. Some decided to head home, some to stay up North and explore, some to head straight to the top and some to aim for the West Coast and see what happens. We opted for the latter option.

I was bunking with the 'snoring bastards' so I put my ear plugs in and slept brilliantly up until 5am when the heat woke me up. Konrad rode off to visit one of his mates so arrived back quite late, so he missed much of the fun but enjoyed meeting his mate for a drink.

In the morning the rain started again and after breakfast we all went our own ways. The ride out of the Yorkshire Dales was nice and before we knew it, we were in Gretna Green and Scotland. From Dumfries we went on the A712 from Crocketford to New Galloway which was amazing. Loads of fun on the bike including the next bit to Ayr. No traffic and we made great progress and didn't want to stop! We eventually stopped at a petrol station for lunch and warmed our bones in the sun. As soon as we got to Scotland the persistent rain stopped and we had proper sunshine for the first time since Padstow!

What a country - always amazes me when I come here. After stocking up on supplies we got the Dunoon ferry from Gourock where we had a superb ride to tonight's accommodation. A lovely wooden hut with all mod cons and a view to die for.

Sitting in the sunshine watching a rainbow over the hills and listening to the birds sing whilst drinking a glass of wine. Amazing place to end a good day in the saddle.

We were told about a short hike so we did that and really enjoyed it. A nice waterfall and some great views before we finish our drinks and turn-in for the night.

Tomorrow we have a very long and complex day. We may be taking on too much, but let's see. We want to see some things here but we want to hit Glencoe and finish in Applecross rather than Skye tomorrow. Let's see how we get on!


Mileage: 1093
Beers: 30 + 3 bottles of white + 1 red
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0
Ass pain: 6/10
Mechanical issues: 0
Accidents: 1 (me running into Konrad)
Wetness: 3/10
Coldness: 3/10
Birthday's: 2 (Krysia and Barry) 


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