Horsing Around (July 19th)

This morning began unlike any morning in recent memory. And even not-so-recent memory. It began with the sun shining directly in my face. Not through a tent or a curtain. But completely unfiltered. It just happened to be that the bunk that I chose aligned perfectly with the sunrise. Had it been sunny yesterday, well … I would’ve noticed it yesterday. Anyway, despite the early hour it was a very nice way to begin the day. Especially considering I was going to be back on the bike again today.

The plan for the day was relatively simple – although, not all that much has been simple (relatively or otherwise) since this journey began. That point notwithstanding, today’s simple plan would have me biking to Edinburgh where I had arranged another Warm Showers stay. The ride from Stirling to Edinburgh is pretty short – a mere 60 km. As such, my Warm Showers host (Ewan) had suggested a couple of sightseeing detours that were somewhat along the way.

With a plan in place, I packed up my gear and, after three trips up and down the stairs of the hostel, my bike was loaded and ready to go. It was 10:00 AM. Side note: On previous tours I was pretty consistent on getting on the road by 9:00 AM; however, this year 10:00 AM seems to be the norm. I have no explanation.

Despite my recent less than favourable experience with cycle paths, I found myself following another path today. For the most part it went well. Until it didn’t. The first hiccup of the day wasn’t related to my route, but rather it was related to that all-too-memorable sound of a spoke breaking. The first one on this trip. In the past I’ve either called CAA or fixed it myself on the side of the road. However, CAA wasn’t an option. As for fixing it myself, well … that would’ve been possible had I still been riding my old bike as I had spare spokes with me. However, I neglected to get a couple of spare spokes when I set out from Oban with my new bike. I was going to need a bike shop. Not immediately but certainly sooner rather than later would be preferred.

I continued to follow the bike route when I experienced another familiar experience. That of a perfectly good cycling route morphing into a completely awful cycling route. Just to be clear, some of these “disastrous” cycle routes I’ve encountered would likely be fine on an off-road bike. However, for a loaded touring bike they’re awful.

Unlike previous days, I opted to turn back before I got too far along the less than ideal section of cycle track. My policy of “No Backtracking” has limits. The decision to retreat was based not only upon the condition of the path but the fact that traversing said path with less than a full complement of spokes seemed to be an added (and unnecessary) risk.

For all the time I’ve spent on both roads and trails, I definitely tend to prefer being on the road. As such, I have to say it felt great to get back on a real road – even if every revolution of the rear wheel gave a slight audible reminder as to the damaged condition of wheel. And that somewhat irrelevant as that would’ve been the case on a trail too.

At this point I could’ve bailed on the detours recommended by Ewan and instead headed straight for Edinburgh (and presumably a bike shop) but having ridden on a broken spoke in the past there was no real reason not to stick with the plan. I was reasonably confident the wheel wasn’t going to implode.

The first detour of the day was The Kelpies in Grangemouth. Admittedly, when I set course for said attraction I had no idea whatsoever as to what The Kelpies were. It turns out they’re a pair of horse-head sculptures. They’re huge. And they’re very impressive. Oh, and they’re very popular as there were a LOT of other people also taking in The Kelpies today. And everyone seemed to be very happy with the sunny and warm weather. This has definitely been the best weather day I’ve had – although, I actually heard some complaints that it was too hot.

With The Kelpies visit complete, I decided to check if there was a bike shop nearby. Again, I was reasonably confident the wheel would get me to Edinburgh but if I could get it fixed along the way, well … all the better. As luck would have it, my search of the area maps not only revealed a bike shop but said bike shop was only a few kilometres away. And, it was essentially along my route to my second detour of the day.

The bike shop in question was called G.W. Smith and fortunately they had the necessary spokes to repair my wheel. Although, it was going to take some time. Fortunately, the store was in a shopping district with all the shops you’d expect in such an area – restaurants, touristy shops, groceries. My bike repair was going to take about an hour so I went for a walk around the area.

An hour to kill can be tricky. It’s not really long enough to do anything significant but it’s too long to just sit around and wait. So, in an attempt to be entirely unproductive I bought and ate a whole package of cookies. About halfway through the package I decided to look at the nutritional information for said delights. I don’t remember most of the specifics, but I do remember there were 450 calories per 100 g. And the package was 340 g. So, that’s about 1,500 calories in about 5 minutes. But really, how could I not? They were shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate. Resistance was futile.

I returned to the bike shop to find my repaired bike waiting for me. The mechanic had run into a couple of quirky issues during the repair but, bottom line, everything was now ready to go. And at £15 I thought the price was very reasonable – they clearly gave me a touring discount for which I was greatly appreciative.

With the bike functioning properly again, well … the brakes still squeal but I suspect that’s something that will be following me indefinitely … anyway, my next stop was The Falkirk Wheel. Again, I had no idea whatsoever as to what a Falkirk Wheel was. It turns out it was very impressive. Essentially, it’s an elevator for boats. Serving a similar purpose as a lock except doing so completely differently. And, as I said, very impressive.

From The Falkirk Wheel, I set course for Edinburgh. And I did so along NCR (National Cycle Route) 754. Remember how I said I really enjoyed being on a road? Well, Route 754 was very much NOT a road. The condition of the path varied greatly. There were times when it was beautiful tarmac. And there were times where it was manageable crushed gravel. And then there were times where a mountain bike would have been the preferred cycle of choice. Reminder: I don’t have a mountain bike. That said, there was some beautiful scenery including some incredible (and challenging) tunnels as the route followed a canal all the way to Edinburgh.

With all the detours, bike maintenance, and challenging cycle paths, I had estimated that I’d be lucky to arrive at my host’s place by 7:00. Well, I was close. I arrived in Edinburgh shortly before 7:00 PM and was pulling up to Ewan’s place shortly after 7:00 PM. The timing was rather fortunate as Ewan was opening his front door just as I was slowing down in front of the house. A rather remarkable and impressive old house, by the way.

With Ewan’s help, all my gear (bike included) was lugged inside where I met his partner, Bruce. Despite my somewhat late arrival, I was invited to join my hosts for dinner – lucky for me they’re late eaters. Dinner was a delicious feast of chicken, potatoes, salads and, to top it off, there was ice cream with strawberries for dessert. It was all SO good.

In addition to the great company and great dinner, Ewan mentioned that if I was interested in exploring Edinburgh tomorrow that I could stay a second night. That certainly wasn’t my original plan and I really didn’t expect the offer but, with this being my first time in Edinburgh, it seemed like an excellent idea. So, it would seem my plans are changing yet again. But that’s a good thing. I mean, it would probably be disappointing if they didn’t.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 91.08 km
Ride time: 5:27:25
Average speed: 16.69 km/h
Maximum speed: 54.53 km/h