Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

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norbert
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Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by norbert »

Snowdon
Too much beer is a dangerous thing! I had a strange idea to ride my bike and also wanted to do some hills. So I set off one sunny morning and, some time later (much later and also very late), arrived at Maison de Cath to be fed a scrumptious meal. In a couple of days I was camping in Nant Peris and went up Crib Goch and on to Snowdon. The Vaynol Arms provided good liquid anaesthetic for sunburn and so I celebrated with several pints.

Carrauntoohill
A long ride from Llanberis to Holyhead and a ferry to Dublin ended with me camping in a farmer’s field. My next destination was Kerry, having pedalled across the Emerald Isle. I met Bob the fruit seller from Kanturk and he showed me his Aladdin’s cave of bikes, several of which had won national titles. His local Kanturk Cycle Club has an outdoor velodrome! The Macgillcuddy Reeks looked fantastic and I was a bit sad that I wasn’t staying to explore them more. On the way up Carraountoohill I heard a voice I recognised. Sitting above the Devil’s Ladder, like Pan, was a familiar face… John MacMullen discussing how an angle grinder would be very useful for removing the iron girders on the top! We summited with his friend and strolled down to Cronin’s Yard where I had camped for tea and cake.

Slieve Donard
The weather finally broke as I cycled up through the Irish Midlands but there were very few places to stay and the rain kept falling. The Django hostel at the eco-village in Clough Jordan gave brief respite but wild camping in a wood was a bit scary. There were many signs threatening trespassers with persecution rather than forgiveness and just as many implying that camping on farmland might mean you get harvested or ploughed into the ground. Crossing into Northern Ireland was interesting, occasional IRA graffiti, less tidy (but pretty) gardens, UK number plates and many farms selling cheap fuel and Polish coal. The hostel at Newcastle was deserted and I only met one other person going up Donard. We stopped to chat in the pouring rain and ended up laughing hysterically – probably because only lunatics would be out in such weather.

Ben Nevis
In the morning I had a message from Mark and phoned him to hear the tragic news that Keith had died. I spent the day toiling up hills thinking about, but unable to comprehend, what had happened. The next day I dropped in on friends in Armoy and was able to clear my head chatting with them for ages. The Kintyre Express (a semi rigid inflatable 640hp boat) sped across to Campbeltown carrying another cyclist and three very sinister stalkers who had big gun cases and camouflage clothing. Pedalling up the Kintyre peninsula was a low point; I couldn’t stop thinking about Keith. Being quite distracted I managed to hit a pothole and rode off and then back on to the road. My back wheel had turned into a ‘pringle’ and I began to think about giving up. Luckily the bike magician at Oban Cycles sorted me out with a new wheel (but only after straightening the old one and letting me decide that it was safer not to risk using it) Again, talking with someone helped. I stopped at a farm near Onich to ask the landowner if I could look at the standing stone and listened to his tales of how he used to climb the hills each day to stop his cattle wandering. The Achintee bunkhouse was a pleasant surprise and again I gassed with a cyclist who was on holiday from America. He was British and had raced with Pete Boardman! No view from Ben Nevis but at least it wasn’t raining.

Scafell Pike
Cycling up Glencoe and then over Rannoch Moor was great except for the big lorries and their back draft. The gusting crosswind was particularly unpleasant. Some soup in the Kingshouse and then a snack in Tyndrum helped but rain tempered any enjoyment until I found a super wild camping spot by Loch Lomond and went for a swim. Another wild camp near Lanark was nice but by now I had begun to really hum. My feet hadn’t dried out for two weeks. A fantastic ride of 80 miles above the M74 dropped me into Carlisle where I could wash and shop for beer and pizza. The 40 miles into Ambleside the next day were quite relaxing and I stopped to chat to a lovely old lady who still rides her bike. Friends and food in Ambleside followed by a dry day on Scafell lifted my spirits. I was still worried that I would not cope with the last day, an 85 mile ride, but an early start and some energy drink helped me home with time and energy to spare.

I cycled on a Dawes Galaxy (1997) with two rear panniers and a single person tent strapped to the rack. Total mileage was 1292 miles and average mileage was 61 miles per day.

Photos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ndmphotos ... 638044176/
Last edited by norbert on Fri Aug 29, 2014 7:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
CathS
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Re: Le Tour de la Grande Bretagne et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by CathS »

Brilliant! :D
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mark
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by mark »

you silly silly man!
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scottishrobin
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by scottishrobin »

excellent.

what were you trying to get away from?
Fairtrade Dairy Milk in the shops now - EAT CHOCOLATE

www.stopthetraffik.org
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SteveM
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by SteveM »

Stunning Norbert! One hell of a way to spend a holiday
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Sherpa Kenzing
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Sherpa Kenzing »

Well done 'Leather Arse', good effort now get back to the real task ' climbing'.
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xphoenix0
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by xphoenix0 »

That's Awesome :wink:
Tom Storey
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Tom Storey »

What an epic trip! Brilliant!
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Andy_G
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Andy_G »

Great work Norbert. Inspirational stuff. :D
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Plucas
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Plucas »

Fantastic trip Norbert. Interested to see you have exactly the same setup as me Dawes bike, two rear panniers with tent in the middle and a wee Ortleib bar bag. Here's some pictures of my little cycling adventure this summer: Mull, Iona, Arisaig, Applecross. Lots of hills but all done on the bike.

https://plus.google.com/photos/10844315 ... 9892220097
Tom_J
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Tom_J »

That looks really awesome Paul.

I'd be interested to know - how many days were you on the road for? How far did you go each day, on average?
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Plucas
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Plucas »

Hi Tom,

I was on the road for a week. Mileages were fairly modest, between 40 and 50 miles per day but that's plenty enough with a heavy bike and lots of hills. Also had a day off in Arisaig for some sea kayaking. Also hit the jackpot with the weather.
Marq
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Marq »

I feel I should post a link to the bike touring Vicky and I did this summer!

https://plus.google.com/photos/10512052 ... vPOm_ryyHQ

Marq

PS nice trips Paul and Norbert
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Plucas
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Re: Le Tour Des Iles Britanniques et Les Cinq Sommets

Post by Plucas »

Very nice Marq. Looks a slightly flatter route than mine.
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