July 5th Glasgow - Callandar

A really great day. We were not disappointed today by the cycle path. We set off at 8am and were able to cycle along the Clyde, through an industrial area and then along The Clyde Canal. It really was an idyllic scene with the river Clyde on left and canal on our right. Path well maintained and we met lots of cyclists and walkers - the only problem on 2 ocassions was negotiating gates - on each one we had to take off all the bags and get help from passing cyclists to lift the bike over the gate. Took photos at Bowling where the Puffer fishing boats used to be made. cycled across river into Dumbarton which is very pretty away from main road. Cycled along the river through Alexandria to Balloch and then onto Loch Lomond where we had coffee at Thortons and ate some delicious cakes.. beautiful weather all day. Cycled back to Ballock and then up through Ballock castle Country park to Drymin. This was a long hard climb. From Drymin we cycled through Garadhban Forest on the forest trail to Gartmore and on to Aberfoyle where we had a drink at a pub and then ate our bacon sandwiches sitting on a bench. From Aberfoyle we not only had a very stiff climb but we had to cycle on a very rough forest trail which made us worry about punctures. The views were fantastic. We cycled down to Loch Drunkie and then alongside the loch all the way to Callandar. Callandar centre is the Rob Roy tourist industry! He is buried nearby.
Had a really good Italian meal; had to book as restaurant very busy. B&B ok but first place been to where host decided how much cereal we could have! (64 miles)

July 4th Moffat - Glasgow

Rain kept off and we cycled up a long hill out of Moffat, which seemed a rather old - fashioned town. The daft B&B owner said it was all uphill to Glasgow. In fact it was not a difficult ride. There were long slow hills and relatively little traffic. The cycle path was pretty good ,as they were in Lancashire and Cumbria; there is a tendency in some places for cycle paths to be a depository of glass, parked cars and areas where tarmac is breaking up. We both felt a little leaden- legged this morning. Linda atributed this to the disgustingly weak coffee we had at breakfast! Eventually we found a great hotel just off our B road and we had somedelicious coffee.We both felt restored and cycled on - although Glasgow sign - posted said 25 miles away we started cycling through places that felt like Glasgow - overspill. As it started to rain as we got to Hamilton we had a coffee at a Holiday Inn and ate our bacon sandwiches! We made it to Uddingston ( where Christina spent some of her childhood- she always said we moved out of Glasgow to Uddingston but until today Jeff thought it was just a suburb) We quickly found the Clyde Cycleway but in somr respects it was disappointing as for the first couple of miles we had to keep stopping because of broken glass strewn over the cycle paths. We were amazed as to how rural it all was and what an interesting river, with numerous rapids, the Clyde is. But we felt the path was unkempt and little used. We saw no more than two or three other cyclists and a similar numbers of walkers. It was a very long ride from Uddingston to Glasgow centre. We had already been warned by the police and by a man in the street that the Orange Order Parade was on today and we shoeld be aware of drunke gangs. As we got to the city centre we came across the March. It was enormous stretching for miles with some 90 bands. It was in one way good to see so many Scots marching behind the Union flag but nevertheless one felt uncomfortable particularly looking at some of the supporters! We had to stop eventually as cycleway blocked by so many people coming from the opposite direction. We had a couple of incidents with drunken youths which frightend Linda but somehow we managed not to get into any serious bother. The Kelvingrove Hotel is very good ( 58 miles)

July 3rd Brampton - Moffat

Easier ride today as relatively flat. Went over Rvers Lyne and Esk. Took photos as we got to Scotland and Gretna Green. Short stop at Longtown and then coffee at Lockerbie. Were given 12 pounds by various customers in the cafe including the owner. Disappointed by Ecclefechan - birthplace of philosopher Robert Carlyle - looked downright seedy. Our road followed the M74 and we crossed it several times. Jeff always feels good when he cycles over a motorway as for him it is somehow an expression of freedom. We stopped at a lorry park when it started to rain and had a cup of tea and then got togged up with our wet weather gear. We then cycled for the next 90 minutes in very heavy rain. Fortunately the road had a good cycle path. It rained so hard that Jeff had difficulty seeing through his glasses. We arrived like a pair of drowned rats at the B& B at Moffat. The B& B was ok - just - but its one redeeming feature was a bath! (52 miles)

July 2nd Tebay - Brampton

Jeff slept 10 hours and Linda did not sleep much at all; she was bitten numerous times and said! she could hear asphalt being laid! It rained during the night but we had a great day weather-wise, although very hot. Had a number of hills to climb but not so strenuous as yesterday but chain kept coming off and eventually broke! As luck would have it after walking about a mile we came across a recovery garage (adjacent to the M6) and they took us and the tandem to Penrith. Bike repair shop mended chain and (apparantly) the gears. However we had only gone a mile or so out of Penrith when the gears started slipping again. As the problem was in the lower gears we attempted to cycle up the hills in the higher gears - result totally knackered. Thankfully the countryside was much gentler than yesterday and so we sauntered into Brampton at 3.30pm. The Nag's Head, where we were due to stay, had already rung us up three times; finally persuading us not to stay with them as they had various parties that night which were going to be raucous. So we were taken to a B& B called the Oval House. We had a great room with plenty of space and nice and quiet. In the B& B every room is named after a composer. We are staying in Mendellson! The rooms are full of great paintings, many of which were painted by Jane, the owner. She has a poem for each day prominently displayed on a music stand in the breakfast room.
Jeff fiddled around with the gears and since then they have been working well. Very glad we did not stay at The Nag's Head as the licence is until 2am! After a good meal and one or two drinks as we settled down on the bed; Linda fell asleep and promptly fell out of bed! (50 miles)

July 1st Whalley - Tebay

Breakfast 7.30am and managed to leave by 8.30am. Immediately we were climbing some ferocious hills. This was to be , by far , our most tiring day. We actually cycled 67 miles as cycled across the Forest of Bowland. Gradually climbed up and up onto the moorlands. The scenery was spectacular. We could see the Yorkshire Dales on our right. We cycled through Lancashire, North Yorkshire and then Cumbria. The flies, particularly horse flies, were out in force and whenever we cycled slowly i.e. uphill or when staionary the flies moved in for the kill.
We finally made it to Higher Bentham and virtually fell into the first pub we saw and surreptitiously ate our bacon sarnies. We were both seriously knackered- perhaps later summed up in the following conversation as we cycled up yet another long hill.
Jeff - Look at that fantastic view.
Linda - never mind the f........ g view where's the top of the hill?
Stopped briefly at Kirkby Lonsdale where we bought some ice cream and watched people swimming in the river Lune. Got to Tebay and then had diffuculty finding our B& B! Owner gave us a donation. The room was impossibly small. You had to go in sideways to the shower! (67 miles)

June 30th Knutsford - Whalley

Day started with heavy rain; thankfully after breakfast when we set off the rain had stopped and although it threatended several times during the day we remained dry although it was very humid. First 30 miles to Chorley were relatively flat although it was mainly through the Greater Manchester conurbation so mainly urban areas but traffic not too bad and no one cut us up.
We crossed the Manchester Ship Canal and took photos of this and the Leigh town sign. Clare had been very rude about Leigh but it was not too dreary although it must be said the best thing about the town was the sign!
As we climbed up the hills between Blackburn and Preston we had glorious views of the North Lancashire Plains. Our hotel is in a secure village with gates! It also houses Blackburn Rovers FC training ground. We met somebody living in the village who told us that the site was originally a very large mental hospital that closed in the 1970s. 500 houses have now been built. However it reminded Linda of the film the Stepford Wives. (50 miles)

June 29th knutsford

Day spent with Clare and family. Essential washing clothes and resting.