A wee break...and a WHW cycle report!

Well, I haven't run since the marathon. My legs were pretty sore on Monday, Tuesday and only started to ease off on Wednesday. Feel much better now...like I could go running again but whilst I'm resting I'd like to get out on the old bike for a while. Trying to plan a route with my cycling friend but his back is sore so we can't do anything too strenuous. Both of us really wanna try and do the WHW in 2 days, just seeing how far we can get to on day 1.

Now, I can see both ups and downs of this idea. On a plus, it would be amazing to finish it intensively like that. Last time we cycled it we went over 3 days in April. Started off about 10am as a group of four, hitting rowardennan feeling good late afternoon. However, the rain then hit and my friend's bike broke (something to do with the cog which turns the pedals or something). Then my boyfriend's brother got cramp. We stood just outside Inversnaid for ages using what little phone signal we had to get my friend's parents to bring him a part to fix his bike. Our night's stay in the Bunkhouse was great! I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

Getting back on the bikes, however, I would not recommend! Day 2 is always the worst for bum pain. Carrying the bikes on our shoulders up the side of Loch Lomond was hellish also. Bear in mind I am a girl and do not have any muscles in my upper body! So that part took us FOREVER. Literally about 2 hours to cover a couple of miles. Then on the way to Bienglas farm, too, there are all those little drainage ducts which you can't cycle over(as my boyfriend is only too aware of...3 bust tyres!) Then the chains started snapping. Seriously, I have never seen this happen before and get every single person's chain snapped at some point on that ride (apart from me - *smug* ) While day 2 was fun, we were approaching Tyndrum as it was getting dark, and still had to push on to Bridge of Orchy. We realised that if we did push on, we would miss dinner at the hotel. We thought about leaving the bikes in Tyndrum, getting a taxi to BoO and then just coming back for the bikes in the morning. It seemed like defeat though. These were all options we were mulling over whilst in the reception of the really nice hostel in Tyndrum. From somewhere behind us we suddenly heard a train, and it was as though all our dreams had come true. We could get the train to BofO! I know it was kind of cheating, but it was only 7 miles and we had carried our bloody bikes for miles that day!

This was where the fun began. Ok, so the hostel owner says to me "that's the train at lower tyndrum station" and we hear over the tannoy that some people coming off the train there had gotten on the wrong train, and needed to get across to upper tyndrum station to cacth the train that was just arriving there. This was our chance. We all jumped on our bikes. In our haste, however, the hostel owner said something which I completely misunderstood. He said "do you know where you are going?" and I seemed to think he meant "do you know what you are doing?" so I shouted "yes" and the 3 boys followed me on their bikes. So I shoot out at the end of the street onto the A82, battering furiously towards the Green Welly stop. It was then it hit me, I really had no idea where the hell Upper tyndrum station was.

They were all a bit pissed off (and exhausted), but noone more than the 4 japanese tourists (the ones who had been on the wrong train and had gotten off at lower tyndrum) running behind us knowing we were also heading to catch the train at upper tyndrum. So we did an about turn and battered furiously back down the A82 out of the little village. Then we saw a sign for the station....up this mother of a hill! (hence the "upper" tyndrum, I guess) Needless to say the tourists surely caught up with us at this point. Knackered as they were, they managed to run quite quickly up the windy road to the station. As soon as we started cycling up it, yes, my friend's chain broke! It was wonderful. So here we were; me, 3 boys, and 4 japanese tourists making our way up the almighty hill through the means of running, cycling (slowly) or running whilst pushing a bike.

We made the train, though it did have to wait for us and we got some awful glares as we sat down. But, we arrived at BofO safe and sound, enjoying a large meal and a nice Gin and Tonic for our efforts. The hostel wasn't the nicest, and my boyfriend's brother was put off by being initially assigned to stay in a room where 2 people were sharing one bed (hmmm). A team meeting at dinner brought to light the fact that we probably wouldn't make it to Fort William by 5pm the next day...since that would be over 35 odd miles, including the Devil's staircase and that almighty b*tch of a hill out of Kinlochleven. A consensus was decided. My boyfriend's brother would get train back home to Inverness in the morning, and us 3 would go for a wee day cycle then come back and get train home at night. I was sad, but it seemed like all hope was gone.

All hope was gone until the morning, however. 4 fry ups, £40 for those 4 fry ups (!), and 10am came around. We said goodbye to Invernesian David and went on our way, cycling towards the next part of the WHW. Lunchtime rolled around and we arrived at Kingshouse unscathed. Soaked, but unscathed. Everytime (all both of them) I have been at Kingshouse I have been soaked to the bone. It's not good! We realised then, though, that we were making good time and really, we could probably get it finished. So we did. Without much going wrong, we finished it and arrived in Fort William about half 4. Of course, the hill out of Kinlochleven was awful. And I did feel like a prize a fanny overtaking some young boys just before the Devil's staircase where they swiftly overtook me as I came right off my bike. Also wasn't so great when I cried and threw my (boyfriend's) bike down in frustration half way up the Devil's staircase. He consequently broke his back running up to the top carrying his bike so he could come back and carry the one I was carrying up for me. But....I found some strength and took mine the whole way! Oh yes.

Overall, it was a very good cycle. I don't think I could do it mid-marathon training again, as it didn't really do me any good fitness-wise. But it was a good trip and I'm glad we stuck it out right to the end =D

A photo journal:


At the start


When we found the Stargate...all we needed was the address to engage the chevrons...


My bike at the end of day 1 (not really)


look at this manual labour!


Yes, there were many obstacles in our path...(this was NOT as fun as it looked, the mud was pretty damn deep)


My boyfriend (in the stupid hat he found and insisted on wearing over his cycling helmet, ignoring how it did NOT make him look like a "gangsta") at the place we all camped when we walked the WHW in 2008


Me having a tantrum half way up the devil's staircase (yes, I was actually sitting in a huff...in retrospect it was a bit childlike)


And we were all happy to finish, pleased at our magnificent biking skills (but incidentally not our self-timer camera ones)

A fun trip had by all!