I'd a notion to do some gravel bashing up by Loch Rannoch to check out a wrecked bridge on the HT route for this one, but as usual I couldn't be bothered driving so loaded up the straggler and headed out after work on Friday eve. 50 odd k of easy pedaling up to Callander followed on my usual route. It was quite chilly (-2) at home but the temps crept up above freezing by the time I got to Callander. So nothing special but a relaxing way to finish the week. Best of all the weather was looking to be stunning, again! Pie and chips in Callander were eaten sat on a bench on the main street and the co-op provided a beer for later.
I'd roughly scoped a potential bivvy spot in the woods above the cycleway by Kilmahog with an option to bash on if I fancied. But it was nearly 9pm so went with plan A. A large number of camper vans in the car park at the start of the track made me worry my night would be disturbed by generators, fires and music (quite why you would want to cram into a car park with a camper van, alongside a load of others is totally beyond me) but all was quiet as I pedaled a couple of k up the hill to where I thought would be a good spot. As usual, in the dark it all looked a bit iffy. Eventually I spied an area of dense-ish pine trees just by the track so piled in and after a bit of wandering about around various fallen trees and through a bog found a perfect spot. Unroll bivvy bag, inflate mat, dive in, sip whisky, read book, relax! On the strength of a 0% chance of rain forecast, I didn't bother with the tarp (7th time this year!) but the forecast also said little or no wind and it got pretty breezy at one point. Stars were all around so I crashed out, fairly confident I wouldn't get a soaking. Thermorest quilt super cozy.
8hrs solid sleep followed. I woke to the sun peering over the Menteith hills opposite. Up and out sharpish (such that I forgot to photo the bivvy) and off up the glen on the track. This took me high above Loch Lubnaig and will make a fine alternative to the cycleway which can be a bit busy with peds on a normal Saturday. That said it was deserted at this early hour and this continued to Strathyre.
Mist boiling off the falls of Lenny. I'd an inkling there might be an inversion hence my high level spot and the breeze kept everything dry.
Annoyingly I was 25 minutes early for the cafe at Strathyre but they were setting up and the helpful owner came out and suggested I try the place up at Kingshouse. In the event I grabbed a coffee and a pie at the shop and sat out in the sun.
Sun! (and snow on Stobbinein)
Sure enough, a few k up the trail at Kingshouse, the cafe cum pub was open and I fancied a fry up, having not brought the stove. £15! it was pretty good but what a rip off.... Suitably fortified I vowed not to eat anything else until Bankfoot, some 100k away.
Fine viaduct on the cycleway (again - I always take this pic) and as usual a good blast down to Killin. Thereafter I had a fairly easy run along Loch Tay and then down the Tay strath on NCN7. All fairly mundane after some of my rides this year but very pleasant in the autumn sunshine, the loch below and snow frosted hills opposite. And actually very little traffic - I seem to have been plagued by cars on normally empty back roads of late - really not sure why, so this made a nice change. Finally at Bankfoot I raided the shop I'd used on my September tour and then followed the same route home.
Sunset over Ben Ledi and Vorlich - my bivvy spot was just below these. It was quite nice going over the Dunning road in the dark. Of concern was the temperature: -3 and a sparkle of frost on the road but I took it fairly steady and got home at half 6, some 10 hours and 170k after leaving my bivvy spot that morning, making a total trip length of 235k! Actually my longest none ITT bivvy of the year.
So a good outing with lots of lovely Autumnal colours. After my soggy ride of last month and last Novembers dampness this made a nice change. Just December to do, hopefully on the Bearbones Scottish winter bivvy.
