Balloch to Glencoe

June 20th 

My guidebook described today's 74 miles to Glencoe as "moderate/hard" . Fortunately I left the guide in my panniers and took to the A82 mixing it with the lorries and holiday traffic. Admittedly it was very busy as far as Luss and then quite busy to Tarbet after which half the traffic turned off towards the Rest and be Thankful. Then after Crianlarich the traffic thinned again and it wasn't too busy down into Glencoe.

Loch Lomond

The day had begun on a very positive note. As I was testing the boundaries of The Premier Inn all you can eat breakfast, the ladies at the next table commented on my cycling attire and wondered where I was going today. After a bit of chat I told them that I was engaged in an End to End to raise money for the Samaritans. Elizabeth ( I know her name now that she has donated) asked if I had a web site so I gave her the blog address. In the meantime, Stephen, who was in Scotland from Durham to train heating engineers in Clydebank asked for the address as well and before I had finished getting my coffee he had donated on his phone. What a great start to the day. I floated up the start of the A82 on a cloud of good wishes.

Busy A82

Yes it was busy but I didn't ever feel threatened and most vehicles continued to give me the requisite metre and a half or more. The one scary moment came later in the day when a thundering lorry ran me off the road. After Balloch which I bypassed and Luss which I should have bypassed (because the centre of the village was full of film crews) the first target of the day was Crianlarich, at 34 miles from Dumbarton, a good morning's ride. However I had a fairly flat road most of which was well surfaced so I made good time and by midday I was having coffee and a brownie in a quaint tearoom which was on the platform of Crianlarich

Crianlarich Station Tea Room

station. I stocked up with energy bars and bananas at Crianlarich store which was to be the last before Glencoe ( if you discount the horribly tacky offerings at Tyndrum 5 miles up the road) Up was correct and just after Tyndrum severely up eventually topping out at in excess of 300m which may explain my need to put on my jacket despite it being sunny.

The afternoon was going well, the traffic had thinned to just the occasional convoy of vehicles held up by a caravan or a slow lorry, when, as I started to climb again after a long exhilirating descent into Bridge of Orchy, a lorry pulled out to pass another lorry both hurtling downhill towards me and no room left for me. I quickly decided that the lorry had no chance of changing its course so I had no option but to leave the road and take my chances on the scrubland verge. When I eventually came to a halt without falling off I was s h a k  i n g. This was my first, and I sincerely hope only near thing. I have shaken my fist once or twice at vehicles which have been a bit close but they have been mainly camping cars that have come within half a metre or a motorbike which passed a similar distance away when the whole of the road was clear.

As I cleared the last climb with about twelve miles to go I was really looking forward to the long descent onto Glencoe village. Unfortunately the road bent around to the West at the same time as the wind got up and veered to blowing from the West NOT a good combination. The last twelve miles was a struggle against a VERY stong wind. No coasting. I had to pedal the whole way. Yes it was downhill but it was still hard going. Nevertheless it was a good day with mostly good weather until the last two hours and I arrived feeling reasonably fine instead of shattered like yesterday.

Glorious scenery all day

I am comfortably installed in the Strathassynt Guest House in Ballachulish which is handily placed for the Coop and the Chip Shop. What's not to like. Tomorrow I am once again ignoring my masochistic guide. I plan to follow the A82 all the way to Inverness which my guide informs me is a hard 83 miles. I had better get to bed in preparation