JoGLE: Day Four
Day four wasn't great. I was a zombie in the morning and while I had planned a late start, I hadn't planned on starting quite as late as I did (but I got to briefly say hi to my nephew Tom who was up to visit his mum).
Leaving some time after 1pm I was on the back foot a bit all day regarding time, something I'll try to avoid in future. I was riding to the Forth Bridge via Alloa and Dunfermeline. While the weather was good (even sunny here and there), the roads were as dry and dusty as badly written history - every time a lorry went past I was riding through a dustcloud.
I didn't enjoy the road to Alloa much, busy A road with lots of roundabouts - after Alloa, the roundabouts continued but I rode several miles with the distance to Dunfermeline remaining at 11 miles on three successive roadside signs (that I'm sure were three miles apart).
Later on the road became quieter but climbed here and there annoyingly. It took me a long time to reach Dunfermeline. I had originally had hopes of reaching the bridge by three but this became increasingly less likely (it would in fact be well after four by the time I got there). I got a bit confused in Dunfermeline, this was compounded by someone giving me the wrong directions - I was just wanting to confirm I was on the Forth Bridge road but the (quite odd looking) bloke I asked, sent me in the opposite direction (I didn't go too far the wrong way as the compass on my handlebars was clearly showing I was going north but it added to the general frustration of the day). I hope the guy was just mistaken but I have a nasty suspicion that it was malicious.
Getting onto the bridge itself is scary, it's effectively a motorway in all but name and was definitely not my best bit of riding of the trip - after two miles of this I was on the bridge itself (there was a bus lane for the last bit) and then onto the cycle track. The views of the Forth Bridge (the rail one) were great but to be honest, not worth the rubbish ride to get there - I think next time I'll take a bus from Edinburgh and look at it from the south bank.
It is an impressive thing though - it is actually ridiculously over engineered, deliberately so. It was constructed in the aftermath of the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 (in which 75 people died, inspiring possibly the worst poem in the English Language by William McGonogall). The new contract for the Forth Bridge required it to be capable of taking massive loads - I've read estimates that the bridge is something like 400% stronger than it theoretically needs to be.
It is a good thing and did get me thinking as to what the seven man made wonders of the UK are? A thought for another time perhaps.
After getting over the bridge, I spied a service road going underneath, which I rode down and then found a path to get down to the road below. From here I started making my way to Hamilton and my cousin Jamie's house - by then I had decided that I was way too late to consider going to the Falkirk Wheel, which proved the case - my distance estimate for the day was rubbish - I had it down as 61 miles including Falkirk, In fact I rode about 68 miles despite taking a 'shorter' route to Hamilton.
The rest of the day was just a slog on A & B roads, the only point that really interested me in my tired state was the old industrial landscape at one point (big red mounds of spoil of some sort but without the site to give it context). I also went past the Kirk at Kirk o' Shotts. I didn't realise that that was all that was there.
I stopped somewhere to eat something, and had a cheese and ham roll and a can of Irn Bru (there was a choice of rolls - I could have had ham and cheese instead).
Keeping going and keeping going I slowly got nearer the end - today was the first day I needed to look at a map - the previous three days I have ridden each day without having to look at a map at all. Eventually I reached Motherwell, riding past bits I vaguely remembered from childhood visits - I would like to have stopped by the house where my cousins used to live but it was dark and I was already very late. I eventually found my cousin's house and was made very welcome - I was given two drawings and a cadbury's creme egg by Jamie and Fiona's three children - I'll take the drawings with me (the egg already being disposed of, I suppose I'm taking that too in a way).
Another great dinner- (I wasn't big enough on the praise for the salmon & prawn lasagna my sister made yesterday (or her fantastic baking) which were brilliant), today Fiona had made a lovely spicy lamb casserole and an apple crumble, both of which were great). I've been treated very well by family along the way and it really does help me keep going (as well as comments and encouragement on here).
Day five is a shortish day to Thornhill and the border hills, hopefully will not go as wrong as today did, I'm looking forward to riding over Dalveen Pass towards the end of the ride.
Leaving some time after 1pm I was on the back foot a bit all day regarding time, something I'll try to avoid in future. I was riding to the Forth Bridge via Alloa and Dunfermeline. While the weather was good (even sunny here and there), the roads were as dry and dusty as badly written history - every time a lorry went past I was riding through a dustcloud.
I didn't enjoy the road to Alloa much, busy A road with lots of roundabouts - after Alloa, the roundabouts continued but I rode several miles with the distance to Dunfermeline remaining at 11 miles on three successive roadside signs (that I'm sure were three miles apart).
Later on the road became quieter but climbed here and there annoyingly. It took me a long time to reach Dunfermeline. I had originally had hopes of reaching the bridge by three but this became increasingly less likely (it would in fact be well after four by the time I got there). I got a bit confused in Dunfermeline, this was compounded by someone giving me the wrong directions - I was just wanting to confirm I was on the Forth Bridge road but the (quite odd looking) bloke I asked, sent me in the opposite direction (I didn't go too far the wrong way as the compass on my handlebars was clearly showing I was going north but it added to the general frustration of the day). I hope the guy was just mistaken but I have a nasty suspicion that it was malicious.
Getting onto the bridge itself is scary, it's effectively a motorway in all but name and was definitely not my best bit of riding of the trip - after two miles of this I was on the bridge itself (there was a bus lane for the last bit) and then onto the cycle track. The views of the Forth Bridge (the rail one) were great but to be honest, not worth the rubbish ride to get there - I think next time I'll take a bus from Edinburgh and look at it from the south bank.
It is an impressive thing though - it is actually ridiculously over engineered, deliberately so. It was constructed in the aftermath of the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 (in which 75 people died, inspiring possibly the worst poem in the English Language by William McGonogall). The new contract for the Forth Bridge required it to be capable of taking massive loads - I've read estimates that the bridge is something like 400% stronger than it theoretically needs to be.
It is a good thing and did get me thinking as to what the seven man made wonders of the UK are? A thought for another time perhaps.
After getting over the bridge, I spied a service road going underneath, which I rode down and then found a path to get down to the road below. From here I started making my way to Hamilton and my cousin Jamie's house - by then I had decided that I was way too late to consider going to the Falkirk Wheel, which proved the case - my distance estimate for the day was rubbish - I had it down as 61 miles including Falkirk, In fact I rode about 68 miles despite taking a 'shorter' route to Hamilton.
The rest of the day was just a slog on A & B roads, the only point that really interested me in my tired state was the old industrial landscape at one point (big red mounds of spoil of some sort but without the site to give it context). I also went past the Kirk at Kirk o' Shotts. I didn't realise that that was all that was there.
I stopped somewhere to eat something, and had a cheese and ham roll and a can of Irn Bru (there was a choice of rolls - I could have had ham and cheese instead).
Keeping going and keeping going I slowly got nearer the end - today was the first day I needed to look at a map - the previous three days I have ridden each day without having to look at a map at all. Eventually I reached Motherwell, riding past bits I vaguely remembered from childhood visits - I would like to have stopped by the house where my cousins used to live but it was dark and I was already very late. I eventually found my cousin's house and was made very welcome - I was given two drawings and a cadbury's creme egg by Jamie and Fiona's three children - I'll take the drawings with me (the egg already being disposed of, I suppose I'm taking that too in a way).
Another great dinner- (I wasn't big enough on the praise for the salmon & prawn lasagna my sister made yesterday (or her fantastic baking) which were brilliant), today Fiona had made a lovely spicy lamb casserole and an apple crumble, both of which were great). I've been treated very well by family along the way and it really does help me keep going (as well as comments and encouragement on here).
Day five is a shortish day to Thornhill and the border hills, hopefully will not go as wrong as today did, I'm looking forward to riding over Dalveen Pass towards the end of the ride.