On the bike

Having felt tied to the staircase for the last month today today was the day to enjoy the best weather of the weekend and get out on the bike.  The bike rack thankfully fits the new car and call went well on that front.  I headed up to Callander early doors with a plan to cycle some of rather unchallening cycle route 7 and down the Balquiddher valley.

Foolish me thought that arriving just after 9 would enable me to nips into Mhor Bread to pick up a sandwich for lunch before setting off. It appears that I arrived just after a rather large 'Hairy Coo' coach part, all of whom had similar ideas.  I didn't fancy joining the 15 meter queue outside and just got on my bike.

The ebike is an absolute joy, I was out for a leisure ride, not a challenge and so when the path got a bit gravelly and a bit hard work, I just knocked the motor up as notch and everything became fun again.  The blip is taken from an espcially fun bit of steep gravelly switch back and with the motor I didn't have to stop and push.  The bluebells are still out a bit further north too and they smelled and looked lovely.

Up past Strathyre I distured a deer crossing the road who was watching me suspciously, then set off down Balquiddher valley to Monachyle Mhor, where one day I might be rich enough to spend a night.  Sadly the 'lookout' mirror box seemed to have lost most of it's walls so it was a quick turnaround back on the bike.  Best bit was when a red squirrel ran along the road in front of me then eyed me suspiciously from the safety of the branches.  I love their little tufty ears.

As my lunch plans were thwarted by the coached, I instead stopped off at Mhor 84 for lunch with a salad-and-chips combo and some home made iced tea.  To finish off the day, I still had some battery in the bike and in my legs so I went up the Keltie bridge road, which was a climb even in boost mode!  Forgot that the car park wasn't actually near the bridge, but did get some stunning view of the Trossachs, Stirling, the Ochils and the campsies from up there so well worth the climb. I'll be sleeping well tonight.