28th June
Day 1, 2, 3,4
Landed in Edinburgh and reassembled our bikes outside the terminal. Some Cops stopped to talk to us and warned us about bike thieves in Edinburgh so we were extra vigilant watching our stuff but everything was fine. Rode to Jeanne's house - a long story but she is an Irish lass living in Edinburgh but used to live in MZ. Hibernated for three nights and recovered from our cold or whatever we had. We enjoyed watching some films on Netflix and cooking in a real kitchen. One day sightseeing in the city where we had an all day bus pass and walked up to King Arthur’s seat. Emma caught up with her school friend Sarndra. Amazing how time flies, it’s been over 20years since they saw each other and we chatted for about 3hrs in a cafe. So nice.
Day 5
Train to Stirling to get our bikes serviced by the brother of some people we met in Germany. Finally we had found an excellent bike mechanic who gave our bikes a good check up and service . We got new chains and everything tightened/greased or whatever needed to be done. The bikes rode like new after his magic touch. We were both so so happy. We had a few things delivered to his shop from Emma’s online shopping! A new tent - yay, no more leaking floor. We rode to Kinross found a camping ground 12 pound each to camp on an old farm. Nothing spectacular but somewhere out of the long grasses and a roof over our heads to cook.
Day 6
Slept in and rested in the hope we will find our fitness again soon. Still drizzling but main rain seems to have passed. Made our way around Loch Leven to the Pictish trail. Loved what we found. A lovely track taking us through forests, farms and over saddles in the mist. It felt like home. Great to be out in the elements feeling the wind on our eyes and helmets again. The Went to Cupor. Stayed with a family friend of Emma's so nice to connect with people and be relaxed and welcomed into someone's home.
Day 7,8,9. Myree put us in touch with a Scottish friend of hers she had in Sydney. Steve and his family welcomed us and gave us a real Scottish experience with all the trimmings. We were treated to Haggis, sweed and potato the first night with three different whiskeys to try…. And that was after the delicious red wine. We made a yummy apple crumble and had it with icecream. Nana and their little girl Lillie enjoyed that!
We were tourists in town, walking or taking the bus. We visited museums, galleries and of course a cafe. It was sad seeing the homeless and the litter but I guess that’s what cities have.
Day 10 Dundee to just before Aboyne on the Pictish trail
109kms 1260 We woke up to a beautiful day and were itching to get back on the road. We have been recuperating for the last couple of weeks after a touch of flu so it was good to finally feel ready to get back on the bikes and tackle the next phase of our trip . The trail took us around the coast on a beautiful trail past beaches, through quaint towns and alongside golf courses. We then headed inland and began to climb. Before we knew it we were in the moors surrounded by sheep and heather riding gravel roads and single track. Fungle road was an absolute highlight - single track and tough at times but stunning. True to form the rain came in on our decent and it got rather chilly Luckily we found the verandah of the grouse shooting lodge so parked up there to eat dinner and set up camp for the night. A great first day if not a bit chilly. But then again we are used to that.
Day 11 Aboyne to campsite in forest 30km before Forres. 117km
Probably the worst campsite and experience we’ve had so far we were a bit tired and desperate to camp… well Emma was.
We were on a forestry road and had hoped to camp at the top of the hill to avoid the grasses for Debbie and the midges for Emma. The highest point sucked so we dropped down a little to a skid site as after that the trail turned boggy and we didn’t know what it would be like. Luckily we got to cook before the rain and the midges arrived in force but the metal based skid site was in flood. We had to move the tent, it was a disaster! We chose to just pack up and leave without a coffee but did eat some muesli in the tent before we got out. Not many photos today!
Ice cream in Tomintoul. Rain and sun with lots of bog and mud. It's cool being up in the moors but a little challenging when the temperature drops and the bog takes over. Hard to find a camp as the forest floor is peat and wet. Found a campsite at the road end not our best but good enough. Rained after we cooked dinner which was lucky. Got smashed by midges which was no fun at all.
Day 12 forest to 20kms out of Inverness in Killwell.. 95km. Up ready to face the bogs and bugs. Bugs still present so it was a hasty pack up.Had coffee in Forres. Then a mix of rail trails roads some cool cycle tracks and of course some shitty boggy trails. The sun came out though so that was a bonus. Started to rethink our UK trip today as the conditions are very challenging. Cold wet mossies and grass. Think we may head to Spain sooner rather than later. Warmer drier cheaper and more wow factor. Currently underwhelmed with the scenery here will have a chat tonight and hatch a new plan and big rain is forecast for tomorrow. Rerouted from Inverness to stay in a lovely warm showers house just out of Inverness.
Day 13
Killwell to Dingwall
30 km
And the rain arrived so instead of battling the elements we opted to take a train to Thurso in search of better weather and more stunning scenery Let's hope our plan pays off. Arrived in Thurso and had our first Scottish fish and chips complete with salt and vinegar.
Camped in the thurso Bay campground
Day 14
Thurso to Watten
80km
What a great day. We woke up to no rain and a renewed enthusiasm for our UK trip 😀 We headed out to Dunnet Heads then John o groats then to the Stacks of Duncan's before making our way to our first bnb the Brown Trout in Watten. A windy and cold but rain free day we even got a few minutes of sunshine 🌞. Happy to be indoors with a hot shower and cosy bed. Let the games begin tomorrow
Day 15
Watten to Altnahara 107km
Another day of no significant rain just a few showers. Met some lovely truck drivers who gave us some cable ties and a chocolate each and who were very chaty. Stopped off at a Cafe for coffee and a scone and meet three other cyclists. Found a sheltered spot in the school at Altanarra so called ot a day. An early dinner and time spent planning how we are going to make it to Oban in time to meet Stephen Michie a family friend.
Watten to Altnahara 107km
Another day of no significant rain just a few showers. Met some lovely truck drivers who gave us some cable ties and a chocolate each and who were very chaty. Stopped off at a Cafe for coffee and a scone and meet three other cyclists. Found a sheltered spot in the school at Altanarra so called ot a day. An early dinner and time spent planning how we are going to make it to Oban in time to meet Stephen Michie a family friend.
Day 16 130km
Altnaharra to a high point 30km from contin
What a day. Woke to two stags wandering down the street towards us. We decided not to eat breakfast straight away as there was no breeze and therefore midges. Chilly drizzling start but then the sun came out every now and then and we even got up a sweat. We stopped and ate pur muesli on a lovely stone bridge with a perfect breeze. Coffee at invercassly where we met another cyclist. Beautiful riding. Met lots of other cyclists. Spent a couple of hours riding with 4 young guys. Lovely guys who went to school together. Fun and fast riding. We felt sp happy on pur hardtails as they were strong roders but wjen the trail was rough up or downhill we were able to keep rodokg snd felt very comf.Found a perfect windy spot to camp on a hilltop woth great views. Saw more highland cows just at the base of the hill. Lots of black coloured ones and also fluffy babies. So happy to have had pleasant weather through this section of the GBD/Highlands. So great to br able to enjoy the views and camp out.
Day 17 campsite to 20kms before Fort Augustus 90kms 14th July
Rode hard to get to Salter's arm cannich camping Bog Cotton Cafe to meet Julianne for lunch. It was so nice to chat and catch up. Headed up to the Highlands to get into the wind. Had a swim and a wash before finding a nice exposed place for the night.
Day 18 15th July 94km Ben Alder bothy . What a magic day. It started with fog up high then clear skies as we descended to Fort Augustus. After a delicious breakfast of muesli yoghurt fruit and coffee we set off to see Loch Ness and then began the long climb up to Corrieyairack pass. What a beautiful climb. We dropped steeply into Malgrave bothy and then rode out the valley to the Wolftrax bike park and cafe. We had another coffee and carrot cake before starting the climb up to another pass and then over to Ben Alder bothy. The trail was next level awesome and the ride was on par with the old ghost road. We feel so lucky to have had such good weather for these technical sections in the Highlands. We had a quick dip and wash in the Loch before having a delicious dinner and chatting to two French walkers from Paris. Top day The ride of a lifetime.
Day 19 16th July by the way Tyndrum lower then train to Oban
93km
A boggy shitty track out to a nice 4wd track . Then a lovely road along Loch Rannoch before we turned off onto a forestry road that climbed back up to a pass lots of blueberries ripe ! Yes I have been waiting for that since the black forest!. A long descent into Glen Lyon Cafe for a coffee and scone. While in the Cafe we discovered a train from a town 40km away in 3 hours so we spent the next three hours hammering it to make the train. Made the train got to Oban had seafood platter chips and a cider then headed to bnb for night. What an awesome day. Headed to the outer Hebrides tomorrow. Very excited.
Day 21 17th July
Oban Ferry to Barra Island Outer Hebrides. Got up at 8am and were treated to a full cooked breakfast at our bnb. Cleaned all the mud bog and sheep poo off our bikes. Picked up our clean clothes from our bnb host and headed to the supermarket to stock up for the Outer Hebrides ride. Got the ferry to Oban. Arrived about 6pm and cycled over to the start of the Hebridian Way cycle route. The beaches were beautiful. We ran around the hills for a bit before putting up the tent near a community hall with about 5 other tents. Cooked dinner met a kiwi girl who is living in norway. Had a great chat with her then went to bed happy girls. The rain started just after we went to bed. Bliss 😊 Loving being by the ocean
Day 22 islands 18th july 115km
Veneray to 30km before the beneray ferry.
Got up at 6am and had breakfast under the shelter of the community hall verandah as it was still raining and had been all night . Rode 20km to the next ferry we were a bit early so it was lucky that there was a Cafe at the ferry building. Rainy and windy but still very beautiful. Once we reached the next island the weather cleared and we had a great day of riding across the many causeways and past the many white sandy beaches. Found a campervan camping ground and helped ourselves. Great spot right on the beach. Once again it rained in the night.
Day 23 islands 19th July 60km
The forecast was shocking and we had another ferry to catch so once again we were up at 6am. Had an uneventful ride to the ferry with a mix of head side and tailwind. Had breakfast in the waiting room and then got the ferry to Harris Island. The wind had picked up and it all looked a bit miserable so we decided to go direct to Tarbet rather than side tripping on the "golden road" as planned.
The name of the Golden Road, reputedly comes from the high construction cost which some local commented
“If it cost that much, then it must be made of gold”. The road was built just after World War II after many accidents as people waded rivers to get home to their crofts. What makes the Golden Road so special to cycle through is the landscape, in places raw with exposed ancient gneiss, coloured with strips of minerals, then as you drop down in to little bays with rocks and sand you may spot a seal basking on the rocks.
However when we arrived at the start of the road the rain and mist had gone so we opted to do it wow what a ride. We arrived in Tarbet feeling happy with our riding 😊 we had a scallop burger and coffee then went to the ferry terminal to plan and charge. While there we found an email from the Harris hotel saying they had a room available 😀 so we checked in. We were both so happy as the weather was shite and we were both tired and feeling grubby. Oh yes. Bikes locked in shed, bath, shower, comfy bed so so happy as the tent is soaking wet and a mattress and pillow have started going down . Time for repairs!
Day 24 Tarbert to camping near the town Siabost 20thJuly. 86km
What a day ! We started the day with a sleep in and another bath then went into town for a coffee and a look at the Harris distillery and the Harris Tweed shop. We then headed off towards the Butt of Lewis with no real idea of where we might end up. The weather was way better than expected and there were lots of archaeological sites to stop and look at. We made our way up the island over moorlands and along coasts. We were blown away to find a pizza shop around lunchtime on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Met a guy there who was walking the Hebridian Way. He had been on the go camping out and trapsing through bogs for 12 days and had detoured especially for pizza! Made our trip seem like luxury ✨️. We detoured down to a beach just before Siabost It was so beautiful we decided to stay We had a beautiful walk around the coast, got given some cucumbers by a lovely local lady and enjoyed our drinks, dinner and cheese and crackers on the beach as the sun went down . Bliss
Day 25 Island 21st
Siabost to Stornoway 88 2km
Emmas birthday. Woke up to rain so slept in another 30 mins . Then finally got ourselves the road. Luckily the wind was still at our backs so we headed towards the Butt of Lewis which is the northern most point of the Hebridian Islands. Once again we were treated to ruins, peat piles, crofts, and archaeological wonders as well as the jaw of a blue whale, some golden Eagles and some highland cows. We arrived in Stornoway around 3pm and went to a restaurant for an early dinner to celebrate Emma's birthday 🎂. Then to our warm showers house for a shower and some washing 😀.
Day 26 i22nd July Ferry to ullapool
Woke up at 5 30am and headed off to the ferry what a stunning day ! The sun was shining a d tge water was calm. We saw dolphins and whales up close. Wow. Arrived in ullapool found a bike shop near the ferry building who replaced my brake pads and agreed to look after our bikes for the day Did a shop had a coffee then met Stephen and Dennis for our pamper festival on their cruise ship. A full lunch, champagne, red wine, jacuzzi and pina coladas . We staggered off the boat happy and full and set up camp in tge Ullapool camping ground 300 metres away.
Scottish sayings - More power to your elbow. Oh for peats sake - how yadoin ya right? It's right bumpy!
Dsy 28
Ullapool to Inverness
120km
Had a late start as we wanted to get a coffee from Jojos coffee shop. We then headed out of town straight into wilderness. What a ride 100 kms of single track, gravel roads with the usual amount of bogs. Scotland certainly knows how to provide great trails and roads for bikepackibg through remote areas keeping you off the roads. We arrived in Inverness around 6pm found fish and chips for dinner then went to the closest campsite for the night.
Day 29
Inverness to Biggar 90km
Got up at 4.20am to get the early train to Stirling to pick up our things from the bike shop where we had left them. Now we are back on track and will follow the GB divide South to Lands end. It was a big day with lots of trails roads and twists and turns. We were both pretty tired so were looking forward to getting to the Biggar caravan park and camping. We arrived in Biggar only to be told it had closed down. Luckily we were able to book a hotel for the night. Another meal of delicious fish and chips 🍟.
Day 30 Biggar to high point on hill - trig. Nice concrete base and the sun came out as we cooked. Windy but were still in the habit of doing everything we can to avoid the midges!112km
Day 31 High point to haltwhistle. 58km. Crossed into England today. Half day. Hadrians wall. Borrowed ebikes from the campground workers. Zoomed up thr steep hills to visit the different parts to Hadrians wall.
Day 32 Haltwhistle to Kirby Stephens camping ground 97km
Took a reroute today through the Pennines. Lovely scenic quiet roads and gorgeous country towns. So many stone walls amd cute stone houses and farm sheds.
Rain on and off so we were happy not to be doing the 6km rutted out steep hikeabike up in the hills.
Had a delicious coffee with scones at a trainstation Cafe and saw a coal train leaving . Camped in a beautiful campsite in kirkby Stephens. Met a nice guy who cooked us some Halloumi. Delicious
Day 33 kirkby to Gargrave 90km
Road was closed but it was Sunday so we ignored the signs and pushed through the fences. Lovely quiet roads again. Some very steep climbs. Detoured to see the Mulham Cove then stayed in a lovely welcoming home in Gargrave.
Day 34 gargrave to Manchester 90km
Hot day with 1900 metres of climbing and very steep pinches on rocky bridle trails.
Day 35 Manchester (Sale) to Chester 63km
Quite a different day today with only 700 meters of climb and no moors or wilderness areas to traverse.we spent the day criss-crossing the countryside passing through small quaint villages country lanes and local estates. Stopped early in Chester to have a look around the city. Its an old roman city eoth s city wall snd lots of history to read sbout What a beautiful place. Had a great stay at the Bull Ring inn which was established in 1575 . We could touch the ceiling and we could feel snd see the uneven staircase and floor boards from too many years stznding. After getting our groceries from Tesco as well as some ciders, cheesecand crackers, wecwentvdown to thr pub and had a delicious dinner.
Day 36 Chester to camping ground.
Hilly but beautiful 82km. Hello Wales we love your cool mtb trails, stone paths , narrow roads and steep climbs through the hills. The welsh place names are causing us some grief but apart from that we feel right at home. Had a rather social day. Met a man in Llangollen who had talked to us yesterday and wanted to make sure we had all we needed and were having a great time in his country . We bumped into him and his wife in the street in the town of... Met two kiwis who were walking in the middle of nowhere. They were from raglan. She grew up in the area but then moved to nz. Rick and Liz. We then chatted to some young lads in the town of Landrillo. Found a nice camp at Ty Isaf campsite on a farm after 82km and some significant climbing . Another hot sunny day. Long may this weather last as it is so nice not having to battle the weather.
Day 37 93km
Camping to camp just before Nant-Y-Noch reservoir
Passed lake vernwyth over 2 beautiful passes into snowdonia national Park. Shopped in Macynlleth. Swam in river. 1 mtn bike park. Low flying fighter jets. Lovely Cafe. Hot hot Hot. Camped in mini Scotland land out of Macynlleth. Midgies !!
Day 38 Camp to Llanwrtyd Wells.. 89km
Woke to a grey day. Lots of climbing a lucky coffee at a BP. Farmland, historic towns then gravel roads forestry and more big climbs passed a beautiful reservoir then dropped down into Llanwrtyd wells . The rain had come in so we were glad to be off the tops and checked in to the Neuadd arms hotel. An old tired building but dry and a good shower so happy girls.
Day 39 Llanwrtyd Wells to Whistle inn camping near Blaenavon. 90kms
Another day of great riding and stunning scenery. Saw wild horses ride through the brecons beacon national park. Climbed a hill . Met lots of walkers and runners who were exploring the hills . A great day of remote riding
Day 40 whistle inn to Bristol 83km
A dsy of tarmac and back country roads and paths. Arrived in Bristol just after lunch and had a look around thecity. What a beautiful place. Spent the afternoon working out our next steps then cycled to our warm showers place for the night. Lovely couple great conversation and delicious food. Slept so well and got all our clothes clean. Even left with a packed lunch.
Day 41 90km Bristol to wild camping on westhill Thorncombe Hill.
Yay we booked a train from lands end and flights to zurich. So we now have a plan on place for the next phase of our journey. It's always a bit stressful trying to work out the logistics with bikes on trains and flights this plan means we get a couple of jdays in London which will be cool. Grey drizzly day. Found a great coffee shop on the way out then hit the bike trails out of town. It wasn't long before we were back into narrow trails with nettle and gorse and extra slippery rocks Trialed a bit of the lejog route today. A nice change. Got supplies in Bridgwater and were happy not to be staying there as there were some prettyvlasdyfolk hanging around the shops. Found an awesome canp site up in the ..... hills. Bliss. Managed to get dinner cooked and teeth done before the rain cane.
Day 42
Camping on hill out of Landkey 90km
Went over Beaconbeacon. Lots of climbing narrow rocky trails.
met German girl. Camped at Landkey camping.
Day 43
Landkey to Bodmin camping 115km
Up and at em lots of climbing but mostly on paved roads and some on lejog route. Similar scenery to the last couple of days. Small country lanes and quaint villages. More blackberries nom nom. Windy and raining off and on today so we were pleased to cover the distance we did. Will head to the Cornwall coast tomorrow for a looksee. There was a Pizza van and cider at the campground so we were 2 happy girls.
Day 44 Camping to St Ives 86kms
Rain rain go away . Woke up to drizzle and were once again thankful for some shelter to get breakfast ready and pack up. It pretty much rained all day but it was warm and we were quite sheltered from the wind in all the narrow country lanes. Debbie broke a spoke today and her back wheel started to get a bit of a wobble on. We rerouted to the Lejog route to try and avoid our bumpy trails and happened to ride right past a bike shop that built their own wheelsets had everything we needed and also made us a coffee. Tried our first Cornish pasties today. Great for a wet day. 😜 Detoured off our route to St Ives and were blown away by the crowds. We restocked and headed out to the St Ives campground. We figured it was the first time this trip that we have had to put the tent up in the rain.
Dsy 45 St Ives to Lands end 35km
Woke up to a nicer day and headed into St Ives on foot to have a look around. A cool place with lots of different coves and beaches as well as art galleries and cafes. A few too many people for us but awesome just the same. Headed back to the campground after lunch and packed up our nice dry tent. This was our last stretch to Lands End. It didn't take long for us to rejoin the GB divide trail and be back in countryside with no people. The track was narrow and bumpy but we were happy to have left the madness off ives behind us. As usual the last day of a trail seems to offer up a summary of the entire trail. Some mooirlike landscapes, some sealed road, some bumpy single track, some narrow lanes, some gravel paths and some push-bike. Before we knew it we were a labs end and the end of our Gb divide journey . We couldn't have asked for a better end with the sun shining. We took some obligatory photos celebrated with a cider and cheese and crackers on a rock overlooking the ocean then headed to our campground which was a couple of km away. We set up camp then walked to the local inn for dinner.
Day 46
Lands End to Penzance
Had a nice relaxing ride along small country lanes. Passed through Mousehole which was a lovely coastal town. Wanted to explore more but the weather was wet and liw mist drizzle so we headed directly for our warm showers place. Our hosts greeted us with open arms and welcomed us into their home. We couldn't have been made to feel more welcome. We did our washing , cleaned the bikes, had a hot tub and got to help with some rock collection for the garden. All mixed in with delightful conversation and a delicious meal. What a treat !
Day 47
Train from Penzance to London
Day 48, 49 London.
Summing up
The gb divide delivered 100 percent. Amazing trails and scenery. What a great way to experience the UK. Yes Scotland was a challenge with the midges and weather but it was also stunning. Wales was poetic and all the other English towns and areas had their own little quirks and attractions to keep us occupied. We toured this route rather than attacked it and found a lovely balance of riding, resting,sightseeing, chatting to the locals and sampling the local foods and ciders.
Sayings- Power to your elbow !
It's right bumpy lassy.
You right?
Highlights
The Scottish Highlands and Ben Elder bothy. The Welsh moors
Added equipment
Mosquito nets, tick tweezers, Smidge insect repellent, long socks to protect legs from ticks in long grass.
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