The Bridge Over Troubled Waters......

We've waited a while for a bridge over the small river just up from the Howe, in the summer it's a piece of cake biking through it but in the winter you sometimes nearly need a aqua lung to get across. Last week saw the foundations being laid by, in the forefront Jock McKinney and working furiously in the background his mate Kevin (Costner) as I like to call him! Anyway this was the situation on Friday when Kathy and I biked up for a look.

Today, Monday, and it's looking good, our two likely lads have been working hard and making a tidy job at that. Cant wait to cross it though there's no plans as yet for another one just up from it so it'll still have to be a bit dicy biking through the water!

Kathy took a fancy to this Lamborghini that was being photographed in the picturesque surroundings.

Out on Friday night with Baz for his first big circuit up the Pentlands since his injury over 8 months ago, it was good to have him back!

Finished the weeks riding on Sunday with Clive destroying both the knee of his bib tights and the skin on his own knee after he badly misjudged the width of his handlebars as he tried to ride past a traffic sign.

A good weeks riding of over 170 miles off road, the weather was cold, frosty, but virtually no wind but that's all to change in the next day or two. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring I've taken off the ice spikers.......that should guarantee a really cold spell of crappy weather!

A few mishaps but the weather's improved at least!

Out today, Wednesday, and this is the start of the trail through Bluebell Wood.

A bit further in, there's no bluebells yet though!

The start of another techy little bit of trail further on.

One man and his hawk......a Harrier Hawk to be precise!

The past week has seen a few mishaps but not all concerning me! The first one did when I managed to go straight over the bars in front of the only hill walker within 3 miles! The irony is I've done the ditch crossing a hundred times without crashing but chose to do it right in front of a lady out on a hill walk, talk about being embarrassed!

The next mishap was Kathys, whose tubeless rear tyre decided to go flat probably because the sealant had dried up, anyway after the third or so pump up  it stayed hard to we got home and topped it up with some more.

The third mishap was Dougie's, he went out on his brand new shiny cross bike and somehow or other managed to break the rear derailleur hanger, by luck I had just logged on to facebook as he put a distress call and was able to go and pick him and the bike up.

The weather on the other hand has taken a turn for the better with the wind more or less gone and sun, would you believe, shining throughout the day, how long can this last???

Walking the dog and riding your bike....not easy to combine the two!

Saturday and the weathers pretty hellish but I needed a few miles to try and reach my weekly target! 

Out with Clive on Sunday afternoon and it was definitely spiker conditions!

Up in the hills with the snow clouds threatening behind us.

The river crossing, as far as we went, I had to get back to walk Bazs' dog!

Baz was off to warmer climes for a week, Lanzarote, so his dog Rebus was holidaying with me! Trying to combine dog walking and still finding time in the pretty crap weather to get the miles in to reach the weekly target proved quite difficult and didn't look possible mid-week but after a fall of snow the weather actually improved and with the aid of the ice spikers the target was reached (and the dog was walked as well), in actual fact I managed more miles than the two previous weeks! Rebus the dog is now back home with his owner and truth to say I miss the little bugger even though he didn't do a thing I told him! The welcome each morning more than made up for his disobedience though!

I suppose one good day in the week is doing okay for Scotland!

The start of the serious climbing, but look at that sky after the weather we've had lately!

The bottom of Strava segment "geronimo" and the gales last week have flattened a whole line of fir trees

Black Springs and unbelievably the sun's still shining!

I put down the camera on delay and had to nip smartish back to get on the bike for this shot, quite like it though!

Gerharts Gate, named after a wee green gecko we spotted here two or three years back on a really warm summers day!

The compulsory photo taken at "the best view in the Pentlands"!

Wednesday last week turned out to be the best day of the year so far and after missing two whole days due to gales and heavy rain I took advantage of it with a 5 hour ride in the Pentland Hills, just meandering about on various tracks taking photos every so often. The difference was this morning again when Clive and I went out to be battered by gale force winds and frozen rain. At least when we eventually turned we had it in our backs for a while at least. 20 miles were needed this morning for my weekly 100 miles and we managed to achieve it though it looked pretty doubtful for a spell!

That's the first month come and gone and it's been a wet one

Mid-week and the rain hadn't long stopped pouring down when I took this, it would have been a brave man who tried to cycle over this bit today!

The first snowdrops I've seen this year, they looked a bit on the timid side, frightened to show their face!

Saturday and the spikers were back out as Clive and I went in search of fallen trees after Storm Gertrude.

Another bites the dust and it's Storm Henry that's due to hit us on Monday, I'll be glad when we get through the alphabet and it's all over

Out this morning for the last ride of the month and pretty miserable weather it was too!

January's over and somehow or other I managed 496 miles off road in what's been the wettest January on record. It's gone from mild and wet to freezing and hellishly wet with the occasional bit of snow and ice flung in to keep us on our toes, bring on February it cant be any worse (maybe!)

From freezing to almost balmy!

A week ago, everything's frozen solid under a covering of snow and ice spikers were the order of the day.

A week later almost exactly to the minute and only slightly further up the valley, the ice and snow have totally disappeared and in its place a stream of water.

What a difference a week makes, from sub zero and ice and snow adding to the fun we're back again to temperatures where I had to take my jacket off this morning to avoid "boil in the bag". Midweek was sheer hell as I slipped and slid on patches of ice and tried to cycle through about 4 or 5 inches of what seemed like soft icing sugar. I arrived back home on Wednesday night quite depressed at how much "hike a biking" I'd had to do to get round our usual winter loop> This morning was totally different, the ice was gone as was the snow and even though the tracks were soft in places and a bit muddy at least I was able to remain upright (well most of the time). 

A quick mention to Dougie and Dylan who did the Strathpuffer 24 hour race at the weekend and did a very creditable 20 laps (must be all that Pentland training) !  

A bit more like real winter weather last week!

Saturday, and Clive and me are bound for the hills in the background

First climb over and it's time to admire the view for a second or so.

We attempted the climb to West Kip from here but the snow was just too deep and difficult to cycle through so we turned back. 

Sunday morning, and a Baz rehabilitation run, and everyone was spiked up, it would have been impossible without them.

A rocky outcrop with a spectacular display of icicles.

As far a we went on Sunday, Clive appears to be begging for a bit further!

Earlier in the week Clive had another go on his rollers which had ended in disaster the first time he tried and this time to both his and my surprise he was successful!

A good weeks biking nearly all on the spikers due to ground conditions, without them broken bones were a distinct possibility. Mishap of the week was me coming off at near zero speed when my rear derailleur jammed for some reason and I went down like a felled tree. I think I've possibly cracked a rib but in the interests of personal safety and an extreme ear bashing I've kept these details from "her indoors"! Better to suffer in silence than to be reminded frequently of my stupidity biking in adverse conditions. Anyway I've done it before and it heals fairly quickly. 

A bit of frost,a bit of rain, a bit of snow......then rain again!

Out without spikers on and feeling a bit nervous as I come across the odd patch of ice!

Plenty of room to avoid the ice on this bit of track

Clive and me out on Saturday this time with the bikes with spikers fitted, and they were needed.

Out with Kathy on Monday and it was tricky going in wet snow with soft greasy ground underneath as demonstrated by her "technical dismount"!

She was unaffected by her off to demonstrate her weight lifting abilities!

I had to copy this show of strength but was going a bit red in the face as I did!

A week of contrasting ground conditions from firm going with a touch of frost to wet snow and soft underneath to just plain wet and greasy, but Scotland never fails to surprise me with its almost daily change of weather and riding conditions, I don't think I'd honestly enjoy every day being hot and dusty.............well maybe I would when I think a bit more about it!