Hard frost one day.....mucky trails the next

Monday 23rd January, hard frost and no wind makes for good photos!

Tuesday and out on my own with the iphone timer getting used after some difficulty!

Friday and out  with Kathy again and its hard frost again after crappy mud the day before!

The river's running really low just now due to very low rainfall and snow so the crossing's a piece of cake!  

Sunday afternoon and we find two spent (we hope) bullets presumably left after some army manoeuvre, we didn't bother keeping them just in case!

The view from the top of Black Hill looking over to West and East Kip and Scald Law

The three amigos having a photo break or as Baz puts it "a rest!" Probably the truth!

A good weeks riding in cold conditions every day but at least it's been mainly dry with only the occasional wind higher up in the hills, some snow added to the beauty but not enough to make riding too hard.

Up Black Hill in darkness and snow......not much snow addmittedly!

Strange weather for Central Scotland just now, instead of the usual gale force winds accompanied by rain or snow we're having virtually no wind, very slight frosts but cold none the less.

This was Baz this morning nearing the end of a 25 miler when his hands were so cold he had to change gloves (wimp!).I have to admit I'd probably have changed mine if I'd had a spare pair!

Monday, and out with Kathy who appears to know every runner we meet up the Pentlands, either that or she fancies a breather and a blether!

The two riders of the Apocalypse who we meet quite often on a Monday morning up the Pentland hills, when I'm too old for my bike it's either an e-bike or a horse for me, though I don't know what would be the more expensive!

Baz and I took on Black Hill in the darkness this morning and there was a slight covering of snow as we got higher. It was -2.5C along the summit though the frost helped rather than hindered us. The descent down the notorious "back passage" was pretty hairy with the darkness and frozen ground and a few descriptive words were heard at times, mainly from me, however we got to the bottom unscathed and surprisingly when we reached home I discovered my weekly total was 100 miles exactly!

The promised snow storm proved to be a disappointment, at least it was round our way!

This was about as snowy as it got beside us this weekend, I had visions of multiple snow photos and videos with the new Gopro, but "the best laid plans ect" as Robert Burns wrote a few hundred years ago! 

This was Monday and don't be fooled by the blue sky....it chucked down freezing rain not long after this!

The road to the Pentlands and Kathy leads the way.

The weather was so wet and windy that Clive was reduced to building his re-found model railway in his garage, by the look of that track there's only so long you can watch a small train go round and round on it.....

The Gopro I've discovered is excellent for photographing the birds that come to my peanut feeder, this blue tit looks slightly annoyed at being disturbed mid feed.

A wild and windy week up until Wednesday after which it calmed down a bit, I'd hoped the frost would continue through till our Sunday morning ride for some good photos and clean clothes as well but it rained overnight and we were back to muck and mire again though there were some cunningly concealed icy bits higher up in the hills. 

2017.....no mileage targets getting set this year!

Equipped with my new Gopro camera I set off on Tuesday to try it out and discover if the voice recognition it boasted on having could recognise a Central Scotland accent! Surprisingly it can though it remains to be seen if it will react to some rougher language when I come to grief now and again.  

Clive was there as well and posed for an obligatory picture.

Wednesday night and Marks last ride for some time, he's off to pursue his dream of becoming a microlight flying instructor, good luck to him and here's hoping he's ready for a tough Pentlands ride when he returns!

A start of another year and there'll be no targets set this year as last year the target kept getting extended until it actually became unenjoyable going out merely to get mileage rather than having fun!

2016......that's it gone, but not forgotten!

Monday on the final week of the year and Clive resorts to rollers as the weather is absolutely horrendous in a bid to reach his 8000 mile target, personally Barrie and I thought it was a bit underhand and he should have been out braving the elements!!!

Tuesday dawned and a much better day made a trip up the Pentlands possible though some of the descents were verging on the scary they were so greasy.

This was as much snow as we could find on Tuesday, it's been really mild most of the time.

Friday and Clive, Barrie and I are out to wrap up the yearly targets, we didn't actually bike through this quagmire though it gives an indication of the ground conditions in places.

Made it! Managed to reach the 6500 mile off road (mostly) all done on a mountain bike target I aimed for with a day to spare and Clive reached his target several miles later, though he wont thank me for pointing out that most of his miles were done on a poncey road bike!!!

A new Schwalbe Hans Damph 2.35 was fitted to the front of my steed today, I'm assured by those in the know that my front end grip will be phenomenal now...time will tell!

To anybody who reads this nonsensical witterings of a deranged Scotsman......

Happy New Year, have a good 2017

Two "weather bombs" in a week!

Monday, and it's the calm before Storm Barbara, due to hit Scotland midweek and Barrie and Clive joined Kathy and me for our weekly Monday Pentlands bike jaunt. 

A welcome stop for a bit of Clive's wife's home made fudge, jeez it's tasty! 

Wednesday and Mark and me went out in the afternoon before the storm that was due later on, we just made it back before the rain lashed down. Storm Barbara had arrived and there would be no biking Thursday or Friday, how was I going to contend with this, two days running and no biking, unheard of this year!

Saturday, its Christmas Day and Storm Connor has hit us but undeterred we make it to the top of Allermuir for the annual meet up with the Carnethy Hill Runners. In the photo Clive and Barrie haven't fallen drunkenly to the ground, the wind was so strong it was the only way they could post their photos on Facebook!

Kathy and Graeme who ran rather than biked (probably wisely) to the top of Allermuir so that they could be subjected to the fury of a hurricane force wind.

Barrie, Clive and me toasting each others health in a relatively sheltered spot while the guy who took the photo nearly got blown down the hill and into the streets of Edinburgh below!

Barrie and me did a bit extra mileage, mainly to make Clive jealous, as he had to hurry home to avoid the wrath of his in-laws who'd come for their Christmas dinner!

And finally, Kathy took this photo of me and Barrie, hanging on to each other for dear life in the teeth of a howling gale, a great picture!

A struggle to do much this week with the weather but a brutal 32 miler today has brought the mileage needed for 6500 miles down to only 60 and the weathers due to ease up on Tuesday so it's  still on before the end of the year! 

Barrie's comeback year!

Barrie takes his bow (well wave) today as he reached 3000 miles for the year after recovering from a double achilles rupture last year when he spent almost 6 months out of the saddle. Remarkably probably the half of these miles have been single speed which he credits his return to fitness with.

A timely reminder to give the sheep in the Pentland Hills the privacy they deserve as they get all romantic at this time of year!!!

It's hawthorn hedge cutting time again and thank goodness we've gone tubeless as the cutters spray razor sharp thorns everywhere!

I parked the bike beside this sign which warns that you could be in danger as this is or was a Military Firing Range, by the look of the sign someone's been taking potshots (successfully) at it.

And finally the sun shone for a minute or two on Monday when Kathy and I did the infamous winter loop which gets muddier every time you go down it.

The 65000 mile target for the year is beginning to look achievable if the weather holds, only about 140 miles to go, fingers crossed!

After 11 months and 9 days I've reached 10,000 kilometres off road this year

The moment the target was reached, the pressures off to get there before the end of December and I even summoned up the strength to do a one handed bike lift (show off)

Kathy, who was there to witness the target being achieved without whose help I might not have made it, certainly without as many laughs along the way!

I should also include Baz, Clive, Dougie, Mark and Marc who've witnessed my many crashes, cuts and bruises, we've sweated and shivered our way through a Scottish Spring, Summer and now into Winter, sometimes getting completely confused as to which season it was such is Scottish weather.That's definitely the last target for this year.......well maybe I could try for 6500 miles..... 

And finally......why cant Mankind behave like the so called dumb animals in this world and get along with each other like these two swans and their best buddy a goose, I see them together every time I bike down the side of Glencorse Reservoir, mind you I've never seen a fox and a rabbit chatting away like the best of friends.....