Back to try last week's aborted hill ride. From south of Ayr to Glenalla Fell and back.
Early in the ride I got dumped on by a heavy shower but it didn't last long. Soon the sun was out again as I climbed up into the hills.
At Glenalla Fell I leave the main road and head off down a landrover track. The highest point of the ride, about 300m.
The map said there was a path here! But I have to fight my way through the jungle. On foot of course, dragging my bike through the bracken.
There's a lot of psychology going on in a place like this. I'm literally in the middle of nowhere. A place where it looks like nobody ever goes. You have to adjust. Automatically I go into "explorer mode".
Number one: don't get lost. There's only a couple of hours of daylight left which cuts into the safety margin. I'm packing a headtorch (my front bike light) and a map so I would eventually get myself unlost again. But that can take hours and leave you exhausted with all the extra wandering around.
Number two don't get injured. The phone signal can be sketchy around here and slugs are the only thing I've seen to eat. With no real path you have to be extra careful not to twist an ankle or worse. There are small burns trickling down off the hill, often hidden by thick grass. You could take a step and suddenly find your foot sinks a couple of feet into the ground, trapping your leg. If the momentum of your body keeps driving you forward... SNAP! The golden rule of exploring off the beaten track: watch every step.
After a little while I find the next track and I'm bouncing downhill to Straiton and then home.
Today's run: 57km, 650m climbed.
Total: 471km, 1,600m climbed