Escaping to the West

In fear of becoming Di Gilbert (tries to) Mountainbike, there is now photographic evidence that I am still a climber :)

I could write about the awesome days climbing in Glencoe or the awesome days climbing in Glen Nevis but no, I will share the joy of the bike.

The same way that every rock face doesn't necessarily mean that a climb is worthwhile, every single track on a map doesn't mean that it makes a good mountain bike.

We embarked on the 40k Ciaran Path with 1100m ascent. This was planned for the morning, followed by a swim and an evening crag.  Oh little did we know.

7 hours later having pushed our bikes for what seemed like 39.9 km, not a route that I would recommend.  On a positive note, the cycling to Luibeilt is very good and there is some excellent single track to be had throughout the route, but does that enjoyment outweigh the unrideable bog/mash/trenches/ditches for the remainder of the route is anybody's guess.  This is coming from somebody who actually doesn't even mind a hike-a-bike route but really .....

Needless to say that the evening swim and the evening crag failed to materialise.

The Owl and the Pussycat

It wasn't quite The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea but it wasn't far off!

Sometimes you look at a map and just know that it is going to be a very, very, very long day on the hill.  That is, until somebody suggests that you knock the birds nest off the canoe and launch the Super Tanker.

What a complete giggle bagging some very remote Corbetts and a Munro (why not since she's there).

No midgies, only a few tiny ticks, dry waterproofs, a camp fire and great company.  What more does a girl need?

The joys of the Jura

It all starts with a tent really. 

For us, it was then an old Ford BT van with a DIY conversation.

Finally, you make it big and upgrade to a VW T5 Transporter.

And then you get old [that obviously only applies to Derek since I refuse to get any older] and learn about a brand new world of Motorhomes/Camping Cars.

Oh my goodness, no longer is their a requirement to have a pee outside and learn where the nearest public shower is and by far the most important thing, there is no longer a need to ration the toys to play with.

Since Derek is in training again for another swim/bike/run and Di is in training for a big peak there was no better place to head than the Jura Alps.  I cannot recommend this place highly enough, especially early season when the big mountains are still snow capped and trying to work out what season it is.

Discovering and sampling the yellow wine was obviously a low point, but it was very important to stay hydrated :)