Loch Lomond & Glen Coe

The route took us alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/canals/forth-clyde-canal/ to the Clyde river. I was surprised at how narrow the Clyde was at this point as they built some big ships further up stream. At Dumbarton we purchased a collapsible cooker and a larger pot. It was cold and miserable so we set off for Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond. We were lucky to find a bed and breakfast and at 50 pounds was exceptionally good value. Dinner was fish and chips from the store below and lots of hot chocolate. We wandered around town

before heading off to bed.

We sang a verse of “Loch Lomond” as we made our way around the lake. There was a cycleway for the first half which ran along side the road. At first I wondered what all the fuss was about but later on we discovered the stunning beauty of the place. In parts it reminded us of Waikare-iti, New Zealand, our favourite lake of all time.

Later as we left the visitors centre it was raining so I had my head down to avoid it. In the curb, I spotted my best “besidearoader” yet. A very soggy 10 pound note. It was duly recovered and we made our way up a big hill towards Crianlarich. For the last couple of hours we had been leap frogging 4 Italian cyclists and they lead us up the hill. At the top there was a small drop down to the Youth Hostel where we took the chance to dry the tent and anything else that had got wet. The hostel was full of teenage school children (who were very well

behaved) but nervous about their outdoor challenge the next day. In the morning I got chatting to my room mate who came from Papakura in Auckland , just 30 minutes from our house. He had lived in Scotland for several years and worked for the Scottish Youth Hostel Association as a warden and was having some time off exploring the area on foot.

We headed into Tyndrum where we stocked up at the tiny shop with some food for the trip across Glencoe. First up was the climb up and over into the Bridge of Orchy and we just had to take a photo of the Glen Orchy sign. We climbed a second even higher hill and in the pouring rain took the photo “Welcome to the Highlands.” Just afterwards we dropped down into a small river valley that was full of small lakes and streams. Once again we were gobsmacked by the beauty of the place. The road continued to climb and became sub-alpine. Snow dotted the hills around and it was like cycling in

Norway. 2 times in one hour – lost for words. It was getting very cold so after a quick lunch we headed off and dropped down into Glen Coe itself. And again we were lost for words.

Sally got horribly lost looking for the youth hostel but I found it long before she did. And so did our Italian cyclist. We had said the previous day that if we met up at a Hostel we would get together over a bottle of wine. So back on the bike, and into town to get a bottle of Cote du Rhone which we dutifully drank over the evening discussing all things cycling and Turin, their home town.