Circumcycling Arran

Didn’t we have a lovely time

The day we cycled round Arran

We pedalled all day and had lunch on the way
And all for under a pound, you know
(Ok, that bit’s not true, we were fleeced for a fiver in the cheese shop)

When we got back we had a quick snack (that’s not true either, we had our tea)

And we opened a bottle of whisky

Singing a few of our favourite songs
As the wheels went around

With sincere apologies to Fiddler’s Dram.

NB. Anyone under the age of 45 who doesn’t get the reference should click here.

Our day-trip around Arran began at Seal Shore Campsite. Go there – it’s beautiful. It’s on the southern tip of Arran, right on the beach, with views of Pladda Island and Ailsa Craig. You can swim in the sea and get straight out of the cold water into a hot shower.

There are no real ‘challenge hills’ on Arran, but there is a lot of up! 1200m of it to be precise. But of course, what goes up must come down and we enjoyed putting our descending skills to the test.

We went clockwise, beginning by riding north up the west coast. The roads of the east side are more heavily used than those on the west, and are therefore in better repair. On the west side, the road surfaces were pretty shocking in places and our poor old bones got a bit of a shaking. This was more than compensated for by the stunning views constantly to both left and right and around every corner. A selection of photos are below.

At a tea stop we were asked if we were ‘circumcycling’  Arran, which clearly has to be said with care. 

The day before our ride we had visited The Arran Distillery and treated ourselves to a bottle, which we opened sitting on a bench by the sea at the campsite, watching the shore birds and the setting sun.

Miles: 56

 

 Lochranza Castle

 This wooden seal was made by Marvin the Carver who lives round the corner. A couple of years ago it was lost in a big storm, but washed up sometime later on the beach at Ayr, and so was reinstated.

 "When Sue said we could join a swinging club this isn't quite what I had in mind"

 "When playing on the swings it is important to wear the correct safety equipment"

Scarborough to Whitby (well, not quite, read on…)

By now we had been joined by Rob and had planned a ride along the coastal path to Whitby. The path is part of Sustrans Route 1, is called the Cinder Track and is an old railway line.

Rob, having cycled this track before, had said two things about it. One was that the first section, up until just short of Ravenscar, was a bit tedious, and two, that the whole track would be fabulous if it were better surfaced. Both these points proved prescient.

We duly set off and we duly cycled about 15 miles of pretty dull cycle track. The Cinder Track is aptly named as the surface is, well, cinder – very dusty on a dry day like this, but horribly claggy in the wet. It was a bit gravely and had a few small obstacles, like old sleepers, ruts and tree roots to negotiate. I wasn’t sure that it lived up to its billing as a family friendly track.

After about 15 miles, and just short of Ravenscar, my front wheel hit the edge of rut that was covered with overgrown grass and I was tipped sideways, landing heavily on my right knee on the dusty, dirty and, in this spot, particularly gravelly, surface. Warning: grisly pictures follow.

I looked at my knee. I wondered if the white stuff I could see under a big flap of skin was my kneecap. I shouted for Simon to help me. Simon is really good to have around in a crisis. It was obvious that the deep and very dirty wound on my knee needed professional attention, and also that it wasn’t a good idea to bend the knee. So Simon got me back on my bike with my right leg stuck out to the side and my left leg pedalling, and pushed me along the track until we saw civilisation.

We made our way to the Raven Hall Country Hotel where Simon took charge of securing bikes and ringing for help. Rob meanwhile, disappeared and then reappeared announcing “I’ve ordered tea and scones!”

The hotel manager brought out his first aid kit, so a temporary dressing was applied.

 

Long story short – Simon cycled back to the campsite for the car and took me to Scarborough A&E where they spent an age cleaning the dirt out of the wound. 

Five stitches, a few steri-strips and a very large bandage were required to hold the knee together. 

It’s better now, thank you.

Coastal miles – Sue: 16

Coastal miles – Si: 32

Scarborough – Filey – Flamborough Head

So we had a long weekend camping at one of our favourite sites, High Yedmandale Farm in West Ayton, a few miles inland from Scarborough. 

We had chosen this weekend as Simon was meeting his Uncle in Scarborough to watch his first ever cricket match, Yorkshire vs Durham, which I’m pleased to report Yorkshire won. 

Having this arranged, we decided to make a long weekend of it and do a couple of days of coastal cycling.

What can I say about the first day? Well, to be honest, it wasn’t the most exciting day either of us has had on a bike.

We began by cycling from West Ayton to Filey on the road nearest the coast, which afforded absolutely no view of the sea at all and very little in terms of variety of terrain or views. Simon has relatives in Filey, so we stopped by for a cup of tea before heading down to the sea front for our picnic lunch. 

Filey was very busy since it was Lifeboat Day (and also a summer Saturday), so whilst we had set off with thoughts of a quick dip in the sea, we decided against it and pressed on towards Flamborough.

The road from Filey to Flamborough head was even more featureless than the first stretch to Filey! A short section near the beginning did at least have a sea view, but after that just agricultural fields and almost pan flat. We were also cycling into a head wind, so really it was just a bit of a slog to Flamborough Head.

Flamborough Head, of course, is lovely, but again, very busy. We enjoyed an ice cream and stunning sea and cliff-top views and planned the quickest way back to the campsite. 

We at least had the wind at our backs on the way home and made relatively short work of the 25 miles, via a couple of pints in Hunmanby. 

We arrived back at the campsite looking forward to our BBQ that evening, but a bit disappointed about the day’s cycling.

Coastal miles: 30

Total miles: 55