Brompton and Hammocking Tour of Argyle & Bute

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Plan:
Friday: Train from Piccadilly to Gourock. Then ferry to Dunnoon and then ride over to Portavadie and set up camp.

Saturday: Ferry to Tarbert and then ride onwards to Lochgilphead and wing it from there somewhere along the Route 78, haven't decided North or South yet.

Only taking a Hennessy Hammock with bag and matt with 2 floor tarps. No cooking gear as I reckon I'll be ok with shops n pubs. Plan to manage the midges with hat net and Autan.

Looking forward to this.

 

[dan_bo]

Sounds mint.

 

[ColinJ]

Have fun and may you remain a midge-free zone!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

The original plan was to ferry over to Campbeltown from Ardrossan and ride to Oban. But the locals have said it's very unreliable and it's only once a day and arrives at 21:20 at the earliest.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Well, that didn't go to plan. The maps don't do the hills justice. RWGPS says I've done 2800ft of climbing in 28 miles. And there were a few 20% signs on hills that went on forever.
I'm nowhere fit enough for that day after day and wild camping. I'd need to BnBing to cope.

So the hills and those bloody midges are not my idea of fun. I'm off home as the weather forecast has changed to rain and wind for the next week.

The place is stunning and the people are so polite, the roads are soooo smooth on Route 75.

Wild camping isn't as easy as it seems. The pine trees are very closely packed and the diciduous woods are fenced off with barbed wire for some reason. I ended up camping in a Community Forest and no one bothered and some said hello.

I, either camped on a deer highway or they wanted my Cornish Pasty. The deer were mooching around my hammock which was nice but woke me up several times. And the midges, oh those bloody midges. They were like clouds around my head and even though I had a net and Autan they were still a pest.

So overall I'm glad I did go there but one things for sure.....I'm a BnB kinda guy .

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

 

[ColinJ]

Oh, dear. (Or should that be 'Oh, deer!'? )

Still, at least you gave it a go!

When you asked me if I fancied it, I thought "I am more of a luxury wooden lodge with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, big dining kitchen, huge lounge, and central heating" kinda guy! (I am sharing one of those in Scotland with my older sister and her family in September.)

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Oh, dear. (Or should that be 'Oh, deer!'? )

Still, at least you gave it a go!

When you asked me if I fancied it, I thought "I am more of a luxury wooden lodge with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, big dining kitchen, huge lounge, and central heating" kinda guy! (I am sharing one of those in Scotland with my older sister and her family in September.)

Well I've come to the conclusion that so am I. Day rides around that area are stunning and having a warm shower and home cooked food would make it worthwhile.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Sat here in my comfy home all nice and clean after a ride, I feel a bit of a plonker for not seeing it through.
Then I see photos of what it was actually like being stuck in a midge hotspot not being able to get as clean as I like due to scenes from my hammock like this.....

And then I realised that I'm glad I left, imagine a week of that!!!

 

[ColinJ]

Sat here in my comfy home all nice and clean after a ride, I feel a bit of a plonker for not seeing it through.
Then I see photos of what it was actually like being stuck in a midge hotspot not being able to get as clean as I like due to scenes from my hammock like this.....


View attachment 137195
And then I realised that I'm glad I left, imagine a week of that!!!

Aaargh!

I really don't get on well with biting insects. I seem to attract them more than other people and my skin reacts badly to the bites. I got 30 mosquito bites in one night in Corfu. (My then girlfriend next to me got none.) My legs came up in big red lumps by morning.

I had similar problems when her cat got fleas. I was bitten over and over, but she, owner of the damn cat, just sat there unbitten.

I haven't had problems in the Highlands but I usually go up later in the year. I will be there again in September. Hopefully the midges will have died by then!

 

[snorri]

I feel a bit of a plonker for not seeing it through.

You should not feel that way, it's better that you tried and retired, rather than not to have tried at all.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

You should not feel that way, it's better that you tried and retired, rather than not to have tried at all.

DNF > DNS