A great trip yesterday, went a bit further than planned!
Started in Saltcoats, along the coast road to Seamill, then Largs.
Largs was crowded - ridiculous numbers of people trying to get across to Cumbrae - I hear that the previous day, there had been 3 hour queues for the ferry, and they were stopping people travelling.
So didn’t stop in Largs!
On through the town, and up the Brisbane Glen moor road. Haven’t been that way for a while.
I like that road - single track, a bit of a tough climb, but worth it when you get to the top. Normally, once I get past the first reservoirs, I can see a line of electricity pylons in the distance. That gives me something to aim for - I know that when I get to the pylons, I’m at the top.
But they’re taking the pylons down - they served the old Inverkip power station.
Made it to the top, then a downhill stretch for a couple of miles to Loch Thom.
Turned left there and followed the road round the loch to the Greenock Cut and the Cornalees visitor centre.
Ignored the visitor centre, and went 50 yards further along the road to the trout fishery. There’s a great wee cafe in there - open all hours, or at least for as long as people want to fish! It was quite busy with people fishing, walkers and cyclists.
And they do a good coffee, and a brilliant bacon & egg roll!
Sat on the bench outside for a few minutes while I ate and drank, and tried to decide where to go next.
Plan A was back the way I came - a short climb to the top of the hill, then a great descent back to Largs. But I fancied going further.
Plan B was to keep going on the road past Loch Thom - and another great descent back down to Port Glasgow - but that would be followed by an equally big hill back up, and I didn’t fancy that!
So I decided to take the Garshangan path beside the reservoir. It’s a rough track, and forestry lorries have been using it recently. It’d be no problem on a mountain bike. On my bike, with 28mm tyres, it was just about OK, and ten minutes later I was on a farm road somewhere near Kilmacolm.
Followed that to meet the cycle path near Kilmacolm, which follows the old railway line to Paisley and Glasgow. Took that path as far as Johnstone, then followed another cycle route to Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and Glengarnock, then farm roads around Dalry to Kilwinning, finally taking Dubbs Rd back to Saltcoats.
When I reached the end of my street, the meter was saying I had done 99.2 kilometres, so I had to go round the block again to take it over 100.