2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[Chargeride]

No one is judging Stefan, maybe there is a little spark left you could nurture into a flame

 

[Stefan Mikes]

No one is judging Stefan, maybe there is a little spark left you could nurture into a flame

I was probably mentally older than her... That's life!

 

[RabH]

I needed 75 miles to make 500 miles for January so I had a ride planned in my head for today, I was going to head down to Lanark and enjoy the A70 all the way to Muirkirk! When I woke this morning I had a change of mind and decided a 100 miler was a possibility, it was around 4C with a feels like temp of -1C thanks to a bitterly cold 25mph ESE wind! I only had 2 of my batteries charged (to 95%) at this point and I knew I would need 3 due to the cold, so I put battery 3 on charge while I got ready and it made it to 92% as I was about to leave! My plan was to make my way down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley and head west along the Clyde Valley to Hamilton! From there I would have my first proper climb up Low Waters Road towards Limekilnburn and then up the back road to Chapelton where I grabbed my first photo at this lovely farm!

Then I was heading for East Kilbride with some nice descents and a 25mph tailwind pushing me along, having worked there for almost 10 years I knew the roads well and I avoided the busy traffic and before long I was flying down the descent from East Kilbride into Jackton! Ahead of me was a huge 3.5 mile climb over the Eaglesham Moors, starting in the village of Eaglesham with a very steep climb immediately! I stopped part way up for a couple of photos at Picketlaw Reservoir, I was surprised to see ice at the side of the road here!

Then the climb continued!

A little further up I passed Dunwan Dam Reservoir, the wind farm is called Whitelee and its one of the biggest in Europe!

Time for more climbing!

Then I had this cracking descent with the wind at my back!

At the end of the road I joined the A77 which used to be a very busy road before they built the M77 motorway, I was flying along here but very soon I would be turning south towards my destination at Galston! I had to contend with a gusty crosswind for 6 miles here, its a cracking road though and has lots of big descents!

I passed through Waterside and Moscow (a tiny village ) and shot down the descent into Galston, the final part is treelined so I had protection from the crosswind and hit almost 40mph! From Galston it was time to turn east on the A71 into the 25mph headwind, I had changed my first battery at only 33 miles but my second battery had over 80% left at the 46 mile mark as I passed through Galston! A short time later I passed Loudon Golf Club (the sign actually says Gawf club which is Ayrshire slang for golf) and I stopped for this photo, the sun had made a welcome appearance but was short lived!

I continued west through Newmilns and Darvel and up the climb at Priestland at the 50 mile mark, I soon had Loudon Hill in view!

The A71 is such a nice road to ride but its much easier heading west, I was heading east into a 25mph headwind and it was taking a toll on my second battery! Its a twisty road with lots of undulations!

Eventually the road turns NE and I got some respite from the wind and was able to use eco mode for a while to preserve my battery! I then passed through Strathaven at the 60 mile mark and I contiuned NE towards Stonehouse, the road passes over Avon Water!

At Stonehouse I had 25% left in my second battery at 64 miles but managed to eek another 5 miles thanks to some descents! The final descent down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley was amazing, I stopped on the bridge for this photo of the River Clyde and changed to battery 3 at 69 miles!

Battery 3 was at 95% and I had just over 30 miles to go but I had a lot of big climbs ahead of me! I made my way along the Clyde Valley to Crossford, stopping for photos as I went!

At Crossford it was time for huge climb up through Coziglen, its a very narrow road but very little traffic, in fact I didn't meet a single car all the way up! I grabbed some photos on the way up!

I arrived in Carluke at the top of the climb and had to think hard about my route from now on to preserve my battery, I decided to head for Law Village which would mean some nice descents and a tailwind for a few miles! Its a big climb up through the village though but it was pretty easy thanks to the shelter from the wind, I hit 80 miles as I passed through the village and with around 20 miles to go I had 45% battery left! I then turned north through Bogside and Newmains where I had a lightbulb moment and decided to turn south for Overtown!

Its a descent all the way to the village and the descents then continued through Wishaw and Motherwell, the same road I had used in the morning on my way to Garrion Bridge and it worked out perfectly! From Motherwell I turned north for New Stevenston and Holytown where my gps was showing 92 miles and I had 32% battery remaining! I continued north into Chapelhall and NW towards home, 95 miles came up as I arrived in my home town so I did a 5 mile circuit around town to bring the 100 miles up! As I crested the final climb at home I had 20% remaining, I had judged it to perfection!

What a fantastic ride and my bike only needed a wipe down thanks to lots of dry roads, very unusual for January! 525 miles for January is a really good start to the year, especially considering I had zero miles almost 2 weeks in to 2026! I will sleep well tonight, that was quite a workout but more than worth the effort!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

1 rab in the winter! Wow!

 

[mcdenny]

View attachment 205281

I needed 75 miles to make 500 miles for January so I had a ride planned in my head for today, I was going to head down to Lanark and enjoy the A70 all the way to Muirkirk! When I woke this morning I had a change of mind and decided a 100 miler was a possibility, it was around 4C with a feels like temp of -1C thanks to a bitterly cold 25mph ESE wind! I only had 2 of my batteries charged (to 95%) at this point and I knew I would need 3 due to the cold, so I put battery 3 on charge while I got ready and it made it to 92% as I was about to leave! My plan was to make my way down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley and head west along the Clyde Valley to Hamilton! From there I would have my first proper climb up Low Waters Road towards Limekilnburn and then up the back road to Chapelton where I grabbed my first photo at this lovely farm!

View attachment 205282
Then I was heading for East Kilbride with some nice descents and a 25mph tailwind pushing me along, having worked there for almost 10 years I knew the roads well and I avoided the busy traffic and before long I was flying down the descent from East Kilbride into Jackton! Ahead of me was a huge 3.5 mile climb over the Eaglesham Moors, starting in the village of Eaglesham with a very steep climb immediately! I stopped part way up for a couple of photos at Picketlaw Reservoir, I was surprised to see ice at the side of the road here!

View attachment 205284
View attachment 205285
Then the climb continued!

View attachment 205286
View attachment 205287
A little further up I passed Dunwan Dam Reservoir, the wind farm is called Whitelee and its one of the biggest in Europe!

View attachment 205289
View attachment 205290
View attachment 205291
View attachment 205292
View attachment 205293
Time for more climbing!

View attachment 205294
Then I had this cracking descent with the wind at my back!

View attachment 205295
At the end of the road I joined the A77 which used to be a very busy road before they built the M77 motorway, I was flying along here but very soon I would be turning south towards my destination at Galston! I had to contend with a gusty crosswind for 6 miles here, its a cracking road though and has lots of big descents!

View attachment 205296
I passed through Waterside and Moscow (a tiny village ) and shot down the descent into Galston, the final part is treelined so I had protection from the crosswind and hit almost 40mph! From Galston it was time to turn east on the A71 into the 25mph headwind, I had changed my first battery at only 33 miles but my second battery had over 80% left at the 46 mile mark as I passed through Galston! A short time later I passed Loudon Golf Club (the sign actually says Gawf club which is Ayrshire slang for golf) and I stopped for this photo, the sun had made a welcome appearance but was short lived!

View attachment 205298
I continued west through Newmilns and Darvel and up the climb at Priestland at the 50 mile mark, I soon had Loudon Hill in view!

View attachment 205299
View attachment 205300
The A71 is such a nice road to ride but its much easier heading west, I was heading east into a 25mph headwind and it was taking a toll on my second battery! Its a twisty road with lots of undulations!

View attachment 205301
Eventually the road turns NE and I got some respite from the wind and was able to use eco mode for a while to preserve my battery! I then passed through Strathaven at the 60 mile mark and I contiuned NE towards Stonehouse, the road passes over Avon Water!

View attachment 205303
At Stonehouse I had 25% left in my second battery at 64 miles but managed to eek another 5 miles thanks to some descents! The final descent down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley was amazing, I stopped on the bridge for this photo of the River Clyde and changed to battery 3 at 69 miles!

View attachment 205304
Battery 3 was at 95% and I had just over 30 miles to go but I had a lot of big climbs ahead of me! I made my way along the Clyde Valley to Crossford, stopping for photos as I went!

View attachment 205306
View attachment 205307
View attachment 205308
At Crossford it was time for huge climb up through Coziglen, its a very narrow road but very little traffic, in fact I didn't meet a single car all the way up! I grabbed some photos on the way up!

View attachment 205309
View attachment 205310
View attachment 205311
View attachment 205312
View attachment 205313
I arrived in Carluke at the top of the climb and had to think hard about my route from now on to preserve my battery, I decided to head for Law Village which would mean some nice descents and a tailwind for a few miles! Its a big climb up through the village though but it was pretty easy thanks to the shelter from the wind, I hit 80 miles as I passed through the village and with around 20 miles to go I had 45% battery left! I then turned north through Bogside and Newmains where I had a lightbulb moment and decided to turn south for Overtown!

Its a descent all the way to the village and the descents then continued through Wishaw and Motherwell, the same road I had used in the morning on my way to Garrion Bridge and it worked out perfectly! From Motherwell I turned north for New Stevenston and Holytown where my gps was showing 92 miles and I had 32% battery remaining! I continued north into Chapelhall and NW towards home, 95 miles came up as I arrived in my home town so I did a 5 mile circuit around town to bring the 100 miles up! As I crested the final climb at home I had 20% remaining, I had judged it to perfection!

What a fantastic ride and my bike only needed a wipe down thanks to lots of dry roads, very unusual for January! 525 miles for January is a really good start to the year, especially considering I had zero miles almost 2 weeks in to 2026! I will sleep well tonight, that was quite a workout but more than worth the effort!

Stunning scenery. I cam't imagine what a pleasant ride that would be in the late spring.

 

[JGcycle]

View attachment 205281

I needed 75 miles to make 500 miles for January so I had a ride planned in my head for today, I was going to head down to Lanark and enjoy the A70 all the way to Muirkirk! When I woke this morning I had a change of mind and decided a 100 miler was a possibility, it was around 4C with a feels like temp of -1C thanks to a bitterly cold 25mph ESE wind! I only had 2 of my batteries charged (to 95%) at this point and I knew I would need 3 due to the cold, so I put battery 3 on charge while I got ready and it made it to 92% as I was about to leave! My plan was to make my way down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley and head west along the Clyde Valley to Hamilton! From there I would have my first proper climb up Low Waters Road towards Limekilnburn and then up the back road to Chapelton where I grabbed my first photo at this lovely farm!

View attachment 205282
Then I was heading for East Kilbride with some nice descents and a 25mph tailwind pushing me along, having worked there for almost 10 years I knew the roads well and I avoided the busy traffic and before long I was flying down the descent from East Kilbride into Jackton! Ahead of me was a huge 3.5 mile climb over the Eaglesham Moors, starting in the village of Eaglesham with a very steep climb immediately! I stopped part way up for a couple of photos at Picketlaw Reservoir, I was surprised to see ice at the side of the road here!

View attachment 205284
View attachment 205285
Then the climb continued!

View attachment 205286
View attachment 205287
A little further up I passed Dunwan Dam Reservoir, the wind farm is called Whitelee and its one of the biggest in Europe!

View attachment 205289
View attachment 205290
View attachment 205291
View attachment 205292
View attachment 205293
Time for more climbing!

View attachment 205294
Then I had this cracking descent with the wind at my back!

View attachment 205295
At the end of the road I joined the A77 which used to be a very busy road before they built the M77 motorway, I was flying along here but very soon I would be turning south towards my destination at Galston! I had to contend with a gusty crosswind for 6 miles here, its a cracking road though and has lots of big descents!

View attachment 205296
I passed through Waterside and Moscow (a tiny village ) and shot down the descent into Galston, the final part is treelined so I had protection from the crosswind and hit almost 40mph! From Galston it was time to turn east on the A71 into the 25mph headwind, I had changed my first battery at only 33 miles but my second battery had over 80% left at the 46 mile mark as I passed through Galston! A short time later I passed Loudon Golf Club (the sign actually says Gawf club which is Ayrshire slang for golf) and I stopped for this photo, the sun had made a welcome appearance but was short lived!

View attachment 205298
I continued west through Newmilns and Darvel and up the climb at Priestland at the 50 mile mark, I soon had Loudon Hill in view!

View attachment 205299
View attachment 205300
The A71 is such a nice road to ride but its much easier heading west, I was heading east into a 25mph headwind and it was taking a toll on my second battery! Its a twisty road with lots of undulations!

View attachment 205301
Eventually the road turns NE and I got some respite from the wind and was able to use eco mode for a while to preserve my battery! I then passed through Strathaven at the 60 mile mark and I contiuned NE towards Stonehouse, the road passes over Avon Water!

View attachment 205303
At Stonehouse I had 25% left in my second battery at 64 miles but managed to eek another 5 miles thanks to some descents! The final descent down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley was amazing, I stopped on the bridge for this photo of the River Clyde and changed to battery 3 at 69 miles!

View attachment 205304
Battery 3 was at 95% and I had just over 30 miles to go but I had a lot of big climbs ahead of me! I made my way along the Clyde Valley to Crossford, stopping for photos as I went!

View attachment 205306
View attachment 205307
View attachment 205308
At Crossford it was time for huge climb up through Coziglen, its a very narrow road but very little traffic, in fact I didn't meet a single car all the way up! I grabbed some photos on the way up!

View attachment 205309
View attachment 205310
View attachment 205311
View attachment 205312
View attachment 205313
I arrived in Carluke at the top of the climb and had to think hard about my route from now on to preserve my battery, I decided to head for Law Village which would mean some nice descents and a tailwind for a few miles! Its a big climb up through the village though but it was pretty easy thanks to the shelter from the wind, I hit 80 miles as I passed through the village and with around 20 miles to go I had 45% battery left! I then turned north through Bogside and Newmains where I had a lightbulb moment and decided to turn south for Overtown!

Its a descent all the way to the village and the descents then continued through Wishaw and Motherwell, the same road I had used in the morning on my way to Garrion Bridge and it worked out perfectly! From Motherwell I turned north for New Stevenston and Holytown where my gps was showing 92 miles and I had 32% battery remaining! I continued north into Chapelhall and NW towards home, 95 miles came up as I arrived in my home town so I did a 5 mile circuit around town to bring the 100 miles up! As I crested the final climb at home I had 20% remaining, I had judged it to perfection!

What a fantastic ride and my bike only needed a wipe down thanks to lots of dry roads, very unusual for January! 525 miles for January is a really good start to the year, especially considering I had zero miles almost 2 weeks in to 2026! I will sleep well tonight, that was quite a workout but more than worth the effort!

Wow, that's a lot of wind turbines.

 

[stompandgo]

You ride a black bike on wet roads. How do you keep it so clean?

 

[Base]

You ride a black bike on wet roads. How do you keep it so clean?

Hydro coating or Nano coating? or just elbow grease and wax

 

[RabH]

Stunning scenery. I cam't imagine what a pleasant ride that would be in the late spring.

Its a ride I've done many times in all seasons and it always looks amazing, of course its more fun when its warmer..

Wow, that's a lot of wind turbines.

Yes its massive, I can actually see it from home on a clear day and its a good 30 miles away!

You ride a black bike on wet roads. How do you keep it so clean?

Mudguards all year round!

Hydro coating or Nano coating? or just elbow grease and wax

I just wash it thoroughly!

 

[JGcycle]

View attachment 205281

I needed 75 miles to make 500 miles for January so I had a ride planned in my head for today, I was going to head down to Lanark and enjoy the A70 all the way to Muirkirk! When I woke this morning I had a change of mind and decided a 100 miler was a possibility, it was around 4C with a feels like temp of -1C thanks to a bitterly cold 25mph ESE wind! I only had 2 of my batteries charged (to 95%) at this point and I knew I would need 3 due to the cold, so I put battery 3 on charge while I got ready and it made it to 92% as I was about to leave! My plan was to make my way down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley and head west along the Clyde Valley to Hamilton! From there I would have my first proper climb up Low Waters Road towards Limekilnburn and then up the back road to Chapelton where I grabbed my first photo at this lovely farm!

View attachment 205282
Then I was heading for East Kilbride with some nice descents and a 25mph tailwind pushing me along, having worked there for almost 10 years I knew the roads well and I avoided the busy traffic and before long I was flying down the descent from East Kilbride into Jackton! Ahead of me was a huge 3.5 mile climb over the Eaglesham Moors, starting in the village of Eaglesham with a very steep climb immediately! I stopped part way up for a couple of photos at Picketlaw Reservoir, I was surprised to see ice at the side of the road here!

View attachment 205284
View attachment 205285
Then the climb continued!

View attachment 205286
View attachment 205287
A little further up I passed Dunwan Dam Reservoir, the wind farm is called Whitelee and its one of the biggest in Europe!

View attachment 205289
View attachment 205290
View attachment 205291
View attachment 205292
View attachment 205293
Time for more climbing!

View attachment 205294
Then I had this cracking descent with the wind at my back!

View attachment 205295
At the end of the road I joined the A77 which used to be a very busy road before they built the M77 motorway, I was flying along here but very soon I would be turning south towards my destination at Galston! I had to contend with a gusty crosswind for 6 miles here, its a cracking road though and has lots of big descents!

View attachment 205296
I passed through Waterside and Moscow (a tiny village ) and shot down the descent into Galston, the final part is treelined so I had protection from the crosswind and hit almost 40mph! From Galston it was time to turn east on the A71 into the 25mph headwind, I had changed my first battery at only 33 miles but my second battery had over 80% left at the 46 mile mark as I passed through Galston! A short time later I passed Loudon Golf Club (the sign actually says Gawf club which is Ayrshire slang for golf) and I stopped for this photo, the sun had made a welcome appearance but was short lived!

View attachment 205298
I continued west through Newmilns and Darvel and up the climb at Priestland at the 50 mile mark, I soon had Loudon Hill in view!

View attachment 205299
View attachment 205300
The A71 is such a nice road to ride but its much easier heading west, I was heading east into a 25mph headwind and it was taking a toll on my second battery! Its a twisty road with lots of undulations!

View attachment 205301
Eventually the road turns NE and I got some respite from the wind and was able to use eco mode for a while to preserve my battery! I then passed through Strathaven at the 60 mile mark and I contiuned NE towards Stonehouse, the road passes over Avon Water!

View attachment 205303
At Stonehouse I had 25% left in my second battery at 64 miles but managed to eek another 5 miles thanks to some descents! The final descent down to Garrion Bridge in the Clyde Valley was amazing, I stopped on the bridge for this photo of the River Clyde and changed to battery 3 at 69 miles!

View attachment 205304
Battery 3 was at 95% and I had just over 30 miles to go but I had a lot of big climbs ahead of me! I made my way along the Clyde Valley to Crossford, stopping for photos as I went!

View attachment 205306
View attachment 205307
View attachment 205308
At Crossford it was time for huge climb up through Coziglen, its a very narrow road but very little traffic, in fact I didn't meet a single car all the way up! I grabbed some photos on the way up!

View attachment 205309
View attachment 205310
View attachment 205311
View attachment 205312
View attachment 205313
I arrived in Carluke at the top of the climb and had to think hard about my route from now on to preserve my battery, I decided to head for Law Village which would mean some nice descents and a tailwind for a few miles! Its a big climb up through the village though but it was pretty easy thanks to the shelter from the wind, I hit 80 miles as I passed through the village and with around 20 miles to go I had 45% battery left! I then turned north through Bogside and Newmains where I had a lightbulb moment and decided to turn south for Overtown!

Its a descent all the way to the village and the descents then continued through Wishaw and Motherwell, the same road I had used in the morning on my way to Garrion Bridge and it worked out perfectly! From Motherwell I turned north for New Stevenston and Holytown where my gps was showing 92 miles and I had 32% battery remaining! I continued north into Chapelhall and NW towards home, 95 miles came up as I arrived in my home town so I did a 5 mile circuit around town to bring the 100 miles up! As I crested the final climb at home I had 20% remaining, I had judged it to perfection!

What a fantastic ride and my bike only needed a wipe down thanks to lots of dry roads, very unusual for January! 525 miles for January is a really good start to the year, especially considering I had zero miles almost 2 weeks in to 2026! I will sleep well tonight, that was quite a workout but more than worth the effort!

We have a local wind farm with 10 turbines that supplies 15% of the electricity for our city of 80,000. Your wind farms must produce a huge percentage of the power used in your area.

 

[RabH]

We have a local wind farm with 10 turbines that supplies 15% of the electricity for our city of 80,000. Your wind farms must produce a huge percentage of the power used in your area.

The Whitelee wind farm has 215 turbines supplying over 350,000 homes around Glasgow and the surrounding area, it spans across 3 counties!