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

[Chazmo]

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs in more ways than one but who needs gears anyway...


I have been waiting for the right conditions to head to the beautiful Isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland again, I had actually booked the ferry for today but on checking the weather again on Tuesday it was showing 30C for Thursday and only 20C for Wednesday! So it was a no brainer to change days, thankfully very easy to do because I was travelling by bike! The ferry from Ardrossan leaves at 6.55am so it was a very early start as I live 50 miles away, I arrived at the port at 5.40am and the car park doesn't open until 6am so just a short wait to park the car!

Waiting to board the 33 year old ferry, MV Calendonian Isles! . . .

Not sure how ferry ride is, Rab, but this idea has always intrigued me. Having said that, I probably wouldn’t use one of these on open water. Still, these “shuttle bike” kits can be carried in a backpack and they look like fun!

 

[Chargeride]

Ah, Scootlund in June.
The locals still get sunburnt

 

[RabH]

Not sure how ferry ride is, Rab, but this idea has always intrigued me. Having said that, I probably wouldn’t use one of these on open water. Still, these “shuttle bike” kits can be carried in a backpack and they look like fun!

I don't think they would be fun in the Firth of Clyde over to Arran... A hard pass from me Chaz, I prefer dry land!

 

[Chargeride]

Ben Nevis gondola trails, quite a snazzy place but thirty quid each for one lift!!

We chose the severe black.
It was insane, descending into cloud.
Bri punctured, took us 20 minutes to get it fixed on a mountainside in light rain.

Just a bit too much for me, the boardwalks were incredible, but these steep rutted slabs were horrific.

Glad to get into the easier stuff, but the scenery was stupendous.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Ben Nevis gondola trails, quite a snazzy place but thirty quid each for one lift!!

View attachment 211872

We chose the severe black.
It was insane, descending into cloud.
Bri punctured, took us 20 minutes to get it fixed on a mountainside in light rain.

View attachment 211871

Just a bit too much for me, the boardwalks were incredible, but these steep rutted slabs were horrific.

View attachment 211873

Glad to get into the easier stuff, but the scenery was stupendous.

View attachment 211874

Gotta hand it to ya for stepping up and trying that!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

In Amazing Sudovia Again

I and Tommy took a train from Warsaw to Suwałki yesterday. The train with its final destination in Mockava (Lithuania, not Moskva of Russia!) was full of cyclists, and we are talking multiple carriages. For instance, there were as many as 13 bikes in our carriage! All people travelling to Suwałki, which should say something about how attractive cycling area the northeastern tip of Poland is!

We live at a guest house of my "cousin" I met during the latest Sudovia Gravel rally. I feel like in heaven here!

As elsewhere in Europe, we are hit by a heat-wave. So we decided to ride to a beach by nearby Lake Szelment for a proper holiday!

The food in the area is of the highest quality, and it is served in a few minutes! I feel like a pampered child here!

We're skylarking like teenagers!

Tommy is extremely happy about the Marin Muirwoods 2026 he has recently bought. It is a hybrid of a fitness and mountain bike, with a strong shift towards MTB. 27.5x2.35" wheels, 1x drivetrain with a 11-51T cassette and a 36T chainring, just name it. It handles the extreme climbs of Sudovia as well as loose gravel perfectly!

However, the 20% grade Ash Tree Hill climb has defeated him!

Today, we're riding the 100 km route of Sudovia Gravel 2026 but raised to LVL Hard We also plan a swim in Lake Hańcza (the deepest in Poland) as well paying a short visit to Lithuania. What a holiday!

 

[Chargeride]

Lovely, but can we have a trigger warning on that first pic.

 

[Chazmo]

Ben Nevis gondola trails, quite a snazzy place but thirty quid each for one lift!!

View attachment 211872

We chose the severe black.
It was insane, descending into cloud.
Bri punctured, took us 20 minutes to get it fixed on a mountainside in light rain.

View attachment 211871

Just a bit too much for me, the boardwalks were incredible, but these steep rutted slabs were horrific.

View attachment 211873

Glad to get into the easier stuff, but the scenery was stupendous.

View attachment 211874

Was it all downhill, Charge?

No thanks on the rutty descent. Yikes!!! I think you were smart to avoid that.