I had a pretty epic ride yesterday, so epic I was too tired to type up my report last night...
The morning started very misty with patchy fog and around 5C with no wind whatsoever for a nice change! I used the main roads to Hamilton only because it was a Sunday and there was very little traffic, once in Hamilton I had the big climb up towards Strathaven but I could see a road closed sign further up the hill so rather than take the chance I could get through on the bike, I used a detour I know very well! It has lots of ups and downs and twists and turns so it was no hardship for me, one of the lovely descents here and the sun was trying its best to break through!
When I arrived in Strathaven I decided to head back towards Hamilton because I knew how amazing the road was and it would lead me to a nice back road I know well which would take me to the village of Chapelton! From there I would be heading to the busy town of East Kilbride where I worked for almost 10 years, I actually stopped by my old workplace to have a look and grab a quick photo! The yard was pretty full so it looks like business is going well, they actually build bodies for vans and trucks among other things! My job was to order all the parts and some of the parts were extremely heavy, it wasn't an easy job but it paid the bills until I was made redundant at the start of the pandemic!
Now it was time to head for the Eaglesham moors which is a 3.5 mile climb but only an average of 3.1%, although it was pretty windy up on the moors and it was a direct headwind! As you can see from the photos the mist and fog returned also...this is just at the start of the moors and the sun was trying to win the battle but it soon lost that fight!
Picketlaw Reservoir!
This guy had the right idea, he had the wind at his back and was flying down the descent!
As soon as I got over the moors and started down the descent at the other side things cleared up again and it was soon time to turn south and enjoy the best part of the ride, the main reason I did it in this direction! Its an amazing descent down through the villages of Waterside and Moscow (blink and you will miss it
) with a few climbs thrown in also of course! One of the descents with the sky looking a little threatening but it stayed dry thankfully!
The road leads to Galston and the final descent is always exhilirating, just over 40mph today as I had my 3 batteries on board and didn't want to take any risks! At Galston I turned east on the main A71 which is way more fun in the opposite direction but I would have what little wind there was right at my back! The first village is Newmilns where I stopped for this photo with a much nicer sky!
I then passed through Darvel and Priestland followed by Drumclog where I heard a noisy engine up in the clouds above me, I stopped to have a snack and this microlight appeared through the clouds and I only just managed to grab this photo before it disappeared into the clouds again!
This is only a few miles from Strathaven where this is a small airfield with a grass strip so I'm guessing this was where it was heading to! Another mile or so and things really cleared up and I could feel the warmth of the sun finally, it was only 5C when I left but the sun made quite a difference! The A71 is pretty much like this all the way to Strathaven, mostly uphill but lovely twisty parts and nice scenery on both sides also! It looks like something was on fire just ahead of this photo, probably a stolen car that was torched...
This is looking south towards Muirkirk and I could just about see the road I use quite frequently!
Once I arrived back in Strathaven I headed east to Kirkmuirhill, another one of my favourite roads with many twisty parts and ups and downs and not to mention pretty scenic! This is the first descent just as you leave Strathaven and its quickly followed by a big climb up to Sandford!
This double oak tree caught my eye, they pretty much blend into each other! At least I think they are oak trees, I'm no specialist...
I wouldn't mind living in this little farmhouse with all this surrounding beauty!
I then arrived in Kirkmuirhill and took the back road which leads to the Clyde Valley, not a bad view before heading down the big descent!
The road drops steeply into the valley before rising straight up again and through the village of Auchenheath, another photo opportunity part way up the climb with the church spire of Kirkmuirhill in the background!
At the top of the climb the Clyde Valley comes into view and it looks so nice at this time of year!
A short time later and just before the awesome descent down into the valley I chanced my luck and entered someones drive to grab this photo of the River Clyde below, just after I took the photo a man appeared from the house enquiring about my presence! I just told the truth, that I was taking a photo of the stunning scenery and told him he was very lucky to get to enjoy this every day and he thanked me and said no problem!
Once in the valley I used much the same road as Friday but went all the way up to Braidwood this time, its not as difficult as the other climb at the Coziglen but still a tough one and much longer! From Braidwood I continued NE to Carluke and then north towards Allanton, stopping for a break and a snack at a little bridge over a stream! I was munching away when 2 cyclists appeared and asked if all was ok and I replied all is fine, I'm just taking a break and having a snack when one pointed out my rear tyre was flat! Puncture no 3 in recent weeks...its that time of year when the farmers are cutting the thorn bushes and scattering clippings all over the back roads! The guys asked me if I had everything to fix it and I told them I was a master puncture fixer...
I had now covered 83 miles and it was only around 10 miles to home so I took the back road to Allanton and then tackled the big climb up to Kirk of Shotts
@DaveMatthews yes again...
Near the top of the climb I turned west to enjoy my favourite local road with its awesome fresh tarmac which leads to the village of Hareshaw with 93 miles now covered, so I turned west and used the main road down to Holytown which is a nice straight road with a gradual descent all the way! From there I turned north to Calderbank which is only 2 miles from home, stopping at the Chapelhall flyover to grab this photo of the Campsie Hills lit up buy the sun in the background with the M8 motorway from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the foregorund!
What an epic ride that was, I think that's actually the most I have ever climbed in a 100 mile ride and I was gutted to just miss out on a 6 hour ride by 34 seconds!
Quite a surprise given the 7000ft of climbing, I only noticed it at the last minute and could have probably speeded up to make it...
@keithj69 I am very fortunate to live where I do and I sure don't take it for granted, you better not move here anytime soon if it means you will end up homeless...
@theloafer I'm sorry to hear about your awful brush with prostate cancer, my dad was diagnosed with it at the age of 77 and managed to live to 93 so I hope you can follow in his footsteps! Wishing you all the best for the future, I'm glad you are out rding again!
@Prairie Dog I hope you have a fantastic trip, the lastest photos of your wife's rides are making me drool!
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