Swanston Street

I have heard the news about the responses to the Swanston Street proposals and it looks like the street may finally become a safer street for cyclists to use.  Common sense may prevail.  Thanks to everyone for their support for a new Swanston Street, it is what Carolyn always wanted.  

Manchester & Belfast

Spent a week in Manchester staying with Sally, Dave and baby Theo.  It was a really relaxing week, had plenty of good night's sleep and delicious home cooked meals.  Saw a bit of Manchester, all of which I liked.  Myself and 3 complete strangers caught the film Looking For Eric at the cinema, I was pleasantly surprised, it was good.  Also spent a few hours walking in the Peak District which was great.

Flew into Belfast a few days ago to catch up with Dan Toner.  It was fantastic to see the man also known as Danny Newry and to also meet Kristina for the first time.  2 quality nights later I'm back in London, preparing for the bike ride.  Tomorrow I'll pick up my bike, a Ridgeback Voyage.  It will be complete with 2 panniers, water bottle, a smaller front bag, a big heavy D Lock and a dent.  I got it for a bit of a discount with the dent, I think it adds character.  It's more of a dimple than a dent anyway, it's a beauty spot.  The big ride will start this Friday morning - riding from London to Dover first before catching a ferry across to France and then riding south west to the city of Tours for Danny and Sonia's wedding.

A night out in the Scottish Highlands

Forgot to add this clip from my Highlands adventure. It was great to finally see some live music in Scotland. The dancefloor was rocking.

Lake District, England

After a glorious night's sleep in Fort William, I ventured back to Glasgow for another terrible night's sleep at the hostel. Before bed I caught local act Punch and the Apostles at a local bar/dungeon. They only played 1 song, it went for 45 minutes though so the £3 admission wasn't a complete waste. There were periods of up to 5 minutes during that 45 minute song of the gentle sounds of feedback, nothing else, just a kind of irritating buzzing sound like someone forgot to turn their amp off. Thankfully there was a visual presentation accompanying the 1 song featuring images of the colour black to push things along.

I caught a train to the Lake District the next morning, a place called Ambleside was my exact destination. I then got lost for about an hour before asking Tourist Information where the nearest campsite was. 4 miles and about 1 hour of walking later, I pitched my tent by Lake Windermere. 2 nights there and then Sally, Dave and Theo drove up from Manchester and met me at the campground. It was great to finally meet my new nephew Theo and see Sally and Dave again.

Scotland cont.

My walk through the Scottish Highlands started in an outer suburb of Glasgow. I was looking forward to getting away from the cities for a while and to smell some fresh mountain air. The first day I jumped out of the blocks pretty quickly and walked 21 miles (about 30kms?). I wasn't to do that again for the rest of the walk. I finished the full 94 mile walk 6 days later, limping into town with bleeding feet and very sore shoulders, carrying a bit too much on my back. I camped most of the way by Lochs or in forests. Ate a lot of noodles and cup a soups, but generally made sure I had 1 large meal and a pint at the pub every day. The midgies were in plague proportions - midgies are small insects that bite any exposed skin, it was a constant battle against them, they were worse than the flies in country Victoria. It was a beautiful walk though, the mountains were amazing, the views breathtaking. One of the pubs dated back to 1705, complete with barstaff in Kilts - though their Aussie accents took some shine off the authenticity of the whole experience. Treated myself to a B&B on the last night in Fort William.

Scotland

Spent a couple of nights in Edinburgh recently. Walked around most of the time admiring the castle. Watched a film called Sleep (or Sleeping) Furiously, a Welsh film based on observations of rural farm practises and village life. Not too bad. Lots of tourists in Edinburgh. Jumped on a train to Glasgow and checked into a Youth Hostel. I preferred Glasgow, it reminded me a lot more of Melbourne. Went to see Eric Bogle live only to be told that his show was sold out, that was a shame. Had the worst sleep in living memory at the Youth Hostel, every bed creaked, every body snored and the sun came shining through the window at about 4.30am. I slept about 2 hours and couldn't wait to get on the train and begin my walk in the Scottish Highlands to Fort William, the West Highland Way. I generally sleep better in a tent anyway.