A Southern Upland Rough Ride A rough ride through the Scottish Southern Uplands. 246 miles (396 km) over 10 days from April 27, 2010 to May 6, 2010 dod ladkin Looking south to St Mary's Loch. A Southern Upland Rough Ride Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 1 Day 1 Leicester to Ayr: and so it begins ............................................................................................ 3 Day 2 Ayr to Glentrool: 9:45 - 4:15 : 1086m ascent .......................................................................... 5 Day 3 Kiroughtree 7 Stanes: What, a day off already?...................................................................... 9 Day 4 Glentrool to Penpont: 11:00 - 5:45 : 1383m ascent ............................................................ 12 Day 5 Penpont to Moffat: 11:00 - 7:00 : 1645m ascent.................................................................. 18 Day 6 Moffat to Hopehouse: 11:00 - 7:00 : 1353m ascent ............................................................. 25 Day 7 Pub ride: What, another day off?........................................................................................... 29 Day 8 Hopehouse to Lauder: 10:45 - 4:30 : 1192m ascent ............................................................ 35 Day 9 Lauder to Dunbar: 10:20 - 5:30 : 999m ascent ..................................................................... 40 Day 10 Dunbar to Leicester: Waiting for a train .............................................................................. 47 Post ride thoughts: and new gear review ........................................................................................ 52 Introduction The original concept was a tarmac ride following the Southern Upland Way walker's route as closely as possible. It had been on the drawing board for many years starting at Portpatrick and ending at Berwick on Tweed. A couple of proposed trips for this year had fallen through so I dusted it off and had another look. I changed the start to Ayr in an attempt to shorten the train journey a little and because NCN 7 runs down to Glentrool on what looked like an interesting little road. I switched the finish to Dunbar to head over the Lammermuir Hills, planned in a day off to visit Kiroughtree 7 Stanes MTB centre and another day off further along to explore for a day without the luggage. I then found a few off road options and I had an interesting looking trip. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 1 Introduction The lady at Leicester train station booking office was fantastic in sorting out the details of getting me and the bike to Ayr and back from Dunbar, resulting in a bargain £45 fare each way. Some last minute gear buying and I'm good to go. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 2 Day 1 Leicester to Ayr: and so it begins 5 miles (8 km) - of total 5 miles (8 km) - on Tuesday April 27, 2010 Leicester, 07:50 - 08:45 Birmingham, 09:36 - 10:30 Crewe, 11:09 - 14:20 Glasgow, 15:00 - 15:55 11 tickets in total. Long uneventful journey except for;- Being faffed around in Glasgow and missing the 2:30 to Ayr. The woman who didn't lock the toilet door on the train to Ayr, much to the embarrassment of two young chaps trying to use said toilet. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 3 Day 1 Leicester to Ayr: and so it begins Very windy on arrival in Ayr. Take photo, find a pebble and head for campsite on National Cycle Network (NCN) route 7 into a headwind along the sea front and through some woods. 5 miles to campsite but nobody in. Eventually owners arrive, take £8.00 off me and I get the tent pitched. The on site bar is empty and has no hot food. Drink a pint of overchilled tasteless McKewans 70/- and retire to the tent for a wet windy wild night. Never got around to using the assault course in the background. Day 2 Ayr to Glentrool: 9:45 - 4:15 : 1086m ascent 32 miles (51 km) - of total 37 miles (60 km) - on Wednesday April 28, 2010 Porridge for breakfast. The site owner doubts my sanity as I stock up at the site shop, "I fear for you, I really do". I leave the site and continue along NCN7 which is mostly potholed single lane with passing places and gravel and moss down the middle of the road. Disturb some deer grazing by the side of the road and later spook a hare that, er, hares off across the fields. Stock up on more food supplies at Crosshill and faff about finding the road out. Eventually get moving again into the howling wind and a bit later find a fairly sheltered spot in a field for lunch. Steak pie and a yoghurt. Yummy. First big climb of the trip up past the Diels Elbow to the shoulder of Black Hill of Garlffin followed by a screaming descent to Balloch. Then the climb up to Nick of the Balloch takes me into low cloud and I feel the need to put the lights on, not that there's any traffic to speak of. The final 10 miles drops me 300m to the Glentrool Holiday Park where I pay my £7.00 and pitch camp in a quiet corner by a small pond. The only other camper is a woman walking the Southern Upland Way. She's been out 4 days already and carrying a hefty looking rucksack Around 7:00 I wander down the road to see if I can find a pub and somewhere to eat, expecting to have to ride a long way. But a quarter of a mile down the road I find the House o' Hill hotel. A bijou little establishment offering B&B and self catering, recently refurbished and only reopened at Easter, great hospitality, good food and proper beer, Solway Mist wheat beer and Edinburgh Gold from the Solway brewery. I decide to have the Salmon and rather more beer than I should, and eventually wobble back to the campsite tired but happy. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 5 Day 2 Ayr to Glentrool: 9:45 - 4:15 : 1086m ascent A good start. Looking back to Ayr A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 6 Day 2 Ayr to Glentrool: 9:45 - 4:15 : 1086m ascent Same spot looking west Looking east. It looks like the mole catcher's been busy. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 7 Day 2 Ayr to Glentrool: 9:45 - 4:15 : 1086m ascent Camp Glentrool A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 8 Day 3 Kiroughtree 7 Stanes: What, a day off already? Hung over. Late start, off site at 11:15. Elevenses at Glentrool Visitor Centre A Scottish waterfall. Scotland has quite a few apparently. Kiroughtree 1:00 A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 9 Day 3 Kiroughtree 7 Stanes: What, a day off already? Half day MTB hire £25.00 - return bike by 4:30 - "you pay for any damage" Off on skills loop - Riding like a wuz - remember "you pay for any damage" Navigational Faux Pas at Rocky Road - Grrr - wet, muddy, brambles, blood, cursing - the usual. Eventually rejoin the man-made and find a rythmn and start to bond with my rental and begin to enjoy myself on some swoopy trails. But the NFP means I don't have time to complete the red route so I head back to the skills loop and then return the bike. Looking north on the way back from Kiroughtree. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 10 Day 3 Kiroughtree 7 Stanes: What, a day off already? ditto Back to Glentrool and another visit to House o' Hill where I'm tempted to try a local dram. Bladnoch, Scotland's southernmost distillery, aged in bourbon barrels and very reminiscent of a Jameson. Another good meal and more fine beer. Tonight I manage to leave without spilling my pint. Can't imagine where the camera shake came from. Day 4 Glentrool to Penpont: 11:00 - 5:45 : 1383m ascent 45 miles (72 km) - of total 82 miles (132 km) - on Friday April 30, 2010 Rain in the night - pack a wet tent and back on the road again into the Galloway Forest. What is it with caravanners and yapping dogs? A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 12 Day 4 Glentrool to Penpont: 11:00 - 5:45 : 1383m ascent Leave campsite at 9:45 and head for Glentrool Visitor Centre for breakfast. Unfortunately I'd failed to notice yesterday that they don't open until 10:30. So I go for walk and then return for a bacon roll and a pot of tea before finally getting rolling at 11:00. April showers keep blowing in but no need for waterproofs. Chat with a rambler at Bruce's Stone about lightweight gear and camping with a bike. Day 4 Glentrool to Penpont: 11:00 - 5:45 : 1383m ascent A good climb from Glenhead takes me into the forest and Loch Dee on a bed of seashells! The rambler tells me that these caused all sorts of problems for bikers, slashing tyres on a regular basis when they where first laid. They're all crushed down now so no problems. The forest roads further on however have been "improved" by dumping lots of sharp edged stones about the size of grapefruits which eventually slash a sidewall and give me my first puncture. A Southern Upland Rough Ride by dod ladkin - Page 14 Day 4 Glentrool to Penpont: 11:00 - 5:45 : 1383m ascent Shortly after, Clatteringshaw Loch appears on my left and I realise I've missed a turn. But this unintentional detour brings me to the Visitor Centre at 2:00, so I stop for a bowl of soup and a sausage roll, resisting the temptation of apple pie and cream. I watch the weather closing in but inexplicably decide not to put the waterproofs on and then promptly get soaked to the skin on the fast downhill to St John's Town of Dalry.