my name is mwd

Yesterday I woke up aching a bit, and decided against doing any long journeys that I’d had in my mind. The walking up hills and comfort of the 996 had taken their toll a bit :) However, the best laid plans etc…

I started off with a bike up to the BMW Motorrad centre in Bishopbriggs and the Ducati garage in Glasgow. Although I’m not really in the market for a new bike (I think/hope) I’d have to go to London to try and find the nearest such shops to Cambridge, so I went to drool. Annoyingly all the sales people seemed busy with real customers, so I was disappointed to not get at least to sit on some of my dream bikes. Oh well, another time perhaps.

Having done Ducati second, I was sat on Great Western Road in Glasgow’s West End, pondering what to do about lunch. I could got somewhere in the West End, but then GWR does lead out to Loch Lomond, it’s not far to Balloch really… So of I head out, enjoying the dual carriageway rum out to Balloch as it was quite quiet. As I near Balloch I change my mind – given I’m here I can have lunch at the Glendarroch Tea Rooms in Luss I think, just another 10 miles.

I get to Luss, and decide that I must be really low on petrol. Being a sports bike the 996 has no fuel-gauge, just a warning light, but up in the wilderness fuel stops are few and far between, and I knew it had been 100 miles since I filled the tank up last. Luss has no petrol station, and I’m directed to Tarbet, only another 10 mines north…

I get to Tarbet but there’s not petrol station, but I am quite peckish, so I stop, have some very nice vegetable broth in a tea room, and get directed 2 miles west to Arrochar, at the top of Loch Long, where I eventually find fuel. I have a quick realisation, and check with the man at the petrol station – this is the road to Inverary…

So, this is how I managed to “just nip out” on the bike and do 160 miles. I had a very late lunch/early dinner at Loch Fyne Oyster Bar at the top of, oddly enough, Loch Fyne (though I had fish rather than oysters, alas), which was great – somewhere I’d always heard good stuff about, but not managed to visit. Glad I stopped, the food was indeed good, and the staff friendly, and the view great. I also stopped off in Luss for a wander along the shore for a bit on the way back to try and avoid the worse of the rush hour traffic.

I ended the day with a coffee in the West End after all, meeting up with Matt, and then stopping by Dave’s place on the way home. After that I got home and very promptly fell asleep :)

People have been telling me I’m not doing this relaxing thing right, I’ve no idea what they’re on about… .