Rapha Festive 500 8 days of cycling and eating 24th - 31st December 2019

Rapha Festive 500 2019

I've never attempted the Rapha Festive 500 before. All our family live all over and every Christmas we have lots of people coming to stay over a total of two weeks. It's like a boarding house, and the challenge is to feed 8-10 people 3 meals and snacks every day and not be shopping every couple of days. It makes Festive 500 look like a walk in the park.

This year was going to be my parents staying for a week and no other offspring/partners actually staying for more than 2 nights. I warned mum and dad I was going to be selfish and attempt my first Festive 500, but wouldn't ride on Christmas Day when 2 daughters and their partners were also here for Christmas Dinner. Having just finished, and still being on a high from, my first Randonneur Round the Year or RRtY, I did not want to lose my fitness as I had big plans for 2020. I say "had" as I'm writing this April 2020 and the world has changed somewhat. * 

Mum rang a few days before Christmas, dad had a heavy cold and wasn't up to driving for 5 hours (mum had not long had her second hip replacement so she couldn't take a turn) so we rescheduled a January visit instead. A couple of days later their car packed up anyway and had to go to the scrapyard in the sky, thank goodness that didn't happen on the M6/M5. I felt a bit less guilty.

Rules: Cycle 500 kilometres between 00:01 Tuesday 24th December and 11.59 on Tuesday 31st December 2019 and log your rides. So my plan was a Festive 500 in Christmas Cake sized chunks, no night riding or Full Fat Festive 500 silliness that many friends are doing, tackling the whole challenge in one ride. I did want to mix up rides and also for them to be not unethically flat. 

Additionally, Rapha, who kindly sponsor the Strava Challenge, had announced that the 10th edition was the last time that they would be awarding a Festive 500 cloth badge to all finishers. 2021 on are digital badges only. I loves a badge me! Potentially 8 days cycling, 7 without Christmas day = 71.5km each day. Tactical tips from friends advised to front load as much as possible as the weather and motivation could do anything. I also planned to incorporate any social/club rides happening but I knew I'd be doing chunks solo too.

#Day1 #Festive500 Tues 24th Dec Brockley Combe and Chew Lake

78km 703m

Motivation Corner

So I thought I was being clever and those that snooze do not always lose. I waited until after the torrential rain showers and left at 10.45 for Clevedon via Ashton Court, on my own as the rest of the family who were already here were at work. I finished work yesterday. 

Traffic was very light with a dry stiff westerly blowing and it was all quite lovely (for December) except past Tesco in Clevedon that was snarled up with panic food shoppers. I devoured a quick banana at Motivation Corner, that isn’t Motivation Corner any more. Then I ascended Brockley Combe and the planes flying home for Christmas to Bristol Airport were trying to buzz me and land on my head.

Heavy traffic and sluggy rain accompanied me from Chew Stoke on round Chew Valley Lake and back home. Two quick stops to ring back youngest, who it turned out just wanted to chat in her work break. I resisted cafés which resulted in me being a bit wobbly by the time I arrived home, I need more than a banana for 80km. I raided the mince pies.

Day 1: 78/500km in 1/8 days 125% of 62.5km target 

#Day2 #Festive500 Thurs 26th Dec Ham Lane and Brockley Combe

51km 349m

Ham Lane Kingston Seymour

I did not want to go. It was drizzly with a stiff westerly and nobody wanted to come with me, but I did go and it wasn’t too bad.

"Hamming it up" round Kingston Seymour, I meant to do loops of Kingston Seymour too but missed the turn so I tried powering Brockley Combe and time trialled up and down Weston Road to make sure I at least did 50km today.

I'm behind where I wanted to be but today wasn’t nice, at least I perservered. My reward, the first piece of Christmas cake, there's plenty of marzipan and lots of brandy in it!

Day 2: 130/500km in 3/8 days 69% of 187.5km target

"Hamming it up" Ham Lane Kingston Seymour

Christmas Cake - pleased with this year's cake

Post shower, Christmas present T shirt on

#Day3 #Festive500 Fri 27th Dec 4 1/2 go to Wedmore for coffee plus commute

88km 618m

When you have to be somewhere by a certain time! I only had one working day in the Festive 500 period whereas Steve had three.

I planned a flat route to Wedmore Deli with 4 other brave souls who like cycling on a dank drizzly day. It was a sociable run to Wedmore Deli Café (having checked it was open) with Gary, Pauli and Hugo. Simon eventually caught up with us at the cafe for good coffee and millionaire’s shortbread. 

In theory I had just enough time to get back for work at 1pm and change as well. One minute we were chatting, the next we were horrified to watch Simon fly through the air in slow motion after hitting a submerged pothole. He ripped his brand new jacket and winter tights, his elbow and knee will mend hopefully. A lucky escape.

I made work "just" in time. The heating was not on in the locker room so putting very wet Somerset lanes splattered kit back on 4 hours later was rank for the final 7km home.

Last commute of the decade. Too murky for pics.

Day 3: 218/500km in 4/8 days 87% of 250km target

#Day4 #Festive500 Sat 28th Dec All the As Bs and Cs 10 000km annual target done!

90km 837m

As Bs and Cs Ashton Court-Clifton Suspension Bridge-Clifton Downs-Bristol-Avonmouth Bridge-Clapton in Gordano-Clevedon-Brockley Combe-Chew Stoke-Bishop Sutton-Chew Valley Lake-Barrow Gurney AND IT DIDNT RAIN! 

River Avon from Clifton Downs

I persuaded Steve to come out for some fresh air with me, but it was me who had a bit of a tantrum when I thought we’d decided en route to go to Clevedon via Portishead and not via Portbury as originally planned. Steve disappeared on the huge scary motorway roundabout that definitely wasn't in the plan. I am never doing Gordano Services/M5 roundabout (twice!) and the main road into Portishead again, ever.

Other than that meltdown it was a lovely ride, although Scarletts was way off standard today in Clevedon, we should have gone to Bulwarks Farm. Steve thought I was dragging him off to Weston but I let him go home before Brockley Combe. I needed to get some decent miles in today.

I was hailed in Chew Stoke by pedestrians whom I knew and subsequently chatted with another cyclist who thanked me for the tow around Chew Lake. The climbing was easier today but I didn’t try to bust any guts.

Home made Leek and potato soup and Christmas Cake was so good on my return, I’m doing this in Christmas Cake sized chunks and not in a #FullFatFestive500 kind of a way.

Passing my annual target of 10 000km really made my day. I had passed the original 8 000 km target back at the end of September and revised it. I've been so much more focused this year.

Day 4: 308/500km in 5/8 days 99% of 312.5km target 

Clifton Suspension Bridge

#Day5 #Festive500 Sun 29th Dec BSG to Bulwarks

55km 233m

Bulwarks Farm café

A nice easy regular Backwell Social Group Ride was posted for today. I like social so 7 of us wibbling round the lanes on a dank morning (Steve J, Graham, Rachel, Roger Karl and Chris) until we hit the lovely warm Bulwarks Farm for coffee and a florentine.

Today was mainly chat and cake, I took up Chris’ kind offer to sample his take on Delia Smith’s Chocolate Christmas Torte on the way back. Oh my, even I could only manage a sliver. 140km to go in two days...

Day 5: 363/500km in 6/8 days 97% of target 375km

#Day6 #Festive500 Mon 30th Dec Foggy Frosty Figgy Freezing Full Value First #Festive500 Finale

148km 1244m

Congresbury

I knew I wanted to finish with a proper audax style solo DIY today. It still left me with a day in hand if anything went pear shaped.

So I planned a proper fitting Christmassy celebratory route just shy of 100miles. I made sure there were ethical hills by ascending the Mendips and also ensuring I achieved the Strava December 7500m cycling climbing challenge. I routed round to Rapha at Kilver Court. It seemed fitting to pay homage to the Festive 500 sponsor and their café was definitely open with very generously subsidised coffee and cake for participants. Passing the glorious Gingerbread Inn at Priddy, that is boringly just the Queen Vic the rest of the year, for perfect Christmassy themed pics. Then a blast around the levels to Glastonbury and a loop of Kingston Seymour and Clevedon to finish as I have been there so many times the past week or so.

What a day, it just kept getting better. The forecast was 11 degrees and bright sunshine and not much wind. Somehow I managed to follow the fog, even though I started half an hour later than planned, hoping it would lift. The fog was very dense up on to the Mendips via Burrington Combe and all the way to Shepton Mallet. I did manage some pics of the Gingerbread Inn at Priddy. There were gloating messages on social media of friends riding in glorious sunshine almost everywhere else in the county!

Gingerbread Inn Priddy Somerset aka Queen Vic

I eventually crawled to the Rapha outlet/archive store in Shepton Mallet for my £2 subsidised coffee and cake and to collect an official brevet card. I was absolutely frozen to the core. It had taken me 3 hours to do a third of the route and it was nearly midday. A lovely warm welcome from both Claire and colleagues in the shop, and the fire in the café. I lucked out, there was one humongous almond croissant left. It was the best almond croissant ever with almond paste oozing out and a latte for warmth and calories. I was in the glorious warmth for nearly an hour until everything was defrosted. Then I managed to make a mess finding my way out of Shepton!

Rapha Kilver Court Somerset

The fog only started to lift towards Glastonbury Tor around 2. I had an hour of sun between Glastonbury and Wedmore then it got cold again very quickly but there was a stunning sunset. 

Glastonbury Tor

When the sun finally made an appearance for that hour, just wow. The Somerset Levels were mainly lakes but the circling flocks of birds were an awesome sight that I didn't manage to capture. A sing-songy cacophony.

The Somerset Levels were glorious, the sun was finally out!

I chose the main road to Sidcot over Strawberry Line today for speed. I needed an audax break, so whizzed into the Spar at Winscombe and purchased a sausage roll and ate it next to the bin outside whilst watching an 8yo mastering his skateboarding skills. All that can be said about the sausage roll was that it was fuel and it got me home. After the highlight of the almond croissant that was the definitely the Festive 500 culinary low point. I was just over 100km in with 40km left to blast. I was resigned to some night riding.

Lunch of a revolting sausage roll at Winscombe Spar at 3pm Got me home

I made Kingston Seymour for the glorious sunset and pushed onto Clevedon in spite of the temptation to knock off the corner and just head home. I stuck to the route. The pitch black and swirling freezing fog was very pretty winding home along the known lanes but the last half hour was very challenging to see anything at all. I crawled.

Kingston Seymour at sunset

I made it home to the divine smell of Steve's home made curries bubbling on the stove. What a fantastic welcome at the end of my Festive 500! The memory of the sausage roll was all but obliterated. I'd done it with a day to spare and only half an hour of night riding.

Day 6: 511/500km in 7/8 days 117% of target 437.5km

Official Old Skool Rapha 2019 Brevet Card

#Day7 #Festive500 Tues 31st Dec It’s a farm shop wrap

5km 35m

An extra gratuitous utility ride of 5km for an extra 1% distance

I needed veg and milk, so I went to the Post Office to refill my milk bottles and the farm shop for veg. I also continued to the roundabout to make the ride 5km, so it would count. On principle I don't record rides under 5km. It's a Festive 500 wrap! I've ridden 7/8 days. Just to prove I'm not always a Lycra lout...

Gert my original hybrid/commuter got the final 1% of the Festive500 miles

Day 7: 517/500km in 8/8 days 103% of target 500km

...and a not too shabby total of 4000m of ascent too.

Post commute mid March 2020 my Rapha Festive 500 patch arrived!!

* PS I got in from work one Friday in mid March 2020 utterly exhausted from just 4 hours dealing with panic buying on a supermarket checkout, the world upside down in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, to find an envelope with my Festive 500 patch in it. It utterly made my day and has inspired me to sit down and write the story down. It's good to look back on what we will eventually be able to get back to. In fact I'm going out for a solo nano permitted exercise ride now. No long distance allowed, just cake sized exercise chunks to keep our bodies and minds fit for purpose. Those chunks all add up to keep us on track, even if we don't know what that track is yet.

Gospel Pass Audax: The Hares and the Tortoises Saturday 4th March 2017

Summit Gospel Pass 2017

So here I go again. Setting the alarm for 5.30am on a Saturday. Why?! One of my girls asked me "why do you do it mum?" The good thing about a lovely cycling friend offering me a lift to Chepstow, and wanting to ride with me at my slow pace, means I cannot let Lynette down. I cannot lose face either after publicly announcing I am having another go at Gospel even though I now know what is coming! Here come the BRCC Gospel Girls Tortoises (Backwell Road Cycling Club)

Lynette picks me up at 6.15am, bikes are already loaded as I took mine round to hers on Thursday night. The dreaded porridge has been consumed (with chia seeds and blueberries) and the sun is coming up as we drive over the old Severn Bridge to Chepstow, with winking red bike lights on the cycle lane as the tough hardy souls riding to the start roll across.

No crises as bikes are unloaded, control cards collected, but all day parking tickets purchased and displayed and fellow BRCC members Simon, Stu and Kate and James are spotted and chatted with. Unfortunately we are one intrepid member down who is very definitely ill and has turned home, get well soon Russ.

A mass start of around 130 I think. The weather is looking good this morning, with forecast showers and increasing south westerly winds this afternoon. No snow.

7.30am departure from Chepstow Castle Picture courtesy of Audax Club Bristol 

Stage 1 Chepstow to Monmouth 28km 404m includes the only info control point. All other evidence of completion will be our control cards being stamped at the 3 control points (cafés and pubs) and at the end. The two sharp ascents out of Chepstow do not allow for a nice gentle warm up. Again I am very slow and steady and Lynette is somewhere off in front. A gathering of the distinctive yellow and royal blue Weston Wheelers jerseys in a lay by indicate a puncture already, or early hedgerow breaks? Of course that was the info control point, we forgot about checking the signpost for the Offa's Dyke long distance path. Kindly Weston Wheelers divulge the answer so all is well.

We chug along, up and down and admiring the beautiful scenery through St Briavels to our first control at Henry's Café in Monmouth. An early stop at just 28km, but I didn't make the same mistake as last year and we made sure to stop for coffee, even if we were already well back in the field <audaxes are not races> Very nice latte!

1st coffee stop - Henry's Café Monmouth

First stamp into our control cards and chatted with Chrissy and Katie from Weston Wheelers who I have "seen" on Strava but never met, they are inspiring cyclists and ever so lovely and friendly too. I dubbed the Weston Wheelers chain gang the "hares" as they shot off, stopped at the info control and we all came into Monmouth at about the same time.

Life Audaxes begin after coffee

So now our audax can properly begin after coffee! The sun was appreciated, felt silly having heavy winter waterproofs stowed away at this point.

Sun shining on Lynette in Monmouth

Could you do Gospel on that?

Stage 2 Monmouth to Hay on Wye 55km 648m

Not quite as much ascent on the Monmouth to Hay-on-Wye section, but it is steady, and we get into the groove. Lynette is off again and I resist the temptation to keep up, I will not make it if I go too fast. I tend to get stronger as the day goes on, but not faster!

We can see Hay Bluff masking Gospel Pass over there:

Hay Bluff from the north

The lovely lanes dip too and from from England to Wales and back again several times.

Looking towards Hay on Wye

Gospel Pass for later!

The wind is getting up and we do enjoy a bit of a tailwind into Hay but not much compared to the headwind for most of the rest of the day.

The best Cherry and Almond Cake, allegedly. Tic 674 is for my beans!

A nice surprise in Hay. My parents are down from Cumbria for a few days, and said I was to carry on with my plans, so Steve did bring them over for a drive and they arrived at The Granary Café in Hay on Wye just before us. Steve did say he thought we should have been making better time, as I had texted to say when we arrived in Monmouth and he thought that was leaving time. Smug git!

We rolled in with the Weston Wheelers again, and also saw Kate and James who had already consumed beans at another café as Granary was heaving. Fortunately the rush was easing and we did wait and order a selection of cakes (everyone else) tea and sensibly I ordered beans for me.  Mum dad and Steve set off to mooch in the book shops and Lynette and I head off out to find it raining, but the road is indicating we have just missed a very torrential downpour. The majority of the field will be up on Gospel Pass, it does pay to be tortoise like sometimes.

Heading out from Granary café with my mum and dad wishing us well.

Section 3 Hay on Wye to Abergavenny via Gospel Pass 34km 555m




With dropping temperatures and strongish winds even in the valley, we set off through the high hedges and past fields with newborn lambs as the climbing starts in earnest. There was a fair amount of traffic and other audaxers and getting up in one go without stopping may be a tall order. It was hard going, at one point several cars halted on the steepest bend and somehow I weaved round everything and kept going, there would have been a slow domino effect of everyone having clipped in falls otherwise. The hares were slowly passing us.

Knowing that the climbing eases up after the treeline made me a bit complacent but the strong headwind hit us as we pulled up and it was a long flog, the last steep pull nearly finished me off, as my parents passed by with a cheery wave from open windows. I was very giddy by the top, and annoyingly hadn't realised that the official Strava segment finished 100m down the other side, I should have kept on going to get an accurate time. Never mind. Lynette arrives seconds later (she had to unfortunately stop for those darned cars) and the Weston Wheelers, and a large walking party gave us all rousing applause. I wondered where the Gospel Choir was, but it was lovely that it was more of a joint celebration of achievement. The highest road pass in wales, Gospel Pass DONE!

Lynette at the top of Gospel Pass

The Gospel Girls

Cereal bars munched, all our layers on for the chilly, wet and cold descent. I lead the hares and the tortoises, glad to have a free view of the road and nice that no idiots came screaming past descending at speed. The road was like a river bed, and my chain was grinding and crunching in an alarming manner on the occasional turn of the pedals. We met a tractor, several cars and a very scary incident of a quad bike with a sheep dog running free alongside coming towards us at a lick of knots. The sheep dog was unflappable and no incidents other than passing other folk with punctures.  We continued through the trees towards Abergavenny and turned the corner onto the main road, still into the wind. The Weston Chain Gang chugged past and Katie said "get in behind" I just managed to hang on for a tow into Abergavenny, or more accurately Mardy. I did not miss the pub this year like I did last year, and we pulled into the Crown and Sceptre, hares and tortoises together. I could not feel my feet at all. Lynette is very slight, a real athlete, she was feeling the cold even more. Large mugs of tea and we slowly came too a little.

Section 4 Abergavenny to Chepstow via Usk 43km 446m

I'm getting quite concerned that it is nearly 4pm and Lynette doesn't have lights. The next 25km are OK ish but then there is one heck of a long grinding climb for 10km before the final descent. I have had helmet lights on all day flashing away,and make sure my industrial commuting lights are fixed on now and used for extra safety as the light is very dull.

The pleasant 25km are dispatched efficiently enough, taking it in turns to lead out. Our Weston pals left before us so we were fairly on our own now. We turn left at Usk and eat something (me) and Lynette downs a caffeine laced gel. I could not revisit gels. I have still only ever consumed one gel in my cycling career, at this point in the audax last year!

I shield Lynette from the traffic (because I have lights, illuminating her reflective stripes on her legs) up the long steady climb. We do not have sufficient daylight time to turn off and do the extra bit on the lanes at the top and stick to the main road. The descent is exhilarating, smooth fast and crud free the road has dried out and there is very little traffic.We havd passed the tandem at the bottom and know we are not last.

We arrive in Chepstow, turn into the Three Tuns pub bang on 6pm. The latest finish time, so we are legal (ish) Reunited with the Weston Wheelers who did the little extra (and then ride back across the bridge after final control) A great day. We thanked the lovely patient organisers, got our cards stamped and left them for validation. We should get them back in the post in a few weeks. I love my collection of audax cards with fun stamps.

A quick wobbly selfie in front of the castle a the sun sets. We are very pleased with ourselves. We wrestle the bike rack back on to the car, load the bikes and we're on our way.

My right foot finally thawed out in the shower at home two hours after the finish. Left foot pink, right one white. No lasting frostbite. Chinese takeaway and red wine devoured.


The Gospel Girls had a great day out, and I was relieved we were not last, and we had no mechanicals or accidents. Thank you Lynette! March Strava Gran Fondo also completed, that's 15 months in a row now.

We made the arrivée at Three Tuns Pub next to Chepstow Castle by dusk 18.00

Tour d'Ecosse Day 8 Ullapool to Gairloch Saturday 9th July 2016

Tour d'Ecosse Day 8 Ullapool to Gairloch 92km 1345m ascent

Cumulative: 677km 7186m ascent Ferries 9 Islands 13

I like Harris Gin too, served with a slice of grapefruit.

On your 28th wedding anniversary you go up lots of hills, eat some nice fruit cake and get very wet again after a dry start and finish with gin. Today's plan:
We can't believe our trip is half over already, although that's not to say it's downhill from now on. If anything we're more likely to have headwinds to cope with.

Today is our 28th wedding anniversary. Cue more slippery slopes downhill references, and "how many life sentences is that then?" Exactly four we decide, time for a 7 year itch! Well that was after I gave Steve my card with the gorgeous picture of Seilebost beach on Harris in the sun, and he twigged it must be our anniversary as my birthday is August sometime and we got married July sometime.

Another delicious breakfast, Waterside B&B certainly kept up it's superb impression with us. we had tasty Orkney smoked cheese, compote (which seems a competitive BnB thing with secret family recipes) to start and the oh so superb Stornoway Black Pudding as part of the inevitable "full Scottish" I rarely have the full fry up, I much prefer scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, or smoked haddock or kippers with lots of mushrooms. This is the bees knees champion of black pudding. we loved it. I think I may have had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs with mushrooms and black puddin'. I know I definitely had the latter! it wasn't all mixed together either.

Loch Broom towards Ullapool

We hauled our well fed bodies out of Ullapool on the main road alongside Loch Broom after absorbing the directions to the best coffee shop en route from our lovely landlord,  At the top of the loch was a chuffing hill, what a surprise! We carried on chuffing as we took a right onto a much quieter minor road and saw lots of 'slow down' signs for a sportive going in t'opposite direction. Oh yes, it's the normal world's weekend again.

The big hill after the main road wasn't as bad as we thought and we pulled over into a viewpoint, and admired the view of course, and probably ate  NAKD bar #31 and/or a banana #27 as was the norm by now.

Viewpoint after the climb up from Loch Broom. Quieter Gairloch road now. 

A nice dry bench!

It's positively sweltering this morning, we are only wearing arm warmers and gilet as extra layers with bare legs and it's dry. We descend, and as often seems the case, we can't believe how much ascent we have done and feel very sorry for all the sportive riders going the other way. We note the signs for Dundonnell and carefully ride all the way through the village and a couple of kilometres out the other side and as instructed, there was Maggie's coffee shop a little way past the village on the edge of Little Loch Broom.

It was a perfect stop. I think we had a toasted sandwich and home made soup then the fruit cake that hit the spot just perfectly. Lovely. The nice waitress enquired as to our route. She must have been a superb cyclist, apparently only one awful hill before Gairloch. One, she said...

Poolewe

There were five awful hills to Gairloch. We knew that really as we knew the stats, well over the 100m climbing per 10km that we class as a moderately uphill day. The rain set in and we were cold and wet by the time we reached Gairloch. The scenery was great though. We had to tour up and down a bit to find our BnB not at  the pretty end of town. It was OK, yes the pics on the website were accurate but a lot was missed out. Our room overlooked a garden of discarded junk, not the sea as you would presume. The owner and her family were nice enough, it was OK. But after a tough wet day it was just disappointing, Like being in someone's spare room with stuff stuffed in the wardrobe out of the way, and economy bottles of nearly finished shampoo. Sheets stinking of nasty fabric conditioner and slightly fusty. Not recommending this one!

Gairloch

Oh well, we showered, wrang out our kit, set the heater to high and went out to eat. Of course we hadn't factored in it being a Saturday, we hadn't booked. Back on the bikes and down the hill, we ended up on a nettley muddy track trying a short cut in our dry evening clothes. Turned away at the first suggestion and managed to beg our way to a table at The Shieling. Excellent Cullen Skink and steak saved the day, but served with just chips and onion rings. Please give us veg! Oh well, I fell in love with Harris gin served with grapefruit. That was fruit I think!

That is what you call a gin collection!

It was slightly drier as we puffed our way back up to the BnB and our room that was now doing impressions of a steamy hammam.

I'm so proud of Steve, we've had a tough few days with a few more to come and we are coping admirably, enjoying ourselves and appreciating Scotland's diversity in spite of the weather. Gairloch hasn't done it for us, but then again perhaps we didn't see the town at it's best. Most of the day was pretty good.

The chilly windswept palm trees in Gairloch

Touring Tips in Scotland

1 Do not believe the coffee shop assistant, however well meaning, as to how many hills you have to come until destination!

2 Arm warmers are your besties

3 After 28 years your husband still isn't going to remember your wedding anniversary!

Tour d'Ecosse quick links:

Planning
Day 1 Isle of Arran and a little Mull of Kintyre
Day 2 Inner Hebrides: Isles of Islay and Jura
Day 3 Inner Hebrides: Isle of Jura-Tayvallich to Oban
Day 4 Oban to Outer Hebrides: Barra and Vatersay
Day 5 Outer Hebrides: Isles of Barra Eriskay South Uist Benbecula Grimsay North Uist Beneray and Harris
Day 6 Outer Hebrides: Isles of Harris and Lewis to Callanish Stones
Day 7 Outer Hebrides: Butt of Ness to Stornoway and Ullapool
Day 8 Ullapool to Gairloch
Day 9 Gairloch to Shieldaig - Applecross Peninsula
Day 10 Bealach na Bà from Applecross to Plockton
Day 11 Plockton to Inner Hebrides: Isle of Skye Armadale
Day 12 Inner Hebrides: Isle of Skye Armadale to Ardnamurchan
Day 13 Ardnamurchan to Inner Hebrides: Isle of Mull to Oban to Loch Melfort
Day 14 Loch Melfort to Tarbert, Loch Fyne
Day 15 Tarbert Loch Fyne to Ardrossan THE END!