Inchture - 04/11/12

A group of ten headed off from the Leisure Centre on a crisp cold and sunny autumn day - perfect for cycling.   We headed for Newtyle, Collace and on to Inchture.  Brian turned off at Newtyle followed by Ron & Tom at the Abernyte then Gus at Collace leaving six of us (Colin, Pam, David, Charlie, Alan & Ian) for the short climb up to the quarry and on to The Horse-Shoe Cafe on the north side of the A92, good value for bacon rolls tea etc.  With the sun shining into the cafe t was a thought to be leaving, there was a very light breeze on the route through Invergowrie and along the Dundee shore line, from there we skirted round the edge of the Ferry and through Baldovie then onwards to Carrot Hill.  After a brief respite it was home to Forfar, a 56 mile round trip at 12.3mph av.

Ian, Pam, Colin, and Charlie at the top of the Carot Climbs

Wednesday 31/10/12 - Drovers

For the first night run of the Day Light Savings Time It was a good for cycling, slightly cold but very little wind and the rain which had covered Forfar all day had stopped.  Six of us head off from the club rooms at the bottom of Lowson Avenue on the normal route to The Drovers at Memus where we met up with Ron and were later joined by Andy and although the place was mobbed we managed to squeeze into two adjoining tables.

The Drovers usually has two guest ales as well as Addlestones Cloudy Cider and Glasgow's West Brewery's German style larger, tonight it was Wild Rhino and Empire form the newly created Burnside Brewery in Laurencekirk, may be it's the sign of the times that the Metcalfe duo have a large fire protection business have ventured into ale making - this has the makings of a good summer trip for some tasting!

It was nice and warm in front of the log fire and an extra pint could have been had but we headed back out for a gentle run down the hill to Forfar, Andy went with Ron to Kirrie in penance for taking his van half way up the hill!  17 miles av 13.1 mph

AGM Run to Ardler

Ten headed from the clubhouse to The Tavern in Ardler.  We set off towards Drumgley and the Bogside Rd with a diversion via Linross before regrouping at Meigle we turned right for a short a short sprint along the A94 then left after the Mausoleum through Mains of Camno.  The Tav serves a great bowl of soup and usually has two ales on hand pump today it was Pentland IPA and Atlas Nimbus,  Kip Mary & Etta joined us for lunch.

L to R Jimmy, Charlie, Colin, Ron, Kip, Brian, Gus, Tom, David, Norman & Ian

After lunch we enjoyed the benefit of a light breeze behind us back to Forfar through the Belmont Castle estate, Kirkinch and Glamis before hitting the main A94 for the final 5 miles back into Forfar.

Wednesday Evening Run to Roundyhill

There was a good turnout for the evening run to Roundyhill on Wednesday, and we enjoyed a refreshment and some chips provided by Jim. When leaving for home two bikes had rear wheel punctures. Luckily the out-going captain had driven there on return from a few days holiday so he was able to take the bikes and the riders home.

Remember  the clocks go back on Sunday at 2am.
The AGM takes place at the Club Rooms on Sunday at 10am followed by a run to Ardler for lunch.

Sunday Run to Fettercairn 21/10/2012

Eight cyclists turned out for the run to Fettercairn on Sunday. Ron turned off at Memus and the rest continued to Fettercairn  for lunch.

The run on Wednesday night is to Roundyhill
Next Sunday there is the Angus CC AGM  at the club house at 10am.

Wednesday Evening Run to Glamis 17/10/2012

Three of us set off from Forfar, taking a route out by Paddy School and Roundyhill.
met up with 2 others there end returned on the main road.

Coran Weekend

There was a large turnout for the club's weekend away at Coran this weekend. Arriving at Coran bunk house on Friday evening we enjoyed a fine meal prepared by the ladies before turning in for the night. The weather the previous days had been stormy,with flooding affecting many parts of the country, but thankfully it had began to subside as we boarded the ferry to Ardgour on the Saturday morning. There were two main events planned offering a choice of a 40 or a 60 mile route. However we all stuck together for the first stage along to Strontian where we split up after a break at the cafe. At first it had been a rather damp start as we made our way along Glen Tarbert, but by the time we had Loch Sunart in our sights it had began to clear up and the sun was trying its best to break through.

Re-grouping at the top of a climb on the way to Strontian

The main group opted for the 40 mile route that saw them back track a mile or so to take the Lochaline road along the south side of Loch Sunart. Here they began a testing ascent that saw them climb from sea level to 270m  over about 3k. Once at the top they turned away from Lochaline and headed east where, apart from a few undulations, the trend was downhill for the next 6 miles until soon after Glengalmadale where they reached sea level once more. The next stage took them along the side of Loch Linnhe for a while before they turned inland then up past the lochans before joining the main road again to retrace the road back along to and over the Coran Ferry. To view the route, follow this link.

The smaller group of 5 enjoyed a bit of climbing also as they tackled the grueling hill from Strontian up through Scotstown then around the edge of Ben Resipol and up to the summit. This started off as a deceptively easy climb but, as the legs started to tire, the gradients just became steeper and everyone was glad to eventually re-group at the top and catch their breath.

Keith Gus Norman and Lee at the top of the Strontian Climb

It had been misty near the top but once they started on the hair raising descent, the stunning views of Loch Doilet and Loch Shiel  opened up before them in the sunshine.

View of Loch Doilet on the steep descent

They continued to plummet down through the hairpins to Polloch to join the Forestry Commission road alongside Loch Shiel. This 15 mile stage was probably the hardest part of the route as the track had become soft and muddy in places due to the heavy rains and the timber moving trucks churning it up. However we all managed to stay upright and arrived at Glen Finnan in the early afternoon in time for a cuppie at the visitor centre while we sheltered from a short shower and shared the fine view up the Loch with Bonnie Prince Charlie.
From there it was a  few miles along the main road before we turned off on the back roads along the South Side of Loch Eil by Duisky and Camusnagal where, after a pleasant run in the sunshine, we found ourselves pedaling into a strengthening headwind for the last 12 miles back to the ferry. Having just missed the ferry, they popped into the inn to enjoy a pint of beer while waiting for the ferry to return.
Click here to view the 60 mile route.

After a quick shower they were again gratefully enjoying a hot meal in the fine company of the others.
After the meal Ron Harrow thanked all for coming and conveyed the appreciation of all the cyclists who had enjoyed the weekend to the ladies who had done all the catering.


The run on Wednesday Evening will be to Glamis
The next Sunday run is to Fettercairn