Bankfoot 15/03/15

A bright spring day welcomed the biggest group of the year, elven were out and heading to the Milkbar at Bankfoot and for the second week in a row we had a visiting cyclist, this week Tom who lives in the Alyth area.  We made good pace out the Bogside Rd but not to quick fora good blether.  A brief stop at the end of the Rd in Miegle decided on the routes with David taking the long run to Dunkeld and my knee being swollen the short run with Jimmy, Norman and Ron up through the golf courses to Alyth.  Jimmy headed straight home leaving three of us for a stop in the town before heading to Kirrie and home.

Edzell 01/03/15

The first day of March was bright and warm till we got out in the open and into a strong chilled wind.  Six of us were heading to Edzell via Memus and the high roads with Davis suggesting Glen Lethnot.

We stopped after about 12 miles for a wee break with Ron and wee Jimmy heading back into the wind for home, the wind was from the south so we were getting blown along at a fair rate well over 20 mph without trying on the straights.  I was turning for home early as I had 56 mile into the wind to Tillycoultry via Dunning the previous day and was feeling the effects, so I turned leaving Charlie, David and Gus to the joys of Glenlethnot and Edzell.  The return journey to Forfar was mainly into the wind and progress slow in places.

Sunday 8th March is Tesco Riverside  Dundee - take padlocks!

Newtyle Rendezvous Ride 22/02/15

What stated off as a reasonable day turned into a miserable one by lunch time!  Six set off from Forfar with the weather forecast suggesting the possibility of snow and strong winds.  We headed out for a fairly flat day out the Bogside Rd and we were only a few miles out when the rain came on and it looked like it would stay on for the day.

By the time we got to Miegle it was pretty wet which prompted Charlie, Gus & Ron to take shelter in the cafe leaving Keith, Norman & I to head out for another hour till the pub opened.  We headed out through Ardler into the wind and at 12 we took a left on the Abernyte Rd and then another left back to Newtyle.

We had the wind mainly behind us and the rain turned to snow for the last 15 minutes, as we arrived in Newtyle Keith headed for home and we found Gus who had decided not to go home but stay out for lunch.

We arrived with just on opening time just as the bar maid arrived on her bike.  Thankfully the soup had been made earlier and the heating had been on for a while so we got warmed up and fed quickly.  The snow was looking fairly heavily and swirling around so we stayed for another pint before heading home.

We had expected the wind to be behind us but it had changed from the morning and was now o our side.  Norman took to the front and set a brisk pace all the way home which warmed us up pretty quickly.

ACC Mince Pie Run 14/12/14

A large group gathered at the Forfar Leisure Centre for the annual Mince Pie Run which was being hosted by Tom & Mary this year.

The snow and ice which had blanketed Forfar for most of the week disappeared overnight and although there was a strong wind it was fairly mild.  We headed up the brae to Ladenford and there were a few spots of rain and it looked grey to the south and west so rather than go down the side of the A90 we turned left and enjoyed the wind behind us for a few miles through Craichie, Bowriefauld and Letham.  We had a wee break at Trumperton and were heading for Froikhiem when Charlie suggested heading over Guthrie Hill which cut a big loop of the planned run, we had over an hour till lunch would be ready and were only 8 miles from town so we headed for a loop round by Redroofs through Montreathmont Forrest and then on to Melgund Castle. Melgund Castle was built in 1543 by Cardinal David Beaton, Archbishop and Chancellor of Scotland. He obtained this secular property, the barony of North Melgund for his favorite mistress, Marion Ogilvy.

From Melgund Castle it was onto the Brechin Rd and into a fierce headwind for the last eight miles Tom & Mary's  where a fantastic spread awaited us, there were over 20 of us there for the afternoon and had Birthday cake for Etta plenty mulled wine beer and good chat, Ron proposed a vote of thanks to all helpers and made a collection for the injured cyclists legal fund before we drifted off into the dusk for home.

Arbroath 15/02/2015

A good size group headed out on a warmer day than expected with the wind from the South East we headed East out towards Arbroath with the thought of having the wind behind us on the way home.

From Lunanhead we took a right through Myreside onto the Montrose Raod past Rescobie Loch and a right through Mains of Balgavies followed by a left onto the Arbroath through Friokheim past the crem.

At the Boysack turn wee Jimmy turned for home and when we turned left again at Chapleton Ron went straight on to Arbroath with the aim to find a new community cafe on the High Street.  We were heading along towards Inverkeilor when we took a right up to Gilchron crossing the Arbroath Stonheaven Rd at Brunton and then a series of right and lefts took us onto the main cycle route.

With talk of a food stop as we rolled towards Arbroath the group decision was the Meddowbank Inn where I was leaving for home and David taking over, taking the group along the coastal path before turning home to get the wind via Panmure.

A dry day for all with the main group getting in over 40 miles - not bad for February.

Next up is a rendezvous ride to Newtyle meeting at the Commercial for around 12:30

Stracathro Rendezvous Ride 01/02/15

A crisp and cold morning greeted us at the leisure centre with Big Jim out for his first Sunday run of the year, inspired by lunch the previous week.

Eight of us headed for Stracathro with new Captain elect Gus setting the route, we took the reverse of the Wednesday night Finavon run which pretty much takes the route north of the Lemno Burn through Battledykes and Oathlaw and down into Finavon as Ron and Jim were stopping at Peggy Sue's for coffee and cakes.  We left them there and headed up the long brae to Justinhaugh and Knowhead, at Tiggerton we took the lesser used right fork down through Balnamoon, Mill of Balrownie and into Little Brechin and the back road to Keithock House and into Stracthro.

It was good to see our hard earned tax's being frittered away by an overstaffed underworked NHS staff in the closed canteen watching Andy Murray play tennis as we headed up to the transport caf on the dual carriage way.  

After thawing out Capt'n Gus took us up over the Hill of Stracathro and into Brechin via East Pitforthie, down over the bridgeand up Hillhead of Burghill before we headed into the wind to Aberlemno and home.

ACC Annual Lunch - Drovers 25/12/15

A good sized group of 10 headed out of the Lochside Leisure Center just after 10 up the Dundee Loan and out towards Lour.

At the old Chicken factory Raymond turned for home as he was driving some of the Ladies to lunch leaving the rest of us to a headwind along to Glamis via Inverarity.  From Glamis the wind was behind us pretty much all the way to the Drovers where we arrived on time after 25 miles.

Lunch was fantastic as always, 18 of us sat down to a great menu with plenty of choice, not bad at 3 courses for £25!  The  run down to Forfar was much colder and darkness was creeping in as the last of us trailed in.