LEJOG Blog

Although today dawned bright and clear, it didn't last long. Soon, there was plenty of grey cloud and it was also by far the coldest day we have had. I started with my longs on and kept them on all day.

Breakfast at the Porridge House was an Event. Our hosts were very good at entertaining and as we were eating in the room in which the food was being prepared, there was a very friendly informality about the meal. The finer points of the preparation and cooking of porridge were discussed as were the various merits of the spirtle over a wooden spoon for the stirring thereof.

When we set off at 8:40, armed with a very fine packed lunch, we were in for a morning of climbing. Initially, the B7000 gave spectacular views but after Carsphairn, when we joined the A713, there was yet more climbing. Something like eight miles of unbroken slog as we approached Dalmellington. There was not much wind to begin with, but as the day wore on, a nagging westerly was more of a hindrance than a help.

We entered Ayrshire and its rocky roadsteads were not to our liking. Neither was the occasional enormous lorry which came thundering past. It seemed to me that although there was not a lot of traffic, what there was tended to be heavy commercial stuff.

Some of the villages we passed through looked decidedly run down. Patna was a fairly scruffy-looking place. A pity, as the impressive river Doon runs nearby and Waterside, an adjacent small hamlet, had once been dominated by a large travellers' inn which is now boarded up.

We turned off the A-road onto the B730 and after one final stiff climb, we were out of the highest hills. We entered rolling pasture, reminiscent of Hertfordshire or the hillier parts of north Essex. We ate our sandwiches by a field gate, but were keen to press on: there was a biting wind and we had to catch the 6pm ferry from Ardrossan. We did not have a lot of time to spare.

Just after we reached our highest speed of the day - 39mph - a wee lassie on a very fine bike came racing past us, bade us good morning and was gone.

Now the hills were less demanding, we were able to push our speed up quite a bit and it wasn't too long before we were in Dreghorn. I had planned what looked like a very neat route through an estate, but every couple of hundred yards we committed the offence of ignoring a "No entry except buses" sign, much to the annoyance of one bus driver.

Soon, we were through Irvine and onto the Sustrans route. This worked very well and was a good surface, taking us all the way out to the ferry terminal. We were there with at least an hour to spare and seldom can a warm room, hot coffee and sticky cake have been so welcome.

Arran is a spectacular island and was shrouded in cloud when we approached, although with enough sunshine to give a variety of lights. The ferry had to wait in deeper water for the tide to rise before it docked, and this delayed our arrival at the B&B. We therefore concluded that finding food was our top priority.

Brodick is a pretty little town nestling at the foot of the Arran mountains. It doesn't have much in the way of neon lights but if ever it installs any the harbour entrance should be adorned with the slogan "Ye'll have had yer tea...".

As we left our digs at about 8:20 to find a meal, we came across restaurant after restaurant which was closed. We tried a promising-looking hotel (well, promising-looking if you ignore the McEwans adverts) but were turned away: they stopped serving at 8:30. We walked the entire length of the waterfront and were just on the point of going to the Co-op for some ham, salad, rolls and red wine when I asked some passers-by where we could eat. They suggested a bistro near the Post Office but without much confidence. We found this and asked for a table for three. There was a large blackboard covered with exciting menu items and we were just thinking about placing an order when the waitress informed us that as the kitchen was on the point of closing down for the night we could have fish and chips or pizza. Three portions of haddock and chips it was then and we each had some sort of dessert. When we left at about 9:45, we were the last customers.

We returned to our rooms, showered and then did some hand washing. Laundry presents a problem when we arrive late at a B&B. We have travelled as light as we dare but even so, we only have three sets of cycling gear so frequent washing is necessary. Washing the stuff isn't the problem. Any fool can make stuff wet with soapy water and rinse it out again. The problem comes with drying it. When we have showered we roll everything up in the towels we have just used and when the lycra is no longer dripping, we hang it up anywhere we can. This works pretty well for getting stuff dry - everything has so far dried after two nights hanging up, but that leaves us the problem of absolutely sopping wet towels. We just bung them in the bath overnight then spread them out in the morning just before we go. Whoever tidies our rooms after we have gone must wonder what on earth we have done to the towels.