Ready or Not…Our Cycling Adventure Begins

With neither of us feeling 100% fit, the day dawns when we must take the 3.5 hour train journey north to Scotland and commence our 7 day journey back. We have no idea if we will make it, or what awaits us – but that’s the thrill of adventure.

Products I use

Tyre Glider

Order via Tyre Glider website: www.tyreglider.co.uk

‘How to use’ video https://youtu.be/XLjuJkHGRpU

Vulcan Sportswear Heated Gloves, Insoles and Socks

If you purchase any product from Vulcan you can claim a 10% by using the code Roy10 at the checkout https://vulcansportswear.com/ Please note that Vulcan may withdraw this discount at any time.

If you purchase any of the following products you can help support my channel by using the following links. It costs you nothing extra.

Redshift products

Redshift have agreed a time limited discount offer of 15% when you buy any of their products through this link https://redshiftsports.com/discount/RideWithRoy?aff=14 which includes free delivery and returns in the UK and your order will automatically be discounted by 15% UK orders will be fulfilled from UK stock and charged in UK pounds. Please note that Redshift may withdraw this discount at any time.

Hoverair X1 You can get 15% off by using code RWR15 at the checkout.
Website https://bit.ly/3xxGQew

Proviz
To benefit from a 5% additional discount, on any Proviz products , use this link https://tidd.ly/3MN5IEE and apply the code ROY5 at the checkout
Garmin Varia RTL515 Radar https://amzn.to/3pt2ehk

Decathlon (any product) https://tidd.ly/347cqkP

Decathlon Triban RC520 https://tidd.ly/3ugNnq6

Products purchased

DJI Mini SE drone
Camera DJI Action 4
Wireless Microphones DJI Mic 2
Wahoo Roam V1 https://amzn.to/3z0VgSc
Garmin Varia rear view radar RTL 515 https://amzn.to/3qssLvs

My Bikes

Planet X Tempest Titanium Gravel
Ribble CGR Al e
Fuji Sportif – (Now Gifted to a new owner)
Cube Attention 29er

well good morning our adventure is started we’re on the train to edur we’re well on the way now we’ve probably only got another couple of hours to go uh Wendy’s on our phone good morning it was bit of a struggle getting the bikes on this train but I’ll just show you the setup there’s not a lot of room there’s my bike hanging up there and uh supposed to be able to get two in there but uh certainly it wouldn’t be room for two very easily Wendy’s got her own little compartment she’s in the Executive Suite so we’re expecting to arrive in Edinburgh 11:30 uh going quite well because the train was actually a few minutes early and considering that we’ve had 3 days of strikes we were a little bit concerned it might not turn up on time but it did and what was your idea Wendy we get the trade back much nicer yeah and and faster so three and a half be faster 3 and a half hours 3 and a/ half hours to get there seven days get here we are in Edinburgh we’re just off Princess Street we’re just about to set off but we realized that uh our little track up to the castle is going to be up a hill straight away yeah that’s a bit mean isn’t it it’s a bit mean but we’ll be okay so here we go so we just made our way up to the castle and uh this is what’s going to face us hordes of tourists good luck with that so I think we’ll follow this car actually I don’t think you’re going to be able to R this really [Music] this is awful is it you might get on a bit of Road there cool we need to be out in the countryside Wendy I’ve had enough of reding B already [Music] yeah it’s hard isn’t not only that Wendy you got your favorite bag pipes lucky [Music] me that’s [Music] smart oh it’s an owl JK Rowling wrote Some of Harry Potter here she did oh look they dropped for me Roy they must have know was he obviously knew look at these not F of these two stood right in the middle oblivious aren’t they totally oblivious [Music] [Music] w [Music] w good look good look good look [Music] [Applause] [Music] I’m going to ride 500 miles and I’m going to ride 5 more a bell it [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] on your right passing on your right [Music] yeah well that was an interesting ride out of Edinburgh we we had a couple of Mis turns but we’ve found our way back new yeah what’s new we did very well actually I think we did amazing so nice to get out of the city oh it was yeah I’ve realized I’m really not a city person me neither I guess it’s different when you’re on foot and your sight seeing isn’t it but when you’re trying to cycle oh with all those people not looking where they’re going no on the phones talking doing all those outrageous things but we’re starting to settle into it a little bit now aren’t we getting into aym feel better now yeah yeah so that’s something I mean between us we refind our route don’t we yeah well it’s keep the see on the left really all the way right [Music] hello they left my muggie come muggy well done a mgy sounds like hey Maggie sounds like a c mag I knew I knew it was a for aong oh Maggie I couldn’t take it anymore you leted me away from [Music] home and it’s quite fitting because Rod is a Scotsman exactly that’s that was the [Laughter] theme that’s right we’ll get you next time go to the middle so this is North ber and everybody’s enjoying the sun on this Saturday it’s a super Place fantastic yeah so it’s uh 3:00 we’ve got about another what 12 miles to go yeah probably what another hour yeah give or take ideal it gorgeous isn’t it I think this is just nice for our first day though yeah I think it’s enough actually just sort of settling into it isn’t it geese I think yeah they had the heads down so I couldn’t work out what they were think they’re wild or tame wild aren’t they n just look a bit annoyed comfy comfy down to the left [Music] [Music] well good morning it’s the second morning of our adventure we’re just leaving the pretty little town of Dumar in East loan we had fairly uneventful ride out of Edinburgh it was really really busy at the start oh it was horrendous we decided to go around by the castle and down the regret Main Street and yeah it was it was uh not not a good idea but we were soon out of the city and fantastic route out of fantastic route yeah I planned all these routes on Ride with GPS and selected the osm bike map and it pretty much ch knows the route uh there was one area where it would have been a snag we’d have had to have carried the bikes fully loaded or I would have had to have carried the bikes that is over the railway but fortunately Greg very kindly picked that up and uh told us the way around it which we managed Greg thank you Greg yeah the hotel last night we feel we could only go downhill from now on because it was really really beautiful it was apparently Victorian building and it was built as a hotel originally there was a big boom in tourism to the area during Victorian times doctors used to send people to the area for health cures and the other thing that was nice is that you know we had single rooms and as you can imagine single rooms in hotels usually tucked away in a Cupboard somewhere because they cat for couples but not this you know both of our rooms had SE views fantastic really pleased yeah so today’s going to be what we think is going to be our toughest day we’ve put the mileage down a little bit we were going to Linda f but we’ve both been there so there’s really not a lot of point in adding miles for the sake of it so it’s about 63 today I think but it’s about 3,000 ft of climbing still Bo morning so we bracing ourselves for a long day yeah we think this area is well cated for in terms of cycle paths incredible in this the one we’re on now is actually a better surface than most of the roads it’s really good how brilliant they put bit in the middle of the ramp so you don’t have to go over them somebody’s thought about it yesterday saw us mainly following the John M way and we had no idea oh nice lighthouse we had no idea who John mu was and I have to say the lady in the hotel didn’t either so she went and looked it up and John mu was a very very famous naturalist environmentalist I think he was uh uh late 19th century and he was born in Dunbar and now we’re on the A1 now the A1 passes my house when we saw we were going on the A1 there was a bit of tre itation but uh as you see this has got a cycle way bit of a mess lots of stones all over it that’s incredible isn’t it me whoa not too sure a picture will do it justice but s look how deep the sides are so we’ got the A1 on the far bridge and then the railway way it’s just stunning isn’t it no we’re not going up there are we God I think we I don’t think there’s any way not to you know this is this is where our 3,000 ft of climbing starts think I might have a drink is that the 3,000 that’s it done then is it hopefully that’ll be it won’t it we wish it’s the trouble with these Hills though isn’t that you climb up them and then they come down again there’s behind we need to pull in careful watch it Roy ah looks like you got to go through the water on this one I got wet foot n this was a hill too far yeah we’re off and walking already on this way Hill too far it’s only 10:00 in the morning this is a little too undulating milk not enough pylons for me to count oh that’s a cracking view it’s a it’s a bit of a hill it’s a bugger to push up but it’s worth it for the view worth it absolutely stunning do the paddle I’m not going back down again though C on pushing well we’re back on the bikes but we’re still climbing and it’s climbing and climbing but actually this isn’t a bad no incline we not even in our lowest gears are we so not yet and it sheltered us from the wind our final night on this trip in Beverly We St staying with Wendy’s sister and her husband and fortunately Wendy’s sister’s visiting in a week is it a week yeah yeah a month yeah we’re going to dump our bags with her and she can bring them back hello so we’ll fly that last day cuz the last so weird w’t the last day is going to be a hard one yeah distance it’s long distance so uh it’ll be good not to we yeah will’ll be ligh as a FEA all right we’re nearing the top is it still going to go up just a little bit I think it just follows the all the way along cuz I think it’s along there isn’t it yeah it just sort of hopefully just undulates a bit a malc undulate we know Malcolm and his undulations I am in danger of speaking too soon but the overtaking here has been superb yeah now I am riding with the past pixie bag patch on the rear pack and uh well it’s either that people around here are very courteous or they’re taking notice of the sign it’s probably a bit of both either way it’s good to see it is good to see I don’t feel I’m tensing up when the car behind like you sometimes do the other thing we’ve noticed around here is a total lack of fly tipping now maybe if uh maybe you Scot that watch this can explain that maybe it’s free to dump waste in your in your Municipal tips uh or you’ve just got a lot of pride in your country well they prosecute but well they prosecute everybody yeah but yeah it’s really good to see or not to see now I’m going to ride 500 miles and I’m going to ride 500 more d morning sheep nurse it’s really weird isn’t it yeah makes you dizzy it does actually doesn’t it yeah dizzy well done Ry I’m so dizzy my heart is singing like a Whirlpool I think I’ve got a bit of post climb Euphoria going on it’s probably hypoxia you know that makes you uh altitude sickness makes you feel euphoric it’s all that seratonin which kicked in to get up the hill yeah it’s got to all settle down again now and breathe I remember when I was uh flying my mate peep was flying next to me and we climbed up to 10,000 ft and he decided to go higher and I said Pete you know you’ve you’ve only got half a lung on one side and hypoxia is dangerous he said no mate I’m feeling really good I said yeah exactly that’s the that’s the symptom [Music] oh [Music] [Music] look North England England’s border country [Music] well we’re uh we’re having fish and chips for lunch and I order fish and chips and I think I’ve ended up with Moby Dick and chips it’s so huge I’m not going to complain you’ll never get out that Health with never you’ve gone healthy with jacket potato definitely much healthier option that was the we missed I mean this is just said this was trying to send me across the old bridge again well I think we can go across the old bridge can we yeah people were walking on it w ow ow ow