Brighton

With a very poor weather forecast we decided to visit Brighton so we could do some indoor attractions if necessary. We visited the Pavilion - Cherry wasn't impressed ! A wander around the Lanes and then a walk to the end of the Pier managing to resist all temptation to game, gamble or make ourselves sick (on the ride or the sweet foods).

A drive back to Gatwick and flight to Edinburgh saw us back home at a sensible hour.

Tulip Festival

With better weather on Thursday we went to visit the Castle and grounds and enjoy the display of tulips. Gardens were very nice with a nice mix of different areas. The interior of the Castle was pretty good as well.

In the afternoon we went to the Wetlands centre. It was great weather for ducks for a while but brightened up later and we had a pleasant walk and short boat ride round the extensive natural site.

In the evening we went to Littlehampton for a very short look around and dinner at 47 Mussel Row.

Arundel

Colin got the train from London to Gatwick and Cherry flew down. We hired a car and headed off to Arundel. As the weather wasn't great we deferred the Castle visit to the Thursday and instead had a wander round the very pretty town, visited the museum and the Cathedral.

After that we headed to our hotel the Bailiffscourt Hotel and Spa and enjoyed the pool and gym facilities.

A very nice 3 course evening meal at the hotel.

Crazy Golf, Steak and Goodbyes

On Sunday the whole family headed out to Fountainpark for a round of crazy golf in the newly opened indoor course. It was fairly good. The courses a little dull but the surface and course condition was good. Colin won with Max a very close second. Also had a game of pool afterwards.

In the evening we went to Los Argentinos for Steak (or Fish) as this was the last evening before Max returned to Glasgow, Hannah to Birmingham and Colin went off on business to London.

80 Mile Cycle

Keeping up my challenging training plan on the bike I had a 40 mile mountain bike ride on the Friday followed by an 80 mile road bike ride on the Saturday. The Saturday ride saw some lovely spring weather. The ride headed South to Innerleithen then East past Ashiestiel House to Clovenfords then North to Heriot and home. Nice breaks at Innerleithen and Clovenfords to refuel. Managed the distance well and arrive home in fairly good shape.

Cycle Home

On Sunday Colin got dropped off at Moffat to cycle the 62 miles home. It was heavy going at first with strong headwinds and I was feeling pretty despondent at first. By St Marys Loch I was back to familiar territory and perked up a bit with a third of the route done. Coffee and scone at The Gordon Arms and another stopped not that long after for tea and cheese sandwich in Innerleithen.

Got home after around 5 hours on the bike feeling reasonably fresh at the end.

Derwent Water Circuit

On Saturday Colin and Cherry walked around Derwent Water - around 10 miles of very flat walk. The sun shone and there were nice stops for coffee and a late lunch.

Dinner in the evening at the Inn at the Square.

Hardknot Pass

On Friday Cherry went out with the Westons to the Rum Story in Whitehaven and to Cockermouth.

Colin was out getting the bike miles in. A pretty miserable day so wrapped up in waterproofs headed off towards the edge of the mountains on a pre-planned 40 mile round. Turned out the one of the roads was a somewhat iconic climb - the steepest in England. Not really what I was expecting or wanting. A long push up the hill which reached 30% gradient in places.

Dinner in the evening with Richard and Tom at the Ratty Inn in Ravenglass.

Ravenglass

Cherry and Colin headed down to the Lake District to meet up with Richard, Liz, Tom and Zoe who were having a one week holiday in a cottage in Waberthwaite. Thursday was mainly the reasonably pleasant drive down, a quick walk round Ravenglass and then tea and dinner with the Westons at the Brown Cow.

SOL 2 - Linn of Tummel

Second SOL event of the year. Decent weather with even a few moments of sunshine. The course was a lot more open than the last event with sparse woodland and some open hillside making it quite a bit easier. Generally went quite well until the penultimate control when I made a pretty big mistake.

Callander Sportive

First sportive of the year was the Callander Sportive which I had done in 2016 although it was a different route this year. Weather was pretty good. Grey skies, 11 degree temperate but dry. Arrived around 9 am and started around 9.30 am. A very nice figure of 8 route taking in many lochs including the closed road at Loch Katrine and two climbs over Duke's Pass. The ups and downs along the side of Loch Katrine were probably harder than that the more steady Duke's Pass climb.

Nicely organised event with good signs and a food stop at Aberfoyle which I stopped at on the second passing.

I was on the Medium course which was 55 miles, 1282 m of climb and took 4 hours to complete. I was still in decent shape at the end although it was pretty tough and certainly felt well tired afterwards.

Carberry & Elphinstone

An outside ride at last with the weather improving a bit for a day. Still quick cold but less wind and clear skies made for a pleasant outing.

Most of the ride was fast familiar cycle tracks but took some time to explore Carberry estate and some Queen Mary history and enjoy the fabulous Queens view to Edinburgh, the Pentlands and Fife.

85 miles ridden over the weekend.