Glen Etive, Glencoe and Glenfinnan Viaduct

Nick, myself and one of my live long friends Neil joined us for the next day of the Scotland tour!

We went to Glen Etive and Glencoe both used in Skyfall, James Bond film! And also the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was of course used in Harry Potter.

Just going to these three places meant around 240 miles of driving! But at least, I love driving. So did not mind at all!





Nick and myself climbed Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond)

Well the first tour of our Scotland tour, could not have got off to a better start! Today Nick and myself climbed Ben Vorlich (Loch Lomond)! Making it the first ever Munro that Nick has climbed! My second one, the first being Ben Lomond, which I’ve done twice!

We could not have picked a better day for it! The weather was sunny and for most of the climb, nice and warm! Till we got to the very top of Ben Vorlich that is! When it was windy, which made it a bit on the cold side!

Ben Vorlich is 943 metres, making it the 229 highest Munro in Scotland out of 282! So maybe not the tallest! But it was still a great climb! And some great views from the top!

I will now leave you with some photos…






We made it to Scotland!

That’s Nick and myself now in Scotland! After just under 320 miles of driving! It’s the first Nick’s ever in Scotland! I just know he’s going to have a great time! So many great places, I want to show him! Just hope the weather plays nice!

I will now leave you with some photos! The first of many, I am sure!! 😀

Stainmore Summit
At Stainmore Summit, at round the half way point to Scotland!
Love this view!
I love this love!
Welcome to Scotland Nick!
Nick is now officially in Scotland for the first time ever!!
To think, I've cycled...
Just to think, I’ve cycled all the way from John O’Groat’s to Land’s End!

Always more fun cycling a with a mate!

It’s always so much more fun cycling with a mate! Even more so, when they look so good in Lycra!

Got to say that Nick did very well indeed! It’s one of the longest cycles he’s ever done! We did 20.3 miles! Also the first time he’s ever been out cycling in Lycra!

Check out the route we went at www.strava.com/activities/575658483.

Nick wearing the BMC Racing Team kit

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team

Nick and myself cycling

Nick and myself cycling

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 14/05/2016

Paul Merton’s Secret Stations (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 15th May 2016)

Paul Merton goes in search of the hidden history of Britain’s rail request stops. This concluding episode begins on the stunning Pembrokeshire coast. From the request stop of Penally, Paul visits the trenches built for training during World War I. At Luxulyan in Cornwall, Paul looks for the hidden remains of local china clay mines. In Greater Manchester, Paul visits Reddish South – a request stop famous for having only one train a week. And for his final stop of the series, Paul goes to Corrour on the glorious West Highland Line, with a stop that’s ten miles to the nearest public road.

Highlands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 18th May 2016)

Summer- The Greatest Race. Ewan McGregor narrates this landmark series about the wildlife of the Scottish Highlands. This edition charts summer, the most intense of all the seasons in the Highlands. Animals are in a great race to raise their young to independence before the nights close in and the storms of autumn arrive. Some, like otters and pine martens, are single mothers working ceaselessly for their young, while others, including golden eagles, work in pairs to look after the chicks. Most spectacular of all, young guillemots on Handa face a leap for life as they tumble to the sea from 400ft cliffs.

Paxman in Brussels: Who Really Rules Us? (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 19th May 2016)

As the EU referendum debate approaches its climax, Jeremy Paxman takes viewers on a journey to the heart of Europe, meeting the movers, shakers and anonymous faces who run the EU. His central question is simple – has the UK given the power to rule it to Europe, and if so, does it matter? Meeting crucial figures like Michael Gove and Nick Clegg, he hears arguments on both sides, whilst also trying to understand just how the incredibly complex organisation operates. On his journey he struggles through the Parlamentarium (an EU museum that tries to explain the place), tries on a replica of Margaret Thatcher’s famous EU jumper and samples the EU-regulated wares of the Portobello Road.

Barging Round Britain with John Sergeant (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Friday 20th May 2016)

John Sergeant tours around Britain’s canals. In this episode, he meanders along the Oxford Canal where he visits Tooley’s, the oldest working boatyard in Britain, gets to play his hero Inspector Morse, and bumps into a group of floating thespians.

George Clarke’s Amazing Houseboats (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 20th May 2016)

George Clarke looks back across five series of Amazing Spaces and some of the amazing houseboats people have built for the Great British waterways. There’s a seaplane from World War Two transformed into a bachelor pad; a 1960s pleasure cruiser refurbished as a marital home; and a hand built custom designed writers retreat created in the shape of an egg. George also looks further afield to an amazing holiday apartment on a lake in Germany and a Danish waterside home kept afloat by polystyrene and water bottles.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Bib Shorts

That’s me now got the Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Bib Shorts, to go with the Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Short Sleeve Jersey. So I of course, had to go out a long cycle to try them out! Got to say, they fit very well indeed! Which you, can of course tell from the photos! 😀

I will also try to film a vlog wearing them at some point this week…

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team ClothingVermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team ClothingVermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 07/05/2016

Paul Merton's Secret Stations - 08-05-2016 - YouView appAttenborough at 90 (BBC 1/HD | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Sunday 8th May 2016)

In celebration of his ninetieth birthday, Sir David Attenborough shares extraordinary highlights of his life and career with broadcaster Kirsty Young, including the inspiring people he has met, the extraordinary journeys he has made and the remarkable animal encounters he has had across the globe. Joined by colleagues and friends, including Michael Palin and Chris Packham, Sir David shares some of the unforgettable moments from his unparalleled career, from capturing unique animal behaviour for the first time to the fast-paced advances in wildlife filming technology, as well as stories of the wonder and fragility of the natural world – stories that Sir David has spent his life exploring and championing.

Paul Merton’s Secret Stations (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 8th May 2016)

Paul Merton continues his journey around Britain’s railway request stops on the glorious West Highland Line and Beasdale, where the Special Operations Executive taught espionage in World War Two. Paul discovers a request stop just outside the centre of Bristol. And at Pontarddulais, Paul sees how a former mining town has reinvented itself as ‘the wedding village’ – with a high street full of bridal shops. Paul helps a young bride pick out her perfect dress, and has the chance to sing with the local male voice choir – the most successful choir in Wales.

The Tube: Going Underground (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 9th May 2016)

Documentary series following the work of the staff who keep London’s underground train service running smoothly. Engineer Anita hopes she has got her sums right as a new passenger tunnel nears completion, 192 new trains hit the tracks and legend of the line steps down.

How Scotland Works (BBC 2 Scotland & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 10th May 2016)

Documentary series exploring life in 21st-century Scotland. In Scotland today, finding a home can be a challenge. The kinds of homes people want, and where they want them, are changing. More people are now working from home and tenements are being turned into workspaces. With land and houses in short supply, some people are turning to more radical solutions such as making their homes in houseboats or caravans to save money. Also, with people living longer lives there is the need to create homes for the elderly, which is sparking some innovative solutions. From a brand new town being developed in Aberdeenshire, to a houseboat on the canal, and even to a 200-year-old castle, this documentary tells the story of Scotland at home through a diverse range of characters and the homes they live in.

Highlands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 11th May 2016)

Spring – Season of Extremes. Ewan McGregor narrates a series about the wildlife of the Scottish Highlands. In this edition it is spring, the most unpredictable of all seasons in the Cairngorm mountains. Ospreys, red squirrels, dippers, capercaillies, roe deer and bottlenose dolphins struggle to find food and raise their young while coping with the extremes of wind and weather.

Gareth’s Invictus Choir (BBC 1/HD | 9:000pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 12th May 2016)

Choirmaster Gareth Malone is facing his toughest challenge to date. He has been asked to form a choir of wounded ex-service personnel to perform at the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida. In this episode the choir have survived their first public performance. With just 4 weeks before they sing at the opening ceremony in Orlando, Gareth brings his choir to Somerset House in London and announces he wants them to write their own song for the performance. The songwriting process challenges the choir to dig deep into their experiences of injury or illness and the different stages of recovery they are each in. Gareth singing them the finished song is a key moment, as the choir hear the lyrics of their own stories. Once they are happy with the song, Gareth decides to show the lyrics to an industry friend. Following some unexpected news at a recording studio, the choir finally set off to the US for their big moment.

Barging Round Britain with John Sergeant (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Friday 13th May 2016)

John Sergeant travels along some of the most impressive canals in Britain. In this episode, John is aboard his narrowboat enjoying a trip along one of the oldest and prettiest canals in Britain – the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. On the way, he marvels at ingenious feats of 18th century engineering. He also tackles – with mixed results – the difficult art of glass-blowing, and discovers a secret underground cold war bunker.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Loving my newest Lycra cycling gear!

Got to say, I am loving my Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Short Sleeve Jersey. Of course, it will be even better, when I order the shorts that go with them! But for now the Zone3 Aquaflo Tri Shorts will do! 🙂

Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing
Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing
Vermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team ClothingVermarc Etixx Quick-Step Cycling Team Clothing