rode for a while on tarmac with a kind tailwind. climbed up and over towards the loch lednock. before hitting the snow and boiler plate ice at the 350m mark.
i fucking hate snow and ice. might be fine in parts of the country where it falls and fucks off sharpish. but snow + freeze/thaw sucks. a hardy scottish hydro vehicle had been over the road since the last major dump and the road was mainly clear, but occassionally deep ice in the tyre tracks. the middle of the road was either clear or 4 inches of snow brake.
made it to the wee-est power station i've can think of, then a burn crossing and a humph up a hillside. to see if we could find the path.
there was no path. i called it and we headed back. into a headwind. and the same ice and snow as before. the big descent was chilly. almost AndyW's face at Irvine chilly. brrr!
car. dry socks. heater.
headed back to crieff to have a couple of coffees and enjoy the underfloor heating at chez morris.
been consoling myself with some SNPA and some Williams Bros Midnight Sun. i'm a take it or leave it type when it comes to porter, wee bit too hardcore for my palate, but this is a cracking example of the type. heavy, but not crushing. recommendo. and a rescue for a frustrating day in the hills.
damn you OS. damn you.
damn you OS. damn you.
2 comments:
"damn you OS. damn you."
There's nothing quite like being let down by OS.......
There's so much locally on the OS maps, yet the reality on the ground is dramatically different.
At least the roads tend to be where the maps say they are....
Wuss.
; )
Nah, Correct decision for an unknown route - the lack of path I can cope with, the snow/ice thing was just plain frustrating and adding waaay too much uncertainty to the whole thing.
I sense a trip up there later in the year to knock it off.
On the plus side, my Sidis buffed up nice from the heather. And my spine and I are on speaking terms once again.
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