the web geek

This sounds like a great product, if the price is right (under £100), then I would definitely get one!

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As I was queueing in traffic for lights on the Kenilworth road this morning, and waiting for an opportunity to filter through and take my lane, I saw a hand wave from the passenger side of the Ford Focus in front of me. To start with I thought they were waving me past on the curb side, which seemed odd as they hadn’t left me much room. As I started to approach I thought it might have been a child just playfully waving to me, and had second thoughts about coming past, especially as the traffic in front had moved closer to the lights, and there was now room in front of the Focus. I then saw that the window was wound fully down, and the driver was leaning across. I assumed that she must want directions, and stopped by her open window. The following exchange occured.

Her: “Excuse me, you know there’s a cycle path on the Kenilworth Road” [pointing to cycle path on far side of road].
Me: “Yes” [nodding, smiling].
[slight pause, look of confusion on her face]
H: “Then why don’t you use it?”
M: “Because I’d rather use the road, which I’m perfectly entitled to do thank you”
H: “Oh, I know that” [shaking her head, and waving my comment away as if it were irrelvant] “but you cause so much problems on the road” [starting to sound irate now]
M: “I’m not causing anyone a problem” [pointing at stationary traffic ahead of us, although there is a rather large gap in front of her now] “The only reason you’re being held up now is because you decided to stop and talk to me.”

At this I shook my head, and cycled off to take the furthest left lane (left turn and straight ahead). She came past me accelerating hard, with her engine revving like crazy, and indicated left, although she took up position in the middle lane (straight ahead only), with her indicator still flashing.

I waited 4 vehicles back for the lights to change, and then cycled across the junction and up the hill as the vehicles from the middle lane started to merge with mine and pass me. She came past me again, engine revving hard again.

I thought that was probably my lot and I wouldn’t see her again. As I approached the junction to turn right onto Gibbet Hill Road, oh joy of joys, there she is again, maybe 8 cars back at a junction where 3 cars is the absolute most that can manage to turn right on any one cycle of the lights. As I filtered past her to the front of the queue, I made eye contact with her over my shoulder, smiled, and gave her a jaunty little wave. She glared back at me and fumed quietly to herself trapped in her little cage.

I did actually see her again, as she drove over the roundabout in front of the building I work in, but by that point I was off my bike and wheeling it in, so I doubt she noticed me.

The thing that really annoys me, and in fairness to her I didn’t really manage to convey this at the time, is it’s much safer and more convenient for me to be on the road there. To use the cycle path I would have to cross the Kenilworth Road as a pedestrian to get onto it, and then cross the A45 and Gibbet Hill Road, again as a pedestrian. The cycle path also has concealed driveways all the way along it, and I’m far more visible on the road than I am doing 20 miles an hour along a cycle path. I think my experience with her also demonstrated that I’m not holding anyone up. I covered the 2.5 miles from where she started talking to me to where I turned off a good 2 or 3 minutes faster than she did.

Here’s my route from where she called me to her car to where I turned off Gibbet Hill Road when she went straight on:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=478272

The cycle path isn’t really visible on the satellite pictures, and has been expanded since they were taken anyway. I’m glad the path is there, and people who would like to use it are more than welcome to. It doesn’t suit my needs though thank you very much.

[tags]cycling, commute, cycle path, bicycle, cycle, rudeness, rude, cars, traffic[/tags]

Wet cycling gear

Originally uploaded by Thorin.

I got drenched on the way into the office this morning, and these are the lengths I have to go to, to dry off my padded cycling mitts! I have them stretched over some wire book ends.

[tags]cycling, bicyle, drying, rain, wet, commute[/tags]

I’m really enjoying my new bike, and cycling to work. Since I’ve had it, I’ve covered just shy of 190 miles on it. The only downside is I have an ever growing shopping list of bits and bobs I want to get now. This morning I cycled into work in the rain. I got absolutely soaked. My trainers still have water draining out of them and I’m sat in my socks waiting for them to dry out.

To improve things for wet weather I need to make several simple purchases:

• Mudguards
• Clips (so I can wear my water proof trousers)
• A spare pair of trainers (to wear once I arrive at work)

Wednesday’s pay day, so they may all need to be purchased along with the various cleaning and maintenence bits I need.

[tags]rain, cycling, wet, mudguards, clips, functional cycling, commute[/tags]

12.20pm

We got up a 8am this morning and compared feet again. I was having difficulty just walking around the hostel, which I think is a fairly bad sign. Last night as I was attempting to get into bed on a top bunk, I inadvertently stubbed the ball of my foot against a rung of the ladder. This was rather painful, and burst one of my blisters.

We had a breakfast of toast and museli and then walked to the nearest shop for provisions. By this point my feet were already more painful than they were last night, so I made the decision to get the bus to Invermoriston today, and hope my feet heal enough for me to walk again tomorrow.

I said goodbye to the others outside the co-op and then went to get a bus time table from tourist information. The woman there was very helpful, and there are several busses I can get. I’ve decided to wait for the 3.55 bus, and I’m currently sat outside the Fiddler’s with todays independent, as the paper shop was out of Guardians.

2.27pm

Still outside the Fiddler’s, although I did go inside and have a couple of coffees and a bit of cake. I overheard the landlady on the phone to a double glazing company. She said she would never deal with them as a drunken sales rep once caused £180 of damage to her car! Apparently she’d been waiting 2 years for them to call and try to sell her windows, so she could tell them to get stuffed. She was so pleased she gave me my second coffee for free!

FirstScotRail have been back in touch with Matt after yet another call to them this morning. They’re going to make things right for us. We can get a train from Fort William to Edinburgh where we can get the sleeper back. Only problem is we have to be in Fort William for shortly after 5 which makes things a bit tight for walking.

11.05pm

I got the bus to Invermoriston as planned. The B&B was dead easy to find. The couple that run it are lovely, and knew a lot about the great glen way. Basically we’re trying to do it in too few days, are doing it in the wrong direction and have split it up badly. I’ve realised that I’ve booked the hostel in the wrong place for tomorrow. There’s no way we can walk from here to the hostel in a day, so it doesn’t look like any of us will manage to walk the full distance. I think we’re most likely to get the bus from here to Fort Augustus and then walk the flat section to Lagan tomorrow. Savlon seems to have improved my blisters, so I should be able to walk.

The others arrived a bit before 7, looking suitably knackered. Matt’s feet were in a bit of a state, but he wasn’t suffering physically as much as yesterday. We had a great meal in the hotel next door and are about to go to bed.

[tags]great glen way, scotland, loch ness, drumnadrochit, holiday, walk, hike, invermoriston[/tags]

We got our trains up to Inverness with little drama, and woke up on the sleeper at about 7.30 to clear blue skies and snow capped hills.

We got breakfast in a greasy spoon in Inverness and then gathered provisions, like all good British expeditions, in Marks and Spencers. We set out at about 10.30.

The walk through Inverness was pleasant. Although, after we turned left away from the canal, we had to walk through a housing estate followed by a building site. We made good time along the forest trails, but I think we underestimated the total distance. The last 3rd of the walk was over rocky and stoney paths, which were a bit hard going on the ankles.

Fraser had the foresight to buy two punnets of strawberries in Marks, which he distributed freely. The rest of us are concerned that this may be part of a greater plan, and fear he may later jack up the price once we’re all hooked!

We passed a group heading for inverness as we came out of the forest. They told us that it was all down hill into Drumnadrochit. This was a blatent lie.

During the last 3rd of the walk my feet became very painful, and I feared I was developing blisters. Matt seemed in a bit of as state by this point, I suspect he was suffering from a combination of exhaustion, dehydration and sun stroke. We made him eat a banana and gave him most of the water we had left between us. He was still exhausted, and we made pretty slow progress down the hill into Drumnadrochit. By this point my feet were getting increasingly painful, and I’d also developed some sores where parts of my body had been rubbing against each other. Yuk!

We arrived at the hostel at about 7.30pm and immediately took our boots off so we could compare feet. I had blisters on both little toes and across the balls of my feet. Fraser’s feet were fine, and he looked like he could have happily walked it all over again. Sam had a couple of blisters on his heels, and Matt had blisters on both feet.

We ate tea in the Fiddler’s cafe bar. The food was great and the staff were super friendly and welcoming. Matt looked a complete state by this point and was nauseus and had the shakes. We headed back to the hostel, showered and hit the sack, agreeing to asses the situation in the morning. With my feet in this state, I feel it is unlikely that I’ll be able to walk any distance in the morning.

[tags]walk, hike, scotland, holiday, inverness, great glen way, fiddler’s, drumnadrochit, blisters, loch ness[/tags]

I’m off to Scotland again tonight, to walk the Great Glen Way.  The plan was to go up to Scotland on the sleeper tonight, walk from Inverness to Fort William, staying in hostels and B&Bs and then get the sleeper back to Coventry on Sunday, meaning we’d be back on Monday morning.

Unfortunately FirstScotRail have screwed us over our return journey and I’m not sure what’s happening with that at the moment.  We booked our tickets at the beginning of March, and we had tickets through with no seat/berth numbers for the sleeper, so Matt (who’d ordered the tickets) rang them in March and they said they didn’t allocate them until nearer the time, so he’d need to ring back the week before we went and we’d get our berth numbers then.  Matt rang them yesterday and they told him that the train’s full and we don’t have any berths!  We paid for and received our tickets in March!

At the moment Matt’s waiting to hear back from them, as they’re having a manager trawl through the manifesto by hand, to make sure we haven’t been allocated berths already.  We’re not holding out much hope for that, so we’re hoping they’re going to compensate us some way for completely screwing everything up, and for us having to stay a night in Fort William.  Everybody who he speaks to seems to make out that it’s our fault.  “Did you book online?  Yeah, sometimes this happens” or “You didn’t ring us, so we didn’t allocate seats, if you book online you’re supposed to ring us” - we were never told that, and he DID ring!

Could have done without all the hassle the day we go, but they’re going to have to sort it some how.

[tags]firstscotrail, trains, complaint, great glen way, scotland, hiking[/tags]

Sarah and Neville

Originally uploaded by Thorin.

I’ve returned from my jaunt up to Scotland now, and have posted my pictures to flickr (including this one of Sarah with her snowman). Had a really good time.

It’s good to be back, The Popster seems especially pleased to see us, and is very purry and snuggly at the moment. Nice to see the house is still standing too.
[tags]cat, flickr, holiday, scotland, snowman, munro, holiday, walk, hike[/tags]

Top of the hill

Originally uploaded by Thorin.

We had a nice walk yesterday. Left just before lunch in brilliant sunshine and walked up a hill that overlooks the Sma’ Glen. Took us about 4 hours in the end. Holly gave up before we got to the top of the hill, and we found her sunbathing on the way back down. The views into the Sma’ Glen were truly spectacular, I’ll post them to my flickr account in the next few days.

The hunting lodge we’re staying in is huge, but has a ’serial killer’ feel to it, as if it’s been plucked straight out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Other than that enjoying the holiday, in Edinburgh today to buy my new bike.

[tags]edinburgh, bike, walk, hiking, hill, sma’ glen, scotland, holiday[/tags]