Etape Loch Ness 2017

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  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Slowbike wrote:

    Sure, we could get up to Scotland and ride anywhere else, but we haven't done that (yet). Commiting to this event means we will go up and ride - we're not at home thinking of the jobs we have to get done - we don't have to worry about route (just keep the water on the left) or getting lost - we don't have to worry about traffic - we don't have to worry about food - we don't have to worry about mechanicals leaving us stranded - we get to ride with a load of other cyclists - in short, we're pretty much certain of a good ride - whatever the weather.

    Whatever works for you... I just struggle to see the appeal.
    yup, you do seem to have a fairly negative view on organised events anyway so not suprised you wouldn't want to do this one.
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    They do something similar in Switzerland (Tour du Leman), bit longer distance, similar terrain, but later in the year and quite likely much more appealing weather. There are several tens of thousands of road cyclists living within a 2 hour drive from there and you can see the appeal... if I was local I'd probably do it, why not...
    yup - that looks good - don't know why you'd want to be local just to do it - if you were local you could do it outside of an organised event.
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    But even living in the UK, If I had to choose to fly to Aberdeen or to Geneva for a bicycle ride around a lake, it would be a no brainer.
    we're not flying to Aberdeen .... we're going into Inverness ... it's a bit closer! 180km would be a little too much for my wife in one go atm ... 66/67 (depending on how far you wobble) is perfect .
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I was all excited about going to the Highlands last summer and I thought it would be an amazing cycling holiday... it wasn't... it rained most of the time and when it didn't rain, it was cold and overcast, I can't even tell you how Ben Nevis or Glencoe look like... if you stop for more than 10 seconds you are attacked by midges... never again
    Wrong time of year. We've been at Christmas a few times and last year in March - take your chances with the weather, but no midgies ... certainly don't go up there for hot sun ... but we've done ok
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,334
    Slowbike wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    But even living in the UK, If I had to choose to fly to Aberdeen or to Geneva for a bicycle ride around a lake, it would be a no brainer.
    we're not flying to Aberdeen .... we're going into Inverness ... it's a bit closer! 180km would be a little too much for my wife in one go atm ... 66/67 (depending on how far you wobble) is perfect .

    It's very flat, flatter then the Lochness one, faster tarmac, probably very little wind, people fly on these rides... it's probably the best ride to push into longer distances
    Slowbike wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I was all excited about going to the Highlands last summer and I thought it would be an amazing cycling holiday... it wasn't... it rained most of the time and when it didn't rain, it was cold and overcast, I can't even tell you how Ben Nevis or Glencoe look like... if you stop for more than 10 seconds you are attacked by midges... never again
    Wrong time of year. We've been at Christmas a few times and last year in March - take your chances with the weather, but no midgies ... certainly don't go up there for hot sun ... but we've done ok

    We weren't expecting 10 days of sunshine, but we weren't expecting one storm and two weather warnings for heavy rain and wind either... I suppose if we went with the idea of hiking, it would have been fine (midges aside) but cyclingwise it was pretty bad... there are very few roads one can cycle on to start with, so we kept going up and down the same ones... on the windiest days it was impossible to cycle by the coast and that was the only road.
    As I said, it was a mistake, we got it wrong, bad planning on our part (mainly mine), it won't happen again
    left the forum March 2023
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I am one of those arrogants twits that think he is entitled to a bit of good weather when he opens the wallet... right or wrong, it's the way I feel... going on holiday to Scotland was a mistake I will not repeat
    You can't have looked at your booking form closely enough! Next time, just remember to tick the box for "good weather" in the extras section. It'll cost a bit more, obvs, but like all holiday costs it can be not too bad depending on where or when - you can get sunshine in May in the east highlands for as little as £2pppd, but in Glencoe in August you'll be lucky if there's any available at all.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,334
    bompington wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I am one of those arrogants twits that think he is entitled to a bit of good weather when he opens the wallet... right or wrong, it's the way I feel... going on holiday to Scotland was a mistake I will not repeat
    You can't have looked at your booking form closely enough! Next time, just remember to tick the box for "good weather" in the extras section. It'll cost a bit more, obvs, but like all holiday costs it can be not too bad depending on where or when - you can get sunshine in May in the east highlands for as little as £2pppd, but in Glencoe in August you'll be lucky if there's any available at all.

    You can make fun as much as you like, but you can't deny that most folks go on holiday hoping for half decent weather, especially those living in countries with very little of it. Folks living in Dubai seem to enjoy a bit of rain for a change.
    I might qualify as a softie and that is totally fine too, plase insist on that note so that everybody can agree... problem is that looking back memories of that trip are mostly grey skies, being wet, driving hours not to go very far, stopping at the side to give way to an incoming car, spending sleepless hours scratching itchy legs.
    It was the worst holiday we've had and that is a fact... maybe I am tacky, maybe I should stick to a beach holiday in Spain... :roll:
    left the forum March 2023
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    You can make fun as much as you like, but you can't deny that most folks go on holiday hoping for half decent weather, especially those living in countries with very little of it. Folks living in Dubai seem to enjoy a bit of rain for a change.
    Not always - sometimes the location needs a bit of bad weather to give it it's dramatic effect ...
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    I might qualify as a softie and that is totally fine too, plase insist on that note so that everybody can agree... problem is that looking back memories of that trip are mostly grey skies, being wet, driving hours not to go very far, stopping at the side to give way to an incoming car, spending sleepless hours scratching itchy legs.
    It was the worst holiday we've had and that is a fact... maybe I am tacky, maybe I should stick to a beach holiday in Spain... :roll:

    yer - you probably do qualify as a softie - bad planning on your part really - there's loads to do without driving for hours and hours around Scotland - heck we managed a week with a 9 month old - with some bad weather too - had a great time - but then our expetations weren't for wall-2-wall sunshine and beach weather - that was saved for our summer holiday (in France) which duly deliverd ...
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,334
    Slowbike wrote:

    yer - you probably do qualify as a softie - bad planning on your part really - there's loads to do without driving for hours and hours around Scotland - heck we managed a week with a 9 month old - with some bad weather too - had a great time - but then our expetations weren't for wall-2-wall sunshine and beach weather - that was saved for our summer holiday (in France) which duly deliverd ...

    Not quite... when we planned it we thought "it's going to be sunshine and showers and around 20 degrees" which did seem acceptable.

    It turned out to be storms (the kind you get in winter a few hundred miles south) and 12 degrees... frankly it was a bit unexpected and disappointing, but talking to the locals, not that uncommon.
    left the forum March 2023
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    sunshine, showers & 20°C would be great ... but it's Scotland - you can't bank on that sort of weather....
    You can't bank on that sort of weather down south either - it's more likely though.

    Bad planning on your part still - expect the worse and you won't be disappointed ! ;)
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,334
    Slowbike wrote:

    Bad planning on your part still - expect the worse and you won't be disappointed ! ;)

    Yes, I said that myself...

    If I have to spend money to go on holiday with low expectations,... well, I should just stay home, shouldn't I? :roll:
    left the forum March 2023
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    oxoman wrote:
    ...then moving south to do the westerly severn Stanes centres over a couple of days...

    That's pretty bloody far south! :D


    Weather in Scotland is tricky. When it's good the riding is brilliant, on a par with anything brilliant. But when it's bad it can be a little bit wearing and it's very, very changeable. I'm lucky that I can hold off and check the weather, jump a train and ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.

    As for storms and wind, you get used to that riding up here. Even in summer you're pretty much guaranteed a headwind over 10mph at some point on the West Coast. In winter it's double that at least.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.]
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    bompington wrote:
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:

    No, but it's where I live so I know when the ride is finished I'm going home, can cut the route short etc. and I've not spent loads of money on travel, accommodation and so on. I actually like the terrible conditions, cycling down to Largs with 40mph cross-winds was a bit mental on a fixed wheel but it sure helped coming back over Haylie Brae to Lochwinnoch :)
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    It was the use of Severn rather than Seven I was poking fun at :(
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    And made my joke fall flat!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,334
    bompington wrote:
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.]
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:

    It would seem bizarre, but Glasgow "only" gets 1 metre of rain per year... twice as much as London... if you look at the western Highlands, then it can be anything from 2 to 4 metres of rain, depending on the local microclimate... so there is a massive difference...
    left the forum March 2023
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.]
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:

    It would seem bizarre, but Glasgow "only" gets 1 metre of rain per year... twice as much as London... if you look at the western Highlands, then it can be anything from 2 to 4 metres of rain, depending on the local microclimate... so there is a massive difference...

    It's very ride dependent though. Head north and you're in one of the wettest areas in the UK. It's also the windiest major city in the UK to ride from.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.]
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:

    It would seem bizarre, but Glasgow "only" gets 1 metre of rain per year... twice as much as London... if you look at the western Highlands, then it can be anything from 2 to 4 metres of rain, depending on the local microclimate... so there is a massive difference...

    There's the world of difference between the western Highlands and Eastern - mostly because there are a load of big hills in between. When I commuted to Inverness, I hardly ever got wet. It's part of the reason that the western Highlands has midges and the east hardly has any.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    meanredspider wrote:
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    bompington wrote:
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:
    ride in the highlands if the weather is great or stick around Glasgow if it's rubbish.]
    Hang on a minute, Glasgow is where you expect to find better conditions? :shock:

    It would seem bizarre, but Glasgow "only" gets 1 metre of rain per year... twice as much as London... if you look at the western Highlands, then it can be anything from 2 to 4 metres of rain, depending on the local microclimate... so there is a massive difference...

    There's the world of difference between the western Highlands and Eastern - mostly because there are a load of big hills in between. When I commuted to Inverness, I hardly ever got wet. It's part of the reason that the western Highlands has midges and the east hardly has any.

    West Coast Best Coast.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Hinaultscrapcousin wrote:

    West Coast Best Coast.

    It's best to visit and definitely beautiful (the sea is incredible) but I wouldn't want to live there with the midges, the rain and the wind. And it's only an hour from me.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • GWalke11
    GWalke11 Posts: 8
    Weather looking a bit ropey for Sunday. Hoping the wind and rain holds off until lunchtime.
  • GWalke11
    GWalke11 Posts: 8
    Not bothered by cycling in bad weather, more bothered about trying to pack a soggy tent at 5am!
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    GWalke11 wrote:
    Weather looking a bit ropey for Sunday. Hoping the wind and rain holds off until lunchtime.

    Looks pretty good to me!
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Not sure if I'm going now - little Slowbike isn't very well - may not be able to abandon him to family whilst we swan about in Scotland ....
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    thanks - so do we - bikes are packed, parking, flights, hotel booked and paid for. But it's the first time we'll have left LSB for more than 1 night and he's looking to us for comfort whilst trying to battle his fever. Family would take care of him, no doubt - but it's not fair on him.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Well done .. glad you had a good ride.

    No - we didn't make it - although LBS was much better by Saturday we had to make the call on Friday or gamble and change flights to Saturday am (giving us an extra 12 hours) - just wasn't worth the extra spend on the offchance he'd be ok.

    In the end we weren't well enough to give it a good ride either. So a bit of a downer to waste so much money, but LSB is much better and his welfare always comes first.

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