The Wanderings of Mind and Body.

I've never been so Cross.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 22:11:00 +0000

It all started back in May when I took part in the Lovecross race which was part of the Tweedlove festival. Although an urban race around the streets of Peebles it gave me taste of things to come.

Little did I know back then, that I would go on to compete in another 11 cyclocross races over the next 7 months and enjoy every single one of them.

For those that don't know much about cyclocross here is the dictionary definition;

"a bicycle race over a cross-country course, featuring steep hills, turns, and sometimes muddy terrain, that occasionally requires a rider to carry the bicycle over fences and up stairs."

What this definition doesn't tell you is the complete lung and leg bursting effort that is generally required and the fantastically friendly atmosphere at every single event.

In August it was time for Haughcross over the bridge in Aberdour which I have previously blogged about in the August archive.

Next up was a trip to Fife and a great day out at Beveridge Park, the sun shone on this fine September day and it was toasty hot. The course was fast with a few good hills and tight corners.

The Battle at Balloch Castle was our next trip. As a non series race it too took on a slightly different format. When entering you had to sign up for either the A or B race. Alistair talked me into doing the A race. This like Haughcross was and hour long. I enjoyed the course but it was possibly my least favourite in retrospect, mostly due to the gravel. I am not yet confident on gravel and find it quite a formidable surface to ride on. Even with all my fire road practice I still squeal a lot of the time if my tyres slip and slide.

The weekend after Balloch was the first of the Scottish series events, this took place at Callendar Park near Falkirk. The format was the traditional 40 mins plus a lap, with the Juniors, Women and Vet 50+ all starting at the same time. The field was large, the womens field was one of the largest a Scottish Cross race has seen with nearly 50 of us on the start line.

I really loved the course at Callendar, it had a good mixture of fast and technical and for the first time included off camber switchbacks. In practice I was shockingly bad at them and was panicking at how I would do with all the other riders around me, but come race time I faired well and thankfully didn't manage to make a mess of them, much!

The third race in October was a non series again and took place next to the race circuit at Knockhill. It looked like it was going to be a wet and soggy day to start but thankfully the skies cleared in time for racing, although I was glad of my new birthday arm warmers. At first look on the warm up, I didn't think I was going to enjoy the course but as I raced I enjoyed it more and more.

The last race in October took us up to Aberdeenshire and Knockburn Loch. We travelled up on the Saturday afternoon and stayed overnight in a Travel lodge, mostly so we could a a slightly longer sleep but also there was roadwork shenanigans happening on the Forth Road Bridge.

It was a chilly morning and we had to scrape the frost off the car windscreen but again the temperature rose slightly by the 11.30 start time. Lochore was one of the first races I watched Alistair in last year so I had a better idea of what to expect on this course. This course had a few tricky sections especially some off camber mud, but thankfully once again I managed round my laps without any mechanical problems or falling off.

At the beginning of November it was time to travel West and head for Strathclyde Country Park. The forecast was terrible and it was set to rain for pretty much the whole day. It had been raining for days beforehand also, so the course was extremely muddy. Until this point I had not been on too much mud as the weather had been kind, so was apprehensive about wether or not I could A) stay upright and B) have the strength to claw my way through it. I would be telling a fib if I said it wasn't hard work, my legs were bursting but thought it was a great course. I especially liked the single track through the woods.

Next was Lochore Meadows near Lochgelly. I had been told a few tales about this course. It was usually very muddy, it was very flat and incorporated a spiral that made you quite dizzy. This was another tough one as there was absolutely no respite, you just had to pedal all the time and pedal hard. This course definitely suited those roadies with millions of miles in there legs. It was quite different to the other courses but I still had fun.

At the end of November we travelled to Plean outside Stirling. This was the worst weather I think I have possibly cycled in. It was extremely cold and started to snow before the start. Trying to stay warm even when cycling was difficult as the water falling from the sky and the water from the puddles were so very cold. I thought my hands and feet might fall off they were so cold. However poor Alistair was much worse and I thought he was hypothermic. It took us the rest of the day to try and warm up.

The last race of the series that we could compete in was at Irvine, this race also included the Scottish Champs. Again, I had been told many stories of Irvine, none of which were particularly good. Lots of sand and hills and generally a ten force gale coming in off the sea. My nerves only worsened after my warm up laps, this course had everything, off cambers, mud, sand, steep ups and downs and yes lots of wind. Up until this point I had never fallen off my cross bike in a race, but the big dipper and sand were to be my enemy that day. I lost a good few minutes having to pick myself up off the ground and detangle my bike from my still clipped in feet.

The last race of the series was just this weekend and it was on Mull, but as we both work Saturdays we could not make it. The series consists of 6 races in total but only 5 count towards the final points tally and you drop the lowest score. I only completed 5 so no points dropped. For much of the series I was lying in second place but I had a race in hand on most of the other ladies who were in the top 5. All would be decided by the race at Mull, and so at the end of it all I was placed 4th only 60 points behind the winner.

I was overjoyed with this result considering that in April when I got my bike I had not really cycled with clipped feet, and could not get on and off my bike very quickly, never mind ride tricky off cambers, deep mud, sand, hills, single track and jump planks.

There are a few more races in the New Year but hopefully with some training next year I could do even better. I never thought I would love a sport as much as I used to enjoy my climbing, but cyclocross has so many elements that I love. It can be as competitive as you want it to be, it is so friendly and has something for everyone no matter what age and stage of life. It is a must try for any bike orientated person.

Here is a list of all my results;

Haughcross - non series - 3rd womens race.

Beveridge park - non series - 6th womans race

Balloch Castle - non series - 2nd vet woman

Callendar Park - series round 1 - 6th vet woman

Knockhill - non series - 1st vet 40 woman

Knockburn Loch - series round 2 - 2nd vet woman

Strathclyde - series round 3 - 3rd vet woman.

Lochore Meadows - series round 4 - 4th vet woman

Plean - non series - 2nd vet woman

Irvine - series round 5 - Scottish Champs - 3rd vet 40 woman.

Not bad for a first season even if I do say so myself.

All this of course could not be done without great support from Alistair and our friends Matt and Elisa who have helped with some handy coaching trips and our great Tuesday night training.

Here are a few shots from some great photographers. The lovely Anthony Robson took a few of these and I'm afraid I can't recall the others, oops.

Peace x

The Tale of Two Weekends.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 19:59:00 +0000

September was due to be one if the busiest months so far, with two big cycle events pencilled in on our calendar.

Last weekend's Galloway Gallop was going to be my first adventure cross event and a pre peaks event to test Alistair's legs. We had booked it way back at the beginning of the year and were really quite excited about it.

All the plans were in place. It was going to be an early start because it takes a few hours to get down to Kirroughtree and the race was due to start at 8am. At 68 miles it was going to be my longest cross ride to date and although slightly apprehensive was excited, despite the early start on a Sunday.

Alistair (chief mechanic) had the bikes prepped and ready, all spare tubes etc packed in saddlebags. I organised food and water and made a carb loaded dinner.

The parentals/dogsitters had arrived safely, we were good to go, or so we thought as we headed upstairs for a early nights sleep.

As we were both just drifting off into the land of nod, I heard a few rumblings coming from downstairs followed by my Mum rattling at the bedroom door and shouting at us to get up. "There's water all over the kitchen!! Get up, quickly."

Stumbling out of bed I flew downstairs and into the kitchen to find the floor covered in steaming hot water and the sound of water pouring out of somewhere, but where was still the big question. Somewhere deep behind the corner cupboard was the answer. "Shite, shite shite, towels we need towels."

I luckily now know where the stopcock is as we are in the middle of getting heating and a new bathroom. I came to my senses quickly and turned it off in the wall. The gushing subsided but was still coming out.

A panic call to the plumber and some more quick thinking from Alistair we turned off the new boiler and luckily the flow was stemmed, but not before it had caused some damage to the shop below.

When the panic and adrenaline rush had passed, it was pretty clear that we could not leave my parents to dog sit and deal with the aftermath, so we decided not to go to the Gallop.

We did go out for our own wee trot round our local trails, which was lovely even with my puncture and thumb staving incident!

Oh well, these things happen we got over our disappointment and looked ahead to Alstairs 9th 3 Peaks cyclocross race the following Sunday.

Again this required a 4am start as it is in Yorkshire and was a 9.30am start. Alisatir has told me many 3 Peaks stories so was pleased that I could go and watch him doing a race he is truly passionate about and see for myself the pure grit and determination required to complete this gruelling 38 mile cyclocross race.

The morning was very very misty as we drove down the St Marys loch road but thankfully cleared by the time we hit the M74. We got to Hellwith Bridge without incident and in plenty of time to park up have breakfast and catch our breathe.

At sign on there were many shouts of "Hey Ali" as many folk from Alistairs Yorkshire past came over to say hello and wish him well.

The start line was a bit of a mix up as many people were refusing to listen to the marshals about where the start line actually began. Eventually they set off, one huge mass of crazy riders all heading for the hills.

Bodhi and I jumped back in the car and headed for the second hill of the day at the Ribblehead Viaduct. We followed a line of cars and support riders all heading in the same direction. Parking up at the side of the road, I was getting excited to see my boy coming over the hill. Bodhi and I were in plenty time and walked towards the viaduct to find our spot, where we could pass water and supplements if needed.

As we walked up the path towards where the riders would emerge I heard someone shout my name. Turning around we saw Alistair, not on his bike and walking towards me!!! Oh no, what the hell!

He has been having a few problems with his back the last few weeks and nothing we have done has eased it. It did not take kindly to carrying a bike up a steep hill and completely packed in. The disappointment was clearly written all over his wee face. The race he had been looking forward to for so long was over.

We stayed to watch more of the event and soak up the atmosphere of this hugely popular event. Thankfully it was a beautifully blue sunny day and we shouted on a few of our friends who were also taking part.

Our dive home was slightly subdued, but it was great to go and get a taste of an event that I have heard so much about. We he try again? He says no, but we have all said never again at least once or twice in our lives.

Balloon of Hope.

Ah Good boy.

Floating hope and power lines.

Chatty Ali.

Nervous Ali.

Where's Wally, sorry Ali?

Plant X man, Crawford.

Ribblehaed Viaduct.

It's a sign.

Dejected and Ooh where's the sheep.

Crawford the machine.

Maddy the machine.

Almost finished coming off Pen-Y-Ghent.

Peace x

all photos by Caroline Harvey

Bring on the Bubbles.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 15:37:00 +0000

Well I never thought I would be writing a blog post about becoming engaged but here it is!

Having being burned once before with the whole marriage business, I was, for a long time, a firm believer in the fact that I would never do that again, but it's funny how things turn out.

Having met Alistair almost a year ago, we have been fairly inseparable from the word go and quite quickly found ourselves living together and making future plans.

Now I suppose it is only when you meet the right person that your "never again" attitude might begin to change and for both of us this was definitely the case. I think the conversations started as a testing the water type thing over some wine one night and we both agreed that yes maybe marriage would be on the cards again. We both felt that making that commitment to each other was something that we wanted to do.

I have often spouted over the years that marriage is going out of fashion or doesn't really stand for anything these days as it's so easy to get divorced and many people enter into it without any foresight, but this time 22 years on from the last time I did it, it feels so much more special.

The actual proposal was made many weeks before the ring appeared and was in the kitchen and I was given a gorgeous bunch of carnations. This however we kept secret until we had gotten ourselves more organised.

After some searching around on the old internet we found a jeweller on Etsy who had a fabulous range of rings and so ordered one. This was a slight gamble, but when the ring arrived a week later we were relieved to find that it not only fitted but was as lovely as it looked on the website.

Our original plans were to leave it until October time when we have some days off planned and to go up North and do something to mark the occasion, but we were way too excited so changed our minds to "lets go do it now!"

We trundled off to the Co-op and bought a bottle of Moet (£10 off special deal) and headed up to the top of the local hill Lee Pen.

Thankfully it was a truly gorgeous Summer evening and so could sit out in our shorts and tee shirt and drink our bubbly and just soak up the moment. Even Bodhi chilled out when he realised that this was the end of his walk for a few minutes.

A phone call to my Mum from the top of the hill was made and to hear the surprise and delight in her voice was enough to get me tearing up again. It was a very happy moment for us all.

After consuming half a bottle each we thought we had better go get some dinner as lightweight Harvey was getting kind of drunk. Descending sober,without a dog, I can fall and break my wrist so was getting slightly nervous of getting down intact, but we did thankfully.

We popped Bdog back in the house then hurried round to the Traquair Arms for some food and more drink to celebrate.

It's been a hell of a quick year since I moved house but without a shadow of a doubt it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. Who'd have thought I would find my soul mate living just a few doors down. It's a funny old world.

Bdog and the bubbles.

Family photo.

Fancy.

Bored now Mum.

Cheers.

Happy shadows.

Peace.

All photos by Caroline Harvey.

Haughcross Cyclocross Race.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:26:00 +0000

Yesterday saw me race in my first official cyclocross event at Silversands, Aberdour. It is a Summer event and not part of the Scottish Cyclocross Series. It is organised by James McCallum and sponsored by Ronde Bicycle Outfitters. The format for the day also differs from the Winter races. Yesterday saw 2 heats of mixed age categories then the top 50% from each of those races rode again in Final A and the bottom 50% in Final B.

Even the weather held, mostly.

We got up and away quite early so as to get a good parking spot so Bodhi wasn't ever too far away from us when he had to be left in the car, but it also gave us plenty of time to walk round the course and see exactly what I had let myself in for.

Alistair, being a seasoned pro at all this stuff, helped keep me calm as I seemed to be more anxious about this than I was of the marathon the previous week. Thankfully he has more confidence in my skills than I do and assured me that the course was not too technical.

I rode in the first heat at noon along with Alistair and Elisa. The race was for 40 mins plus a lap and I think was just under a mile per lap.

As we gathered at the start my stomach was churning and Elisa and I tried to reassure each other that it would all be ok, it was her very first race too.

The cyclocross ladies.

Two blows of the whistle and off we went, a mad dash for the first corner, I was doing ok but as I went round the corner I swear I heard what sounded like my tire blowing, so stopped to check it was ok. Rookie error! Don't stop, just keep going until something feels wrong or falls off as the masses quickly disappeared and I had a bit of catching up to do. I just started to pedal as fast as I could till I got back in amongst it and then settled in for the long haul.

After the first lap I seemed to get into a rhythm and tried to stick with that pace as best I could. I loved the top half of the course with the ramp and and a couple of sweeping corners. The bottom half was slightly trickier as there were tree slaloms, planks, and uphill and one hell of a head wind to contend with.

When I heard the commentator announce that 12 minutes had past I thought that I was never going to see the 40 mins through, but just dug in and tried to race as hard as I could. I and no idea where I was placed in the field but there was another female rider behind me and I just tried my best to stay in front of her as long as I could.

The final lap bell was a sweet sound to hear and was glad to cross the finish line having only been lapped by Alistair the once.

All we had to do after that was cheer on friends in the second heat and then wait around until 5pm and 6pm for our respective finals. It was a long wait but was needed as my legs felt rather tired with my efforts.

Even Bdog needed some rest on such a long day.

In the final I tried to get a better start so as not to have to work so hard to catch up. It was better and my confidence from the first race helped too. For most of the race I could not see any of the other few woman and the only people around or passing me were men, until at a section down near the trees you could see who was behind and I saw the girl that I had a good race previous with. Again not knowing where I was positioned in the field, my only goal was to try and stay in front for as long as I could. Alistair was being a great coach and shouting at me from the sidelines urging me to keep pedalling as hard as I could. My legs were on fire, my back ached but managed beyond even my expectations to stay ahead and cross the line before the lady in orange. I was well chuffed.

It was then time to watch Alistair's super fast final and Bodhi and I did our best to try and take photos and cheer him on.

In the end I managed to get 3rd place and was completely surprised.

Alistair has always said "It's only 40 minutes of pain but you'll enjoy it!" and I often thought "I'm sure I won't" but low and behold I did. The day was great and even if I had come further down the field I would have enjoyed it all the same, because although I was trying to stay ahead the competitive challenge was mostly with myself.

If you are at all looking for a new sport/challenge I recommend cyclocross as you not only get a great workout but you get to hang out with lots of really nice people too. Many riders ride for teams but I am not part of a team, so we made my own team name. Go team Rainbow Cloud!

Start line.

Up and over.

Portage.

Go Ali D!

I see him coming.

Faster, faster.

3rd, yeah.

Prize.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey and Alistair Dow.

Taking the Roller Coaster to Fort William.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 14:48:00 +0000

Last year I attempted to do my first marathon but failed due to falling and breaking my wrist which was more than slightly annoying. I obviously had to sign up for another and hope that nothing untoward would happen a second time around.

So at the start of this year I signed up for the first Fort William marathon, then twisted Beth's arm to come join in the fun, which makes a change because it's normally the other way round!

The months soon passed and I had to make my 16 week training plan. I did some research about the best way to train for a marathon and eventually found a formula that I hoped would suit me. I knew that I would not be able to cope with a purely running orientated plan as I firstly didn't think my body would cope and secondly I would find it really dull and boring. I decided to make a plan around 3 runs a week (1 x speed, 1 x tempo, 1 x distance) and cycle my bike at least 2 or 3 times a week too.

This plan worked well for the first 4 and a half weeks and I was finding it fairly enjoyable and I think I was getting faster. Then one day when just out for a walk with the dog I stumbled on a tree root and felt a very sharp pain in my glutes. Had to come straight home, couldn't even walk it off! Although panicking about it, I still had plenty of time to get it fixed.

A few trips to the physio later and I was back, still a little sore and very cautious. I had tweaked old, almost chronic injuries, a tight piriformis muscle in my butt and slight tendonitis at the insertion of my hamstring into glute. Happy days!

So my plan was changed accordingly to suit my injuries. I cut out the speed sessions as going fast was out of the question. I upped the miles on the bike and reduced the miles on the trails for a few weeks, then as I improved I upped the running miles again.

I was training on the fantastic trails round and about Innerleithen so they were quite tough miles, quite a lot of elevation on fire roads and single track. However a combination of new trainers and the hills possibly contributed to me getting sore achilles, mostly the left one.

To say I was getting a bit depressed about the whole thing is an understatement, a few tears and tantrums were had but I wanted so desperately to complete this challenge. I hate to fail.

I soldiered on, ice baths for my feet, topical ibuprofen, anti inflammatories and pain killers became my friends.

The training went on though and the date was looming large. My positivity was growing, I can achieve this, I will achieve this.

Then 12 days before race day I woke up with a slightly stiff back, nothing unusual really but this one decided not to disappear and steadily became tighter as the day wore on. Panicking I texted the wonderful Gillian (friend and physio) for help and guidance. I was thinking the worst scenario, as my back has gone before and taken months to recover fully. She assured me that this may not be the case and not to give up hope just yet.

After some intensive physio sessions, more stretching exercises and 8 whole days of no exercise I tested my body on a 3.5 mile run 2 days before race day. I managed, it felt terrible and parts of me hurt but I was certainly going to go and give it the best shot that I could.

The roller coaster of Fort William did not stop there though, more bumps were to come.

It was initially planned that my parents would come and dog sit for us so Alistair could be our cycle support on the route, but like my training plan it also had to be changed. My Mum had taken ill and so therefore could not make it down. The hotel we were staying in was not pet friendly so what would we do? The only way was if we took Bdog and one of us would sleep in the car with him over night.

Upon arrival at the hotel I mentioned the situation to the hotel reception just to check that they wouldn't mind a guest sleeping in their car park. The gentleman was most helpful and with a whispered voice said that we could sneak him in after the owner had gone home for the day. Phew! Happy days for Bdog and Alistair.

Sunday race day was on me it was now or never. Beth and I were both fairly anxious at the start, it was my first and Beth's second marathon. The route on paper looked good but not really knowing the lay of the land that well, it was more of a "will just have to wait and see" kind of route. The weather might play a big part in the enjoyability of it. As it turned out the weather was near perfect conditions for running and unusually for Scotland this Summer, it stayed dry.

The route started at Nevis range and for the first 12ish miles followed a mix of fire roads, single track and roads. The scenery was spectacular and had to remind myself to lift my head and look around. The next 6 miles took us along the side of the Caledonian canal, again very scenic but this for me was the hardest point. The terrain was flat and seemed endless and because the small field of competitors had now been spread quite wide it was fairly lonely.

Having only run in training up to 20 miles the last 6 was going to be an unknown quantity, but apart from my legs starting to seize up, I felt ok. Every time I passed a mile marker I let out a little cheer, and said to myself "not far to go now". I plodded on trying to keep my legs going at a steady rate, but the last 4 miles was uphill so had to dig in hard.

Entering back into the Nevis range and following part of the X-country bike path I could feel myself getting quite emotional, all the blood, sweat and tears was eventually going to pay off. Not long after the 26 mile marker I rounded a corner and saw Alistair cheering me on. I smiled and cried at the same time, he was a very welcoming and lovely sight to see.

Crossing the finish line I have never felt so much relief and joy all at the same time. I had made it, Fort William had been conquered. In fact it felt like some of the best running I had done in a while.

With my medal round my neck I waited to cheer Beth over the line and shed a few more tears when I saw her round the corner and head toward the finish line. Another challenge completed.

As the title of this post suggests I found this a difficult challenge as my body was fairly uncooperative at times. As ever I am thankful to the people and dog in my life who help make things possible.

The day was topped off perfectly with a stop at Tyndrum for gluten free haddock and chips and a few glasses of champagne when safely tucked up back home in the comfort of my jammies.

Bdog going on a road trip.

Car selfies.

Near Glen Etive.

Mmm never been here before.

Dinner outside in sunshine.

A calm and beautiful day at Fort Bill.

We can rebuild her!

Anxious.

More anxious.

Tears of joy.

The last few metres.

The red mat of joy.

Go Beth.

I love you.

All that for a tee shirt.

And a medal.

Boot party.

Where's my Mum?

That'll do.

Cheers. x

As always big love to all the Galls who make any weekend a great one, to Alistair chief photographer and supporter, Bdog for licking away all my salty sweat and Gillan for her amazing magic physio hands.

Peace x

All photographs copyright to A. Dow and C. Gall.

Love Cross at Tweedlove. A great first event.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 May 2015 20:54:00 +0000

The Tweed Love bike festival is one of the biggest bike festivals in the UK with a wide range of events taking place over the fortnight. You can participate in the Skinny Tweed sportive, mountain bike races, ride outs, family events etc. The festival this year culminates next weekend with the Enduro World Series coming to Glentress and Innerleithen. This brings riders from all over the world to this small area in the Scottish borders.

This year, since I now live here, I was persuaded to sign up for the Urban Cross race. An inaugural event for Tweedlove and for me. I have never raced on a bike in a competitive environment before and although this was billed as a fun event, which it was, it was still a race and I knew there would be lots of fast and fancy riders taking part.

I have to say I was very nervous as Alistair and I cycled along to Peebles. What was I letting myself in for? I had practiced getting on and off my bike but was still slightly panicky about getting my feet out in time to dismount or indeed forgetting they were clipped in all together! After all it was grass I had practiced on, not tarmac. It was going to hurt if I hit the ground.

As we reached Tweed Green it was good to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones. Everyone was ready for a good event and thankfully it had actually stopped raining.

A quick recce of the course with my sidekick and coach (Alistair Cyclocross Dow) helped to calm my nerves as he reassured me that it was all rideable and I was capable of getting round in one piece.

The start was a Le Mans style start, which normally wouldn't bother me but getting a slight running injury the previous week meant I was pretty slow over the 50m and was almost last to get to my bike. On the upside it kept me away from all the fast guys.

There was 2 heats and I, along with the other 7/8 ladies were in heat 1. It was first 4 through to the final and first 10 men.

I really didn't know what to expect but once I started cycling I really got into it.

Once on your bike it was a sprint along the High Street past an army of kids with water pistols, then a downhill slalom course. Then it was round the corner where you had to jump off and run up a fairly steep set of church steps. Back on the bike, over some sand bags and back onto the High Street and through some hanging tape. Round another corner and down to a loop and more hay bales. At the bottom of the hill you had a few meters to take a deep breathe for a steep climb back up to the High street to do it all again and again and again.

The race was timed over 15 mins + 1 lap and I managed to stay alive round 6 laps. I was grinning from ear to ear when I finished. Hard work had never been so much fun! Then I found out I had to do it all again as I had made it through to the final!!!

Remarkably I managed another 6 laps and came 3rd. I really couldn't believe it, I think the last time I actually won any sort of prize I was in my teens.

The whole event was extremely well organised and the atmosphere of the crowd, riders and supporters made this a truly fantastic start to my venture into the world of cyclocross. Every minute of the evening was enjoyable.

Slow start.

Through the tape tent.

Vennel and cobbles.

Got to practice my tight turns.

Nicola being awesome.

Steps of pain.

The top.

Whizz!

Chuffed tae bits.

Lovely new friends.

Cold and nervous before final.

Ah hay bales.

3rd place behind the young talent Lucy Grant.

If you can get yourself down here for the festival there is still time, if not check it out next year.

All photos by Ali Dow x

Peace x

Well that was a quick year!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Jan 2015 20:17:00 +0000

I can't believe where the time has gone, it has been over 3 months since I last posted and now the new year is upon us and we can look forward to the slow crawl towards Summer. I really do hate the Winter nights.

I'm not sure where to start in order to cover all that has happened in the last 3 months so I will keep it brief and mostly update with some photos, as they speak louder than words.

What I will say is that my move here to Innerleithen has definitely been the best decision I have made in a very long time.

Bodhi has settled well into my life and he keeps me amused every single day with his antics. He is such a loving dog and will try his very best to please you at all times. His training continues though, as he still is not trusted off the lead. His nose and ears can seek out any living creature at 100 paces and would disappear into the forrest at the first whiff of a squirrel or mouse. I am currently working on his recall with a whistle and voice commands and it seems to be working.

In order that he can run fast and be "more dog" he is running along side me in his trail harness when I go jogging, although his looks of disgust at my slow pace can be a tad disheartening.

His trail doggyness does not end there though, just recently he has been with me on my bike. His pulling power for a relatively small dog is immense. The hope is that he will learn to run next to the bikes on the trails eventually, but in the mean time he makes a great training aid both on foot and on the bike.

First day of trail dog training.

Bodhi is not the only special boy in my life these days though, call it fate but like Bodhi I have met my forever match. Nuff said, I'm happy and that's good in my book. :-)

Ok now some photos, hopefully some exciting plans for this year so will continue with my ramblings throughout 2015.

Christmas day selfies.

Happy beaches.

I'm so handsome.

A very wet new years day walk in the Pentlands.

So, so tired!

Will never tire of this view.

Do I have to Mummy?

Where to?

No more selfies, I smell rabbits.

Snowy bike days.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey

30 Days Later.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 15:33:00 +0000

Incredibly it is only 4 weeks since I moved house and it feels like I have been here forever.

Admittedly life has not been very normal as I am still off work with my broken wrist. It is healing and I am thankfully out of the stookie, but need to wear one of the velcro splint things for a while longer. I think there is quite a lot of tendon damage which can often take longer to mend than the bones.

To pass the time I have been doing small jobs around the house that can be done mainly with one hand and getting out to explore my new surroundings on foot. As much as I love the outdoors and fresh air, walking can sometimes be rather dull. I am too used to running or cycling on trails and although I'm no speed merchant at either sport, walking just takes ages. It can also feel, at least to me, a tad lonesome. This feeling was compounded one evening when out for a wee saunter along the river. Being in the country people actually say hello as they pass, sometimes pleasantries about the weather are even exchanged. On this particular evening however, I passed a man and his wife out walking their dogs. This was probably about the 3rd consecutive evening I had passed them but on this occasion rather than just say hello the man said "Hey Hen, you need tae get a dug, you look affy lonely!"

So I did look silly walking on my own, I knew it! It's similar to having a meal for one in a restaurant, people judge and put on that pity face or are just generally suspicious.

However I suppressed my "you'll die alone thoughts" as it was too nice an evening for that and got back to worrying about whether the cows would be out of their field and on the riverbank again. Although not a particular "feardy", I do draw the line at having to walk through a herd of cows. The only thing that could make that scenario worse is if each of the cows were being ridden by a clown. Clowns and cows *shudder* it's what nightmares are made of.

Anyway I digress, my phobias can wait for another day.

Not long after the throw away statement by the stranger, my good friend Beth happened to post a photo of a very handsome dog on my Facebook page, saying that he was in urgent need of a permanent home. As tempted as I was I thought I can't have a dog, I have to work etc, but those big brown puppy dog eyes had burned a hole in my soul.

We could meet at least, what's the harm in that. I presumed it would be similar to internet dating, the profile ticked all the boxes, handsome, likes the outdoors, not too young, not too old, toilet trained. In fact it read better than some human profiles I've had the misfortune to read. If we don't have a connection I will know soon enough, dogs don't lie.

So to cut the story short, we met, I fell in love and my heart ruled my head as it always does and I am now the very proud owner of a big hearted mutt that is slightly nervous and has some abandonment issues but is truly adorable.

He came with the name of Rufus but I have changed it to Bodhi as I think it suits him better. Bodhi in Buddhism is the understanding possessed by a Buddha regarding the true nature of things and literally translates into English as enlightenment or awakening but on a deeper level it was also the name of Patrick Swayze's character in the totally rad film that is Point Break.

We have been human and dog companions for under 2 weeks, but he is great company and I can now go for walks with my head held high and proudly displaying my "Young (not so), Free (mostly) and Single (but I have a dog) " badge.

I know at times it will be tricky to do everything I want, as I will have to make sure that his needs come first, but it will be worth it.

So Handsome.

Radar lugs.

I love my ball.

So tired.

I am the King of all I survey.

Peace x

All Photos by Caroline Harvey

7350 Days Later.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 20:59:00 +0000

It's been a while since I last posted which I apologise for but I've a good excuse.

I moved house!

There are times when I can procrastinate over small or even trivial decisions that may or may not make difference to my life, but when it comes to making big decisions I am fairly brutal and they are often quick and instantaneous.

Giving up a career, taking time to travel, moving house away from my city and my friends. Yup lets do it, go, go, go!

As the title suggests, I had been the owner and resident (minus 1 year) of my flat in Edinburgh for a substantial amount of time and when I started to think about that I was beginning to find it quite depressing. The history of me and the flat goes back to when I was a child bride :-). Oh the hopes and dreams! Well maybe not, but it didn't stay a marital home for too long and soon the flat became my home. Some may say that this was an ominous beginning but hey you got to live somewhere and it wasn't the flats fault I married a twat.

Anyway we grew together and decorated quite a few times in those 7350 days. The TV programme Changing Rooms had much to answer to in a few of those years. Suffice to say there were quite a few ups and downs at number 42.

History is history though and it was time to move on and make some new memories. For many years I didn't know where I would actually want to move to. The only thing I could afford within Edinburgh would be smaller than I had already and even I am not old enough to downsize just yet. East and West lothian I've never really fancied for various reasons. So where, that was the big question.

Having taken up mountain biking a year or so ago and making frequent trips down to Glentress and the Innerleithen trails, I started to think about living in either Peebles or Inners. After research I decided that Innerleithen would be a good bet. It is a busy little town with lots of local amenities, walking and biking trails and actually not too far from Burgh either. Could I have found my Location, Location, Location?

That was it decision made, and so 12 weeks of madness began.

The sign went up and I was on the market, so to speak!

Preparing for my first weekend of viewing was taken up with much frantic cleaning and tidying up of all the things they tell you to hide to create space etc. No one came. Oh well next week. I think it was the 3rd weekend before anyone showed, just one lady, but she seemed to like it. I was giving my "this flat is great, area is great, neighbours are great" speech and had my fingers crossed that my sales pitch was working. It must have as she came back the next day with her sister for a second look.

Short story of the next sequence goes something like this; offer in, offer accepted, offer reduced due to her solicitors incompetence, I asked for cheeky in-between price, accepted, woop woop.

In the midst of these few days my downstairs neighbour complained my balcony was letting water seep through to his living room ceiling. Crap timing to say the least, 20 years and relatively few neighbour dramas. To say I was unamused was putting it mildly. Something else to fix before I leave.

Now I had to find somewhere to buy, luckily I had been trawling the net and had made pro and con lists for various houses. I made an appointment to see the one I thought had the best potential as my new life partner and low and behold it was love at first sight. Boom. Cheeky offer in, offer refused, reasonable offer in, offer accepted. Boom Boom.

To cut short the whole very stressful event, there were varying degrees of nonsense from all parties building warrants etc but eventually it all came together and the day before my moving date my solicitor phoned with the news that "missives were concluded". Those are by far the sweetest 3 words anyone has ever said to me in a very long time and I think I gave out a squeal of delight and maybe danced around a little. Nobody was looking!

Emptying my loft took about 5 weekends and endless trips to the dump.

Tiles removed from balcony. I had them replaced obviously.

My spare room or box room as it came to be known.

Game on. OMG I'm actually moving.

And so it was on August 8th 2014, 7350 days after I moved in, I packed my goods and shackles and departed for the countryside.

I was beyond excited.

It is a strange phenomenon that we, or at least I, spend hours reading reviews etc about the latest gadget, trainer, bike etc that i will spend my hard earned cash on, but when it comes to spending thousands, 2 look rounds and Bobs your Uncle you've bought a house.

Thankfully my new house has lived up to my expectations so far. The interior is slightly more "50 Shades of Beige" than I would like but I already have the colour charts at the ready for a more primary colour makeover.

One of my new views. A good weather window.

View towards Caddon Bank, bike trails R US.

A gift from my favourite wee boys.

View from top of hill of doom.

Mmm that's not good.

Ah yeah, it be broken then.

However, it has not all been smooth sailing since moving in to my new abode. In my keenness to get out and explore the new trails and paths, 4 days after moving in, I fell coming down a hill whilst out for a run and broke my wrist. I couldn't believe it, not only have I never broken a bone before I was actually in the midst of telling myself "now be careful as these rocks will be slippy" when Bam, my feet disappeared from under me. I landed at first on my backside, thankful my keys in my back pocket protected my fall. Not! Then as if that wasn't painful enough I then flipped sideways and went face first into the hillside and rocks. I smacked my chin and put my tooth through my lip, but my left hand took most of the force.

I got up in that, did anyone see me fall manner, and gave myself a check over. Blood, yes. Limbs broken, no. Anyone around, no. Ok good to go. I jogged slowly back down the hill wiping my lip as I went. Eventually I stopped to check my hand as it was throbbing and saw that it was not quite the shape it should be. Oopsy. Thankfully I found a fiver on the way up the hill, so went to the Scotmid to buy the obligatory frozen peas, only cost £1, still 4 quid up, hoorah.

After a few phone calls to my Mum and various friends, I iced my hand then went to bed. Another long story short I had to go to the hospital and they told me I had a fracture on my radius and put me in a stookie.

This may not sound like a funny story but it really is. My two very good friends and running companions have also fallen whilst out running recently. Beth was the first, badly bruised ribs and a smashed watch amongst her injuries. Heather was second, she fell and got stitches in her chin and messed up her hands and knees. I am hopefully the 3rd and last of this tripping up disease that seems to have befallen us all.

To make matters funnier, it was Heather that drove me to the A&E, she was still fairly heavily bandaged from her injuries. To say we looked like a "right pair" is a bit of an understatement.

The downside of injuring myself does mean that all the events i have been training for and were upcoming have all and to be abandoned. There is always next year.

I have a garden though.

One handed art work to tell people I've moved.

Phew can still hold a glass.

Oh Yes!

I have an apple tree.

The pointy hill is where I fell.

I have since done a couple of exploratory walks and found some great routes for when I can actually run again.

Top of Pirn Hill.

All things considered I love my new house and look forward to new and exciting times ahead. I even have a new coffee machine, so you can get a decent cuppa if you are passing my door.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey

The Super Sisters.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 May 2014 19:49:00 +0000

Today was Edinburgh marathon day, when approx 30, 000 people descend upon the city and it's coastline to run in varying lengths of races.

Beth was so inspired by watching her sister last year that she signed up early on to run this 26.2 mile course.

Lesley, having run an amazing first marathon time last year got invited to do the London marathon in April, which she completed in and unbelievable 3hrs 20 something.

Both ladies had done all the training required and this morning I met them in town to see them off at their start points. The weather was not great but it was better than the very hot day we had on Wednesday, which def would have been a killer for these fair skinned gorgeous ladies.

Sisterly love.

I was on bike support so once I had left them at the start I headed out to the 10 mile marker which was out past Musselburgh. I found a good spot next to a very chatty and friendly volunteer marshall.

Lesley came through first and was looking strong and cheery as ever, then came Beth also making light work of the course.

Now for those that don't now the course, it is one of the fastest courses in the world because there are relatively no hills, but don't let this fool you in to thinking that it is easy. Personally i think it must be hard as it is one long straight line for 18 miles then you turn around and come back! This also means that you see all the people ahead of you heading home as you may still be going out. To me this is mental torture, so extra, extra kudos to anyone who completes this marathon.

I was wanting to head to the 18 mile turn point, but it was too difficult to get along the road at any fast pace as the whole road is used by the runners. In the end I waited at around the 22/23 mile mark at Cockenzie.

Some how I sadly managed not to see Lesley the 2nd time, because I think I may have been in the ladies room behind a wall.

I did see Beth however and another friend Becky. Both said they were feeling slightly weary but they looked in good health. I scooted off back to the finish to try and see everyone.

The finish was very busy but all were found and and in relatively good spirits.

Both ladies finished in highly respectable times. Lesley 3:31 ish and Beth 4:22.

I am so proud of both of them. They also raised £700 towards Macmillan cancer.

Also a big shout out to Kathleen who finished her first marathon and raised £800 for Alzheimer Scotland.

The Elite athletes coming through the 10 miles in 51 mins!

So fast.

Cockenzie.

So many people.

Storm clouds over Edinburgh.

Yeah Beth almost at the end.

Peace x

Keep on Running.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 20:54:00 +0000

Way back in January I was needing to find an event to enter to give me a target and keep me motivated over the Winter months. Normally I leave this task to my lovely friend Beth, who has roped me into various cycling, running events over the years, but this time I thought I would have a look myself to see if anything took my fancy.

I decided on a running event as it is hard to do many road cycling miles in the winter unless you have a turbo trainer, which I don't. There were so many to choose from, 10k's, half marathons and of course the full marathon, what to do?

I plumped for the half marathon as it was more of a challenge than a 10k but required a lot less training than a full one. Rather than go for a city pavement run I chose the Loch Katrine half, which although was still on hard tarmac had the added bonus of some stunning scenery.

The race was last Sunday, which thankfully was a clear blue sky day, slightly cold with a bit of a breeze but no rain or snow.

We arrived in plenty time (Beth ran too, she is in marathon training) which was great as it gave us plenty time to register and settle our nerves and get a good warm up done. The event is relatively small in size, approx 300, but includes a 10k, half and full marathon.

The marathon runners set off first and their course would take them the 13 miles down the loch and back, our route was obviously half that distance down and back.

It is a very popular walking and cycling route but I have never done it before so the route was unknown to me, which I actually quite like, although I do usually prefer circular routes, but you can't have everything.

We set off and not having run with other people around me in a very long time I was slightly concerned that I might be tempted to run too fast etc so I just focused on a pace that I thought I would be able to sustain for the 13.1 miles.

The route was quite undulating and so tried to keep as similar a pace as I could on the ups and if my legs allowed make the most of the downs.

As I approached the half way mark I was feeling quite good as I and done quite a few 6 milers, but hadn't really done too many over the 10 mile mark, so my thoughts at this point were "can I keep this pace going for the same miles back?"

I knew I was going fairly well as I could check the time on my watch and I was under an hour at the turning point. I tried to keep fellow competitors in sight and where possible try to catch up or at least match pace.

My legs were feeling pretty good and my calf muscles which have been acting up recently were also feeling ok. Basically it was head down and try and continue the same pace. As I approached the 11 mile mark I was feeling quite tired and possibly a little dehydrated but I could hear feet pounding behind me and tried hard not to let anyone past. At 12 miles the feet were closer and I looked over my shoulder and there was a lady just on my shoulder. She spurred me on by telling me that I had been the best pacemaker for the last 6 miles and I should dig in and give my best to get to the finish in a good time. This comment really spurred me on and I eventually crossed the finish line in 1:54:38.

Under the 2 hours, I was very pleased.

The race was an extremely well organised event and the route although out and back was in some of the most stunning Scottish scenery. It was also a very friendly race with competitors give encouragement to each other as they pass. The winner of the marathon even gave encouragement as he passed me!! He ran a full marathon in 2:49:35. Impressive to say the least.

Sadly I was unable to stop and take photos, which was a shame as the day was beautiful, so this is one from the start line.

Peace x

My New Love.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:28:00 +0000

It's been a while since I posted but have been busy with various bits and pieces and have just not found the time to sit down and post. So here is a round up, more pics than words probably.

When I first started this blog, it was mainly to give information to friends and family of my year long trip to North America. At that point in time my main sporting focus was rock climbing and hence the name Caroline's climbs and photos. Since returning from that trip the amount of time I have spent climbing has steadily dwindled, I had lost my need and passion to continue at the same intensity, and to be honest I felt kind of lost without it.

I have now thankfully filled that gap in my life again, and as I think I have mentioned before, I have taken up mountain biking.

I love this activity so much and at the moment it is mostly what I do in my spare time. It has the same qualities that climbing used to bring to my life. I love the concentration and focus I need to have in order not to crash. I love the adrenalin rush you get when you complete a difficult route. I love the technical aspects of trying to ride fast and smoothly. I love that you learn every time you ride. I love that it gets me out in the fresh air and to beautiful places. I could go on but I think you get the drift.

I have now been to all 7 Stanes trail centres and this weekend brought it home that sometimes you just lose your head and find it hard to tackle obstacles. Similar, for me at least, when I used to lead climb outside at the start of the season.

Dalbeattie was the centre that managed to break my good spell of mental strength and I got the "fear", which in mountain biking can be dangerous, because it is at those moments that you pull the brake too sharply, take the wrong line etc and things just get messy!

However, I made it round with only one slight tumble but I am now determined to hone my skills further and try my best to keep them fears at bay.

When I've not been biking, I have been running and trying to get into the Pentlands when weather and daylight permits.

Morning Pentland run.

Trail at Aberfoyle.

Running at John Muir Trust Festival.

Running over Pentland hill tops.

Snow biking at Carron Valley.

Hard work but snow much fun!!!

Biking at Newcastleton.

Biking at Glentress.

Rainbow.

Biking at Mabie.

Way home from Dalbeattie.

Single speed fun, sadly not my bike.

I am so glad that I was introduced to this sport, even at my age, because along with all the reasons mentioned earlier it is pure and simply fun.

Peace x

The Big Breakfast.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 20:24:00 +0000

I have been a Coeliac (gluten free freak) for about 15 years now. In this time the availability of gluten free food in the shops has increased massively and the choice of snacky treats is definitely getting better, some are even tasty!

The food labelling for allergens has also become much clearer, which is not only good for me but excellent for other people who may be trying to feed me.

Restaurants in the UK, in my opinion, have been slow to catch up with the change of dietary needs within the population and I am always very wary when eating out, so when I see a menu with GF written next to items, I still get stupidly excited.

This weekend contained one of those excited moments. For a little change to our normal busy weekend schedule, we decided to go out for breakfast on Saturday morning. After dropping off my bike at the shop for a well overdue service, we drove into town to Urban Angel on Forth Street. I had checked the menu on the web the night before and they had a good assortment of delights to choose from so was looking forward to my breakfast.

After a quick look at the menu and a double check of what they could offer I decided to go with the same as my lovely companion. French toast with organic bacon and maple syrup!

To say that it was fantastically, mouth wateringly tasty is an under statement. I honestly thought I had died and gone to heaven. Such a simple dish to make, but the fact that I could order the same as a non gluten free person was so pleasing.

Obviously this could be easy, even for me, to make at home but the added decadence of going out for breakfast was just lovely. It's true that life is about enjoying the little things and for me those little things often revolve around food.

I did not take a photo of my delicious food so here is a rainbow instead.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey

Lovin' it.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 20:59:00 +0000

The first full working week is over, thank goodness. It's always a thought knuckling back down to the dull repetition of work but in order to enjoy your free time, you got to make some bucks somehow!

The great thing about the end of the week is of course the weekend and this weekend was made all the better as the weather was fabulous. Cold, but fabulous.

Of course when the weather is good it makes the thought of going out and exercising so much easier and enjoyable. When the winter mornings are still dark and the urge to hibernate under the duvet is strong, it is amazing to see a beautiful blue sky take hold of the day. Even if there is no blue sky if it's dry and not blowing a gale, you've got to jump at the chance to get out and enjoy the few hours before darkness comes in again.

Saturday morning was one of those cold and very crisp mornings and having not run since the beginning of the week it was a great opportunity to head off the pavements and into the hills, or at least closer to them. The small amount of pavement and roads that i did go on were incredibly slippy with black ice, but thankfully I did not become a cropper. No speed records were made, but a successful 8ish miles were completed.

Sunday was mountain biking day. Yippee! Although the blue skies had been swapped for clouds it was dry, but still very cold and frosty.

The decision to head to Glentress and tackle the black route was made. I was especially looking forward to this trip as I recently treated myself to a drop seat (Rock Shock Reverb). This is a fancy seat post that you can lower and raise with the push of a button. This may seem a slightly pointless gadget to some people, but to me it is absolutely amazing. I like a high seat for climbing the hills but like it quite low for the downhills and on a varied trail this can be quite tedious and time consuming to do manually, but with this gadget you can do it on the move. It made me so happy it was beyond ridiculous.

Getting to the top of the black route is quite a leg and lung buster and is broken up with some technical downhills, but all the puffing and panting is worth it, not only for the views but for the great downhill at the end. To come down, we took the direct route that followed mostly red and then blue trail markers, and apart from having a few frozen gear problems it was a great run.

To top off a rather splendid January weekend, we stopped in at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Innerleithen. They have a gluten free menu that delights an especially hungry and slightly chilly me. A bowl of chips, a piece of carrot cake and a latte, blissful.

Now that, in my book, is a great weekend.

Morning run.

Morning bike ride.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey.

365 days later.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Jan 2014 16:59:00 +0000

Well it's that time again! Christmas has passed and now the new year is upon us. 2014! Wow, 14 years after the millennium already, where has the time gone.

It doesn't need to be the start of a new year to make you sit back and reflect on the past, but you always fall into it, or at least I do. My reflections tell me that on the whole 2013 was a fairly good one for me. It wasn't so good for a few close friends and family, but they have all come out the other side and fingers crossed 2014 will bring better health to those who need it.

I have many happy memories of 2013, good laughs with old friends, adventures with new friends, physical challenges achieved, and so much more.

What does this new, even numbered year hold in store, hopefully the same and more. I have no specific plans but I know I want to make more memories with a certain gentleman who makes me smile. I want time with my friends. I want to cycle more miles. I want to run more miles, and generally be content and happy.

Not too much to ask really!

Life is what you make it so live it and love it. I'm going to try.

Wishful thinking.

I wish for more mountain biking trails.

I wish for blue skies and sunshine.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Wheelie good fun.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 20:20:00 +0000

I love my outdoor activities and since being introduced to mountain biking about 6 months ago I have fallen in love with it. I loved my cycling anyway, but sometimes I am not prepared to fight with the traffic and am less inclined to do winter road cycling. With mountain biking however there is thankfully no traffic and I'm more prepared to get wet, cold and dirty.

At first I was very apprehensive of the downhills and feared the stones and tree roots that could be found on the trails. Now, although not as daring as I may have been about 25 years ago, I have gained in confidence and can tackle most trails, even some black routes!

The uphills are always hard and I usually huff and puff my way up to the top, hoping that at some point the ups will get easier. They never do! Although my times have improved, so I must be getting fitter. The feeling of getting to the top is always great though and the thigh burn is worth it when you get to whizz all the way back down to the bottom.

I have been lucky enough in these few months of taking up the sport to have visited several of Scotland's trail centres. They have all been very different in technical difficulty, layout, size etc but one thing they have all had in common is that they are all manmade trails.

I had an extra day off this weekend and was very much looking forward to heading down to Glentress for a good burn round the red route, but sadly the storms we had mid week stopped all my fun. I decided to check the website before leaving but it had not been updated for a few days, so texted the forrest Ranger to find out the extent of any damage that the winds may have caused. He promptly replied saying that the trails were being checked, so sadly the centre was closed until all reports were in.

Gutted, what to do now? It was a gorgeous day and I did not want to waste my precious day off. So jumping on my bike I started out on a route that would take me along the Water of Leith and then up to the reservoirs at the base of the Pentland hills.

It was an extremely cold day and I found that the ground was completely frozen, even where it was exposed to the sunshine. As I was puffing my way up the steep Currie Kirk road I thought that it might be a good idea to actually go over the Pentlands and follow the trail that I normally run.

I have walked and run around these hills for many years and have always cursed the people that use it as a mountain bike trail, as the bikes have gradually eroded many of the paths and caused huge ruts in the ground that make it extremely hard to run over.

I reasoned this time that the ground was frozen so hard that my one trip round was not going to cause any further damage. Most of the paths were actually covered with ice, so much of the time my wheels didn't actually touch the earth!

I have to admit that it is a very good route to have on your doorstep, especially when you don't pass another soul the whole way round, but the extent of the damage caused by the number of people that use the hills is evident (walkers and runners included). There is extensive path building underway on the way over to Glencorse. At the moment it looks like a huge digger has just run up and over the hill and left this big ugly scar. I presume that the plan is to cover this in large chuckie stones, which is a shame because this is not very enjoyable for anyone to walk/run/cycle on.

I think it's always a shame when this happens, but it is inevitable when specific paths are so well used. It is great that so many people go out and enjoy this fantastic area of countryside that is literally a stones throw from the city, but when large paths are built it slightly ruins the look and feel of the hillside.

A gorgeous winter day out.

Huge path dug out of the hillside.

Very frozen big path.

My proposed Sunday ride with Beth in Carron Valley was also called off due to a storm damaged trail, so wanting to get out and keep up my mtb fitness I had an early morning ride up the Water of Leith. However with the temps being back above freezing the path is now very wet and muddy and I got rather filthy. I knew that I was getting splashed from my front wheel as I could see my very dirty jacket, legs and shoes but did not realise just how filthy my face was. I did get a few strange looks from some dog walkers and people in the garage forecourt when I took my bike for a power wash.

Not my best look! I have a mud beard.

Hopefully the trail centres will be open again soon.

Peace x

Mmmm interesting having just googled to see who has responsibility of ownership for that part of the Pentlands, I have found that it is actually the land owners that are making a larger access path up the hill for their vehicles. Maybe I shouldn't worry as much as I do about the erosion after all.

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Gee Gee Riders.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 20:24:00 +0000

I am not a big gambling sort and only ever have an annual flutter on the Grand National, but was very excited and very much looking forward to our girls day out at Kelso Races.

Our wonderful race day coordinator (Beth) had organised a mini bus to take us down to the borders for midday and arriving just in time to place our bets for the first race at 12.30pm. As a race day virgin the ins and outs of the day had to be explained to me by one of the more experienced members of our group.

Having bought our race book we decided to do group betting and put a tenner into the kitty. Our small group of 4 started checking out the first race and with our combined knowledge of the horse race world chose Last Samuri, because it is a Scoobydoo film that Lesley's youngest watches and Heart Dancer because we liked the name. We watched with bated breath as the horses thundered past for the 2nd time and whooped with joy when the Last Samuri won! We scored £9.50 and were thrilled.

With our pockets bulging with our winnings we once again had a very in-depth conversation about the horses, jockeys and trainers but in the end went back to the "cool name" and "those silk colours are pretty" way of deciding.

I had been given a few pennies to put on some bets for a friend and there was much excitement when one of those horses ran past in the winning position, but sadly was pipped at the post.

It wasn't until race 5 that we got our next win with a horse called Swift Arrow, bagging a whole £30.

That sadly was our last win of the day but meant that we broke even at the end of the day.

In order to try and blend in to the horse crowd I resurrected my very old Barbour jacket, which I don't think has been out the wardrobe since high school. It would seem that tweed is still the order of the day with the country crowd, but I think I blended in reasonably well. My main concern was staying warm on what turned out to be a very cold but crisp November day. I was glad I put my thermals on, it took a few coffees and red wines to keep them chills at bay.

The day was finished with a lovely dinner in town. Although no big winners on the day, most people broke even. Maybe the next time!

Welcome to the paddock.

One out of three remembered sunglasses.

Gee gee riders.

Thunderous hooves.

A light lunch.

iphone panoramic.

Lovely evening clouds.

Betting slips.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

The meaning of life.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 19:00:00 +0000

As the years go on I have become less and less enamoured with birthdays, they seem to come round faster and faster and obviously as each one passes I get older and older. This year was no different and my age changed to the number that is now the same as the one on my front door and according to Douglas Adams is the meaning of life. That is yet to be seen but I definitely had the best birthday I have had in a long time.

The day was very dull as I had to work and it was a particularly boring kind of day but the evening was wonderful. Scooting away from work on the dot of 5pm, I headed out to see my partner in crime and then onward to Glentress.

Since being introduced to mountain biking a few months ago, it is now one of my new favourite hobbies. So when asked what I would like to do for my birthday, I suggested that it would be great to go and do an evening ride followed by a lovely home cooked dinner, and that is exactly what I got.

The rainy weather that had plagued the whole day even disappeared and the night was clear and crisp with the stars and moon brightly shining in the sky. All geared up with my new birthday biking glasses and waterproof shorts, we headed out to trundle round a short version of the blue route. It takes just under the hour and is a great post work work out.

Feeling relaxed and happy to be out and about on such a beautiful evening, it was even more fabulous to get back to the van and have my already prepared birthday dinner. My wonderful chef did not let me down as a truly delicious lamb dhansak was produced from the food flask, followed by chocolate and banana cake.

Once we had polished off our delectable dinner it was time to head home to get freshened up and settle in for the night with a lovely glass of wine. What more could a girl ask for, best birthday ever.

So very, very true.

Trueblood Tee, fangtastic.

Moonlight, bikes and food.

We returned back to the trails today for more fun, but this time on the red route which has a lung and leg burning climb but is worth it for the downs. It was slightly on the damp side so lots of mud on the paths and quite a fair amount on me by the end of the run. Great fun though, I like getting muddy!

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey except the one of me which was taken by the equally muddy but lovely Mr T. x .

Midweek Music with Mother.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 20:06:00 +0000

Back in the day when vinyl and turntables were the kings of musical entertainment systems, and I was very much younger, the sounds emanating from our family record player usually consisted of The Beatles, Elton John, Status Quo and Rod Stewart.

My Mum has always been a big fan of Rod the Mod, so for her birthday this year I bought tickets for us to go see Rod Stewart at the new SSE Hydro in Glasgow. This would be her first ever music concert and the first time back in Glasgow since the Glasgow Garden Festival back in 1988, which incidentally was almost on the same spot as the Hydro. Weird huh!

I purchased the tickets way back in June, but time has flown and this week saw us travel through to Glasgow for a girls day out to see the incredible Mr Stewart.

He was the opening performer at the newly purpose built music venue the SSE Hydro and both the venue and performer did not disappoint.

The Hydro is huge, with a 16000 capacity but even though our seats were up high on the 3rd tier, we could see and hear every bit of the performance. The seating was comfy, the toilets were plentiful and many bars were close by to refuel those who required an abundance of refreshments.

Mr Stewart put on a fantastic performance and for a man of 68 years he looks, moves and sounds great. With 3 suit changes, a troop of tall, blonde/dark musical lovelies that any Robert Palmer video would be proud of, he performed a total of 23 songs, many of his old back catalogue and a few from his new album.

A most excellent evening all round.

Oh yes!

Finnieston Crane.

Mum out West and in the rain.

The new Hydro.

Inside looking out.

Inside looking in.

Much hugeness.

The anticipation...

Mr Stewart on one of the small side screens.

He is there somewhere....honest!

The Finale with balloons.

My kind of building.

Rainbows.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

A Scottish Stay-cation.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 21:26:00 +0000

The last time I took a proper leave of absence from work was back in February in order to finish off my flat redecoration, so I was very much in need of some relaxing time off and time away from home.

Despite all my world wanderings over the years, I have not holidayed in my own country for an extremely long time, so it was about time I had a look in my own backyard again.

The West coast was once again the focus of our attention and we had various ideas of where we would travel to, but of course being Scotland much of this would depend on the weather. It was hoped that we would have a mixed holiday bag of walking, road cycling and mountain biking, and stay in hotels, hopefully throwing in a spot of camping a long the way.

The starting point of my week of fun was Arran, a place I had not been since a family holiday back in 1978.

Me and my Bro back in 1978. Goat Fell in the background.

I was very much looking forward to going back, even more so given the fact that I was to be staying in the very luxurious Auchrannie Spa Resort. I have stayed in a wide variety of living quarters over my travels, but nothing this fancy, ever!

However, in order to get to the beautiful Arran, you do of course have to take the ferry. Not my most favourite mode of travel but thankfully only a half hour crossing and the waters were extremely calm. In order to get the maximum holiday time, an early sailing time was booked. Arriving in plenty time, we arrived in a sunny Ardrossan with great anticipation and excitement. This excitement was to be tinged with a slight apprehension, when the lady in the check in booth, told us that our sailing was actually booked for the following day!!! Thankfully, even although it was a bank holiday weekend the early crossing seemed to be on the quiet side and we were rebooked and boarded with no further problems.

Ticket.

All aboard the Cal Mac.

The day was so gorgeous, upon arrival we headed straight to Goat Fell and walk up the highest mountain on the island. It stands at around 874m which I think makes it a corbett. The path was quite busy with people but it was well worth it for the views from the top.

On the way up.

Looking down towards Brodick.

Blue skies.

Rescue helicopter practice.

Nice clouds.

The top.

The Auchrannie resort did not disappoint. The room was fairly spacious and nicely decorated and the bed was extremely comfy, what more could a girl ask for? A surprise bottle of bubbly certainly helped ease me into my lap of luxury.

A big part of travelling for me is the food and the often incredible difficulty I have trying to find anything gluten free. This always becomes more apparent when eating out in restaurants. I can not fault the menus and assistance I had from the staff at the Auchrannie in accommodating my dietary awkwardness. They were brilliant and I felt like a spoilt Princess.

Sadly the lovely sunny weather did not last and the next day we woke up to the usual wind and rain associated with sunny Scotland! Not to be put off we wandered in the rain to find a coffee shop before realising the rain was on for good, so we jumped in the van for a tour of the island. We had hoped to do this on the bikes, but it was not to be.

Day 3 and it was still raining. We needed to do something so a trail was found and off we went on a mountain bike ride. Not the best trail in the world, but it certainly blew away and drowned our cobwebs.

Rainy bike day followed by snooker.

Our hopes for doing some island hopping were dashed due to more bad weather so we headed north to Fort William, although the weather was not much better. the first night we stayed at the Holly Tree Hotel situated on the banks of Loch Linnhe. Again a very lovely hotel but sadly for me was let down by the less than helpful waitress when asked about gluten free choices.

View from ferry crossing back to mainland.

Ahh rainbow.

Room with a view.

Looking down the loch.

Looking up the loch.

We managed to squeeze in another mountain bike ride around the "Ten under the Ben route"without getting rained on, although the trail itself was mega muddy. It was a good route but not one of my favourites. I think it would be good for speedster types as opposed to my slowish pace.

That night we decided to camp and of course it stayed dry right up to the moment that we had set up and started cooking our dinner. Thankfully the master chef on hand was not phased and a mouth watering steak, mash and veg combo was produced. We were saved from further downpours by the very close proximity of the camp site and the pub.

The rain continued, so the dry tourist option was taken and a day out to Mallaig on the Jacobite steam train was booked. An all day activity but worth it for the views and experience.

Jacobite steam train.

It always rain in Fort Bill.

First class.

Views.

Steam and lonely church.

Steamed tree.

Glenfinnan viaduct

With continuing wet weather forecast we had to turn to plan E. As much as it pained my partner in crime the East bound plan was the only one left. Another mountain bike trail in Golspie was our destination with an over night stay at the coastal camp site in Dornoch.

The trail was set on the hillside of Ben Bragghie, but the only way to the top of the hill was via the black route. Now I have only been mountain biking for a few months so the thought of a black route at this stage was a mix of excitement and slight panic. The upper portion of the black was beyond my skill level so mostly pushed my bike to the top of the hill. The downhill was also quite technical and so some pushing was also involved on the way down, but I managed a fair chunk of it. The red route to the base was excellent and very enjoyable and so was the coffee bothy at the base that served me a BLT on gluten free bread. Mmmm Mmmm happy days.

Made it up and down alive!

Travelling home on the last day we stopped at Wolftrax to complete the upper and lower red routes.

The holiday was a great success on many levels and despite it being possibly the wettest week since May, much fun was had. I loved the fancy hotel but I also loved being back camping again. I also loved touring in my own country, I had forgotten how beautiful it is.

Sadly good things don't last forever and it's back to work tomorrow and time to save up for next year.

Haste ye back.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey

Vroom Vroom.....Phfttt Phfttt....Kaput.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 20:40:00 +0000

Last weekend saw me enjoy my first ever motorbiking trip. To say that I was excited was an understatement. Apart from a trial run down to the Borders and back the previous weekend this was only my 3rd time being a pillion passenger on the back of a motorbike. The first was when I was travelling in the USA and my friends Dad took me out and about in Salt Lake City.

The thrill and excitement from that first experience had never left me, so when the opportunity arose to try it again, how could I possibly resist.

I was kind of gate crashing a boys weekend away so was hoping that I would not be too much of a hindrance to their wild, petrol head days!

As it turned out my rock 'n' roll motor bikers were less of the Butch and Sundance persuasion and a bit more of the Jack and Victor type. Which to be honest suited me down to the ground, it was fun times all the way.

We were all ready and packed and ready for the off early on the Saturday morning. The weather was looking drier in the South of the country, so the route was planned and off to Port Patrick we headed.

After a slightly drizzly ride down to Moffat via St Mays Loch the first tea and scone stop was much in need. Those boys know their tea and scones stops! I think they may even have mentioned a deliciousness rating scale, which I think was for the scones!

All was going well and we vroom vroomed our way down to our next tea stop in Newton Stewart before the final push on to Castle Bay campsite in Port Patrick.

After booking in and paying our fees for our 2 night stay, all there was to do was drive over to the tent site and set up our little homes. It should have been extremely easy, but sadly our bike decided that it had had enough for the day, in fact it had had enough for the weekend.

However this minor detail did not deter us from having a great few days, although it did make for a long day on the Monday waiting for tow trucks etc. Instead of more bike fun on the Sunday we passed our time by exploring, taking photos, playing mini golf, drinking, and eating. Happy days.

A funny little story from our holiday was being mistaken for a mystery shopper, because I asked that the chef be aware that my breakfast fry up was to be gluten free. Having been poisoned a few weeks ago, I have been overly inquisitive when ordering food and ask about cooking methods etc. Cross contamination is not a good thing when you are a Coeliac and not everyone is aware of that.

Anyway, the waitress in The Harbour House Hotel was extremely attentive and helpful and my breakfast was delicious. So much so that we went back the next day and ordered the same. The man who was the chef from the previous day, was in the bar so he came over to speak to us. He explained that only the previous week he and his fellow chefs from across the area had been on a training course to explain all the ins and outs of cooking gluten free food. In his 12 years of cooking in the hotel I was the first person to ask for gluten free food, so hence he thought I was a mystery shopper.

Packed and ready.

Cliff top view.

Stream to the sea.

Dunskey castle.

Arty farty.

Daisy.

I won!

Set in stone.

Jack and Victor.

Campsite view.

Broken.

Peace x

All photos by Caroline Harvey.

Mudder Montage.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 19:32:00 +0000

This is a montage of photos taken by Neil Gall, which I think sums up the day nicely.

Thanks. x

When the going gets Tough.......

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 19:52:00 +0000

Way back in January I was persuaded yet again by Beth to sign up for a new challenge. The challenge in question this time was Tough Mudder.

I had previously heard of this event and thought "Why would you want to do that?" but when the opportunity to participate was real it was kind of hard to resist, who wouldn't want to run about 12 miles and have 20+ muddy, watery, electrifying obstacles to overcome. Me, I'm in, yes I'd like to do that!

So the training began, well kind of. Since signing up and saying "I need to be as fit as I have ever been", I seemed to get injury after injury, nothing major but enough to stop me from doing even my usual routine of keeping fit for a while. Eventually things came together and I was feeling back on top again.

What I wasn't quite prepared for was the fear. This was not a simple case of running or cycling as fast as you can from A to B. This run involved Army assault course obstacles with names like Arctic Enema, Boa Constrictor, Walk the Plank and Electric Eel.

So the obvious thing to do to prepare for such an event is watch endless You Tube clips of people being scared and or failing. It is needless to say that when the actual day came around on Saturday I was a tad on the fearful side.

Our team name was "Tough Tottie" and in total there were about 22 of us, but we broke down into smaller teams on the day. My fabulous team consisted of the amazing Nelson sisters and 2 others.

Our start time was 9.15am and although it was local, Dalkeith Country Park we still had to have an early rise and be there with plenty time to register etc. 6am on a Saturday is early!

Gathering our team at the start, it was fairly obvious that we were all very excited at the prospect of what was ahead but also extremely apprehensive. Although we did have a few things to do before we were allowed to compete. Writing your friends participant number on their forehead in permanent marker was one of them.

Of course not everyone wrote just the number!

Team Tough Tottie.

Excited!

Before you run the Tough Mudder you have to repeat the Tough Mudder pledge.

It is a great gimmick but it works and we were ready and prepared to help our fellow mudders.

The full squad.

Pledge. Hoo - rah!

Of course being Tough Mudder you had to get over a wall in order to get to the starting pen.

Phew, made it to the start.

And we're off.

My most feared obstacle the Arctic Enema was 2nd but before that we got down and dirty!

Long hair + barbed wire = stuck

Rescue

One down, 21 to go.

The ice enema was as horrible as I thought it might be, but mind over matter made me do it and as frozen as we all were, we plodded onwards.

As we progressed the more I started to enjoy it, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. The next big challenge ahead was the Walk the plank, which is a 15ft jump off a platform into water. Both Beth and Lesley have a fear of heights so this was really a big deal.....but they did it and with style, after that there was no stopping us. We absolutely rocked it, although without the help of some strong men at the top of Everest to help haul our girlie asses over the top, we might not have made it.

Island Hopping over the Esk.

Boa Constrictor.

Impressive venue.

Electric Eel.

Everest. That's me sliding down!

Electroshock Therapy, the last obstacle and yes it hurts.

Run, Mrs Mac.

Not so white vests!

Headband, tee shirt, tin foil wrap and a pint of cider.

We made it! Go Team!!!

It was with relief that we all made it around without any major incidence. We all have bruises, scrapes and sore muscles, but we also have a great sense of achievement and some fun memories.

Would I do it again? Yes I would because I actually quite enjoyed it, but I don't think I will as once you have done it, you've done it. Been there, done that syndrome. Also it was quite an expensive event to enter and although some of your fee went to the Help the Heroes charity, they charged you extra dosh at every turn.

I could not fault the organisation though it all seemed to run like clockwork, and there were safety supervisors at every hazard, which was comforting to say the least. Although I'm not sure the couple getting married in the church at the main grounds entrance gate, were overly happy with the sights, sounds and general chaos surrounding their beautiful day.

Peace x

All photos taken by the lovely D Tipple.

A Pictorial Catch Up.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:52:00 +0000

The last few weekends have been very busy with fun stuff, so have not had a chance to catch up with the old blog. Here is a less words, more photos, kind of post.

Edinburgh Festival is back again, which means traffic, traffic traffic, and some very grumpy hours having to drive through town. The traffic management system of this fair city is beyond horrific!

Jams.

Although I find the whole festival thing quite tedious these days, a good girlie night out was had at "Forth on the Fringe".

Gin a necessary accompaniment to a good night out.

Gin in Tins.

2nd row seats.

Illustrations from a book in the pub.

Thick ankles?

A walk up Ben A'an made for a lovely day out, even though we got a bit wet in the rain. A short and steep walk that is well worth it for the views at the top.

Not sure if he was hungry, but definitely a caterpillar.

Loch Katrine.

Ben A'an.

Day out, home cooked dinner, drinks and a rainbow. What else does a girl need?

Lunch at my Tay spot.

Harbour at Granton.

A day trip west to Culzean Castle. The drive through is quite far but well worth it for a walk along the beach and then up to the very picturesque castle and gardens.

A bonus for the day was seeing an adder soaking up some warmth on a piece of rock, before it slithered off into the grass.

Pretty.

Sun dial head.

Red flower.

White flower.

This weekend has been busy with running and mountain biking and more rainbows.

Happy? I think so.

Pentlands.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey.

Old sofa recycled.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 20:24:00 +0000

Those of you that read my little blog from time to time may remember my Demolition Girl post which outlined the joy I took in breaking up my old sofa.

In taking the sofa to pieces I cut out rather large patches of leather to get to the innards and necessary nuts and bolts. These pieces of leather I gave to a friend of mine called Lizzie, who, amongst other things, is a very talented book maker.

Yesterday I received a very beautiful book made out of the leather that I had passed on to Lizzie.

It is extremely fabulous and I very much feel the need to show and tell you all about it.

My sofa never looked so good.

You can find more of Lizzie's amazing books at Starstruck Books, please have a look.

Peace x

All photographs by Caroline Harvey