I always enjoy these events. It’s a great time to meet old friends and make new ones, catch up on the outdoor scene in general and enjoy that feeling of tribalism, that we belong to a large bunch of enthusiasts from around the country, indeed, around the globe, who can get together every so often and share experiences, fun and laughter. And a few beers to boot.

And Keswick is the ideal place for this kind of event. Never mind what they say in other places Keswick is the adventure capital of the UK - it’s always full of hill goers and climbers, no matter the time of year, and it’s a friendly town with some great pubs and restaurants.

I’m not yet sure what the weather forecast holds for the weekend but if it looks good then there’s plenty going on out of doors on the fells around Keswick. If the weather is shitty then there’s still plenty to of with a wide array of talks and films to enjoy. Chris Bonington, Mick Fowler, Pauline Sanderson, Monty Halls and Helen Skelton are the speakers this year, and me of course, and there’s a bunch of stuff happening about mountain biking too. So, if you have nothing else in your diary you could do worse then come along to Keswick, a lot worse. For anyone who’d like to come to my talk on Friday night at 6pm then you can book here: www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk/programme/speaker-programme/cameron-mcneish/

See you there?

I would emphasise that this is not a new trail we are developing but a route that uses existing trails and paths as much as possible between Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders and Cape Wrath in the far North-West highlands. Inevitably there will be areas where there are currently no recognised paths so SNH have been really helpful in offering advice, plus details for all the trail managers and local authority contacts.

We’ve already started filming the project for two television programmes to be broadcast over Christmas and New Year later this year and I’ll shortly being going into purdah to try and write the book. Could be a long summer…

For anyone interested I’ve written out the route below but I should say that it is not cast in stone just yet. There are one or two other options war are looking at and some of the points have to be checked out with landowners, local authorities and the various trail managers but this route will give you a rough idea of the line we are taking.

Gore-Tex Scottish National Trail

Section 1

The South Scotland section: 81 miles

Kirk Yetholm – Morebattle – Newton St Boswells – Melrose (via The Eildons) – Galashiels – Yair – Three Brethren – The Minchmoor – Traquair – Cardona – Peebles – Stewarton – Cloich – Noblehouse – West Linton – Carlops – Bore Stane – Listonshiels – Marchbank – Balerno – Water of Leith Walkway – Edinburgh Toon.

Section 2

The Canals section: 51 miles

Water of Leith walk – Slateford – Union Canal – Ratho – Broxburn – Linlithgow – Forth and Clyde canal – Polmont – Falkirk Wheel – Kilsyth – Kirkintilloch – Bishopbriggs – Bearsden – Milngavie

Section 3

Central Scotland section: 125 miles

Milngavie – Mugdock – Carbeth – Strathblane – Drymen – Garadhban Forest – Drymen Road Cottage – Clashmore – Kirkton – Aberfoyle – Menteith Hills – East Lodge – Callander – Callander Craigs – Braeleny – Arivurichardich – Glenartney Lodge – Comrie – Glen Lednock – Invergeldie – Glen Almond – Dalreich – Achnafree – Glen Lochan – Loch Freuchie – Garrow – A’Chois – Urlar Burn – Urlar – Birks of Aberfeldy – Aberfeldy – Weem – Boltachan – Brae of Cluny – Loch Derdulich – Beinn Eagagach – Netherton – River Tummel – Bonskeid House – Glen Fincastle – Tomanraid – Blair Atholl – Glen Tilt – White Bridge – Lairig Ghru – Rothiemurchus – Aviemore – Loch an Eilean – Inshriach – Glen Feshie – Drumguish – Kingussie – Newtonmore

Section 4

North of Scotland section: 118 miles

Newtonmore - Laggan – Corrieyarack – Fort Augustus – Glengarry – Tomdoun – Mam na Seilg – Glen Loyne – Cluanie Lodge – Cluanie Inn – An Caorann Mor – Alltbeithe – Gleann Gniomhaidh – Loch a’ Bhealaidh – Bealach an Sgairne – Gleann Choinneachain – Bealach na Sroine – Falls of Glomach – Gleann Leitreach – Iron Lodge – Loch na Maorie Buidhe – Maol-bhuidhe – Loch Calavie – Bendronaig Lodge – BearneasBothy – Baobh-bhacan Dubha – Lair – Achnashellach Station – Drochaid Coire lair – Easan Dorcha – Coulin – Loch Clair – Cromasaig – Kinlochewe – Incheril – Heights of Kinlochewe – Gleann na Muice – Bealach na Croise – Loch an Nid – Corrie Hallie – Loch an Tiompain – Croftown – Inverlael – Glensquaib – Glen Douchary – Strath Mulzie – Duag Bridge – Oykel Bridge – Salachy – Glen Oykel – Loch Ailsh – Benmore Lodge – River Oykel – Breabeg Tarsuinn – Gleann Dubh – Inchnadamph – Loch Fleodach Coiree – Eas a Chual Aluinn – Bealach a’ Bhuirich – Loch na Gainmhich – Unapool – Kylesku Bridge – Bealach nam Fiann – Achfary – Loch Stack – Loch Stack Lodge – Loch Airigh a’ Bhaird – Loch a’ Garbh-bhaid Mor – Rhiconich River – Rhiconich – Achriesgill – Badcall – Kinlochbervie – Oldshoremore – Sandwood Bay – Cape Wrath

By the time we drove round to the base of the crag the weather had improved dramatically and we were joined by Jose’s long standing pal, Jamie. Jamie finished in 14 th place in a recent Tour of Mont Blanc fell running race and is a keen and talented outdoors guy. As is Jose. I should say a word or two about Jose before I tell you about the Via Feratta.

I first met Jose away back in 1999 when I came over here with a group of journalists to see what his company, Terra Ferma, was getting up to in the Sierra Aitana area. I came back with Gina a couple of years later and we had a fantastic week in the nearby Marina Alta, just along the coast. Since then Jose has started a new company called Aitana Adventures and he does a lot of work with trekking companies like Exodus, as well as being part of a cooperative farm here in Sella. He’s a cracking lad and a first class guide and I had no hesitation in agreeing to climb this Via Feratta with him.

The route in question is 250m in length and is pretty vertical for almost all the way. It was established 6 years ago by a couple of local climbers and it was paid for by the local town hall. It doesn’t cost anything to use, which surprised me a bit, and there is no ‘policing’ of it in the sense that anyone can do it if they have the proper equipment and experience. There are warning signs at the foot of the crag pointing out the dangers to those who perhaps are not experienced enough.

I loved it. Via Feratta take hill walkers like me into climbers territory and this one in particular takes you into the world of the vertical. It begins steeply, climbs over a prominent bulge, then stays steep and sustained all the way. There were only really two points where it was feasible for Simon to stop and film us; one was a little niche in the rock where he could just squeeze past us and the other, higher up, was a little section of narrow ridge connecting two very steep noses. It was exciting stuff with amazing views out to sea and towards the skyscraper skyline of nearby Benidorm.

I must admit I rather enjoyed the via Feratta but I’m still not convinced about them from an ethical/environmental point of view. I think I can state categorically I wouldn’t like to see them developed in Scotland. I don’t think we have the size of crag or the scope of terrain that would allow for any decent route and I rather think it could be the thin end of the wedge to taming the likes of the Cuillin ridge or the Aonach Eagach. Having said that, I did enjoy this one and via ferattas appear to be accepted here as part of outdoor tourism. Have a look at the programme when it comes out, probably sometime in June, and see what you think. The Adventure Show, BBC Scotland.

For details of Jose’s operation check out: viajes@aitanaaventures.com

Jose Miguel drove us round the mountain to Benifato where we parked the car and climbed up through lovely almond terraces to the mixed scrubs and screes just below the long ridge of the Sierra Aitana. From there we climbed up to the ridge with a little bit of scrambling thrown in for good measure before squeezing through a gap that the English guidebook describes appropriately as Fat Man’s Agony. I was delighted not to suffer so maybe I have slimmed down a little on the recent End to End bike ride.

Just as we reached the summit it began raining so we had to film our summit shots pretty rapidly before heading down. Needless to say the rain went off as we descended.

It was a good walk nevertheless and on the way back Jose pointed out the route of our via feratta for tomorrow. Looks pretty steep and sustained, real rock climbing territory. I know Simonnis a little concerned about how best to film it but I guess without any abseil ropes to dangle from he’ll just have to climb below us, or shoot us from above. I’m sure we’ll work it out.

Back at Sella things were in full swing with the annual Paella Festival well underway. Various families and groups from the village cook paella and compete with each other for the best. I didn’t realise it but paella is a local Valencian speciality and there is a great pride in being vote the best. Needless to say we tried some, washed down with some local,wine and beer, and filmed the whole shebang. It was great fun, lots of music and enthusiasm and by the time we got back to our digs at Casaroc we were knackered.

During the festival I met up with a couple of old friends, th writer and poet Terry Gifford and his partner Gill Round. They told me I must visit them but I spent about 40 minutes looking for their house only to discover it was only a couple of doors down from Casaroc. And they weren’t in, probably still enjoying the paella festivities…

We’ve had about an hour just showering and relaxing and now we’re heading for the bar for a meal and a beer or two. Filming the via feratta tomorrow could be a long day, and we really need to be fresh for it.

For details of Jose’s operation check out: viajes@aitanaaventures.com

I’m with Simon Willis and we’re working on a piece for BBC Scotland’s Adventure Show. The idea is that you can leave Scotland on a Friday, have an adventure filled weekend in the Costa Blanca and be back in Scotland on Monday. Most folk associate the Costa Blanca with sun sand and sangria and we had a quick visit to Benidorm to film some of that but the contrast with the mountains behind the town is amazing, as is the contrast in the weather between Scotland and Spain. It’s a different world…

We’ve met up with my old friend Jose Miguel who runs walking and climbing holidays in this part of Spain. We’ll be doing a bit of hiking in the Sierra de Aitana and having a go at a new Via Ferrata that’s been created here but there’s also a paella making competition going on this weekend and I’ll be keen to visit that. But what has been really interesting today is looking over an organic finca, or farm,that Jose operates with 14 others. It’s run on a cooperative basis and they provide enough eggs and veggies to do them all year round. What’s more the cooperative operate on a barter system where someone might supply wood for log stoves in exchange for eggs while someone else might do a day’s painting in return for a day’s babysitting. With a 25% unemployment rate in Spain, yes, 1 in 4 out of work, this cooperative system could be seen as something of a green revolution.

If anything good can come out of the current economic situation then surely it has to be a quiet revolution like this. It’s also a kick back against consumerism, globalisation and the corporate greed that sees large supermarket chains decimating small retailers throughout the country.

We filmed with Jose in his farm, had a fabulous lunch of some of the organic produce and we’re just about to hit the bar for some beer and tapas. Is it organic tapas? I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea. I’m only going for the beer.

For details of Jose’s operation check out: viajes@aitanaaventures.com

Just before we get the polish and dusters out and give the bikes a well deserved clean we thought we’d just put a few reflections together before too much time passes and we forget the relevant bits and pieces. Or at least those bits and pieces that we might want to forget.

So, on the morning of the day after finishing the overwhelming feeling is one of delight, tinged with a certain amount of relief. We cycled a total of some 960 miles with an incredible ascent of somewhere in the region of 44,000 feet. We’re not too sure how accurate that is but it’s what Garmin tells us so we’ll take it as a fair approximation. Amazingly, the toughest days in terms of height gained were the first 4 or 5 days. Almost 20,000 feet of ascent in five days over 330 miles. That’s why we were so knackered in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. We did initially have this vision of stopping every few miles for a cream tea in the sun but it wasn’t to be - it wqas pretty much full on cycling, head down and cursing the hills that went on and on and on…

The weather was pretty mixed, it has to be said, but started off reasonably, other than a very wet start from Land’s End. We even had cycling shorts on for a few days but I think we probably had at least some rain most days, including a spectacular hailstorm near Boscastle and another one near the end just outside Wick. We had snow on one day, mixed with sleet and we had wind in our faces every day. That was the biggest surprise of all. We had deliberately gone from south to north to take advantage of the normal prevailing wind but that certainly wasn’t the case this year. On about half of the days the wind wasn’t really a big problem. We were either sheltered from it or it was so light it was merely an inconvenience but on other days, particularly the final three days, it stopped us in our tracks in places and was, occasionally, a real safety hazard. I was blown onto the barrier on the Kessock Bridge ands Hamish, while performing his regular buttock de-clenching, was brought to a rolling stop on several occasions.

The wind certainly slowed us down. We had hoped for an average speed of between 10 and 12 mph for the entire trip but ended averaging just over 10mph. We had also originally planned 70 mile days over two weeks but ended up with a slightly shorter average of  64 miles over 15 days. Bearing in mind neither of us had ever cycled much more than 70 miles in a day before I guess that wasn’t too bad.

We felt fairly happy with our choice of route. Initially we followed the CTC route plan and while it did avoid the busy main roads it did have a penchant for seeking out the steepest hills and out of the way side lanes. I’m sure it was pretty scenic but we were too busy trying to keep the wheels turning to notice many of the views. About half way through we chose our own route, largely because Hamish had scouted out the route in the north of England previously and I was pretty familiar with the landscape in Scotland.

The breakdown of the route was as follows;

Land End to St Columb Major - Great Torrington - Bridgwater - St Arvans (near Chepstow) - Ludlow - Nantwich - Clitheroe - Sedbergh (Hamish’s hoose) - Longtown - Peebles - Perth - Newtonmore (my hoose) - Conon Bridge - Helmsdale - John o Groats.

We used B&B accommodation virtually the whole way, other than a couple of overnights at our own houses, two nights in a Travel Lodge and one night in a Premier Inn. In the TL and PI were were allowed to take our bikes into the room with us and this was an issue with booking B&B. We felt it was important our bikes were under a roof and locked away for the night and some of the B&B we tried to book didn’t have this facility. All the B&B were very good indeed and some were excellent. We only booked a night, or maybe two nights in advance, simply because we weren’t sure where we might be several days down the line. I used an iPad to check availability and we then booked in advance by phone. On the only day we didn’t book in advance (Bridgewater) we couldn’t find any B&B’s at all, or hotels and it was only by good fortune that someone said there was a Premier Inn just along the road. That saved our asses from extra miles cycling. The only other area we had difficulty booking accommodation was in the Dingwall area. Everything was booked solid, mostly by firms involved in the oil and renewable energy sector and by squads of workman on various projects in the highlands. Later in the season, when the LEJOG numbers really build up, it might be an idea to book everything in advance and not risk ad hoc booking along the way.

We visited three bike shops en route, Brenin Cycles in Market Drayton, Rock to Roll Cycles in Brampton and Mike’s Bikes in Aviemore. Brenin Cycles kindly fixed a cleat in one of my shoes - I had lost one of the screws, and refused to take any money. Robin Clark from Rock to Roll Cycles really went out of his way to help us out of a real jam when one of Hamish’s tyres blew and he even took the trouble to give the bike a thorough going over. In all three cases the bike shops were welcoming, encouraging and very attentive. My thanks also to Alpine Bikes of Perth and Inverness for servicing and advice and Hamish would like to thank Ghyllside Bikes in Ambleside; Marie Raynor of Sole to Soul in Bentham for keeping his body upright and moving, and Shaar Holroyd of Kendal Alternative Nutrition for advice and freebies.

Thanks to Edinburgh Cycle Cooperative for the bits and pieces of kit they gave me - it all worked superbly well (especially the Revolution Leader waterproof jacket which was superb and the Revolution Forsa windproof jacket which was a Godsend)and I’ll blog about the individual items later, and to Rohan for sending me some of their new cycling range.

The bikes, who actually did all the hard work, performed superbly. I was using a Ridgback World Panorama touring bike and it performed admirably. Nothing went wrong and I can’t fault it in any way. It has been cursed and abused and yet it did its job day after day without complaint. Hamish used a customised hybrid bike, a Marin San Anselmo, which apart from the tyre blowout was a cracking wee workhorse.

Finally, many thanks to all of you who helped and encouraged us on the way - the wee guy in Somerset who let us shelter from the train and offered us a couple of glasses of cider - the lady from the post office in Brampton who found a cycle shop for us - the guy near Wick who complained the Scots still had a thing about Culloden - everyone who politely and patiently gave us directions when we were temporarily misplaced - all the waiters and waitresses who fed us cakes and scones and tea and coffee - and all the other End to Enders we saw passing in the opposite direction. We hope they have as great a time as we had. And of course we couldn’t have done it without the support from our nearest and dearest, a constant source of encouragement.

And many thanks to all of you who kept in touch through this blog, through Twitter and Facebook. It was really great checking in every night to read your comments, but we haven’t yet mentioned the great secret of End to Enders, and long distance cyclists in general. A truly heartfelt thanks to the makers of Soreen Malt Loaves - this fabulous energy source is appetising, comforting and absolutely delicious in a yummy, sticky, gooey sort of way. Highly recommended.

So what’s next? Well, we’re looking at an End to End through Ireland for next year. The thought of all those Irish pubs with Guinness and folk music and of course, the Irish craig. Can’t wait…

The first 15 miles or so were pretty hilly but a huge brute of a thing coming out of Berriedale was as hilly as anything we’ve climbed. After that all we really had to worry about was the weather but we had good kit so it was really just a question of keeping warm. Pretty flat roads took us to lovely Wick and we sheltered in a cafe and had some lunch. The cafe was as cold as the weather outside so we didn’t linger and set off for the final 17 miles. Things improved for a while and the wind died down but picked up again as we approached the end. The Nordic weather gods had obviously decided to show us some sympathy and embraced our entrance to JOG? By now the rain had gone off and the sun came out and as we cycled the last mile into JOG Gina passed us in the car. Great timing. I think our turnaround at John o’Groats was the fastest ever. Posed for a couple of photos, did a quick change in the men’s loos and bundled everything in the car and set off for a warm cafe. It was absolutely bitter in the north wind and we wanted out of there as soon as possible. Not that John o’ Groats had a lot to offer - everything was shut!

We’re at my place in Newtonmore now, thawed out, sitting in front of the stove with a glass of malt in hand, the first for several weeks. Tomorrow I’ll try and write a blog outlining our thoughts about the trip. There was certainly a lot of ups and downs, but the ups outweigh the downs tenfold. The agony and the ecstasy.

Yesterday was certainly a tough day. 70 miles from Newtonmore to Conan Bridge in what can only be described as horrible conditions. It was pouring when we left Newtonmore so we stopped in Aviemore for a full breakfast at the Mountain Cafe then we visited Mike’s Bikes for some minor repairs to Hamish’s bike and some waterproof over boots. It was good to catch up with Mike and Jenny and Mike managed to locate the cause of the rubbing sound from Hamish’s rear wheel, and then fix it. He did this free of charge which we greatly appreciated and shows again the value of local independent bike shops. We really have to support shops them.

We left Aviemore in a deluge and the rain stayed with us to Tomatin, where we took some shelter in the local shop for a while, and all the way to Culloden and down to Inverness. It was so windy we had to push the bikes over the Kessock Bridge after I was blown against the barrier twice. Scary stuff, especially with artics blasting past only inches away.

At one point on the A9 just north of the bridge we encountered our first experience of road rage. We had pulled out of a lay by when a plonker in a Ford Fiesta took exception to having to slow down a little. He blasted us on the his horn and we duly responded with a vigorous two finger salute. He pulled in to the side, jumped out of his car and was a little taken aback when two 62 year olds,         well up for a fight, got the verbals in first. He just got back into his car and accelerated past us in a cloud of high dudgeon.

We stayed in the Conan Bridge Hotel, a traditional highland hotel which is a little tired,mto put it kindly. The old fashioned decor and lack of facilities was more than compensated for by the very friendly staff and we had a nice meal and yet another early night. Slept like babies.

This morning we woke to more rain and very strong winds, still coming from the north. For the life of me I can’t recall when the wind last blew from the north for two full weeks but we’ve had the blast in our faces every day since we left Land’s End. It has certainly made the End to End something of a challenge, particularly today, which was probably the toughest day of the trip. It might have been a tad under 60 miles but they were the hardest miles I’ve ever cycled. Just to make it more interesting it rained all the way to Tain but at least the weather gods had the decency to switch off the rain this afternoon. But they turned up the intensity of the wind. We had to push our bikes over the Dornoch Firth Bridge and even at that the wind stopped us several times in our tracks. When we started cycling again we were down to a steady 6-7 miles an hour and Hamish, who has the disconcerting habit of standing up in the pedals every so often to de-clench his buttocks, found himself coming to a complete standstill. Worst of all were the cross winds. They would suddenly catch you and blow you into the middle of the road and God only knows why we weren’t hit by a passing car or truck. It was very scary indeed.

Without wanting to make this blog sound like a continual winge about the weather I should say we have had a marvellous time and even in the worst of the conditions we’ve managed to keep smiling and singing and joking. Poor old Hamish had to put up with me singing Grannie’s Hieland Hame as we passed through Golspie, although I’ve no idea how I managed to remember the words to it.

We’ve stopped for the night at Jutta’s B&B just outside Helmsdale and the chap here made us an excellent spaghetti Bolognese for supper. It’s a grand spot and right on main road which makes it useful for a  quick start tomorrow morning. If the wind blows like it did today we could be in for another epic but hopefully it might ease off during the night. We made the mistake of watching the BBC news weather - they are forecasting snow! It would be a great pity to have to cop out on the last day but we’ll do our damnest to reach John O’Groats tomorrow, on our bikes. We are both hugely encouraged by everyone who has tweeted and emailed and texted to urge us on day after day and we were quite touched by those of you who were concerned because a blog didn’t appear last night. I must admit, it felt odd being in a place where we couldn’t use a phone or get on to the Internet, and I never ever thought I’d find myself admitting that. Maybe I’m more of a techie than I thought. And here’s a final thought - Hamish has just told me we’ve ridden 923.8 miles so far. So with 54 miles to do tomorrow we will just miss the magic grand but 975 miles won’t sound too bad. Not for two golden oldies…

Thankfully after half an hour of heavy rain interspersed with showers the rain went off and the sun came out some had a great ride through Luncarty and Stanley and on to Dunkeld where we had the best scone of the trip in the Menzies deli. On to Ballinluag and then Pitlochry where we stopped for lunch.

Duringnlunchnitnrained again but by the time we finished it had gone off and the sun appeared and it stayed more of less like that all the way through Blair Atholl, up to Calvine and on to Dalnaspidal where we suffered a hail storm of biblical proportions. Soaked and cold we reached Drumochter summit to meet a freezing cold north wind. I had hoped we’d get a fast ride down the north side of Drumochter to Dalwhinnie but the wind was strong we had to pedal hard all the way. The last 11 miles to Newtonmore from Dalwhinnie were hellish cold an hard and by the time we reached my house in Newtonmore we had to sit at the fire and thaw out before we could do anything.

Pin many ways, despite the weather at the end, this was the best day of the trip so far. The scenery was great and the weather for much of the time was lovely. Butbwebare both now really concerned about fighting a northerly wind for our last three days. They could be very slow days indeed. Tomorrow night, all going well, we hope to reach Conan Bridge.

After a good night in the Lindores Guest House in Peebles (highly recommended by the way) we hightailed it to the Edinburgh road and battled with the Monday morning commuters. It felt like one long grind uphill, then a long swift descent and we were in Penicuik, only a stone’s throw from Fairmilehead in Edinburgh where we would begin working our way round the western fringes of the capital.

We had no real difficulties, stopped for coffee and a scone with the douce ladies of Cramond and then headed for the bridge. We thought the route was pretty well signposted for cyclists and in no time at all we were through Dalmeny, South Queensferry and onto the bridge itself. We left sunny Edinburgh behind and Fife greeted us a with a hail shower, probably in revenge for all the things I’ve written about Fife in the past (pit bings, men with flat caps and greyhound dugs, the perceived frugality of the local populace, etc.). The Kingdom certainly got its own back today. Shower after shower hit us until we passed the sign for Perth and Kinross. Then the sun came out, would you believe it?

Since we were passing the end of their road we thought it would be nice to pop in and say hello to Ramblers Scotland in Milnathort. I am a vice president after all. Karen Robertson very kindly made us a pot of coffee and we ate all their biscuits before heading for Glenfarg, home of the world famous Glenfarg Folk Club, Bridge of Earn, and finally the Fair City of Perth itself. Needless to say the Travel Lodge where we had booked in for the night was at the top of a hill, the highest point in Perth I think.

We were just in time to watch the news and weather but wished we hadn’t. Snow forecast, more northerly winds and maybe, just maybe, a few hints of sunshine between the snow, hail and rain showers. It looked bad but it looked even worse in the south of England. Glad we’re where we are and not starting out from Land’s End. Don’t you just love springtime in the UK?

Just one more word before I finish for the night. And it’s for Scotland’s councils. Please do something about the shocking pot-holed state of our roads. There is a marked difference between the quality of the road surfaces in England and Scotland and Hamish and I have the bruised and battered arses to prove it. We finished tonight feeling as though we had been operating a pneumatic drill all day and our bikes have developed rattles in places that never existed before. Worst of all were the roads in Edinburgh. Forget bloody civic pride tram cars and fix your road infrastructure! Someone is going to get seriously hurt trying to avoid the pot holes. One was so big I said to Hamish, “Look at the size of the pot hole, look at the size of that pot hole.” He said, “Why did you say that twice?” “I didn’t,” I replied, “that was the echo.” ( with due acknowledgement to the late and great Chic Murray). Good night…