A first Audax - Port Navigation 2017

In my 2017 round up I wrote:

My First Audax

Next up was an Audax; I'd read about people doing Audax on Forum's in the past, often DIYs and panicking because they'd missed a control, or lost a receipt and looking for ideas of what to search for. A seemingly bizzare world back then. But I'd been increasing my distances on the road bike over the last few years and with a 300Km and a couple of 200Km rides aready done I was "talked" into doing the "Port Navigation" Audax by Dave.  It was very easy for him to sell it to me; basically it's a ride between Ferries and Cake shops. Sold!

An early start saw us join other cyclists at Ballachulish village hall at some ungodly hour for a mass start to catch the Corran Ferry; before heading out across Movern and Sunart for the Loch Aline Ferry. At this point I discovered the concept of Advisory Route; the Audax organizer produces a route sheet and perhaps a GPS file to follow, however unless otherwise stated, the route distance is based on the shortest available route; if you want to take a longer route, or a hillier route, or even a muckier route, that's up to you; you just need to reach the route check controls; so at Inversanda, about half the riders took the shorter hilly route over Glentarbert and Doire nan Gad, and the other half took the longer but flatter coastal route.
I followed a nutter on a fixie, who had cycled up from somewhere in Englandshire... and rode home again afterwards (My first introduction to the concept of an Extended Calendar Event), yes that was up the hilly route.

Descending to the ferry and a check point there was time to purchase a roll and tea before boarding the ferry for Mull.

Once on Mull we once again set off en-mass from Fishnish through Salen and onto the infamous Giburn Rocks road, where the Atlantic crashes against the cliffs the road is cut into at a depth of over 10m! (Enough to make the MSA stop the Mull Rally from using this section of road). Of course we were heading for a food stop, the shop an Pen-Y-Gael had put on Rolls and soup for us and Audaxers congregated on the benches outside to eat before setting off over the Ben More road for Craignure.

At this point I was looking forward to a Calmac burger on the Isle of Mull... As we rocked into the pub in Craignure packed full of Lycra, Goretex and Caradice we ignored the chance to sup here and waited for our ferry... At this point I spotted the Courisk sailing past Duart Castle. Bollocks.

I'm no fan of the Courisk, it's an oversized Loch Class, with only a wee shop selling if you're lucky (and we wern't) muffins, sweets and sandwiches; we wern't lucky because everyone else who had made the same timetable reading mistake or hadn't had time for food in Craignure beat me to the coffee cabin.

After a wait for Heb Isles to get underway for Colonsay while Clansman sat in the other berth we invaded the first chipper we came across in Oban, there's a good selection but the first did the job.

We cracked on for Ballachulish knowing everyone else more sensible was ahead of us and few behind, the cycle route along here isn't too bad and we made good time up the coast, only now as we approached 162Km  did Dave tell me he had never ridden a 100 mile ride! A wee celebration and we cracked on. while negotiating a wee chicane in the track Dave put a wheel off the side and only quick reactions stopped him from collecting me on the way down to the ground.

At this point we cut the pace, and it was getting dark, 200Km was approaching in the darkness and we were underlights on the last stretch from the bridge to the hall when the 200Km celebration was made before rolling up to the Arivee and a stamped Brevet card, cake and tea.

Not bad for a first Audax!