The Braco way - 30th Nov an 1st Dec

Ah've bin awa seein neebs in Holand since the Audax Uk Reunion Deener Dairt which ah havnae hid mich tae be screiving aboot, 'twas ain o' mah wirst routes ever efter we hid ridden thro' that Tyne Tunnel an the rest wiz in the dairk afore that sae thir wisnae muckle tae see.

Mah holiday route taked me fae Northallerton tae Hull whar ah taked the steamer tae Europport, from whaar ah rade up the coast on thon LF1 route via Hook o' Holland and Zandvoort tae a toon near aboots Alkmaar whar mah neebs bide.
On the wai back ah rode inland atween the coastal and inland toons throu by the Haarlemersmeer an Maasland afore braving the heidwind in Zeeland 'til ah ran oot o' Netherlands and entirt Belgium whar ah bided in Brugge afore mah ferry.

A cauld mornin stairt

Robbie an ah hid plans fir the Braco Wai, bit he hid the date o' Thainksgien wrang an so wiz in the states wi femily.
Ah set aff efter dairk oan the Seterday nicht, 'twas bitterly cauld, ah believe mah thermometer ower reads bi fehv degrees and it was tellin' me it wis zero. Mah tackety winter tyres gaed seelent as thay skimmit aiver icy burns in the road; ee Glenfarg ah saw minus shree oan mah thermometer, wis that really minus aicht???
At Milnathort ah stoaped tae tap up oan juice an food fir brakfast in the morn afore rading an tae ma hotel in Kinross.

Benarti Hull

A thoucht a hid mah times sortit fir getting tae the stairt in decent time, an ah set oot intae the minus seiven cauld at aicht in the mornin fir the ten in the forenuin stairt.  Ah thoucht this wid mak me stairt on 14.3kmh as ah rollit thru the cauld forenoon air the burns in the cunyies an mah bottles war geilt by Kelty. Ah kent by noo that ah wiz wrang aboot mah times an ah rollit in tae the stairt in Dumfaurlin at twinty efter 9.

Ah thoucht ah micht be the ainly rader but ah wiz wrang again, mair brave or mibbie glakit idjits hid arrived but no aw wir stairtin.  By the aff mah average wis doon tae twal kmh an ah wid be in haste aw day tae stai aiver that fowerteen point shree minimum aince ah had makit back.

A fine parcel O' Idjits

The route taks in some o' mah fauvrit roads, aince we were oot o' toon and past Saulin it wis on tae the Yetts 'o Muckhart and up Glendevon, mah hivy tyres and legs making it a sair fecht o a clim fir thon view in tae Strathearn fae the tap o' the pass.  A rapid descent follit afore ah turnt ontae a road ah'd no raden afore tae Auchterarder station.  Ah had fifteen kmh oan the clock as ah rade intae toon, anely eneuch fir a fest bunce, but ithers war in they tee shaps and cafés wi plenty time fir thir deener.

Up the brae o' Glen Devon

In the copie thir wiz a faut wi the automatic tills an a hid tae bide a wee whiley in the queue afore ah got serrit.  A hid ma deener o salat, sweeies an juice aside the bike an then set aff up the brae, an oot on tae the road tae Braco. Tho there wiz nae ice tae see, the road wisnae tae guid but mah tapity tyres did thir joab.
Ah wis glad tae get this section duin as ah kent fae Dunblane it wid be maistly flet.  Ah hid planned tae ride by the Glen Road instead o the Kier Circle bit wi nae mich time tae play wi ah went the fest wai.

Crossin fae Glen Devon intae Glen Eaglais

The Brig O' Allan wis stowed oot an ah lost time waiting fir fowks tae park their motors afore finishing the descent tae Causewayheid what ah thoucht thir wis a copey ah coud stot aff ae.
But whan ah got thar the copey had movit tae ah dinnae ken whaur so ah went tae the cafe fir a cake and reciept.  Thae Angus lads waur thar an aw an ah wid hae bided an ridden wi them if a hid the time but ah didnae sae ah appologised and crackit oan taewards Tullie and Sauchie afore skirting Allowae tae Clackmannan and thae cycle paith richt intae Dumfaurlin.

Thon paith didnae feel sae brent laist time ah rade it but the day wi the bauchelt legs and slaw tyres ah felt it.  Wi jist o'er fifteen point shree oan the clock ah got tae the feenish o' the Braco wai but mah day wisnae o'er yet. A hunner an twinty fower kilometers oot o' twa hunner an twa ah wis gonnae be riding intae the gloaming and on tae the nicht.  Efter a quick bite tae eat and thanks tae the organiser ah was oan ma way, a fletish fir Fife ride aince ah wis oot o' Dumfaurlin  as ah climbed up tae Cowdenbeath and then oan roond Loch Leven an up tae Glenfarg, by Newburgh ah wis up tae fifteen an a hauf but wis hungert.  A copey raid was jist the ticket an a set on the last leg up tae Hazelton the better o that.

Allowae an Dumfaurlin Cycle paith

Ah ken this road weel but a haed makkit a mistak in mah routing tae get the route up tae distance a hid tae find shree kilometers, ah cud hae food thaim at Balgeddie Toll an Duncrievie but naw ah pit them in oan Norries Law an the Stirton lum.  As ah turnt on tae thon first hard climb ah felt the ice aneath mah wheels, thae tackets grippit an a' got in a rhythm bit soon the ice turnt tae frozen slush an ah groond tae a halt as the tyres howkit in.
Ah hid tae walk the bike up the brae fae thar 'till ah found a clean bit o tar tae stairt on.  Nae mair ice oan the south side o' Norries la' and Luthrie Bank wis gid an aw.  At Hazelton a turnt doon Mountquhannie aince mair the road wis clean an a hid nae fear but the laist fricht was nae faur.
The lum stairtit guid, but in the trees thon sun hadnae got tae the ice an the water rinning doon the brae wis frozen, mah tackets wir nae use aince a hid stopped and a shuflit on tae the verge fir a final walk up the brae.

Sundoun as ah ride intae the Gloamin

Wi Dundee o'er the water, Gauldry ahead and Wirmit doon the brae ah wis nearly hame et the back o' nine, aw wis guid and ah flew doon the Gutchers brae an in tae the village, shirteen hoors an twal meenits efter setting aff fae Kinross ah wis hame, whit a day.