May 5, 2025
Monday
It didn't seem too cold, in fact I was comfortable. But once out of the sleeping-bag, it felt frosty and even though I wear my jacket and full finger gloves, my fingers are numb with cold while riding until the body generates heat enough to warm up.
Not much difference to yesterday, except no A roads, another wind farm, but one well established, not the ugly moonscape of yesterday.
It is a lengthy run of turning this way and that into Glasgow, where I'm now in a cafe charging the phone with an ice-cream with my coffee. As always it junk food while on the road. I stopped here because there is a Lidl superstore next door and later, once I have stocked up, I'll be wanting to get out of the city by evening.
I am glad I stopped here, a thoroughfare called Victoria Road with a wide cycle-lane. There is a great variety of locally owned eating places. Its a far cry from the soulless pedestrian street in the city centre with big brand stores that are in every city centre.
I continue north upon the broad cycle lane, across the river Clyde where immediately over the bridge I go left and follow the waterfront. The blue National Cycle Network (NCN) sign points to Balloch on Loch Lomond with 20, which I think at first means 20 kilometres, but then realise 20 miles is meant and that is significantly more at around 32 kilometres. In any event, its a good path the whole way, predominantly parallel to the river and for the most part towpath along the Union Canal, which I think connects the Forth to the Clyde. However, on the way I get a puncture, only noticeable when I sit on a bench to eat a salami sandwich and seeing pink sealant from the tubeless tyre squirted all over the rear of the seat-tube, seat-post and underside of saddlebag. A hole in the tyre is bubbling when I investigate, but soon stops and I reinflate the tyre. Further on though, there's a sudden sharp hiss as the sealant broke, but seals again. It hisses like this two more times and my rear tyre is quite soft when I reach Balloch where I stop and inflate the tyre again.
I find the way on from Balloch up an enclosed tunnel created by high hedgerow either side and meeting overhead; up a steep incline and eventually out upon a stony path onwards to a hilltop by which time the sun is waning low on the horizon and I quickly opt to camp in a grove of broad leaf trees alongside.
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