We are just back from 2 weeks in Scotland and The Lakes. For the first week we stayed with friends, who kindly allowed us to ‘bunk down’ (I use the term very loosely as it’s a full 5 stars!) at their lodge at Cameron House on Loch Lomond.

Loch Lomond

Quite a change from 8 weeks in the van – fluffy towels, underfloor heating, sauna etc – Thank You V&I !!

We spent the week walking, mountain biking, and carrying out quality control checks on the local breweries!

Ascent of The Cobbler

Quality control at Loch Fyne Brewery

Quality control passed!

At the end of the week it was back to the van and we decided to head up to Aviemore to continue riding and walking. We usually stay at the Rothiemurcus campsite however this was closed for November so we stayed at High Range campsite instead. This worked out well as it’s closer to the town and therefore bars for those cold Scottish nights.As always at this time of year (anytime of year) in Scotland the weather can be variable and this proved to be the case towards the end of the week, so we decided to head down to The Lakes where the weather forecast indicated better conditions!

Managed to get in a couple of days riding and walking including a good bike loop around Skiddaw which comprised 16K of climbing (this can’t be worth it!) followed by 16K of decending (climb soon forgotten!)

Carry on climbing – Skiddaw loop

Descent from Skiddaw House

We finished off this week by dropping into the trail centre at Grizedale to ride the North Face trail before heading back home for some more planning!

North Face Trail – Grizedale

We are down in Dorset and decided to extend our stay to incorporate some riding in the Purbecks. We have had our eye on a ride from Corfe Castle out to Old Harry Rocks and back via Studland for 2 or 3 years but never got round to fitting it in so figured as we have the time…

We found a campsite outside Corfe Castle just off the route, and the weather forecast when we made the plan seemed OK! However not the case in reality – it rained most of the night but appeared to clear in the morning so we decided not to bother with waterproof trousers. A big mistake as it was pouring down within a mile so a quick return to van to don all the gear.

Climb up to Nine Burrow Down from Corfe Castle

It was good to get back on our mountain bikes again after having been restricted to folding bikes for the past couple of months. The ride was a straight forward 30K, a climb up on to the ridge from Corfe Castle a ride along the top before descending and ascending to Old Harry Rocks then down to Studland and back through Rempstone Forest. The views as you ride out towards Old Harry Rocks with Poole Harbour below to the right and Swanage Bay below to the left are stunning (even on a wet day in October!).

As you ride towards the cliff edge on the approach to Old Harry Rocks the bridle way bears sharp left, if you miss it you will know when you hit the water! The route guide stressed the importance of this turn. In reality you have a good 20 m before the cliff edge however the way the ground drops away on the approach leaves you unsighted for 200m or so before the turn so makes if psychologically interesting.

Cliff top path to Old Harry Rocks

All in all a great ride and some good practice before heading to Scotland next week.