Day 11

After a few longer days, we were really looking forward to this day. Of the entire CTC route, this was the shortest planned day. However, the weather was still miserable and looked like it would stay that way for some time.

We enjoyed the nicest breakfast of the entire journey, and got on our way. Despite being a shorter day, we were using fairly hilly roads. Also, there was a constant 20mph side wind, making it really hard to stay in a straight line. At some points, when we were unsheltered by trees, we couldn't stop laughing because the wind was so ridiculous. Lunch was interesting, but we managed to find shelter under a hill in a golf club.

Side wind was barely manageable, but when it was head wind, it got really annoying. Downhill should never require effort, but we really had to pedal to keep moving. Fortunately, as the day progressed, and after we had covered about 30 miles, the wind died down.

This was the point where we encountered another of the major climbs. Tak-ma-doon road was steep and endless, and took us up ridiculously high (263m). When we reached the top, there was a viewpoint where we could see Edinburgh and the sea, which at least gave us a bit of satisfaction. Also, the downhill was plentiful and great fun, our only complaint was a ford running across the road at one point.

Stirling was a nice city, fairly small and not too busy. There was a man playing the bagpipes, making us feel like we were truly in Scotland. The Stirling youth hostel was the first Scottish youth hostel we'd stayed in, and it seemed better than most of the English ones we'd stayed in - better equipped and in a more interesting building. That evening we trialled cooking pizzas, and it was definitely a success.

From LEJOG Day 11

We had covered 47.8 miles, which should have been easy, but thanks to the wind it took us ages and a large amount of effort. Our route is here.