In amongst sealing the flashing on the chimney and painting a wall, I keep looking at maps. Sometimes I'll follow that by typing a GR into geograph. This morning I've found 2 tracks that I didn't know existed. Both look very rideable, could easily be linked and weave their way through some stunning scenery ..... it's doing my head in. Anyone else self inflicting misery upon themselves?

Sort of....but more like "What's the most interesting route I can do without touching a gate."

Same here - love to study the online mapping and Sat Images... used to do this all the time when on a drilling unit to save my sanity and carry me to a 'better' place.... that's how I spotted and planned the distillery tour around the coast of Islay

Islay-Fat-Bike-99 by 99percentchimp, on Flickr

At least here I can chose what and when I'm doing stuff but I've done far worse isolation on sub standard rigs and drill ships for more than a month in some weird circumstances (Arab Spring in Egypt with no activity comes to mind).

Hope everyone is staying sane too. Vegetable patches are going to see some work this week too

That looks like it's the beach to the north of An Cladach bothy. What's the track/path like over the headland in the distance that eventually ends up at Ardbeg?

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:59 am That looks like it's the beach to the north of An Cladach bothy. What's the track/path like over the headland in the distance that eventually ends up at Ardbeg?

Yep - exactly... a thin strip of raised beach that was hard to resolve on google earth/sat images.... rideable on low pressures on the cobble beach... couple of river to ford, a couple of major dykes that cross cut the coast to climb and then a climb up to the light house
Islay-Fat-Bike-133 by 99percentchimp, on Flickr
Islay-Fat-Bike-138 by 99percentchimp, on Flickr
and a heather bash/beach ride along to the old croft at Proaig,
Islay-Fat-Bike-149 by 99percentchimp, on Flickr
then a muddy thrash to the end of the road at Ardtalla. Then a nice spin along the road to the really peaty distilleries at Ardbeg/Lagavullin and Laphroaig....

Bruichladdich was my fave…. helped by a wet afternoon and some huge shots in the visitors centre!

Dennis and myself climbed to the top of the 'garden' ....... and stood there like kids with no money staring through the sweetshop window.

Tarrens, Cadair, Rhinog Fawr and Aran all in view.

I've been doing a fair bit of route planning and map gazing in the last week, not torturing myself just dreaming of normality....

Not yet, but it will happen.
I finished a week last Friday on self isolation (paid SSP) as the wife had flu like symptoms which she then kindly passed on to me, today is my first day that I'm up and about properly, but still fell drained.
So it's another week off, hopefully in this time work will tell me I'm not part of the essential team so stay at home of 80% paid by Boris.
Let the dreaming commence

99percentchimp wrote: ↑Sun Mar 29, 2020 11:44 am Same here - love to study the online mapping and Sat Images... used to do this all the time when on a drilling unit to save my sanity and carry me to a 'better' place.... that's how I spotted and planned the distillery tour around the coast of Islay

That's one I've been planning, to do with a friend, for some time. Circumstances has prevented it, so far, but I need to make an extra effort.

Think I’ve exhausted all the bridleways in my areas map but this thread is a good prompt, shall have a look tonight

At the tail end of 2019, I started expanding on the germ of an idea for my next mutli-day tour. After discovering some extra information, the scale of this looked like it was going to be extended somewhat and, due to other commitments, I decided that it would have to wait until 2021.

Then the coronavirus situation unveiled itself...

I'm still planning to do it in 2021, but who knows what the situation will be by then.

Anyway, if you're interested, here's a rough outline of the plan...

• Sleeper train from London to Fort William
• Arrive in the morning, and do a local loop, then overnight in Fort William
• Head over to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, to reach the most westerly point on the mainland
• Strike out, with the aid of a bit of island hopping, to the most easterly point on the mainland, near Lowestoft
• Head back home (near Gatwick) calling in at my cousin's, in Southend

Not sure of daily mileage, or overnight points, yet, but it's starting to come together