Day 7. Falls of Falloch to Kilmarnock.

This morning I actually got to see the lovely Falls of Falloch, as it had already been pretty dark by the time I pulled off the road last night! It had been a good spot to camp, with the exception of the midges. It was also odd at times as the sound of the waterfall actually sounded like people talking and laughing – which is quite disconcerting when you wake up at 3am! Anyway, the sun was shining and the falls were a lovely place to eat breakfast and have my morning coffee – as the photo testifies!

Once on the road the day got even better – all downhill and really beautiful with such a deep and beautiful blue sky. As Loch Lomond approached, the scenery got even more beautiful, with peaks rising on the far side of the loch. The road winded gentry along the banks of the loch, and I was lucky with the traffic too. At the time of my trip there were extensive traffic works along the banks of Loch Lomond – which was great for me as the traffic would speed past me as soon as the lights changed, leaving me cycling in silence for long glorious minutes.

I stopped at a tourist info spot for a latte and a chocolate tiffin, lazily watching the tourist boat chug slowly around the edge of the loch – it reminded me of a trip I had taken with my family when I was about 11 years old – I think the boat chugging around the loch full of tourists could have been the very same one from all those years ago, it certainly looked pretty old…

Back on the road again, I turned left at the next junction, and headed towards Arrochar, and then down the A814 towards Faslane along the shore of Loch Long. The road was lovely and shaded from the afternoon sun, which was really hot and as the road began to rise again steeply I passed an older couple cycling along. Further down the road I stopped for a breather, the same couple arrived over the hill and we chatted for about 40 minutes about my trip, their lives in Manchester and Durham, and their trip up to this area to participate in an organised swim in Loch Lomond – sounded lovely, especially as the sun was really beating down now! We parted company and I continued down towards Helensburgh, where I hoped to be able to cross the Clyde to Greenock – sadly the ferry service had been stopped back in April, and I instead followed the cycle path further along the banks of the Clyde until I reached the Erskine Bridge. The Erskine Bridge was the first really big bridge I had ever cycled along, which was fun, and I was at least separated from the traffic, cycling along the pathway instead. At the end of the bridge I turned left and then right at a roundabout, finding myself getting lost in a nature reserve – at least the cycling was fun, following the footpaths through the trees along switchback trails. I came across a man who was sitting smoking next to his bike, he was very out of shape but had been out for the day on his bike and we swapped stories along with opinions on the state of healthcare and social provision (I’m a mental health student) as he was a social worker.

On my way again I headed along the edge of Glasgow airport and then into Paisley, where I stopped for dinner – this time a foot long subway. Back on the road again and heading towards Dunlop and Stewarton along the smaller roads, the road began to rise again, nothing too severe, but tiring none the less after a long day in the heat! About 5 miles north of Kilmarnock my knee started to spasm really badly. I couldn’t stop where I was, as I didn’t have any food to see me through the night and into the morning, and so had to grit my teeth and just keep on pedalling. I found a garage, stocked up and then headed off looking for somewhere suitable to put my tent up for the night. I chose a field where the entrance had been used as a fly-tipping dump, not the nicest of spots maybe, but I figured that seeing as I was now firmly in an agricultural area, farmers may not look too kindly on campers in amongst their crops or livestock – anyway, just a few metres away from the rubbish but close to the hedge, the field was level and unused – perfect.

Setting up didn’t take any time at all and I was soon nicely ensconced in my sleeping bag, food consumed and wife chatted to, and I was soon fast asleep!