Windows 7

I realise I've been raving recently about Macs, so I decided to take a look at what at what the latest version of Windows has to offer.

My first challenge was getting videos on the Microsoft website to play. To be fair both Apple and Microsoft seem to be under the illusion that someone shopping for a new computer and operating system will be browsing their website on a fast computer with a huge monitor, which doesn't make sense. At least, however, the content on the Mac website all worked for me, whereas some of the Microsoft videos didn't.

In any case the selection of features that Windows 7 was being sold with having were also fairly amusing to me. It is true to say that Microsoft is boasting features that Apple isn't; the reason being most of them are features that Macs have been doing for years!

"Windows Search" is possibly the best example of this. It's an incredibly fast search system that finds files on the computer very quickly. You might see it and say "Wow! That's impressive!" until you realise that Apple users have had Spotlight, which is at least as good, for four years.

There's also the new fancy "clipping tool" which is an application that allows the user to capture only a portion of the screen as a screenshot. Nice... but, again, for years Apple users have only needed press Apple key + Shift + 4 to do that.

Overall I've found that whilst Windows 7 has a couple of nice features, there is nothing at all about it that particularly impresses me.

Fanboy!

Something with which I am becoming increasingly familiar with is the various ways in which people respond when I tell them that I have been converted to using an Apple Mac computer.

I wrote on this blog last March when I first tried using a Mac about a year ago and it's fair to say that by now I'm a complete convert. I find they are extremely reliable and very enjoyable to use.

The thing is that, having realised how awful an experience using Windows based systems are by comparison I find myself trying to explain to people that it doesn't have to be that way, and that they should perhaps try a Mac too. When I do this most of them look at me as though I've suddenly gone completely insane.

Not use windows?! Are you insane?!

For the die-hard Windows user there is a stereotype into the shape of which they will try to bend the converted Mac user. This is the poor gullible individual, ignorant to the world of computers, who has been duped into buying an overpriced inferior product by snappy advertising. Apple has brainwashed them into being a "fanboy", who will mindlessly buy anything with an Apple symbol on it. They are to be pittied.

I have been treated to lectures on the evils of being "tied in to expensive hardware", not having "native unicode support" (whatever that is?), which are perhaps true. Also how the file and memory management systems are inferior, which I consider to be less generous in terms of fact given the superior speed and smooth running of OS.X even on lower spec machines than their Windows counterparts.

Most amusing though was the assertion that OS.X is simply a dumbed down version of UNIX for people who are too stupid to use UNIX proper. Anyone making such a statement is completely missing the point.

One has to ask oneself what a computer is for, and the answer for most people is given in terms of performing certain tasks. If an operating system makes doing this fast and easy someone used to a more involved method may indeed call it "dumbing down", but does that really matter if it does the task better and more easily? Apple wins every time not on an on-paper comparison of specs, but when it comes to the so-called "user experience" which is in many respects much more important.

The average computer user frankly doesn't give a toss whether or not NTFS or WinFS is technically superior as a file system to HFS+. What they want is a computer that works well and is easy to use. The beauty of an OS.X system is that it does both of these things, and Apple are very good at improving and integrating the aspects of a computer that most people actually care about.

It "just works", to use their slogan.

On the other hand, every verson of Windows I've ever used has required constant adjustment and and insider knowledge to make it work properly.

A good example was when I commented how much quicker my Mac Mini would boot compared with my PC of the same age. The response I got was "well, you're obviously not keeping your windows install clean are you!". Well, perhaps not. But why should I, as an average computer user, need to know about keeping the system clean of all the small programs that are want to install themselves in the background of a Windows system, and how to delete them?

It strikes me that there are a considerable number of computer users that must actually enjoy the constant tinkering with their systems to keep them working. Either that or they enjoy having the knowledge of how to do it and being the authority figure on computers to those other Windows users around them who aren't in the know.

Apple perhaps annoys those people the most by making the need for such insider knowledge redundant. OS.X is far more intuitive and easier to set up and adjust; no tinkering or regular cleaning up required.

All of this said, I suspect that the main reason most people remain with their Windows PCs, and replace them with new Windows PCs, is not because of a fair and balanced comparitive apprisal of both alternatives, but simply because Windows is something familiar, whereas OS.X is an unknown quantity. People in general like to remain set in their ways.

In trying to convey this I like the analogy of trying to sell a motorboat to an individual who is tasked with rowing heavy cargo across a lake. You can point out that the motorboat with its engine is faster and will make crossing the lake significantly easier, but you'll only be told "No, that's no good! Where on earth would I mount the oars?!"

Indeed one problem that can arise is that using a Mac will often require that the user un-learns a lot of the habitual clunky circuitous ways in which one must things if you were trying to get the same result in Windows. I recall Rosie trying to import her pictures from her Windows laptop onto the Mac Mini. In doing so she'd manually organised all of her photos into folders and moved those folders from her USB stick across into the iPhoto directory, as one would do in Windows, then was confused when iPhoto wouldn't let her load them into the library; she'd spent 30 minutes on this. She was just a little bit miffed when I pointed out all she needed to do was plug in the USB stick and click "add photos" in the menu bar.

Anyone who has gotten used to iPhoto will agree that perhaps "dumbing down" isn't quite so bad after all.

So I will enjoy my motorboat and encourage others to give it a try themselves; if some people like the exercise of having to row hard to keep up as far as I'm concerned they're welcome to it.

iTablet

The rumours about a new Apple "netbook" computer in the form of a tablet, possibly called the "iTablet", seem to be increasing.

I would expect this device to in effect be a giant iPhone. Rumours seem to suggest it would have a 10" screen and have 3G capability, allowing it to access the internet over the mobile phone network in the same way as the iPhone does. Needless to say it would also have Wi-Fi and the same touch-screen control interface as the iPhone.

Below is one example of what this might look like.


Such a device would be very attractive to me, not least because I find the iPhone's screen a bit small for web browsing and certainly too small for word processing. I would be very interested to get one of these, if of course they indeed turn out to exist.

New computer?

It has been over 5 years now since I last bought a computer, and so I am now doing something that I have being trying to put off for a while, which is considering buying a new computer.

This is not some kind of inherent urge that must be answered, but simply a changing of the times. The performance that programs and web content demand from computers increases over time. I have a 5 year old laptop and an 8 year old desktop PC, and these are simply unable to cope.

I am one who has defended Microsoft for countless years, but a couple of years back I decided that my next computer would be an Apple Mac. There were three main factors in this. First, my Brother and Dad both have Macs and I was impressed with what I saw, second Windows Vista came out and I decided I certainly didn't want to upgrade to that given the reviews it was getting, and finally I got myself an iPhone and I was so impressed with the interface I wanted to try getting an apple computer.

I replaced my 8-year old PC's tower with a Mac Mini inherited from my Dad recently and I have been very impressed with it. The interface is very intuitive and it's age only shows occasionally when it's asked to run newer programs or streaming video off the internet. In 6 months I have only had one thing that hasn't worked perfectly, and that is that iChat doesn't like the webcam I'm using. Just one issue in over 6 months! The "it just works" reputation is well earned.

Windows is adept at not "just working". For example I am typing this at my lunch break at work and I just had to restart my computer because it refused to eject my USB stick, saying a program was still using it which I was pretty sure wasn't true. Such issues are something that most PC users will find to be a day-to-day occurrence.

The problem I have with my current Mac Mini is that many of the things I want to do with it, including programming and watching movies, would work a lot better with a larger screen. My 15" TFT monitor was far from the largest available when I bought it in 2001. It seems to me that 21" or larger seems to be the smallest nowadays; I use a pair of 24" monitors at work.

The trouble is that getting a new monitor would be limited by the capabilities of the graphics card in my Mac Mini, so replacing the monitor to a worthwhile size will mean replacing the Mac Mini too. I started looking at the price of decent 24" monitors and adding that to the cost of a new Mac Mini. Then, as I browsed apple's website to see what their monitors were like, I considered the new iMac.


The iMac is an all-in-one computer. It's the size and shape of a monitor but everything, save the keyboard and mouse, is included inside the monitor casing. That includes a small set of speakers, microphone, webcam, disk drive, card reader, wireless cards, everything. In the latest version there is only one external cable, the power cable; the keyboard and mouse are wireless.

The one I like the look of also has a 27" screen.

I am quickly falling in love with the idea of getting one of these, not least because I like the way in which it is all integrated. Critics of Apple computers will constantly point out that, unlike windows, Apple controls the hardware. I will point out that a great thing about Apple computers is that Apple controls the hardware, which means that everything works perfectly together because it is designed as such. The more I see of these computers the more I come to think that sourcing the hardware and operating system from completely separate companies is just asking for trouble.

Thoughts here of my windows laptop and its habit of lying dormant as intended with the lid closed, as expected, but then shutting down the moment the lid is opened springs to mind. Or indeed trying to set Windows XP to understand that I have a UK keyboard on my laptop. I am also fairly certain that it is the wireless card on my laptop that is causing it to crash completely, bringing up the dreaded blue screen of death, the windows trademark.

Even the recent release of Windows 7 hasn't changed my mind. It's much more stable than Vista, but then XP has a similar "better than Windows ME" citation that isn't saying much. Frankly I've given up on Microsoft trying to sort its act out.

So, an iMac it is then. Now all I need to do is work out how I'm going to afford it.

Question time

It seems that this evening the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin, is to appear on the BBC's Question Time, so I thought I'd just write a few words about this.

I don't think anybody is under any doubts as to exactly what a far-right party such as the BNP stands for, so I won't bother going into details as to what it is about me that engenders the intense dislike I feel toward them. Worse though is the way in which the lessons of the middle of the last century have been so easily forgotten by many of the current generation of voters; we know that the far right doesn't have any solutions, it just likes to pin problems on scapegoats.

This is one of those situations where it is easy to fall into a trap. It's easy to say "don't let him on the program!" and take on the very nature of the beast oneself. We are lucky to live in a country where we can enjoy freedom of speech, and so the BNP should of course have the right to say what it is they want to say. That said, I am a little disappointed that the BBC should give the BNP such a platform and any legitimacy that might appear to come with it.

As a final point, I would like to comment on the BNP's keystone policy, which seems to be the repatriation of those who are not of "indigenous" British descent.

When a family of, for example, African origins has called the UK home for many generations, where on earth but the UK is their home?

I would like to know by what criteria "indigenous British" could ever even be defined, because immigration is certainly not a new phenomenon to this country. The British Empire once spanned the globe, and as a consequence the migration to and from the British isles has been significant for centuries. Many in this country can even trace their ancestory back to the Norman conquest. The Normans weren't "ethnically British", they were immigrants from Europe. After that, what about Viking or even Roman settlers?

I suspect such thoughts are far too deep for the BNP and those who support them. History has told us that if a useful scapegoat can be found for all life's problems for many people rationality can take a back seat.

I am glad that overall the BNP recieve as little support as they do. It gives me more faith in people.

Could have been much worse!

It is clear to me that I have offended the motoring gods and yesterday they sent me a warning!

Rosie and I were travelling north on the M1 yesterday lunchtime; heading for Nottingham to collect more of her stuff to move into my flat. I was driving and just South of Leicester, as I pulled into the middle lane to overtake a horse box, I heard a loud bang. Looking round I saw dust and smoke coming from the right hand side of a white transit van that had just overtaken us in the right hand lane.

As we watched the van swung sharply to the left across in front of us at a complete right angle to the road as it crossed the the middle lane, sliding sideways at at least 60mph. It narrowly missed the rear of the horse box and continued to slide, somehow staying upright, and by the time it ploughed into the foliage beyond the hard shoulder it had turned a complete 180 degrees and was travelling backwards. The van was alongside us by this point, and must have been doing about 50mph at the moment of impact.

The whole thing was over so quickly and yet it happened in a kind of curious slow motion. It was incredibly cinematic, almost like watching a cinema screen, probably because it was so dramatic, so large, and so out of the ordinary. The crystal clarity of it all was surreal, and despite the fact it happened a mere 25m ahead of us we looked on with a strange sense of detachment. There wasn't even any need for me to take evasive action, even though I was ready to, the van cleanly missed us and everything else on the road to make possibly one of the softest 50mph crashes in history.

It is a fact that travelling in a car is one of the most dangerous things that most people do on a day to day basis. This isn't something that most people are inclined to believe however, probably because inside our metal boxes the danger seems so distant. Even as I watched this accident unfold and two tonnes of metal whirled across the road completely out of control in front of me I didn't feel afraid. The realisation that things could have come off much, much worse is one that's entirely rational.

Perhaps the most shocking thing that came from this whole episode, I believe, is what happened when we went to the police station to make a statement as witnesses to what had happened. We were greeted by a locked front door and a sign listing opening hours, saying that the police station was closed all day.

It seems that the police are closed on Sundays.

...and another thing!

Whilst I'm ranting about the RAC, I'll post another link to this.

Basically it's another demonstration of how they are able to, by choosing the numbers that represent only a small part of the picture, suggest that a great injustice is being done to motorists.

Who are these "motorists" anyway, are they a separate species? Are we not all just human beings trying to get from A to B using the best method made available to us?

Anyway, they will argue that the BCR, or "Benefit-Cost ratio" of road schemes is much higher than for public transport schemes, thus the money should be spent on roads.

They quote average BCRs for different types of projects undertaken:

• Highways Agency Roads - 4.66
• Local roads - 4.23
• Heavy rail schemes - 2.83
• Light rail schemes - 2.14
• Local public transport schemes - 1.71

This might seem the obvious course of action, but for a couple of showstoppers for this kind of numbers-based argument.

First, road schemes never include the cost of vehicles in the calculations, because the user pays for them directly. This makes road schemes appear cheaper when in fact on an overall cost per user basis they are much more expensive.

Secondly, and most significantly, fuel duty is included in the calculations. This means that any analysis using this set of criteria will come out in favour of a scheme that puts more cars on the roads. Light rail schemes, for example, which are designed to reduce congestion by attracting motorists out of their cars, have to gain a high enough benefit cost ratio to get approval despite the loss of income to the treasury from fuel duty counting against them.

Numbers can be useful, but they should always be viewed in context.

"Transport Crisis"

In the news today were reports on the publication of a report by the think tank "Reform" on the UK's transport infrastructure. Link here.

My particular disagreements with this paper are generally related to the way in which they are ever so slightly massively skewed toward the road lobby. For example they trot out the RAC's old chestnut about how much poor old Mr Motorist pays £X in "motoring taxes" and yet how little of it is spent on the UK's roads.

"British drivers, for example, currently pay over £45 billion every year in the various motoring taxes and less than a fifth of this is invested back in the road network."

Let's consider this for a minute.

Firstly, the cost of motoring in the UK at the present time is at the lowest it has ever been at any time in history, so why complain?

Secondly, most of these so called "motoring taxes" are in the form of "duty". This is not a charge in exchange for a service, it is indirect taxation which is not in any way ringfenced. Duty is also paid on other items, such as alcohol, tobacco, import, and the paperwork for moving house (stamp duty), and yet it would be silly to suggest that, for example, alcohol duty should be ploughed back into the brewing industry.

Thirdly, what on earth would we do with £45bn a year on roads? Thankfully government now broadly recognises that it is impossible to build ones way out of road congestion, so we wouldn't be building more of them. Or would we? The RAC want to go back to a massive programme of road building. Thankfully this is now politically very unpopular.

I would, however advocate the prospect of spending a much greater proportion of the funding from this government cash cow on the UK's transport system as a whole. There is a difference.

The report then dusts off another of the RAC's favourites.

"Too much transport policy is a discussion about whether cars, trains or planes are 'good'. This results in irrational decisions. For example road travel constitutes over 90 per cent of all journeys, compared to less than 7 per cent for rail. Yet in 2006-07 the UK invested £5 billion in rail and only £4.8 billion in roads."

On its own of course this sounds like poor old Mr Motorist is being hard done by.

It's not that simple though, because these numbers do not say when and where these journeys are occurring.

For example, over 80% of people who enter central London do so by public transport. London, as a highly profitable global city, could not function without its mainline rail links and underground, even though neither of these generates a profit in itself. The same is true of other cities and urban areas across the country to some extent.

No amount of investment in roads will bend the laws of time and space to negate the physical impossibility of moving the huge numbers of people, that rail moves daily, in and out of major cities by car. There physically isn't space between buildings to accommodate the road lanes and junctions needed, even if the prospect was politically acceptable to those living in those areas.

It's complete folly in my opinion to bemoan spending however much on method A as opposed to method B on the basis of fairness if A works and B doesn't.

Having parroted the RAC's roads sales pitch for a while, the report then goes on to dismiss a future North-South high speed rail line as a "white elephant", and encourages investment in what it calls "value for money improvement" such as train lengthening. Take the short term view basically.

Given the fact that the trains on the West Coast Main Line, which would be relieved by the proposed "High Speed 2", are already being lengthened to 11 carriages and yet the line is still projected to be completely full within a decade, I cannot see how the high speed line would conceivably be anything like a "white elephant". Indeed, demand for services on High Speed 1, including the new "Javelin" commuter trains, has been well above projected levels. High speed rail is very popular with users and brings huge economic benefits with it.

I have mental images of George Stephenson being told, in the 1820s, not to bother with this "rail-way" scheme as it will clearly be a white elephant, and that the solution to the transport problems between Liverpool and Manchester lies with minor improvements to the turnpikes.

There is, however, one point that this obviously right wing think tank makes that I cannot help but agree with.

The UK currently spends £31bn a year on Social Services, £119bn on health, and a whopping £189bn on "Social Protection" - welfare basically. Transport spending is a mere £23bn a year.

Spending in some areas can provide massive boosts to the future economy of the country, such as capital investment in infrastructure, whilst spending in health and welfare does so far less. Yet, with spending cuts inevitable, where will the money be cut from? Pardon my cynicism but projects like Crossrail, the Nottingham tram extension, High Speed 2, etc are going to look like politically easy targets for cuts, much easier than, for example, trying to reduce the amount being handed out in benefits.

I will conclude with the statement the report opens with, which I agree with completely.

"Britain has an infrastructure shortfall and a cash shortage; the £23 billion transport budget is already being cut. This is despite the fact that infrastructure is one of the most productive parts of government expenditure and could help propel Britain out of the recession. A new policy is needed that frees up transport provision."

In my opinion government must appreciate the importance of transport and end its long history of being the Cinderella department that it is, because the transport problem in the UK is not going to go away, and in fact it is getting worse.

Sparks!

Good news today, very good news!

I was amazed to discover this morning this article on the BBC website: £1bn plan to electrify rail line - a £1bn plan to electrify the main rail route between London and Swansea has been announced by the government.

This is the government giving the go-ahead to electrify the Great Western Main Line, which, significantly for me, runs through Didcot Parkway and branches off to Oxford. The new policy, which one could argue should have been pursued decades ago, makes even more sense nowadays for a whole host of reasons. Electric trains are faster, quieter, cleaner, cheaper to build and maintain, more efficient, and can carry more passengers. There's even a name for the surge in patronage due to the improved performance on lines that are electrified, it's often referred to as the "sparks effect".

It seems that government has finally, in the context of transport, grasped the meaning of the old schoolboy question: "Option A costs £10 to start and £2 a year, Option B costs £20 to start but £1 a year. What is the better choice over 30-40 years?" The answer is blindingly obvious but it requires one to look beyond a 5-year time horizon, which is difficult for many politicians.

Indeed it seems that Andrew Adonis, Secretary of State for transport, has written this article in the Times today. Most notably he says:

"The nation that pioneered the train has squandered the legacy of Brunel and Stephenson. It’s time to say ‘all change’"

This coming from someone in government is unheard of in the last few decades! In the past we have always had individuals who have taken no particular interest in making real improvements and who have moved on at the first opportunity. What a change!

"At present rail accounts for only 6.3 per cent of journeys, half the proportion of Switzerland and a fifth of that in Japan. There is no good reason why Britain should not aim for much higher proportions."

Were this from another man it would be reminiscent of John Prescott's announcement about reducing car traffic that never stood up to the test of reality. The difference with Adonis is that he's already supporting his rhetoric with action, as anyone who has been following the story of high speed rail development in the UK and the huge leaps and bounds it has made in the last year will know well.

I think transport, especially public transport, has long been a Cinderella department in government and to have someone who is a visionary and a genuine enthusiast running the DfT making the case for change and improvement rather than seeking excuses for inaction and parroting the party line is absolutely brilliant.

It almost gives me a reason to hope that the otherwise long overdue general election doesn't come too soon. I want Adonis's pet projects like this and high speed rail to gain so much momentum so that it becomes incredibly difficult for a future Conservative government to pull the plug, which they will undoubtedly want to do.

Shiny Happy People

Okay, time for quite a light post after the heavy blogging of our Scotland trip. This quiz has been doing the rounds on facebook, but hey it can't hurt to put iTunes on "My Top Rated" and fill it out for a little light relief this lunchtime.

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes, windows media player etc on Shuffle
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Never to Know

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Runaway

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Last Port of Call

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Like the Rose

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Silver Strand

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Fear of Flying

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Go West

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Game of Love

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Turning Tide

WHAT IS 2+2?
Why does it always rain on me?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BESTIE?
Ten Feet High

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Who's to say

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Robin Hood Theme

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
All You Wanted

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Bid Og Ni Mhaille

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Traffic

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Dimming of the Day

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Our Farewell

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Intimacy

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Gunmetal Grey

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Riverboat Song

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
So Young

WHAT DID YOU LAST SING IN THE SHOWER?
Unforgivable Sinner

WHAT SONG DO YOU LIKE TO MAKE LOVE TO?
Song for Ireland

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Shiny Happy People

Day 17 - ...and home!

Today was another day, a whole one this time, spent on the train. Leaving the hostel at the early hour of 7:30 we caught the 7:55 direct service to London Kings Cross; the only direct train of the day, with a scheduled journey time of about 8 hours.

As we headed south we were treated to more beautiful mountain scenery. Were we not travelling first class I could see being train-bound for so long becoming quite uncomfortable, but as it was the seats were large and comfortable, we were plied with tea and biscuits, and the time simply flew by as our train wound its way through the highlands. I was glued to the window enjoying the scenery all the way, enjoying the landscape that was much like that we'd cycled through, and yet very different in terms of the actual shape of the mountains and valleys.

Rosie preferred to read her book.

As we approached Gleneagles the occasional showers turned to thunderstorms, and in fact quite soon the train came to a halt. We crawled forward one signal at a time for about half an hour, which we discovered later was due to lightning hitting one of the signals in that area!

We arrived into Edinburgh about 30 minutes late, but we were quickly on our way again, heading south along the coast past Berwick and Lindisfarne. Rosie persuaded me to play scrabble with her, which was a mistake as I once again lost horribly. There must be something about that bit of line!

When we reached york we were once again delayed, this time by a fault with one of the train's power cars. To be honest the prospect of arriving into Kings Cross an hour late didn't bother us; we would have had three hours to kill in London anyway before we could get a train from Paddington. Besides, we were comfortable and an hour delay on an 8 hour train journey didn't seem like much.

Arriving at Kings Cross we decided to go and find some dinner at St Pancras International. We found a nice little itallian restaurant and had a pleasant meal watching the Eurostar trains come and go. This was followed by a slightly manic ride across London to reach Paddington to catch the last train of our long journey home.

Over twelve hours after setting off from Inverness we finally made it back to my flat. A very good holiday, but nice to be home!

Day 15 & 16 - Inverness

An early start to the first day of our journey home. We were booked on an early train and if we missed it our tickets, and most importantly our bike reservations, wouldn't be valid on later services. We packed our bags, had some jam on toast for breakfast at the backpackers' hostel we'd been staying at and made our way up the hill to Thurso railway station.

The train was on time, and we joined 40 or so other passengers who were also joining the train here. We felt sorry for a couple of Australian cycle tourists who'd also stayed overnight at the hostel; they weren't allowed to board the train with their bikes because they didn't have a reservation.

The train for our ride to Fort William was equiped with 6 bicycle spaces and the guard ended up allowing 10 bicycles on the train in total. In spite of being at the end of the End2End cycle route the trains to Thurso only have space for 2 bikes, which I think is a bit crazy. I had to go to a lot of trouble to get our reservations, but they were certainly worth it!

The ride to Inverness took just under 4 hours. I thought "The far North line" as it is known - a name that could have been chosen by Philip Pullman - was less spectacular than the west highland line, but the scenery was still beautiful. Conditions started out a bit misty and gloomy, but brightened up later.

On arrival at Inverness at about lunchtime we dumped our stuff at the SYHA hostel and proceeded to kill the day and a half we had spare before our train home.

We had a KFC for lunch and then decided to go and watch a film. Inverness has no cinema in the city centre, so we spent a while trying to understand the incomprehensible bus timetables so we could reach the retail park on the far outskirts of the city - about two miles away. We saw "Night at the Museum 2", which was good fun, then went back to the city centre for dinner.

The following day dragged on a bit. We'd already sampled the delights of Inverness in an afternoon, but yet we still needed to find more to do. Bus and boat tours of Loch Ness were appealing but also expensive and frankly we were still too tired to be bothered with travelling to where they departed from. The Inverness museum was closed because it was Sunday, which we all know is the most unlikely day of the week for tourists to want to visit it... not.

In the end we wandered around all the shops and sat around in a pub for a lot of the afternoon. On any other holiday one would ask what would the point have been, but we didn't feel too bad given our need to recover from all that cycling.

An early start and a long train journey home tomorrow.

Day 14 - The road to Thurso

Distance: 45 miles

Today was our last day of cycling for this holiday. Tomorrow we start our long train journey home, and believe me the thought of sitting for hours with the countryside rolling effortlessly by could not be more welcome.

We set out from Tongue SYHA, grateful of the two mile detour to Tongue village which eased the gradient up to the coast road and allowed us to buy lunch at the village shop. The sun was out again, but there was a breeze, which made it more bearable.

In fact as we got up high the wind turned out to be a strong south easterly, blowing at least 15 mph. As we were heading east this made making headway extremely arduous.

The road, which was for the most part high up, also dipped back down to sea level on numerous occasions. The roll down the hill was slow thanks to the wind, and making progress up the other side was hard going, even though the gradients were comparatively gentle.

On the plus side we didn't get drenched in sweat and we barely saw any horse flies. The wind made it practically impossible for them to land on us, even if we weren't moving.

It took 3 hours for us to travel the first 15 miles. We stopped for lunch at a quiet village called Bettyhill, having the pasties we'd bought at Tongue And noting that once again our water was already running low.

We continued on our way, glad that each descent and subsequent climb was shorter than the last, although the wind appeared to be getting stronger.

At a tiny village called Strathy we stopped at an inn for a drink. The landlord was very chatty, probably as we were his only customers at the time, and he recounted a few stories about cyclists he'd had drop by. He also told us that lightning had set fire to a house in Thurso the previous evening, which given the violence of the storms we'd seen in Tongue wasn't that surprising! He also happily filled our water bottles up for us.

With about 15 miles to go the countryside changed abruptly, becoming much flatter and divided into agricultural fields. Near the Dounreay nuclear power station we turned off the A-road, following a quieter, flatter, inland route for the last few miles. We were following the "End2End" route, which continues beyond Thurso to John O'Groats.

Rolling down the hill into Thurso was a huge relief. We booked ourselves into the hostel, and has dinner in the UK's most northern Chinese restaurant before turning in early.

No cycling tomorrow!!!!

Zzzz

Day 13 - Crabs and Thunderstorms

Distance: 28 miles

We set out from Durness SYHA today in the knowledge that we didn't have too far to go.

There were large numbers of horse flies about, but for the most part these didn't bother us because the road was quite flat and we were able to maintain a decent speed. A sea breeze also helped. We just couldn't stop in any one place for too long.

The road followed the coast for the first 20 miles, going down one side of an inlet and then back up the other side. Quite a roundabout journey, but worth it for the scenery.

It was good that today was short because after a gentle 20 miles along the coast the road turned inland and featured no less than four incredibly steep climbs (>14%), which pretty much finished us off. The first couple of these weren't too bad because we had the benefit of a cool sea breeze, but the latter two were in stagnant air so once again we baked and got mobbed by biting flies.

It was such a relief to get to the top, feel the breeze, pick up some speed and be able to look forward to a bit of downhill. Pausing to eat our lunch we met a backpacker who'd just come up from Tongue who told us we had a nice cruise ahead of us. He was right; the roll down to the causeway across to Tongue was a nice relief and well earned.

We were very early arriving at the Hostel so we took the opportunity to go back to the causeway and kill some time on the sandy beach and paddling in the sea. This proved interesting, as the apparently lifeless sand in fact concealed numerous large crabs, which didn't like to reveal themselves before they'd had the chance to scuttle over my toes, making me jump.

When it started to rain we headed for the hostel. As the rain got heavier we decided we couldn't face the mile walk to the village and to buy whatever we could from behind the counter at reception and call that dinner. Pasta, tomato sauce and cooked sausages, as it turned out.

The rain turned to thunderstorms, with loud bangs every few minutes. The power supply for the hostel went down several times during the evening failing completely in the end, as did the phone signal.

Tomorrow is our last day of cycling. It probably sounds silly, but an extremely long train ride with nothing to do but sit sounds very inviting to me right now. We're both very tired!

Day 12 - Castles and caves

Today was a day of rest, thank goodness, and after a slow start to the day we set out to have a look around the local area.

Our first stop was the beach, which was sandy and very pleasant. We had a paddle in the sea, looked in the rock pools, and bemoaned what we didn't have with us such as a bucket and spade, snorkels, wetsuits, bodyboards etc. Rosie took the opportunity to build a sandcastle, which I augmented with a moat bridge and gatehouse before leaving her to it and going to find a shop from which to buy lunch.

After lunch we decided we'd go and take a look at Smoo cave. From the road this was actually quite nondescript, but following a path down into the inlet it was at the end of yielded the gaping mouth of an impressively large cave. Inside we found a note saying that if we wanted the tour it'd be £3 each, and to find Colin who would be sitting outside.

Colin turned out to be a quietly eccentric Scottish fella who'd probably spent too long alone in dark caves, but he was very friendly and, producing a rubber boat from under a viewing platform, proceeded to row us around inside the small flooded inner chamber of the cave. He explained that the outer cave was a sea cave, but the inner cave was made by fresh water; he also showed us the "Scottish Piranhas" (freshwater brown trout) in the inner cave by throwing breadcrumbs into the water so we could see the fish jump for them.

After this we returned to the beach for a few hours until, for the first time in a week, it started to rain.

Today has been a nice break from cycling. The wonderful thing about this remote corner of country has been that it is so quiet. The beach was beautiful but almost comletly empty, and looking around the cave it was just the two of us and the tour guide.

All in all a fun day.

Day 11 - Trial by flies

Distance: 37 miles

A slow start to today. Breakfast at Kylesku Hotel was just as delicious as dinner last night; smoked salmon with scrambled egg. We passed an hour or so by the slipway; Rosie had a paddle in the water and I saw to a slow puncture in my rear tyre and took the opportunity to replace my rather worn brake pads.

We set out north from Kylesku with the full intention of taking it easy today. Unfortunately the road had other plans for us, with a number of steep climbs appearing in succession. Normally these wouldn't have presented much of a challenge to us but we were definitely feeling a significant cumulative fatigue given this was our third day in succession of cycling.

There was one bit of good news however, the insect repellent in the new sunblock we'd bought in Ullapool appeared to hold off the horse flies; they'd land, but immediately take off again without biting.

This good fortune held until just after lunchtime when we began our final ascent to a place called Gaulin House before our run down to the northern coast and Durness. It was at this point that our invertebrate pursuers got really hungry and invited all their friends to a party.

The sun was beating down mercilessly, the wind was behind us so the air around us was completely stagnant and it was just full of flies; flies that weren't going to let a little repellent get in the way of their lunch. We were exhausted, but the only way to escape was to keep going.

False summit followed false summit, and still the road continued to climb to our horizon. Worse still the road was single track, so we had to keep stopping for vehicles coming the other way. Never have I felt so demoralised to see that I have yet further to go.

The turning point came quite unexpectedly in the form of a headwind; all of a sudden a gentle breeze began to blow from the north. The road was still climbing, but the gradient was much gentler and we were able to reach a speed that made it impossible for the flies to keep up with us. It was an enormous relief to escape from them, and this feeling turned to elation as the road began to descend and we could see Durness in the distance, 8 miles away and all downhill.

The hostel and the pub where we found dinner were both incredibly basic, but it was all well earned and we were grateful.

Now for some serious rest and recuperation!

Day 10 - Kylesku

Distance: 34 miles

After yesterday's epic we were very glad that today's ride was a bit less strenuous.

Starting in Ullapool we took the opportunity to visit the supermarket to replenish supplies like concentrated orange juice, shower gel, etc. We also bought breakfast, as the SYHA hostel didn't provide one, and some sandwiches for lunch.

At the supermarket we met a couple from New Zealand who were also cycle touring and we felt much better about our own luggage seeing how much stuff they were traveling with.

We took the road north, with the road climbing underneath us. We immediately felt the fatigue of yesterday's outing, the "glorious" sunshine had already taken on a new less repeatable adjective, and the friendly local horse flies were back.

Rosie resorted to extreme measures and immersed herself in a nearby waterfall to cool down.

Taking a break from the climb we met a friendly local, out on his new road bike, who warned us that we had yet more climbing to do. Silently cursing him and his luggage-free carbon framed bike, with which he was able to simply fly up hills, we set out again.

Climbs always end though, and we were granted a pleasant descent with spectacular mountain views, followed by the chance to stop a tea room for a cold drink and cake.

From here the road was a lot flatter and we were glad of the headwind because it helped to keep us cool and stopped the flues from following us. We knew that we would have one last big climb before the descent down to Kylesku, and sure enough there it was, the line of a road snaking up the mountainside in the distance.

It was at this point that something truely wonderful happened; it started to rain! We were truly exhausted but no biting flies accompanied us up this hill and the cold drops of water were wonderful.

It was painful, but soon enough we had made it over the top of the pass and were able to enjoy the rapid descent to Kylesku, where we were booked into the hotel by the sliproad where the old ferry crossing used to be. We arrived very tired and so glad to be off the bikes.

After we'd arrived the weather improved and we were able to enjoy a nice sunny evening. Also worth mentioning was the food at the hotel, which was superb!

Day 9 - An epic!

Distance: 57 miles

Today was a ride of epic proportions, given the distance we had to cover. It wasn't until we were leaving Gairloch and saw the sign saying "Ullapool 57" that we realised quite what we'd let ourselves in for. This was 5 miles further than the London to Brighton bike ride, with luggage, through mountains.

Climbing out of Gairloch wasn't too bad, and we became well aware of how much fitter we have become over the last week. The road followed the coastline but tended to rise over headlands rather than following the contours, so we found ourselves climbing a lot and then enjoying the roll back down to the sea.

After about 30 miles of this the road turned inland following the bottom of a valley. It was as the road steepened that we began to feel the extent of our fatigue and the climb up to the plateau beyond was arduous.

Once again the weather was incredibly hot, which made climbing a slow and sweaty business. Worse however was the entourage of insects that we acquired whenever our speed dropped in this way. We have yet to see any of the famous highland midges, but we have met plenty of biting horse flies. Worse still, it seems that they have no trouble biting through cycling shorts!

The good news was that once we'd reached the top it was more or less downhill all the way for the last 15 miles. The road was well surfaced and straight enough to keep the brakes open and let us roll freely. I set a new speed record at 46.3 mph!

It was about 5 miles from Ullapool that Rosie started craving chips, so on our arrival we sought out a chippie and sat outside to eat the excessively large portions whilst we waited for the Hostel to open.

Something tells me we'll sleep well tonight! Well we'll have to; more cycling tomorrow.

Day 8 - Beachcombing

Another rest day today, and perfect opportunity to spend all of it exploring the coastline around Gairloch.

As we made our way down the coast on foot in warm weather that was actually more suited to northern France than Scotland I was reminded how long it has been since I was last on a sandy beach in summer.

We waded into the crystal clear water that was as calm as a mill pond and saw fish, crabs and jellyfish. We headed further down the coast and found dinner in the form of hot beef and gravy sandwhiches. Then we gradually made our way back, pausing to draw on the virgin sand left by the low tide.

All in all a wonderful day spent doing not very much.

Day 7 - Wind, sun and flies

Another scorcher today, although we didn't feel it at first. We set off east from Torridon into a strong headwind and uphill. Our progress was very slow for the first 10 miles as we battled the wind and gravity all the way inland.

Reaching Kinlochewe was an enormous relief, because here we turned north and the wind would now be behind us. We stopped to buy sandwhiches for lunch, and then stormed onward. The road was level as it followed the banks of a loch and with a tailwind we easily covered the next 10 miles in about 40 minutes.

Realising we'd be arriving in Gairloch very early if we kept going, we pulled off the road and down a track to a signed picnic spot by the loch. It was a beautiful spot to have lunch, and we then killed an hour throwing stones and discovering the remains of enormous crayfish by the waterside.

When we finally rejoined the road it was the hottest part of the day and we soon discovered that a tailwind can also be a curse, as it meant that the air around us was completely stagnant as we laboured our way up out of the valley. As we started to drown in our own sweat we were joined by swarms of flies, eager to keep us company. Half the contents of one of my water bottles ended up on Rosie's back, at her insistence.

The steady roll down to the sea afterward felt really good, as the breeze cooled us down and we rested our tired legs. Showers, dinner and an early bed time awaited us in Gairloch.

Day 6 - Up and over

Distance: 42 miles

Today was hot, very hot. We set out from Plockton with our water bottles brimming and loaded up with fruit and snacks. However, as the road began to undulate and the day got warmer and warmer we realised the water wasn't going to last. I'd gone through two whole bottles in just 10 miles. It was that hot!

Fortunately when we reached Strathcarron we found a hotel with a bar that was quite happy to top them up, complete with ice, which went down very well.

The recurrent theme of the day was climbing up a hill from near sea level, only to descend back down again shortly afterward. Climbing in the heat of the day was definitely a struggle, but breeze during the descent more than made up for it.

Today also felt like our first real taste of wilderness. As we headed north the road narrowed to single track with barely any traffic. No trees, no houses, just bracken and tall mountains to either side.

Torridon was beautiful; a tiny village nestled under a huge mountain. The staff at the youth hostel were very friendly, they gave us a 5 bed dorm all to ourselves and directed us to the nearest place to eat, which was a pub 2 miles away.

We decided to walk, wondering if this was a good idea given the way in which the hostel windows all had midge screens fitted. In the end we need not have worried because the evening was too warm, but that didn't stop us feeling incredibly itchy anyway.

Once again the food was brilliant. Cycle touring is great; you can eat sweets all day, gorge yourself in the evenings on delicious local food, and still lose weight!

Day 5 - Seals and other aquatic creatures

A rest day today, which we feel is well earned. We had a nice large breakfast at the B&B, followed by a gentle stroll into town.

In the morning we took a boat trip to see the seals out in the bay. Mum and Dad had recommended this, and the guys running it told us it would be free if we didn't see any. They needn't have worried, seals there were aplenty, wonderful views too.

We had a light but delicious lunch on the waterfront and then spent the afternoon exploring the shallow water in the harbour. The tide was out, and wading through the calm water on the beach revealed no end of interesting sea life. We saw hundreds of hermit crabs (including one that was enormous!), crabs, fish, crayfish and even a large flatfish that sped off at a rate of knots from its hiding place in the sand as I approached.

On any other kind of holiday a day like this might feel wasted, but we really enjoyed having a lazy day in one place to get some rest.

After dinner we headed back to the B&B, and an early night. More cycling tomorrow!

Day 4 - Isle of Skye

Distance: 28 miles

Well, what a contrast in the weather today! We stepped out of the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at in Mallaig to glorious sunshine and not a cloud in the sky.

We bought ourselves some sandwiches to have for lunch and headed down to the quayside to catch the ferry to Armadale, which is on the Isle of Skye. The sea was really calm and the views we had from the deck of the ferry during the 30 minute crossing were amazing.

Just as though it was trying to tell me something just as we'd wheeled our bikes off the ferry my rear tyre went flat again. This time the inner tube had failed at the valve and was beyond repair, so I had to break out a spare.

We headed north from Armadale, finding the road to be very well made, the scenery beautiful, and the traffic incredibly light.

Stopping for lunch by the side of the road we saw our first tick of the holiday. Rosie pointed to a tiny bug crawling across her hand, "a little insect" she said. "How many legs does it have?" I asked. "Eight" she said, "it's a little spider". I had a look; it was 2mm across with a fat body, eight short legs, and a pointy head. "That's not a spider". "Oh!" Rosie flicked it away.

Dramatic views and empty roads were the order of the day until we reached the road east to the Skye bridge, which was a little busier but still very comfortable for cycling.

We crossed the Skye bridge and headed north again toward Plockton. Here the road undulated a bit, but whilst the climbs were quite exhausting in the heat it was always great to cool off on the descent. I need to stop mentioning the incredible scenery, but Plockton itself was no exception to the wonderful landscapes we've been travelling through for the last few days. It's a village looking onto a harbour in a small secluded bay with high peaks on the horizon in all directions.

After settling into our accommodation we had a look around and went in search of dinner. When we found nowhere was open yet, at about 4:30, we got ice creams instead, went to explore a small island reachable across the beach, nearly got cut off by the tide, and in the end resorted to crab spotting by the slipway.

Dinner was fish and chips. I see a trend emerging!

Day 3 - The Road to the Isles

Distance: 48 miles.

Our first day of proper cycling today. Pausing only to stop off at Fort William to visit its small clone high street we set off westward on the road to Mallaig and the Isle of Skye ferry, hot on the heels of the Jacobite steam train, which we'd just seen leaving Fort William station.

The road and railway follow a very similar route along the banks of a Loch and then up over a low pass. We were happy; the road was well surfaced and the gradients were gentle, the traffic was light, and we had but scratched the surface of our Kendal mint cake supply.

It didn't even bother us when it started to rain; it was a nice temperature.

Our first stop was Glenfinnan, where we found a car park and a small visitors centre and received funny looks in our short sleeved jerseys off the multitude of tourists wrapped up in their anoraks against the incessant drizzle.

Glenfinnan viaduct, which we could see from where we'd stopped, is in fact the one regularly featured in the Harry Potter films. Glenfinnan station, which we also passed, features in the films too, as Hogsmeade station. It's easy to see why; I think if Hogwarts did really exist this is definitely where it would be found.

West of Glenfinnan the scenery changed from beautiful to stunning. The rain got heavier but we really didn't care, we were enjoying the ride too much. High peaks on either side were hidden in cloud, and we could go 5 miles without seeing so much as a house.

Eventually as we turned northward the undulations of the road started to tire us out, but the route had one more treat in store for us. About two miles from Mallaig we stopped to watch the Jacobite chuffing past on its way back to Fort William. The enthusiasm of the train crew waving to us from the footplate making up for that of their passengers.

Mallaig itself is a small fishing village complimented by the end of the railway and a pint-sized ferry terminal. The rain had stopped by now and we found plenty of options for dinner; most of them fish. We found a nice pub and chose which aquatic species we'd like on our plates. I couldn't choose, so I went for the fish pie. It was delicious!

Day 2 - More trains, further north!

Yesterday little did I realise that I would find myself the spectator of some kind of all-night snoring competition. The SYHA hostel in Glasgow is unable to provide small rooms, so Rosie and I found ourselves in bunkrooms. There were five other occupants to my room and I swear all of them were trying to claim the title of Scotland's loudest sleeper! It reached the point where my best chance of sleep was to put my headphones in and play some music loud enough to drown out the sound of the windows rattling.

Suffice to say I slept very lightly last night.

The good news was a gentle start to the day and a large continental breakfast. We were safely able to kill most of the morning because our train departed just after mid day.

The ride down to Glasgow Queen street station revealed the shocking state of Glasgow's roads, which were full of pot holes and incredibly rough. It made me consider that the couple of guys we'd chatted to yesterday getting off the train with their bikes weren't on mountain bikes because they were headed for the Hebrides, rather that they'd been to Glasgow before and knew what to expect.

Rosie wished she'd brought her mountain bike too.

Our train pulled out of Queen Street at 12:20 and headed north west onto the West Highland line. Once again the cycle storage facilities on the train were excellent, which allowed us to sit back and enjoy the views. This was certainly the most picturesque train journey I have ever been on, with sections boasting views where the only thing in sight that told of human presence was the railway. No roads, no tracks even, just marshes and mountains.

We arrived into Fort William mid afternoon. We're now installed in a room to all to ourselves, fed, watered, and hoping for a good night's sleep.

The cycling holiday begins tomorrow!

Day 1 - Trains, scrabble and robots.

Well, the first day of our Scottish adventure finally dawned. Today has been a very long day and finds us in Glasgow.

Tumbling out of bed at stupid o'clock in the morning to catch a train for London was a necessary evil in order to catch our train to Glasgow from Kings Cross. So after a quick ride across central London, bizarrely much of which was spent following in the sweet smelling wake of the same dustbin lorry, we easily got our bikes onto the train into their 1st rate bike racks, and our backsides into our 1st class seats.

This left us with over five and a half hours of train journey time to kill. We spent much of this playing the "pocket" scrabble game I have bought along specially. For the first time I lost horribly to Rosie, and I'm going to plead tiredness as an excuse.

On arrival north of the border we started this cycling holiday as we mean to go on. I got a puncture 20 metres from the front of Glasgow Central station and had to pull over for repairs, right in front of a bus queue. Fun!

Having gotten ourselves installed in our accommodation we thought we'd do a bit of exploring. Having already sampled the delights of central Glasgow we thought we'd try going further afield. There's an X-scape leisure complex at Braehead, so we thought we'd check it out and try to find some dinner. This involved sampling the Glasgow underground (aka the "Clockwork Orange" - because it's, err, orange) which feels like a toy version of the London underground, with its tiny trains.

Braehead turned out to be a cloned shopping centre, and a nice reminder of the world we will be leaving behind us for the next two weeks. Crowds of recreational shoppers, rows of identical fashion shops, chain restaurants and mindless consumerism at its zenith. This didn't stop us shamelessly having dinner at Frankie & Benny's however, as we doubt we'll be seeing one or its like in the Highlands.

The highlight at Braehead was the awesome robot arm ride in the entrance way to X-scape. It's basically a pair of seats on the end of a maniacal flailing robot arm that moves in the most unpredictable way. We couldn't resist giving it a whirl, literally, and I have to say it was definitely one of the most intense fairground rides I've ever been on. My head was full of blood and spinning for about 5 minutes afterward.

Best of all was the ride attendant who, on seeing my t-shirt, gave me half our money back and told me that Monty Python fans ride half price! I love this t-shirt.

The Scottish Adventure

A lack of blogging recently. Mostly this has been down to using the time I'd usually spend writing this on planning a Summer holiday.

Rosie and I had a cycle touring holiday in the Lake District last year, which we enjoyed immensely, so we decided that this year we'd like to do more of the same. Ultimately we would like to ride from John O'Groats to Lands End, but we felt that might be a bit too big a leap from the short distances we were riding last year. A couple of weeks riding up the west coast of Scotland seemed much more sensible.


So here's the route we'll be cycling. It's about 340 miles in total. Daily distances being 30-55 miles, and with a few days off, so not too strenuous.

Needless to say we've got it all booked up now. We're staying in a mixture of hostels and B&Bs, and we're travelling up and back by train. Of course the only thing one can't book is the weather, but hopefully that will be good!

Not long now! I'm really looking forward to it!

WINGNUTS

In a throwback to the 1980s, when as a child I spent much time playing Superior Software's Space Pilot, I have recently been hooked on what can easily be classified as the modern tribute.

WINGNUTS is the answer to one aviator's dream: "All I ever wanted to do was fly... bomb stuff, shoot people down."

Indeed, how better to do this than to strap oneself into a modern fighter jet with unlimited ammunition and vent ones frustration on hordes of slow moving biplanes.


It is surprisingly addictive though, and this from someone who hasn't been hooked on a computer game in about 5 years.

Perhaps I will move on to the newer game, WINGNUTS2, at some point but for now as the original game is available for free download from their website (for Macs only of course) I'm working my way through that, and there are rather a lot of levels.



I've also been humming the WINGNUTS theme tune incessantly for the last few days.

Port out, Starboard home

I've just gotten back from Cork.

To complete the story of my stay in this highly un-foreign of countries I must start by talking about the Bed and Breakfast we stayed in, called Garnish House. The breakfast part was certainly the most notable. There was a simply inexhaustible supply of delicious food every morning, and all three days I ate there for breakfast we found ourselves skipping lunch.

Here's a picture of the delicious Salmon omelette I had for breakfast on Sunday.


Sunday was certainly a lot more enjoyable that Sunday because we got out of Cork itself and went to Blarney Castle, which is a few miles away. Quite a beautiful spot.


The top of the castle is also home to the famous Blarney Stone; so famous that nobody I've ever met has heard of it. Apparently it grants the gift of eloquence to anyone who kisses it. As the majority of people kissing it were American, and as getting intimate with the masonry didn't appear to change their nationality, I decided not to suffer that particular indignity.

Besides, I'm more interested in the Holy Stone of Clonrichert.

The grounds of the castle also contained a beautiful garden in which we got incredibly close to a Robin and a particularly cute wild mouse. Rosie also braved a ride on this swinging tire thingy.


After an able around the gardens we went on a really pleasant walk through the woods. Of course, as it was more than 5 minutes walk from the car park, we had the place to ourselves. It was very nice.


Pausing only to scoff several scoops of very nice ice cream at the gift shop, we headed back to Cork for dinner.


Monday's breakfast is definitely worth a mention, as it too was a work of art. Apple and cinnamon flavoured pancakes!


Sadly that was all I had time for it. With a heavy heart and extremely light wallet I said my goodbyes to Rosie and went to board my Aer Lingus flight back to Heathrow.


At least for this flight the weather wasn't quite so overcast, so I got a good view through the window.


Oh well, back to work tomorrow!

In Cork

Well here I am in Ireland.

Yesterday was a fun if tiring travelling experience. I caught the train to Heathrow via Paddington, managed not to break one of those automatic check-in machines, and then after a walk of marathon proportions I reached gate 77 and my Aer Lingus flight to Cork.


I'm not really a fan of air travel, having experienced the hell of British Airways' own brand of cattle-class travel to Bangalore a couple of years back, but this short haul flight was actually quite pleasant. I also had a window seat, which breaks a long running tradition of my sitting next to Japanese businessmen who must pre-book a window seat, only to pull the shutter down and go to sleep!


The view on the way out wasn't that great, merely a blinding white from the sun reflecting off layers of cloud above and below. As we crossed the Irish coast the cloud started to break up though, and I got my first glimpse of the Emerald Isle. It looked suspiciously like Oxfordshire to me.

Rosie met me at the airport and we took the bus to Cork, where we signed in at the B&B. They greeted us with a tonne of scones and cakes and tea.


Saturday was quite a lazy day. We had a lie in, and then went for a wander around Cork city centre. I have to say that Cork is not a pretty city at all. It's a lot like Derby, except with a worse traffic system; this is really saying something. THe other thing was that the chains of shops were all practically identical to those in the UK, such as Waterstones, Argos, Tesco, etc and a few that seemed slightly familiar such as Penneys (Primark) and Milano (Pizza Express).

No lunch was necessary thanks to the huge traditional Irish breakfast the B&B had provided.

Having quickly exhausted everything that central Cork had to offer we decided to fill the gap before dinner by going to see a film, so we went to see Monsters vs Aliens at the multiplex in the city centre. The film was in 3D, hence the hilarious glasses.


Dinner was nice but it was spoiled somewhat because knowing the exchange rate from Sterling to Euros made me realise just how much everything was costing me. In order to try to save ourselves a cent or two we decided to get our desert from Tesco before we started the plod back to the B&B. In the end we settled on a box of Irish Solero ice creams. Trust me to find the only box that has obviously fallen off the back of a lorry.


Tomorrow we shall be getting out of Cork and going to Blarney Castle, so lets hope that the weather is nice for that.

A Knight

Here are a couple of pictures of a Bretonian Knight I painted last year.




I'm hoping that this will serve as a reminder to me to paint some more sometime!

Curious behaviour

I am becoming increasingly convinced that for a lot of people when they get behind the wheel of a car and they switch on the engine, they are also switching off their brain.

Yesterday I went for another bike ride, another forray around my 50-mile circuit, and I saw a very interesting example of the way in which the minds of many motorists work. It didn't annoy me, I merely found it illustrative and amusing.

About half way around my circuit I was riding my bike down a hill toward a village, at a speed between 35/40mph. The road was quite narrow, and to be honest I don't think I would have been taking it any faster if I'd been in a car.

As I entered the village I applied my brakes to slow down to 30mph. This was for the sake of sanity rather than the law; the speed limit signs I passed don't apply to bicycles. Several seconds after passing the signs I was aware of a vehicle behind me, and given my speed I was quite surprised when a silver 4x4 roared past me, probably doing at least 40mph. I was even more surprised when, imediately having passed me, the driver tucked back in to the left and applied his brakes sharply to also drop to 30mph. I nearly had to brake myself to avoid running into the back of him!

I see this behaviour is indicative of the kind of uncritical thinking that is typical of many motorists. I have been a driver myself for many years and I am convinced that had I instead been in a car travelling at exactly the same speed this motorist would not have behaved in the same way.

Put a cyclist in front of many motorist and it becomes imperative for them to overtake, to get past. Indeed this can be so single minded in nature that other factors such as the actual speed of the bicycle, or an upcoming red light, or stationary traffic ahead are often completely ignored.

One of the most valuable lessons I have learned as a cyclist is to get into the mentality that when I am riding a bicycle on the road I am driving a vehicle, and to behave as such.

Unfortunately not everybody who uses the roads sees it that way.

Electric cars

A great line from BBC4's The Now Show this Friday relating to Gordon Brown and Boris Johnson both backing electric cars and trying to encourage people to buy them:

"It is very confusing. The government have been trying for the last decade to get us out of our cars and onto public transport. And now, they want us to buy cars! It really doesn't make sense!"

"People don't want to buy cars at the moment. The only way to make them buy them would be to make train travel very expensive, ruin local bus services, make really half-arsed cycle lanes that constantly s... I see what they've done!!"

I'm not going to follow this excellent piece of satire with a serious comment; I think it makes the point perfectly on its own.

52 miles. Ouch!

Well, today I took advantage of the reasonably nice weather to go out and explore some more of Oxfordshire on my road bike.


I've had a 52 mile route planned for a while now, so I took this opportunity to go out and give it a try. Likewise I've also recently invested in a new pair of sunglasses, which also needed a first outing.

52 miles turned out to be quite a manageable distance. I headed off at about 2:30pm and the ride took me about four hours in total. My average speed was 14mph, top speed 30mph. The countryside around here is beautiful, and unlike around Nottingham it is very easy to get away from the busy roads and built up areas. The route was basically a bit anti-clockwise circle around Didcot and the ridgeway, Taking in Appleford, Grove, Wantage, West & East Ilsley, Compton, Goring & Streatley, Wallingford and Cholsey. I'm quite proud of myself for choosing such a pleasant route entirely from looking at an OS map, and even more proud that I didn't get completely lost, although of course the GPS on my phone was useful on a couple of occasions to confirm I was on the right road.

What motivates me to go out and ride such distances? There are plenty of reasons. It's a wonderful way to get out and explore the countryside, covering plenty of distance but not locked away from it as one would be in a car. It's also nice to leave any concerns or worries behind and have time to think. If that's not enough, when I'm cycling on my own I like to do it with a good audiobook for company in my left ear, thanks to my phone and a headphone.

It also feels very good to get some exercise, try to keep the weight of and work on those muscles I didn't even realise I had until I took up cycling.

I think I shall be riding that route again in the future. Just not tomorrow, if my aching muscles are anything to go by!