16th April 2023 - Mercian King of Mercia - Local Caithness Ride

Had a couple of hours spare after lunch and as it was such a nice day up here I didn't want to waste them not riding.
Even though I had somewhere to be with the family later in the afternoon I still didn't want to rush anywhere, I more, just left the house and headed south on some of the quieter roads and just thought I would see where I end up. My plan was to stick to the backroads and just loop back to home, pretty much making it up as I went.
The bike of choice was my equal favourite, King of Mercia. This bike is perfect for these rides where you are out meandering around the back roads at a leisurely pace, equally at home on a long fast audax, pretty much perfect for anything. As it was today.
Anyway here's a few photos.

Jamie

Saturday 8th April 2023 - Jack Taylor Super Clubman local ride out.

 Such a lovely afternoon on Easter Saturday and with the family away I thought it would be a shame not to go for a ride. Was a lovely sunny day though the wind was getting stronger as it went on.

So with no particular place to be I headed into town for some lunch before meandering along some quiet tracks around the coast, eventually coming back onto the main road near home and then heading a few miles past home in the other direction to check Calebs little horses. Once this was done it was time to head home for some dinner.
Such a nice way to spend an afternoon, just wandering on the Super Clubman. As usual it handled everything very sweetly. Nice to finally get a good bit of warm sunshine. Spring may finally have come.

Jamie 

Sat 1st April 2023 - Jack Taylor Super Clubman ride - Easter Ross

 Last Saturday 1st April seen me heading south to meet up with my usual randonneuring and general cycling wingman, Brian for a ride out round his area of Easter Ross. I also needed to get to a local shop to buy some tubeless tape which gave us a good excuse to visit Orange Cycles in Muir of Ord. 

A plan was hatched to ride out from Dingwall up the hills towards Inverness before heading west on some well used roads to come in to Muir of Ord from the Beauly side. Here we would see the shop, have a coffee and cake at the cafe next door then decide which way back. We decided in the end to head west from Muir of Ord and up over the hills to then come down in to Marybank, head across the river for a brief few miles on the Ullapool road before heading back to Dingwall on the dirt tracks of the Brahne estate.

What a really nice afternoon out it was as well. Just one of those nice rides with the weather, no real traffic on the back roads, good company and a relaxed ride on the superb Jack Taylor. We hadn't been out for a while together so it was nice to just spend the afternoon enjoying the ride through the hills in the nice weather at last.
The JT just rides so nicely and I often think I will change this or change that but then I ride it and don't want to change a thing. Whether it was road, rough estate track or even muddy forest track it just rode sweetly.
Here are a few pics as usual.

Jamie