Solar trailer short trips

[matthewslack]

I think you'd benefit from one of these types of signs on the back of the trailer , might make the knobs think twice before the stupid overtakes if they think they'll be captured on camera and plod might get to see it
View attachment 48461

PassPixi

Our magnetic patches tell motorists their actions could be recorded using GoPro, Cycliq or other action cameras.

passpixi.com

I've thought about that, but the close passes laterally are much less ofa problem with my waggly arm GuerniCar Deflector in place. By far the most common issue now is overtakes into insufficient space ahead.

In about half of these, the oncoming vehicle is clearly visible, and half are into blind bends. All from either impatience, poor judgement of speed and distance or as above simple blatant 'I'm coming through, move over or crash!'.

There's certainly a need for a message to get out there, but it needs communicating widely ahead of these encounters. When weather permits, I'll be writing to officials in Scotland, but while summer riding conditions are here, I'll be gathering miles and evidence.

Off again tomorrow!

 

[matthewslack]

Sunday, super Sunday!

An early start, riding back the way I came for one last look for my lost phone and to catch the first ferry over the sound of Harris to north Uist.

The phone was so obvious lying in the road I cannot fathom how I did not find it the night before, and the relief of recovering the Sim and sd card more than compensated for its smashed state.

I didn't know the ferry times, but struck lucky once again, arriving at Leverburgh slipway at 9:15 with a departure at 9:30. Not many cars and camper vans, and only me on a bike, so plenty of room, and an interested group of ferry crew gathered around for the first chat of the day. I was unable to resist the full Scottish breakfast from the remains of their regular Sunday treat, and copious tea. A great start to the day, and perfect sunshine too.

The trailer sat in the sun on the crossing and as I set off at Berneray the battery was just about full. Unlike last year's trip, I could afford the energy to ride easily in level 2 and take the longest route, around the north and west of north Uist, the loop to the west side of Benbecula, the detailed small lanes at the south end of south Uist to the sound of Barra ferry slip on Eriskay.

I had enough time to catch the last crossing, even after many stops for pictures and a couple for shopping once I got into the parts of the Uists where at least the Co-ops are open on Sundays.

Just a few miles around the west side of Barra to a great semi sheltered patch of grass, already flattened by previous tents, with a grand view of a beach, the sea and the sunset. 97 miles of the most extraordinarily beautiful land and sea scapes.

One of the funniest encounters with a motorist yet. He was waiting in a passing place ahead, as I was just past one, and between us was the last competitor in the Three Islands Marathon, followed by a marshall in high viz on a bike. I gave the lady runner all the road by going to the right hand edge of this single track section, and something triggered in the driver. He set off towards me, I stopped as far left as I could keeping wheels on tarmac, and he pulled alongside half on the verge, opened his window and in a slightly hectoring tone bellowed 'what side of the road do you think you're riding on?' I introduced him to the hierarchy of road users, pointed out the lady runner and the singleness of the trackage. He drove off spluttering a bit. I wonder what his three elderly passengers made of it.

Pictures to come. The GoPro 4K stills are 23MP and too large to upload.

 

[matthewslack]

Early home Monday.

5am start to get to Castlebay for what I assumed would be a 7am ferry to Oban, with checkin needed by 6:30. No alarm, just time available on the GoPro screen. All according to plan and by 7:30 I was breakfasting on the venerable Isle of Lewis, homeward bound.

A day before strictly necessary as forecast was for rain in the afternoon and an awful Tuesday. The passage was dry, shopping was dry, drying out the tent completed before the rain came. Tuesday was every bit as bad as expected, so a welcome day of rest before back to work.

I have not said much about energy and distance on this trip because there were no constraints. 590km spread over 6 days, but in truth 5 days as I started late on day one and was done by lunchtime on day six. I recorded the datalogger readings, so can add them later when time permits.

But for now, I have one side of the rack to mend, a great forecast and another 7 days off starting tomorrow. So more miles to come very soon.

 

[WheezyRider]

One of my overtaking incidents fro Skye. The white line pattern is 6m white, 3m gap, so I estimate the fronts of the land rover and the car to be 39m apart, with a closing speed of maybe 80mph.

View attachment 48439

And without photographic evidence, no one would believe you. I bet the people in the Landy were crapping themselves.

 

[WheezyRider]

I've thought about that, but the close passes laterally are much less ofa problem with my waggly arm GuerniCar Deflector in place. By far the most common issue now is overtakes into insufficient space ahead.

In about half of these, the oncoming vehicle is clearly visible, and half are into blind bends. All from either impatience, poor judgement of speed and distance or as above simple blatant 'I'm coming through, move over or crash!'.

There's certainly a need for a message to get out there, but it needs communicating widely ahead of these encounters. When weather permits, I'll be writing to officials in Scotland, but while summer riding conditions are here, I'll be gathering miles and evidence.

Off again tomorrow!

View attachment 48462

It wouldn't hurt to have the pass pixie as well as the foam tube. These days people often only seem to be charming and patient when they know they are on camera.

You could put another foam tube on the front of the bike to reduce cut ins.

 

[matthewslack]

It wouldn't hurt to have the pass pixie as well as the foam tube. These days people often only seem to be charming and patient when they know they are on camera.

You could put another foam tube on the front of the bike to reduce cut ins.

As I am finding on my latest trip, nothing works for all drivers, so for now I'll stick with the 40cm deflector. I want to avoid anything that might be seen as provocative or passive aggressive. The key to safety as signs on some cycle paths say, is 'share with care'. This orange car passed me on a single track section yesterday and despite my hand signals and road position would not slow down. 40+mph inches away. Half a second between frames, so one second from first to last.








Perhaps the driver will listen to the police.

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

BRING BACK HANGING

 

[matthewslack]

My latest trip is following the weather. Whilst southern UK basks, north and west of the Great Glen in covered in cloud. I am going north east, following the edge of the cloud, and then diving south to stay in the blue or bright skies if I can.

I start today near Fort George, the third of the forts after William and Augustus, having followed the familiar route 78 to Fort William, a camp at my favourite layby by Loch Lochy, a bit more A82 and a few miles of Caledonian Canal to Fort Augustus, and then the rather hilly small roads south east of Loch Ness via White bridge, Foyers and Dores to Inverness.

Here I needed a bike shop for new brake pads and trailer tyres. The noisy and unpowerful cheap pads from eBay have also proved short lived, so it was a relief to find genuine Shimano pads in the second shop I tried. Fronts replaced, spare set on board for a quiet, dry moment to do the rears.

The cheap and cheerful Skipton bought trailer tyres have survived an awful first 200 miles to Wales, being scrubbed on the bent axle, and a further 1000 before one started showing canvas. Halfords, who did not have brake pads for my most common brakes, at least had two 20" tyres, although a long way from being a pair. Alpine Bikes at Tiso's had lots of the pads, genuine Shimano and a good price, but no tyres.



One fitted, one on board just in case.

Some learning about cloudy skies: 9am, cloud almost down to the sea, and I have a mere 25W!



Inland a blue sky day again, but not just here. I should have plenty in the battery to get me there, and I have 5 days to get home, having only taken two to get here. So no panic yet.

View up Loch Ness from the Fort Augustus end.



The summit of the road to Whitebridge, and the hill top close enough to justify s walk up for views in all directions. Cloud to north west, blue sky here and south east.







Evening light at Fort George.

 

[matthewslack]

A late start so that when I reach the promised bright sky it will be full power from a sun high in the sky. I have no pressing times, dates or destinations, just seeing the best of Scotland in summer weather, so no need for urgency.

It turned out very well, 20 km before I could see a slight brightening, 20 miles and I was beginning to feel the effect, and shortly after that, wall to wall sunshine as the forecast promised.

Cautious as ever, I was careful to use level 1 assist in the early miles, just in case. I had set off with the battery at only 39V, but realistically with my new 28Ah solar battery and three bars of the Shimano showing, I had 1,000Wh in the tank, enough for a hilly 60 miles.

After a very hilly day of only 62 miles, the battery is at 40V, so I have covered my needs and added some to the battery.

This bigger battery is making a good difference. My evening and morning running needs less planning, and because I can confidently run it down a few hundred Wh from full, it does not sit at full voltage very much. It seems a good match for the size of the panel array and the length of days that I am currently riding.

My route followed B roads to Cawdor and then lanes to the impressive Dulsie bridge, then across the B9007 to join the A939 for Granton on Spey, the first of today's lovely stone built settlements.

Bridge and view from it.





Robust, orderly, cared for, a really impressive town with many small shops including a bike shop, a bakery with excellent Mackay's pies, and a useful backstop of a medium sized Co-op. A town where any challenge can probably be brought down to manageable proportions. I ate lunch in the shade of a large tree on the grassy part of the wide town rectangle - too long to pretend it is square! - in probably the warmest temperature of my summer so far. Only high 20s, but hot enough not to sit in!

Then onward via 433m to Tomintoul, the other quite magnificent settlement, this time a village with claims to be the highest in Scotland. Today it was sublime in the sun, with a square square of four grassed corners and large trees in leaf for shade just like France. A well stocked village store for my evening milk, and onward to my highest pass yet.

The big climbs on this hot day had put the motor/controller into thermal limiting mode, so I was glad of a long conversation with a Dutch couple who had passed me several times during the day in their camper van. We finally stopped at the same layby and had a long chat. They had done a long tour involving bikes, old railway line cycle paths, Venice, Trieste and a train home. More for the winter hours to look into!

I had plenty more hills, but no more thermal limiting, just as well as there are short steep climbs on this 'Snow Road' route which do not work in level 1 assist! There was one 200m or so section approaching the Lecht summit that I had to push, but the reward was my first 600m pass. 644m according to the OS map.

At the ski station, a chat with a member of staff just heading home on his summer petrol powered machine.



111 cubic inch V twin, very smart.

I didn't rush away, it might be a while before I am that high again, and it does no harm to let my machine cool down.

Then down to 350m at the bridge over the river Don via another long conversation with another camper van occupant who does adventurous things involving off road bike tours and pack rafts, sometimes with the raft on the bike and sometimes the bike on the raft, and some sculpture beside the road. A stone with words carved on, and four weathering steel booths, facing the view. A place intended for quiet contemplation. I duly obliged.



After the bridge, back up to 550m on the Old Military Road, and down towards another famous bridge at Gairnshiel. But just before, with time ticking on, a nice patch of grass for half an hour charging before the sun goes behind the hill and a comfortable camp.

I think I may have discovered @Nealh's Scottish hideaway. I'm on the flight path of many busy bees this evening!



Tomintoul village store.



Epic scenery along the way.



Evening charging.



And finally... Scotland in August means two things. Heather in bloom...



And today, lots of small dead birds. The 'glorious' 12th. No image available.

 

[Nealh]

Some more excellant ramblings and pics Matthew, the Heather is a sort after late forage source for the bees and for the apiarist to reap the last major crop of the year.

 

[flash]

Excellent stuff. Brought back so many happy memories. Thank you.

 

[guerney]

Some more excellant ramblings and pics Matthew, the Heather is a sort after late forage source for the bees and for the apiarist to reap the last major crop of the year.

Heather is something else to consider planting in my garden then, along with various wildflower mixes. Bees have all but disappeared, I haven't seen any lately. Resorting to hand pollination.

 

[guerney]

And today, lots of small dead birds. The 'glorious' 12th. No image available.

Such a waste! Do you eat them? Someone I know does that, as there are many pheasant shoots in his area. Finds them and fills his freezer. It saves carrying around tins of beans and suchlike, if you can spit roast on the road. If it doesn't set the whole landscape ablaze.

 

[matthewslack]

Such a waste! Do you eat them? Someone I know does that, as there are many pheasant shoots in his area. Finds them and fills his freezer. It saves carrying around tins of beans and suchlike, if you can spit roast on the road. If it doesn't set the whole landscape ablaze.

I don't, but some restaurants do make a thing about grouse around the 12th. There are stories of huge numbers shot and not made use of. Not my cup of tea.

 

[Nealh]

Heather needs the right conditions this heat is pretty ideal and if antything to ideal for producing nectar, cold, damp & miserable it is then useless.
I am forever seeing bees on Lavender, Borage in quantity is a winner with it's blue star flowers this time of year.
Persicaria 'red bistort' is a great plant flowers june to late Nov with multiple small red buds forming a red spike on long green stems over a meter long, it is ryhzomus plant that loves any conditions but clay types is a winner. It gets scraggly so come early jan I hack it down to the ryhzome were it slowly starts regenerating again, the plant gets massive and within 3 or 4 years so once cut back just split the rhyzome with a spade to make new plants.
Phacelia is a green manure type plant and bees love it, let it grow in force in a sunny corner and allow it to self seed for continual growth for late spring.

 

[Nealh]

Against a sunny wall catoneaster is a sure winner late spring early/ summer, they sound like a swarm has arrived with so much activity from all manner of bees.
Lavetera with its silky pink large petal flowers is also another winner with bees, the main attraction is the pollen on the the anthers and the bees get smothered in it large grains.

The main focus with planting for bees is not just one or two plants of a variety but a mass showing that says come and visit the food is here in abundance. One reason why the Persicaris is a must it's display of red spikes is very appealing to them.

My spring sample I sent off last year to the centre of ecology & hydrology for testing showed the specie count of 13 plants visited that constituted the highest count from the pollen analysis.
Woodland forget-me -not accounted for 37% .
Sycamore 21%
Brassicas rape & cabbage accounted for 26%
And illex perado 12% a native plant common to the azores,madiera.
Amongst the others Green alkanet, ivy, bulbous buttercup, allium onion, allium chives, common nettle, dames violet.

For Humble bees and solitary wild flower meadows and white /red clover for a general mix, the hairy footed bee in spring loves lung wort and easy to grow plant.

 

[matthewslack]

Finally in my tent after a long and varied day, starting on Royal Deeside, passing Balmoral, pausing in Braemar, climbing the gentle side of the Cairnwell to my second ski station, even higher at 665m than yesterday. But the climb starts at 320m in Braemar, and is only 8%, so comfortable.

Then down the much steeper side, 12% for a sustained couple of km which I don't much fancy, and on through heather covered mountain and moor to the beginnings of agricultural activity, and then horizon to horizon of wheat, barley, oats and potatoes, halfway through harvest in places.

Civilization at Dundee, tempered by the most severe cycle path challenge yet. A lift up through the end of the Tay road bridge is the only viable access to the cycle way, which is placed as the central reservation on the bridge. Bike and trailer had to go separately, and the fun did not end there, with a narrow start to the path necessitating a drag on edge of the trailer, before hitching back up.

All of this was assisted by two skate boarders who were playing below the bridge and, and the unexpected reappearance of a Brompton rider who overtook me just south of Pitlochry back in June.

The artwork below the Dundee end of the bridge is quite something. That, the new liner shaped building, the Discovery and the ambiance of the sea front left me quite impressed with Dundee. The lift shenanigans might delay my return. Worth it for the experience, but no rush to repeat it.

Then onward via Route 1 to Leuchars including a few miles of gravel around Tentsmuir forest, and so to St Andrews, where the ruination of good walks was invented.

Then many more miles searching for an elusive patch of non golf related grass public space. 105 miles in the end, and persistent but localised coastal cloud means that I end the day with the battery at just 37V. The big battery has not been this low before. Fingers crossed for some bright skies tomorrow.

Morning first light.



Lochnagar.



The very grand Fife Arms in Braemar.



Functional but rather less grand at the ski centre.



Very nicely kept tower house.



Underneath the arches at Dundee.



The Pitlochry philosopher ponders the lift conundrum.



Undignified drag.



New building.



Old boat.

 

[matthewslack]

A challenging day! The harr was still around first thing, so not much generation, the ride through the attractive East Neuk of Fife coastal villages was too busy to be enjoyable, and my third axle failed fairly early on.

The rest of the day was spent jury rigging, sounding out a possible rescue mission and gingerly covering miles via the shortest, easiest route possible. And finding bike shops on a Sunday for extra tyres.

By the end of the day I managed almost half the distance, so I have two days left to cover 80 miles home with I think enough tyres to make it.

Weather challenges start now! Thunder and lightning already here, tomorrow bright with showers, but dull and wet for Tuesday. Battery at 37.5V tonight after a slow day with a fair amount of good light. Around 50%, so I need to generate 600Wh over two days to be comfortable. That should also be fine.

Yesterday's aims were the Tay bridge and to visit Fife Ness, both accomplished, but the reason I am so far from home! This trip is 615km old already.

Thoughts already turned to making another axle ready for Wednesday week, the anniversary of my first outer Hebrides trip. I was hoping to repeat it without the charging constraints. We'll see!

There were good bits, like the cycle paths from Dunfermline all the way to Stirling which is another reused railway line for much of its length.

And less good, like the driver who passed nicely with his car but seemed to have forgotten about the 8m caravan hanging off the back! My view ahead almost went dark as it swept sideways at me, way too close for comfort.

Morning light.



Anstruther I think.



Looks fine to me.



But that looks better.



Loaded up with spare tyres. Thick chunky tread withstands more miles of scrubbing than smoother patterns.



The rather impressive Alloa tower.

 

[Nealh]

Oops ! Not just any old Boat that one Matthew.
In 1901 it took Robert Scott and Earnest Shackleton to the Antartic for some adventures.

 

[matthewslack]

I

Oops ! Not just any old Boat that one Matthew.
In 1901 it took Robert Scott and Earnest Shackleton to the Antartic for some adventures.

I should read the signs now and again! I also rode past without stopping the polished stone vertical slabs commemorating the Tay railway bridge disaster. Too narrow in the cycleway to turn. Next time...