Summer arrives on cue

ARRAN LOOP
58 MILES

Having watched Arran for over a week, in glorious sunshine, I couldn't not go over. I'd shied away on Tuesday with work guilt but the drawing in question was finished so I headed to Ardrossan for the 9.45 crossing. I stand by May being the best time of year in Scotland and this year has been no different. When we got off the ferry in Brodick the wind was uncomfortably blustery though - I headed to the grocers for cashew nuts and lucozade and passed a couple I'd talked to on the ferry - "it's pretty windy, eh?" - an old woman who didn't reveal her face pitched in: "a north wind" she said. I passed her a short while later "unusual to get a north wind" I said - she just cackled with her back still turned in.

I've learned to cycle into the wind - it makes your return journey much more civilised - so I headed north past Corrie and Sannox to Lochranza - at 14 miles it took an hour and wasn't uncomfortable as I was prepared for a hard stretch up hill and into the wind. The descent down into the village was fun and the emerging kintyre peninsula mixed with blue skies and yellow gorse made for many potential kodak moments. The ferry to Skipness headed off just as I passed and suddenly the feeling changed - the road that runs directly by the beach gets quiet aside the lapping of clear green water up to the shale and machair. The other defining moment is realising I have a tail wind for the next 25 miles as I ride south, south east. This is really good.

I appreciate the view but try to put miles behind me so I can have a leisurely lunch - The highland scenery makes way for Machrie moor and I jump over the hill to Blackwaterfoot, a further 18 miles and another hour. It's a nice wee village but the main hotel is Best Western and, full of coach parties I decide to head somewhere quieter, a bit further south.

I got tripped up a few years back when I cycled the bottom half of the island and didn't give it respect - I thought it was fairly flat and got a wake up call - you've got to prepare for a hard time or you will probably get one. Hills, wind, long straights - they've all laughed at me in the past! I took the undulating road half an hour down to Kilmory and stopped at the Lagg Inn - a nice old hostelry with log fires and mature gardens - both were aglow when I stopped by. The last time I was there was the evening of a wet Duke of Edinburgh award hike when we sneaked out the camp site to get a pint of tennents - half a lifetime ago. The sun felt good this time as I ate at a picnic table under a clear blue sky.

It took another hour to get to Brodick - round the base of the island where Northen Ireland was quite clear and paddy's milestone looked touchable. The Mull of Kintyre was darker, above Ireland and Ayr lighter, beyond Ailsa Craig. I feared the wind would hold me up but there was enough shelter and the cycle through Whiting Bay and Lamlash, inclines aside, was fairly pedestrian.

Tea on the ferry and good chat with fellow cyclists. The outer Hebrides await.