Author Topic: The Small Isles  (Read 14732 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #50 on: 23 June, 2016, 01:22:06 pm »
Gorgeous.

The photos, the writing. Everything.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

  • Miles eaten don't satisfy hunger
  • Chartered accountant in 5 different decades
    • CET Ride Reports and Blogs
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #51 on: 23 June, 2016, 01:44:00 pm »
I have spent a wonderful lunchtime looking at these photos and reading the account.  Thank you for sharing.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #52 on: 23 June, 2016, 02:46:06 pm »
More thanks from me, too. Wonderful pics, great write up.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #53 on: 23 June, 2016, 05:00:39 pm »
Really boring technical type of questions:



Heading north

What's the bike: Salsa Vaya?
Are those chainstays really as long as the top tube?
Are your front panniers actually rears which you've used up front? They look ginaggerous!

Thanks for the answers – or the silence!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #54 on: 23 June, 2016, 05:53:10 pm »
Thanks all for the kind comments.  And the other ones an'all  ::-)

What's the bike: Salsa Vaya?
Are those chainstays really as long as the top tube?
Are your front panniers actually rears which you've used up front? They look ginaggerous!

Cudzo, yep it's a Salsa Vaya.  It has made previous appearances, in Fully loaded - Touring Bikes for instance:

Bike is a Salsa Vaya, new this year.  Basic Shimano kit mostly, apart from a gorgeous Middleburn jewellery-like chainset, 46-36-24.  The 24 ring saw plenty of use, in conjunction with the 32 sprocket.  Tubus racks, Altura panniers.  Downtube shifters, which it took me all of 10 minutes to get used to again after 15 or so years of Ergo levers.  26" wheels, with BB7 cable discs and 1.5" Marathons.  His name's New Walter. 
...
Salsa Woodchipper bars - shallow drop, highly flared, extremely comfy. Cane Creek brake levers, cos they're the same shape as Campag ergos, and as a bonus you can get 'em with retrotastic gum-coloured hoods.

Comfortable, stable, lovely.  And orange.

The chainstays are long, but that's a bit of a hoptical delusion there.  The 26" wheels probably exaggerate the effect.

And the front panniers really are front panniers, honest.  The one you can see is particularly bulky cos it's the bedding bag: two sleeping bags, Synmat, inflatable pillow, towel,...  If anything, it's the rears that are a bit too small, they're only 23l.  Hence the tent, tripod and Helinox chair on top of the rear rack - I don't normally do that, but this trip was specifically aimed at comfort and photography and not much place-to-place riding so I put up with it for once.

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
    • Graeme's Blog
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #55 on: 23 June, 2016, 06:25:41 pm »
Tue 7

Home.  The end.

Not 'the end' the end I hope billplumtree. Reading through your trip has been really wonderful and your photographs are excellent. I think my favourite is... well, actually that is too difficult. I was going to say the postbox with a collection time... but actually Rum from Laig bay is stunning. Do the Scottish Tourist Board know what you're doing for them.

Thank you for writing this and sharing it - stunning.

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #56 on: 23 June, 2016, 10:02:37 pm »
Thanks Graeme, that's very kind.  As for the tourist board - well, after the show Scotland put on for that fortnight, I think I owe them. 

Besides, they've got more than enough on their hands keeping up with the Cuckoo Assignment Scheme.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #57 on: 23 June, 2016, 10:04:17 pm »
I have an idea for next May...

Inspiring stuff! And wonderful photography! Thank you!
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #58 on: 25 June, 2016, 11:29:21 pm »

Fri 27 June


Either you've mixed up May and June, or (less likely) you've mixed up 2015 and 2016 :)

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #59 on: 26 June, 2016, 09:07:45 am »
Ta  ;D   Well, it definitely wasn't 27 June this year:


Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #60 on: 29 June, 2016, 06:38:16 am »
I was wondering less about the bike and more about the photographic equipment? Also, did you have a tripod, some shots look like they'd have needed one...

Its such a good read, I've just read it again.  :thumbsup:
It is simpler than it looks.

Pancho

  • لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #61 on: 29 June, 2016, 07:51:51 am »
Absolutely fantastic. Love the pics, love the writing.

And the place! Wow! I've never been to Scotland (well, apart from airport-taxi-dockyard day trips to Rosyth) but from your pics it looks more like a CGI creation from a video game ("Homeland of the Gods - No Rain", or something) than a real place. I *hate* travel but your trip report has almost got me clicking away on the National Rail website.

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #62 on: 29 June, 2016, 03:43:45 pm »
Just wonderful, thank you so much for posting.  :)
Does not play well with others

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #63 on: 29 June, 2016, 08:13:41 pm »
Thanks all - though I do still feel a bit guilty about the minimal cycling content    :-\

I was wondering less about the bike and more about the photographic equipment? Also, did you have a tripod, some shots look like they'd have needed one...

Camera kit:  a pair of Fujis, an X-Pro1 and an X-E2.  Lenses: 18mm & 35mm, mostly on the former, and 55-200 mostly on the latter.  These were a source of great pleasure, I really enjoyed using them; often in slow-yourself-down fully manual mode.

Tripod: yep, used it a lot.  Bit of a departure for me, I'm usually too lazy, but I made myself use it and definitely benefited from it - partly, again, from the slow down and think more aspect.  It was essential for the shots inside the old crofts (they were pretty dark), and more than useful at either end of the day.

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #64 on: 10 August, 2016, 10:55:37 pm »
Yet more delectable fruits from the plumtree.

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #65 on: 11 August, 2016, 08:11:18 am »
The end? Noooooooo!

Lovely lovely lovely. And those ponies are just beautiful. Thanks for the entertainment!

billplumtree

  • Plumbing the well of gitness
Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #66 on: 11 August, 2016, 07:21:56 pm »
Aww, thanks both!

And those ponies are just beautiful.

Peli, you appear to have mis-spelled absolutely terrifying


Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #67 on: 11 August, 2016, 07:30:27 pm »
He's just having a gentle yawn!

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #68 on: 13 August, 2016, 06:25:56 pm »
Really lovely read while 'off games' with a cold! Beautiful photography and a true adventure; thankyou

Bairn Again

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #69 on: 11 September, 2016, 07:40:41 pm »
Just found this thread, not sure why it took me so long. 

As a friend of the islands (living in Embra) that was tremendous. 

I chose the 1st weekend in June to do a 400km DIY audax between hoe and Stonehaven and it was indeed very warm.  I recall stepping out of the McDonalds at Forfar and it being warmer outside, 

Re: The Small Isles
« Reply #70 on: 22 January, 2017, 09:25:51 pm »
Having read this many times now, we've planned time to take the tandem and travel the small isles. Earlier as in April so we'll probably get wet but you never know.

D.
Somewhat of a professional tea drinker.