I'm supposed to be in Aberdeen by now.
I was scheduled to give 3 lectures at an oil in water training course tomorrow and then attend our produced water conference over the next 2 days and then the club meeting on Friday.
We should have left around 1400 today but this morning there were a number of emails from presenters saying they were unable to get onto the island due to the flight restrictions.
It's looking like we will have to reschedule for later in the year.
This is the second time I've had a training event cancelled on me. The last time was in September when there weren't enough delegates.
19 April 2010
17 April 2010
It's not fair...
Fiona and I went back to Whitelee to do the same loop that Ciaran and I did last weekend.
The main difference this week was the wind - there was a lot more of it than when Ciaran and I were here.
Anyway, we set off from the visitor's centre, with me just about notices a sign saying the car park would close promptly at 1700.
The wind was coming from almost due west, and as is typical when its on your back, we totally underestimated its strength.
We got up to turbine 48 where we stopped for lunch. It was here that we really noticed the cold edge to the wind as we tried to shelter at the base of the mast.
Once we reached turbine 63 and started "back" the wind really took hold. As we crested any ridge the wind would hit us from over the top. This would get worse! Soon the wind got so bad that we had to cycle down the hills in order to keep moving.
As we struggled our pace naturally dropped.
Suddenly I remembered the sign. I asked Fiona if she noticed it but she hadn't and I wasn't sure if the closing time was 1700 or 1800. It was now 1630 and we were about 3 miles away from the centre. Then the panic set in. Luckily the pace was increased a bit and the last stretch had the wind somewhat on our back. Still it was touch and go - we only made it into the car park with 5 minutes to spare. Luckily they weren't quite so rigid with there closing time and we had enough time to rack the bikes and get the car out of the car park. Still though it was only 1710 when they did lock the gate and leave.
Probably the hardest cycling I have done in ages. Lots of climbing and nasty headwinds.
The main difference this week was the wind - there was a lot more of it than when Ciaran and I were here.
Anyway, we set off from the visitor's centre, with me just about notices a sign saying the car park would close promptly at 1700.
The wind was coming from almost due west, and as is typical when its on your back, we totally underestimated its strength.
We got up to turbine 48 where we stopped for lunch. It was here that we really noticed the cold edge to the wind as we tried to shelter at the base of the mast.
Once we reached turbine 63 and started "back" the wind really took hold. As we crested any ridge the wind would hit us from over the top. This would get worse! Soon the wind got so bad that we had to cycle down the hills in order to keep moving.
As we struggled our pace naturally dropped.
Suddenly I remembered the sign. I asked Fiona if she noticed it but she hadn't and I wasn't sure if the closing time was 1700 or 1800. It was now 1630 and we were about 3 miles away from the centre. Then the panic set in. Luckily the pace was increased a bit and the last stretch had the wind somewhat on our back. Still it was touch and go - we only made it into the car park with 5 minutes to spare. Luckily they weren't quite so rigid with there closing time and we had enough time to rack the bikes and get the car out of the car park. Still though it was only 1710 when they did lock the gate and leave.
Probably the hardest cycling I have done in ages. Lots of climbing and nasty headwinds.
11 April 2010
First Sunburn of the Year
Fiona has been away curling in Stranraer all weekend. Its a knock-out competition of all the cup winnings teams through the year. I had said that i would drive down to cheer her on but sadly she didn't progress to the finals. However, since it was such alovely day I headed down anyway and we went into Port Patrick for a wander and lunch.
When we got there it seemed that almost everyone else in the region had the same idea. The village was absolutely packed, and there was a remarkable number of bikers there, all in their leather gear and diet cokes.
We wandered back and forth along the front a few times before heading to one of the pubs for lunch. After that we headed back to the sea wall and just sat and watched the ocean, with my face getting its lobster colour for the first time this year.
After dropping Fiona back in Stranraer we stayed to watch some of the final and playoff for 3rd place, me keeping fairly quiet to avoid drawing too much attention to my ignorance of the sport.
As I drove back north to go home the sun was setting over Ireland with a light mist over the Firth of Clyde.
We wandered back and forth along the front a few times before heading to one of the pubs for lunch. After that we headed back to the sea wall and just sat and watched the ocean, with my face getting its lobster colour for the first time this year.
After dropping Fiona back in Stranraer we stayed to watch some of the final and playoff for 3rd place, me keeping fairly quiet to avoid drawing too much attention to my ignorance of the sport.
As I drove back north to go home the sun was setting over Ireland with a light mist over the Firth of Clyde.
10 April 2010
Beautiful but Bleak
Another Saturday and another trip to Whitelee.
It was a lovely day so we decided to take a packed lunch and try to get further into the windfarm than we had managed before. Basically we wanted to try the longer path that we gave up on last time due to bad weather (see here) .
Since the weather was better we planned to start at the visitor centre and do our usual loop bringing us out onto the spine road at turbine 14. From there we would turn left and head into the park, turning left at turbine 33. From there we would see how we felt, but hoped to cross over at 75 and follow the spine road all the way back.
Once we arrived, it was fairly busy, but not packed. While I unloaded the bikes Ciaran went to get a new map. Over the winter Whitelee has produced new maps. This time they are on A4 card. One side is a detail of the area around the visitor centre while the other side has the entire wind farm. The turbines markers no longer obscure the paths, meaning a few dead ends are more easily identified, and the new maps have contour line. An official 8 mile circuit has also been marked out.
Armed with our new maps, and with packed lunch in my new pannier, we headed out.
It was a lovely day to be out in the open. Temperature wise it was quite good - warm enough not to be chilled and cool enough not to sweat too much. With bright sunlight the shadows of the blades passing over the path were somewhat off putting, catching the corner of your eye as they sped past.
Considering the number of people who have recently been hurt here, coming off bikes, we decided to rein our speed in on some of the steeper descents.
As we came along turbine 73 we met John and his wife out for a walk, so we walked with them for about a mile and then continued on with our cycle. When we reached the spine road we agreed that we would continue and headed left into the farm. When we got to 33 we headed left into "Drum Duff" which opens with a nasty little 15m climb (three contours), levels off and then has another climb of 25m before levelling off at turbine 48 (only about 1km from the junction) where we had lunch.
For some reason this area looks bleaker than the rest of the windfarm so far.Perhaps its because relatively few people come this way, or you can't see the Lochgoin reservoir. The recent logging hasn't helped, with the area looking blasted.
Before we turned up at 33, there was a sign on the spine road than indicated it was closed to allow for logging. With this in mind we decided to only go as far as 75 and then cut down to 79 and then back past 63 to 48 in a big loop. Once we got back to 48 is was a rapid descent back down to the spine road and then all the way back to the visitor centre.
All in all, 16 miles in just over 2 hours.
It was a lovely day so we decided to take a packed lunch and try to get further into the windfarm than we had managed before. Basically we wanted to try the longer path that we gave up on last time due to bad weather (see here) .
Since the weather was better we planned to start at the visitor centre and do our usual loop bringing us out onto the spine road at turbine 14. From there we would turn left and head into the park, turning left at turbine 33. From there we would see how we felt, but hoped to cross over at 75 and follow the spine road all the way back.
Once we arrived, it was fairly busy, but not packed. While I unloaded the bikes Ciaran went to get a new map. Over the winter Whitelee has produced new maps. This time they are on A4 card. One side is a detail of the area around the visitor centre while the other side has the entire wind farm. The turbines markers no longer obscure the paths, meaning a few dead ends are more easily identified, and the new maps have contour line. An official 8 mile circuit has also been marked out.
Armed with our new maps, and with packed lunch in my new pannier, we headed out.
It was a lovely day to be out in the open. Temperature wise it was quite good - warm enough not to be chilled and cool enough not to sweat too much. With bright sunlight the shadows of the blades passing over the path were somewhat off putting, catching the corner of your eye as they sped past.
As we came along turbine 73 we met John and his wife out for a walk, so we walked with them for about a mile and then continued on with our cycle. When we reached the spine road we agreed that we would continue and headed left into the farm. When we got to 33 we headed left into "Drum Duff" which opens with a nasty little 15m climb (three contours), levels off and then has another climb of 25m before levelling off at turbine 48 (only about 1km from the junction) where we had lunch.
For some reason this area looks bleaker than the rest of the windfarm so far.Perhaps its because relatively few people come this way, or you can't see the Lochgoin reservoir. The recent logging hasn't helped, with the area looking blasted.
All in all, 16 miles in just over 2 hours.
02 April 2010
Grand Day Out
A gang of us headed to Millport, more correctly the Isle of Cumbrea, to go cycling. Its about a 15 minute sail from Largs, which is about 30 minutes up the road from home. Fiona regularly goes out on these expeditions and since Ciaran and I were available we tagged along.
Despite it being cold it was a lovely breezy day. Fiona collected us and we met up with her pals Laurie and Sheila at the ferry car park where we left the cars. The other two, Colin and David, were bringing the car.
After meeting up on the ferry and arriving on the island we headed out in an anti-clockwise direction (which seems to be the normal direction to head off in on bikes).
The cycling was quite low key as it has been the first time out for most of them in a while, certainly this year. We headed around to the Fintry Bay tearoom where we all had a roll and square sausage.
After we had eaten we headed out again, continuing our lap of the island. By the time we all got to the ferry the two 'serious' cyclists we saw on the ferry had completed their 3rd lap. Once we had settled, we headed back to the tearoom (clockwise this time) for lunch.
Ciaran was great. He hasn't quite figured out the cycling just for the fun, but he would cycle ahead until he saw something interesting to climb on where he would dismount and climb rocks or throw stones. After a few minutes we would move on again and thus our laps were completed.
2 laps in total, just shy of 21 miles in a little over 2 hours cycle time, pretty much all day, but a good day.
Despite it being cold it was a lovely breezy day. Fiona collected us and we met up with her pals Laurie and Sheila at the ferry car park where we left the cars. The other two, Colin and David, were bringing the car.
After meeting up on the ferry and arriving on the island we headed out in an anti-clockwise direction (which seems to be the normal direction to head off in on bikes).
The cycling was quite low key as it has been the first time out for most of them in a while, certainly this year. We headed around to the Fintry Bay tearoom where we all had a roll and square sausage.
After we had eaten we headed out again, continuing our lap of the island. By the time we all got to the ferry the two 'serious' cyclists we saw on the ferry had completed their 3rd lap. Once we had settled, we headed back to the tearoom (clockwise this time) for lunch.
Ciaran was great. He hasn't quite figured out the cycling just for the fun, but he would cycle ahead until he saw something interesting to climb on where he would dismount and climb rocks or throw stones. After a few minutes we would move on again and thus our laps were completed.
2 laps in total, just shy of 21 miles in a little over 2 hours cycle time, pretty much all day, but a good day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)