The Lomonds
Mikee's magic bike cave:
On top of the world - Note Velo's rather tasty scaffold pole special:
Another brilliant ride courtesy of mikee. Didn't start too well though... See that speck on the horizon? Aye. That's where we're going. The target peak seemed to be doing a 'Misty Law' for the first 30 minutes, but we ran the sheep gauntlet (just as well we had velo to provide sage advice), overtook and got overtaken by a couple of lovely ladies of a continental persuasion - too attractive to be fae Glenrothes apparently. Unfortunately there was a guy chaperoning. Oh did I mention they were on foot?
So past the weather radar, then out of the woods on to the top of the world (I think) Munduff Hill / White Craigs? So, our distant hill reached, we stopped for a breather. View was stunning, wind was blawing an absolute gale though. Loch Leven beneath us, Kinross to the right, scabby Glenrothes ahead, Kirkcaldy, the Forth and Edinburgh in the distance. Gliders from the local airfield were turning cartwheels, barrelling round the side of the hill at eye level or below. Up close their speed was mental in the high wind, wings actually thrumming with a noise like electric motors. Best air show ever.
Took some pics by the cairn, then back on the bikes with mikee disappearing off a rather steep grassy drop. Ulp! A bit of skidding, then off the brakes, trust the bike and we're away. Skimming over the fields, heavily rutted in places, at least one interesting left hander with a nice little fall off to the right. Up past Bishop's hill, alongside an old peat dyke that was once ridable, more rutted but quite fast singletrack. Then the 'edge of the world'? descent... mikee drops his seat post right down, 'it's a bit trialsy in places, try and follow my line, easier to ride down it than walk' and he was off. Descending rapidly into the distance. Steep, pretty technical in places, heavily rutted of course, and one big 18" drop to contend with. Managed most of it (maybe), wouldn't fancy it in the wet, but just the right side of scary. Did not take mikee up on his offer of trying it again on his Zaskar.
We then climbed back out past the Devil's Armpit/Pulpit (or something) - a rocky outcrop where that great man of peace and tolerance John Knox preached kindness and understanding to his Fife flock. A bit muddy, boggy and sheep shitty this bit, we were also passed by another pedestrian - a fell runner and his dug.
This middle bit of the ride is a bit of a blur. Fire road, then skirting a reservoir, up another hill with more fell runners, up to another car park with 40 thousand masts and the hardest couple in Fife having a picnic with their pooch shaking at their feet in the sub zero wind.
Then down mikee's favourite bit of single track. Narrow, pretty fast (at least when you can follow mikee's lines), rutted, with a wall on one side. Plenty to catch you out and keep you on your toes, not the sort of track you can just switch off on and ride. A wee run through some woods, more fire road and then down into the trees for some rooty, needly tight action. Brilliant.
Velo cut back to mikee's, while I got the 20 minute extended remix of some cracking fast trails slap bang in the middle of the hooses.
Really great day, though we did whinge about the 4.5 miles up to the top of the first hill. But after that...
Cheers mikee, another great day oot in Fife.
