AYRSHIRE_ANGUS

At least Brechin have the better soup.

A Partick Thistle steward confiscating my flag in the pouring rain as it didn't have a fire safety certificate. Haven't bothered since.

Reading this thread makes me even more distraught at the fact I'm not doing the Bealach Mor cyclesportive this September and my usual stay at the Myrtle Bank Hotel in Gairloch, my favourite place in Scotland. Brilliant hotels, glorious food and the locals are really nice. In fact there is only one fanny that lives there I've come across and I just snarl at him every time he walks into the pub First time I met him he had been banned from the Old Inn for abusing the English barmaid at the time of the referendum. My friend, a photographer who lives in Orkney funnily enough (Harray) no longer fancies it as pretty much every time we get soaked. Last September it was amazing weather and we both conceded that we probably would never get a more glorious 90 mile cycle like that again. Depressing! If you want to see some stunning photos of Orkney and the North Coast btw check his website: http://www.markfergusonphotography.co.uk/ I love my trips to Ullapool, it can be a bit twee but I like my ale and good food which it has in abundance. Cycling north in the Assynt area is absolutely amazing, makes you feel great to be alive. Sadly more and more people are using their car windows as a rubbish bin which is criminal behaviour. Favourite island is Harris and "The Golden Road", spectacular to cycle and Tarbert is a cute wee village, although not as good as my adopted hometown of the same name in Argyll.