Glen Ogle to Callander

-The middle bit-

Freezing on the Freewheel

Sunday 19th February

The flipside of downhill cycling is you don't generate much heat.

So our plan of using the 500+ feet of descent for an easy and sociable day out meant clothing layers, and lots of them. 

Thermal vest, fleece shirt, double-sided pile jacket, warm hat, gloves, thick socks....in fact anything that stopped the 'cycling wind' cutting through you.

We were glad of the sun's weak warmth.

 

 Deirdre wasn't the only dirty one today.

Bill, even with panniers over his rear guard, was covered in mud droplets.

Roni was even muddier, and accused Andrew of being the culprit!

Andrew took off through woodland, it was hard going, 

but did warm him up.

Views over Lochearnhead and Loch Earn are particularly good

Route 7 has a variety of distinctive waypoint markers, we've never managed to work out the local connections, any ideas on this one?

Elizabeth seemed to be studying Andrew....

...who was peering at something small.

It was cold after all.

Above Lochearnhead the track descends steeply 

in a series of hairpin bends.

This must be the cycling equivalent of a river kayakers waterfall.
Rapid, dodging obstacales and exhilerating.
  You have to be alert to other 'uphill' bikes, who are usually walking.

The track is gently undulating as it leaves the village,

winding it's way amongst woodland and crossing 

the memorial bridge over Glen Kendrum.

We had lost our covering of ice and snow, 

it was still cold but blue skies are fab!

The posts across the track signal the approach of the minor road leading to Balquhidder.

We had covered 6.5 miles from the top of Glen Ogle in under an hour.

Hardly the stuff of 'serious' cyclists... 

Mostly downhill & not terribly strenuous, but very enjoyable.

Time for some lunch.