I begin this post on an enforced rest day. I’m currently ensconced in a hotel room, resting weary limbs. The reason for the rest day is minor surgery to the bike at the local bike shop. Somewhere along the line the derailleur hanger had taken a knock and was wonky (technical term), causing the chain to skip gears and slip all over the place. This had become much worse the previous afternoon and left me with only gears 1,2 & 9-12 to ride in, making the last 15 miles a real struggle.
So I’m hanging out in Perth for a day and hoping to make a really early start in the morning.
I’m heading into a patch of Scotland to the south west of Edinburgh, crossing the fourth bridge and skirting the city before plunging into what seems like no-man’s land between there and Gretna. Wild camping seems to be the only option.
…
Well that didn’t go as planned. A steep hill to start the day certainly woke me up. The rest of the morning was some lovely cycling, mostly flat and heading down towards the Forth Bridge.
Since the building of the new crossing, the old Forth road bridge is exclusively for pedestrians, buses and bikes.
Sadly the side of the bridge nearest to the spectacular railway bridge was closed for works so I was unable to get any decent pictures.
Worse was to follow though as I could feel my rear tyre losing pressure coming down off the bridge. I stopped to put some air in it and discovered the source. Not a puncture but a crack in the rim. Much more serious.
So instead of pushing on into the countryside I had to push the bike to a hotel in South Queensferry and spend the night there.
This afternoon finds me sat in a coffee shop, waiting while Alpine Bikes rebuild my wheel. They have been incredibly helpful in putting aside other jobs to get me back on the road. A big shout out to Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative too who managed to dig out a rim with the right configuration for me.
Tomorrow the tour resumes, but picking up from Gretna Green in the morning.