Five Ferries and Arran Cycle Weekend
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Come and enjoy a full-on weekend cycling in western Scotland on islands and peninsulas!
We will be using a total of five ferries from Wemyss Bay to Bute, through the Cowal Peninsula, part of the Kintyre Peninsula and round Arran (well most of it)
You will need to buy your own ferry tickets - the cheapest way is to buy a 'Bute, Cowal & Kintyre Hopscotch 4' ticket at £7.25 for the first three ferries and a 'Arran & Kintyre Hopscotch 5' ticket at £7.00 for the ferries on and off Arran.
We will be staying the Saturday night at the Lochranza Hostel (We don't have exclusive use of the hostel but have booked out rooms for Outdoorlads)
Day 1: We will meet up at the Ferry terminal at Wemyss Bay, where we catch the 10am ferry - don't be late or the boat will go without you!!!! We will be following the route as shown in this Strava link. You will need a strong level of fitness to keep up with the ferries or our plans will fall like dominoes! This ride is scheduled to be 41 miles - though if you want to challenge yourself, you can always take the challenging climb out of Lochranza to get a good climb in....
There is the Arran Distillery in Lochranza should you need to have a wee dram... no dramas though from the queens in you!!
Day 2: Another 41 mile ride from Lochranza (anti clockwise) round Arran with some steep climbs to Brodick. (See the Strava Route here) There will be several villages along the way so that you can get your food and drink. We will catch a pre-agreed ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan. There will be a train at Ardrossan Harbour to Glasgow Queen Street to take us home. Scotrail does not reserve bikes on trains!
You will need to bring sufficient supplies to stay overnight at the hostel. Parts of the route are quite exposed to the west coast elements of wind and rain - a frequent occurrence. The roads will be mainly away from the traffic.
For those of you who wish to complete the full circuit back to Weymss Bay from Ardrossan, there is a 18.5mile ride along the busy A78. The GPX can be viewed here: https://www.strava.com/routes/19547163
What to bring
Bike: a road bike
Helmet: OutdoorLads requires you to wear one
Clothing: lightweight and layered, colourful and/or reflective clothing will make you more visible to other road users
Footwear: suitable for your bike and pedals
Gloves: cycle gloves help avoid blisters, and are good in the cold
Punctures: spare inner tube, bike tyre pump and tyre levers
Tools: any special tools that your bike needs
Small snacks: such as chocolate or energy bars
Plenty of water: in bottle/s on your bike or in a daysack/bladder
Medicines: if you have hay fever, diabetes, minor ailments etc.
Eye protection: avoid getting grit or insects in your eyes, sunglasses are OK if they are not made of glass and not too shaded
Sun cream: take care, even on overcast days
Bike lights: be seen and safe - as we may be finishing late please have a front and back light.
Storage: small day-sack or a bag on your bike
Mobile Phone: keep it in a waterproof bag for use in emergencies
A change of clothes for the evening after the ride in Lochranza and toiletries...
Food & drink
Make sure you have plenty of food and drink to keep you going.