Glasgow

Over the past few days the weather started cooperating wonderfully. I forgot how much depends on the weather, I can be OK at best in the rain, or OK at worst in decent weather. The ride to Mull was scenic, winding through dormant volcanoes with eagle sightings along the way. The geology is very complex, and I now know more about lava vents and cone sheets then ever before. I attended a religious service, but it could not really be called a Sunday Mass, in rural town near the ferry port. The hostel in Tobermory was booked, and others did not answer calls, but the sun was shining that made this more of an annoyance rather then any real hardship. I did an impromptu 20 miles to the next place that welcomed me in for two nights. I met a nice German girl who helped me say “apple,” thought I still don't think I have it down. The next day I visited Duart Castle, and did some light cycling along the coastline, but decided to take a short day, take a nap, and spend time cooking at the self catering kitchen. It should be noted that the landscape had moderated; hills lower and not as steep, and low forests blocked the winds that I experienced in the highlands. Think I am getting stronger too, but not to the point where I was before. Cell phone coverage was also improved which again, you don't miss it until it's gone. 

I took the ferry to Oban and spent the night there visiting Dunollie Castle and taking the distillery tour that evening. Both hostels were great to work with and had bike storage and self catering kitchens. They seem to welcome cyclists, which is nice. You get to meet some real interesting people too. I met a real Scotsmen in the bunk above me who shared some stories.

The next day I rode south, but wrong turn put me going north again, and I didn't realize this till I stopped at a B&B and talked with the owner. She suggested a different route rather then backtrack. Taking this as the sign that the roads were getting complex, I updated and mounted my GPS that took me right to the hotel doorstep in Glasgow. I was also glad to be back on the UK's national bike route system, where I rode on converted railway tracks straight into the center of the city, which was faster and much safer then going through traffic. This was one of those epic 80 mile days where you arrive sorta forgetting where you started. But again, the weather was great, and a slight tailwind kept things humming along nicely. There was one more ferry, and some jockeying of accommodations as again nearly everything was booked. My first attempt at Air B&B failed, and I almost skipped Glasgow all together when my reservations fell through in route. But being in cellular range, I was able to use mobile apps to check multiple offers and quickly book a substitute, which felt good. Still, the fancy hotel did not offer any of the services I like, or even try to accommodate, which was annoying at the 5x price difference.

Glasgow has a long history of heavy industry, especially steelworks like ship and locomotive building. The city was depressed for a long while thereafter, and only recently has seen a resurgence. I saw both on my ride in. The hotel is in a somewhat poor part of town, with plenty of cheep places to eat nearby. I stayed in Glasgow two nights, and took a full day to explore the city. I visited the 245 foot tall ship Glenlee, which has an interesting history, and was interesting comparison to other ships I've been on. The Transportation museum was right next door, which had locomotives, trolley cars, and all sorts of vehicles on display. Most of the exhibits showcased Glasgow's history in such matters, including a cable driven subway system, early steam powered cars, and models of the many, many ships that were build there. Glasgow was also the departing point for thousands of refugees making their way to America, which in itself is a somewhat moving fact.

Still with some time to go, I visited the Kelvingrove Art Museum which was surprisingly well done, and had exhibits from many major painters. The experience did re-affirm my suspicion there were few noteworthy Scottish painters, but there were a few. Lastly I visited the central shopping district, but did not stay long. I bought a new bike chain, and picked up some cheep eats on the way back to install it. 

The story has been great weather turning this into a great past few days. It was a rough start, and accommodation is still much more difficult then I remember, but I hope this will get better mid September when summer vacation ends. I plan on staying in the UK for another day or two before catching the ferry to Ireland.