cycling in the sun!!!!

Eventually....the bikes were ready before 10am....several showers later, at 12.40 we started out!!
It was chilly, the roads damp, the wind strong but at last the sun was shining for more than five minutes!

We were both road rusty, having just been riding our bikes on the turbo trainers...set up his and hers together in the living room!

The first four miles took us over 20 minutes...The Pirate was considering turning for home....but then he thought "it's a lovely sunny day......"
We hadn't realized that the main road to Stranraer, A77, was closed in Maybole...and the diversion was past Culzean, just the way we were taking!!
All the A77 traffic, the coach trips out,the Sunday drivers, the lorries...
We had thought of turning right off this road for a short diversion.. plans changed with all this traffic.Straight down to the cafe in Maidens village.

Sitting in the cafe we looked across the green to the harbour, where  we could see the waves were breaking high across the bar.  They have been over the harbour cob wall on previous visits....

We turned back,but not along the A road but by the road near the beach, through a caravan park to the western end of the Culzean Estate.
Through the estate in the shelter of the trees , forgoing another cafe stop, and up to the main road at the main entrance.   A short hop of a mile along the road to look at something down a side lane...then the bright idea of heading along the coast road to avoid the traffic...

Unfortunately much of the diverted traffic was coming the same way.....at least less than had been heading West...
Still,it was good to have an amount of wind assistance for a change!

Just before the edge of Alloway we transferred to the cycle / footpath,a nice wide smooth clean route...an ex-railway thanks to Mr Beeching.
Through tunnels and over a river bridge to come up by the Burns Experience Museum in Alloway.   Then a quick hop over the bypass to the lanes to Dalrymple.
The shorter way was over Ballycoach and Guiltree Hill...but the longer valley route was chosen for the last five miles home and we were very glad to be going with the wind for the last three...

A steady ride of just over 40 miles, but all in the sun.

A great change to this morning when at 6.45 am it was chilly,the car lightly frosted,the air still and the sky red.
Within an hour it was back to blowing a hoolie, with rain and snow thrown in for good measure .We're even having to keep our house door locked to stop the wind blowing in!

Back to coffee and Hawthorn's luscious malt loaf in front of the fire before a session on the turbo.

Then some more linoprinting, of which more later.....