Back to Where I started

i was up bright and early, setting off from Kate’s before 10 a.m…. I had decided to travel down to the Dumfries area  again,hoping to beat the bad weather, which was further South and maybe get a ride in today and tomorrow, before heading completely home…

i went through several weather systems, as I traversed the Cairngorms, seeing a ribbon of snow on some of the highest ridges…winter is on it’s way !

I stopped in Perth for lunch at Tiso, wolfing down a hot spicy bean soup, and Mexican prawn sandwich…about halfway to where I intended on stopping…

I got to Ae forest, around 3 p.m., accompanied by black threatening clouds overhead, and not a very satisfactory place to stop the night.. so I continued into Dumfries, filled up with fuel, and headed back to Mabie forest again – where I had first stopped 2 weeks ago en route North…

The sun was shining, and I splashed out on a £3 parking ticket…no going back now, I was here for the night !

I changed into my riding clothes and set off on the Red trail again, up the hills, twisting and turning through the forest, until eventually topping out, with a view down to the Galloway coast beneath me … then time to start heading down and round, along the rocky trail, which now and then gave way to sharp protruding rocks ..just enough to test me.. and every so often, breaking through the trees for views all around, and some nice sun on my back… the trail was almost 20 kms…and eventually I started to feel it !, especially when I hit a tree stump head on, and went straight over the handlebars, landing in a crumpled heap on the forest floor…no bones broken though, I dusted myself off…and carried on, slightly more warily this time..down the aptly named Roller coaster… with high banked corners for me to swoop around…eventually landing back at Wally shortly before 7 p.m., glad to be back in one piece – with only a sore wrist, and muddy legs!

A quick visit to the toilets for a wash and scrub down, and I was ready for my dinner – hot chilli con carne…loadsa chocolate…and an early night beneath the starry sky of the Forest…Goodnight !