 |
| hire car home |
The great pestilence of 2020
was upon us!
Just like everyone else all the events I had planned gigs cinema nights etc all cancelled, what was slightly different for me, I am not feeling sorry for myself in anyway shape or form, I was planning what for me was a life changing event in running the cape wrath ultra, this event was for me my ultimate running adventure which would draw a line under that activity, I could then embark on planning to execution of a dreamed of long distance five or six month long cycle holiday across Europe (to start with) this was now postponed for a year, I had trained for my big run and bought the bike for the cycle adventure, with the run postponed for a year the cycle trip was totally now changed as I would have to be at home for the run next year now, along with the training I will need to do for running it which would stop my spending days cycling, It was the
last week of May the country had been on what had become called lock down a new
experience for our nation, during this pandemic of the coronavirus which later
became known as covid19, the government enforced stay at home restrictions along
with no unnecessary travel allowed, all work cancelled except for key workers
of which I was one due to working in the gas industry supplying homes with heat
and government buildings and hospitals with power and heating, which meant I
was still commuting to Shetland from Falkirk my employer had forbidden us from
travelling on public transport and because I had scrapped my car at Christmas
it meant car hire for me, which the company would pay for but this was still a
nuisance to me (I like the train), the first time this happened I was on Shetland
when the order of no public transport happened, I got a lift back from
three weeks away by Andy Murray in his car, it was weird coming home to a world
that was changed (it was to get stranger) usually the train journey home
involves a few beers with work colleagues then a stop at my local for a few
beers, then home showered then quiz night, all bars and restaurants were shut I
had to get the shop for beers and for the first time seen people wearing masks
in supermarket’s, lines were drawn on supermarket aisles to keep people apart,
people were scared to talk to each other some more than others of course but
some people look positively scared others like nothing had changed
I was home for three weeks with no cinema theatre gigs or pubs to go to, I got
stuck into the gardening and DIY along with beers in the house much like
everyone else, after my three weeks off the company were still not allowing
public transports so a taxi was organised for me to collect a hire car to take
to the airport hotel, which was shut the Monday for a bank holiday, so I
collected it Saturday the eleventh of April in the morning. then on the Monday
drove to the airport at Dyce Aberdeen, along these usually busy roads which
were spookily empty dropped the hire car off and went to the hotel, it was
weird being at the hotel with the bar and restaurant shut a bag of crap given
for your breakfast, then a walk in the morning to an empty airport our charter
flight was the only flight going out of this ghost Ville zombie movie like
airport, I went through security alone with only one customs officer, he
spotted me filming and made me delete my video of the bizarre change in this
normally buzzing security area, another three weeks at work and the company
were getting slicker at organising the hire car, I collected mine and upgraded
by a tenner to get a slightly better model as I was collecting a kids bike from
my mate Tim for our mutual mate bobs son Logan, I had four weeks off this time
which became four and half weeks off due to a change in our flight out day, the
country still in lock down the restrictions were only just starting to get
lifted on the final weekend of my time off, we were aloud friends in our
gardens and unlimited daily exercise in your local area still no pubs etc and
no holidays and no unnecessary travel,
The
hire car stuff must have been spiralling out of control for my company as the
company phoned to say it would be up to me to organise my own hire car to get
to work this time, but I was still forbidden to use public transport, I said no
problem I shall just cycle (I’m sure she thought I was joking)
A seed had been planted this was now three months without getting out in the
hills or of on some far flung adventure, I know I was lucky I still had travel
to work and could get out running on local trails in Falkirk and while at work
on Shetland trails up there, I wasn’t as unfortunate as some poor adventurers
stuck in a city centre flat, but I was still missing an escape of some sort, I
was considered a key worker so I had a letter to say I was travelling for work purposes
the company and the government did not want me using public transport, the
government were encouraging people to cycle to work if they could! Ok I was
probably bending the rules by taking a three day cycle trip/holiday/adventure
to do it? sometimes when these seeds get sown it’s very difficult to then quash
them, I began to get excited for the idea and got started getting the bike
ready, a check at my map collection and I had the coast and castles north
sustrans map required for this journey, decision made I spent my last
weekend at home preparing the bike for a cycle touring holiday
I had bar tape to fit and had bought an old set of tri bars to try, I had also
bought good new panniers for the daunder (the bike bought for the big cycle
trip) and for the first time ever fitted my own pannier rack, also the first time
I had attempted to tape front bars, plus first time I had attached tribars and
have never used them before, I pieced together a tool kit and puncture repair
stuff, packed my new panniers with one
side stuffed with camping gear my new alpkit bivvy along with my new bottom
half elephants foot sleeping bag. I did take my usual thermarest and pillow,
the other side was stuffed with clothes food and jackets the top of the
panniers had some bubble wrap for the bike getting on a plane my new cycling
cape/basha my bag for work with my PC and all the stuff I usually take to work,
all strapped down with bungee cords this took all weekend to organise with much
of the kit getting its first use
Was it an adventure? If
so a big one? Possibly Could be viewed that way I suppose not knowing where to sleep
and dodging the law (exciting now lol), a short cycle holiday? A micro
adventure maybe even a nano adventure regardless how to view it, this wee
adventure (to me) was on. A great way to trial new equipment and get my bike on
the Shetland isle for that big future adventure to start from there,
 |
| new cycle path at home bike not ready for touring |
No comments:
Post a Comment