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Steve,
How could you not bring your bike?!
Scotland in general is beautiful; the Highlands especially so,
and the Highlands have large tracts devoid of most human population
(sheep, however, are ubiquitous).
No info on local clubs, unfortunately, but I think there must be
quite a few active cyclists. The climate is rainy and cool - cooler
than Southern England, noticeable amount of snow in winter (less
than New England, though, and not as cold - just more uncomfortable
because of the humidity).
West coast somewhat rainier than the east, they say. Good train
network to get beyond Silicon Glen to the really deserted regions.
Anything north of the Glasgow-Inverness line pretty thinly populated.
Interesting islands (Mull, the Isle of Skye) and many, many lochs
to cycle along/around.
I expect Rod-from-Inverness will have more detailed info...
-john
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| This is Rod-from-Inverness, as John has styled me. How could I not
respond? (Despite being based several hundred miles away from Ayr.)
Yes, take your bike, is the short answer. You can cycle right through
the winter in Britain if you're prepared to put up with temperatures
in the 5-10�C range from December through to March, plus plenty of rain
and a little snow. This means dressing correctly, longs, not shorts,
and mudguards (fenders) are an excellent idea, particularly if you go
out with other cyclists. The winter climate is fairly testing for bikes
since they get gunged up with oily mud, and for this reason most keen
cyclists have winter hack bikes that they use instead of their
custom-framed campag-equipped best machine.
If you're very attached to your centurion, it may be a better idea to
buy a cheaper machine here and sell it when you leave. You could
probably pick up a decent second-hand bike for a reasonable price (�150
to �200 will buy you a s-h 531 framed bike with reasonable wheels and
components). There are good shops in Glasgow (eg Billy Bilsland) and
you could buy magazines such as "Cycling Weekly" and "Bicycle" and
see what you can find from the adverts.
There won't be much racing by the time you get here. You may catch the
end of the time-trialling season. You could investigate the possibility
of Audaxes, sort of fast touring rides with lengths of 100km, 200km and
above, of which there are usually a few in the autumn. They'll really
let you meet the typical British club cyclist.
There is bound to be a local cycling club you can join for the duration
of your stay. Depending on what local clubs there are, you might get in
with some triathletes, or a road club which will organise Sunday club
runs and probably evening weight-training sessions also. If you want to
run as well, then there is some nice countryside round Ayr to run in
plus again there are bound to be local running clubs. As for finding
these clubs, ask around at the Ayr plant when you get there or find the
Ayr public library and see what information they have.
You'll have a great time, and good luck with the accent!
Rod
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