As you’ll have read I had two holidays recently and traveled by hired van. Why a van? Previously I rode my bike or used a train, which are both great ways to travel. But they place restrictions on what I can carry and journey timing. 

As you’ll see above I can carry more. For the Welsh trip I took some old bike parts to the great charity Free Bikes for Kids based in Newport. Link. Mike restores bikes and gives them to families who wouldn’t be able to afford them. Please, if you can, make a donation of parts or cash.

I was also able to visit my sister in Cornwall.

For Scotland I’m here with both bikes. It’s a bigger van this time. I hired the same model  as used for Wales, but Enterprise gave me the next size. Which was actually brilliant. I didn’t have to remove the front wheels and the tie-down loops were in more usefull places so it made securing my cargo easier. The medium sized Ranault was just as confortable as the very car like Citroen. Load luggers have certainly improved a lot since I last used one.

I’ll be able to ride around a wind farm on gravel trails and join a local road bike group. It was only made possible by the use of a commercial vehicle.

I reached the boarder much quicker than anticipated. So I went to Glasgow. I wasn’t impressed, maybe I should have planned it better.

I’ll take a day off and drive to Edinburgh during the week. There are a number of activities and places I’ve bene told about.

Apart from more clothes and two bikes; what else did I bring? 

Food; I took some from home. It also meant that when I go shopping I can buy more economical quantities.

I have my film camera kit. The Scotland photowalks will be the subject of a separate post.

I left the house and will start for home when I want, rather than fit into a timetable. Although the drive to Scotland was tiring, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Leaving very early meant I stopped a few times.

The problem is the cost. As I mentioned before when talking about accommodation. On my own it’s just not feasible to repeat.