Meeting at the GTC shipping container in Bellahouston at 9.30, loading luggage into the van, and departing by 10.00. Cycling to Paisley and then on to Kilmacolm for lunch at the Birkmyre café, then on passed the Skelpies to Gourock. Please bring vision impaired concession cards for use on ferry.
- 1st ferry is to Gourock and then cycling south for 8 miles to Wemyss Bay (parts of this are on the main road),
- 2nd ferry to Rothesay. Optional coffee and bacon roll on the ferry! Then cycling south across Bute, before turning west and north towards Ettrick Bay, where we have lunch. Then north to the ferry pier at Rhubodach,
- 3rd ferry Rhubodach to Colintraive might be the shortest Calmac ferry crossing, then cycling north and east for 22 miles to Dunoon. This takes us past the head of Loch Striven. If the weather forecast is better for Sunday then we will swap the rides around to get the best weather for the 3 ferries ride.
Cycle south on very quiet flat roads along the shore of the Firth of Clyde. At Toward we have views south to Rothesay, then we turn west and north up along the shore of Loch Striven. The return journey is the same in reverse, but the view will be different.
Departing at 9.30 and cycling north to Hunter’s Quay for the ferry to Gourock. Cycling back from Gourock, to Finlaystone Country Park for lunch, then on to Bellahouston Park.
Land Only - £270
A deposit of £120 is payable after submitting the booking form and receiving the bank details and reference, with the final balance of £150 to be paid by Saturday 1st March 2025.
Written Notice Received:
Cancellation Charge:
• Before 1st March 2025: £120 (deposit)
• After 1st March 2025: £270
Please complete booking form to let us know that you intend to come as soon as possible. We will then start the process of pairing people and tandems, as well as room shares. If you intend to bring your own tandem, and if you have agreed a room share, then please let us know.
The price of £270 is based on a minimum number of 10 people taking part in the holiday. If there are insufficient bookings by Tuesday 31st December 2024, we will contact you and return all monies paid.
Starting from Bellahouston and cycling on the bike path as well as roads, we head to the coast on the Clyde Riviera. At McInroy's Point in Gourock we catch the ferry to Hunter's Quay in Dunoon. Most of the cycling over the weekend will be on quiet minor roads, except for some sections on the mainland. There will be limited or no access to shops, so please bring what you need with you.
Travel is by ferry to Dunoon, and also as the name implies on the 3 ferries ride. The rest of the travel is by bike or foot.
Travel to the start and from the finish is not included in this holiday.
Prior to the tour communication will be by email, but shortly before the tour we will set up a WhatsApp group. During the tour most communication will be oral but we will also use WhatsApp to communicate and share photos. Ideally everyone will bring a smart phone and be happy to be included in the group.
We will stay again in the Esplanade Hotel in Dunoon, which the Scottish Tourist describe as 3*. All rooms have en-suite facilities, and the prices are based on two people sharing a room.
When booking with a partner to share please specify twin or double beds.
During our stay in the hotel both breakfast and dinner are included. Rolls / sandwiches will be provided for lunch on two days and on the other days we will pay for our own lunches. Café stops and beverages are not included in the tour price. Most of the tour is in sparsely populated areas so there may be few options for procuring lunch and these could be closed on the day we need them. Please carry sufficient food and water to last you all day if necessary. Most places are happy to accept credit cards but please carry some cash just in case.
Please advise the tour organizer of any dietary requests in your Booking application, and do remember to pack any medications that you need. Can you also remind the tour organizer of any dietary requests and health issues before the start of the tour.
TYPE OF BIKE
Club tandems will be available for the weekend but please advise if you prefer to bring your own. Most types of solo bikes would be suitable for this holiday.
MAINTENANCE
You should ensure your tandem or solo cycle is well maintained, paying particular attention to wheels, tyres and brakes. A low bottom gear (eg. small chainring the same size or smaller than the largest cog on your rear wheel) is recommended. Mudguards are optional but demonstrate respect to those who are following you in wet weather. Lights are recommended in the very unlikely event of arriving back late and useful if walking outdoors at night. A bell is advised and bring a bike lock for security. Water bottles are required to ensure you are hydrated at all times. You must carry sufficient spares and tools to deal with punctures and minor repairs, including two inner tubes, spare gear and brake cable, split link and spare brake pads. There are almost no bike shops on route and they are never when you need them. You are advised to use 28mm tyres, or larger, to suit the variable terrain.
This tour is based in one hotel so the luggage transfer is only from Bellahouston to the hotel (and back to Bellahouston). The luggage weight for transfers is limited to 10kg per person, which is usually sufficient for any holiday, washing spare clothes each night
This is a club weekend using tandems, so we will cycle as a group, but may spread out more on minor roads. If one or more tandem pairs wish to do something different then please discuss with the tour organizer first. There may not be sufficient solo cyclists to support people riding independently of the main group. Please do train by completing several rides of similar distance and ascent to the longest of the days planned for the tour.
The weather in likely to be very similar to that we enjoy in the Glasgow area, but do bring some additional layers just in case.
Diane and I like open water swimming, and there will be some opportunities to swim or just paddle if you would like to join us. Please only do what you are safe and comfortable with. A swimming costume, goggles and microlight towel would not add much weight to carry.
Please carry waterproof clothing and sun screen.
Helmets are optional, but are recommended.
The tour organizer will email a link to Plotaroute with all of the planned rides for the tour. These can be downloaded to your Garmin, or other cycle computer , or phone. If you do not use such technology please do bring the relevant pages from a road atlas and highlight the planned routes. Maybe bring the road atlas pages as well as a Garmin.
We recommend purchasing travel insurance in case you have to cancel for any reason.
The tour includes ferries to get to Dunoon and also on the 3 ferries cycle. The Western Ferries journey is critical for us getting to Dunoon, but they do have four ferries operating the schedule, so this reduces the risk of maintenance problems.
Unlike on planes, if a ferry is cancelled because of bad weather the ferry company does not compensate travellers. Bikexplore would help make alternative arrangements, but the the cost of these is not included in your holiday.
Martin Jamieson - mdjamieson@hotmail.co.uk