"Well Routed" !

10 years of OS bike touring has made us "near" experts in planning and navigating effectively ! Our well learned strategies now include 1) Always re-examine the planned cycle path (after ending up on a horse path complete with rocks going to Makinholes in 2011 2) Always double check the accommodation booking (numerous close calls having to share a double bed and the disaster of St Austell 2011 when we didnt find any available accommodation till 9.30pn at night ! 3) Always have a plan B (Henley missing the ferry in Norway in 2015 & numerous occurrences of taking the wrong turn and finally 4) have a back up navigation device (2011 my map blew into a canal and in 2015 when I ran over and smashed my Android navigation device - don't ask how !)

This time we're well equipped with 4 navigational aids and yes believe it or not one K Henley is primarily in charge of one of then and getting us out of Edinburgh on day 1!

After 7 days on the bike we work our way out to Oban covering some familiar territory including passing Kilmartin with its 5,000 year old accessible tombs should Kev decide that he's had enough !

Heading over to the Outer Hebrides we join up with Pommie Kev and wife Julia who will take charge of the team. The discussion here will almost certainly centre around who are the biggest cricket cheats (Aussie (sandpaper kings or the POMS with their Boiled lollies!)

Leaving Kev and Julia after the Isle of Skye we head along the Lochs to Inverness before climbing (yes climbing) one of UK's iconic routes over the Applecross Pass (some say on par with Diamond Creek's Perversi Ave in terms of gradient !)

Assuming we survive we then work or way along the stunning Isolated Nth West Coast of Scotland before turning around (when the cheap accommodation starts to dry up) and start following the National 1 Cycle route back along the coast from Aberdeen to Edinburgh !

Throw in some regional cycling over the 3-4 weeks that follow and this promises to be one hell of a tour !