ISLES AND MILES OF SCOTLAND

To visit the land of the midge and the promise of both wind and rain, especially after giving your word not to tackle any more long rides, is the act of a bounder, cad and fool  -  not necessarily in that order  -  but that is just what Ian  -  one time teacher, uneducated sportsman and 'full-on' ham thespian  -  decided to do. Whether it was to celebrate having recently resigned his position as the editor of Walsham's village magazine, reassure himself tha he was not giving in to the ravages of time, or just to explore the beauty of a country seeking its independence, was for others to decide. Suffice to say he had the decency to let his wife, Mary Jane, 'accompany' him in the islands of Shetland and Orkney, before heading off to the more serious cycling terrain of the West  Highlands and Hebrides.

This small volume is the diary of his ride  -  copies of which he emailed back to friends and relations (as if they were interested!)  -  detailing the people he met, items he unwittingly shed and the battles against terrain and weather. Throw in the  occasional flashback and some homespun philosophy and you have the recipe for reading'pleasure'.

Thankfully, this time, he managed to remain upright for the whole ride, eschewing the enticements of a 'wee dram' but occasionally tucking into a plate of the 'chiefain of the pudding race'. Ian eventually returned home, slimmer but no wiser about what drives him on, and being 'sensible' not to vow never to do it all over again.

This book runs to 109 pages with 75 pictures (38 in colour) and details of his daily mileage. A copy the spreadsheet of his rooute will be sent with any book order.