Just F**kin Seal!

Had a shit night’s sleep. Got up and went to the supermarket to get my food for the trip. It was quite quiet which was refreshing. I packed up and left the house around 11.15am. A 330 mile drive beckoned so I was in no rush.

Junction 10 of the M6 was clear. Other than a queue around the M55 turn off to Blackpool I had a relatively straightforward drive. Tebay services, just south of Carlisle was about half way so I stopped for a coffee and found a homemade sausage roll seller outside. I treated myself to a big fat one and as I munched it I chuckled to myself watching a string of EV drivers losing their shit because there weren’t enough charging spots to go around so they had to wait.

I got going again and after enjoying the beauty that is the A74 (M) snaking amongst the remote hills south of Glasgow I had to stop at Hamilton Services for fuel as I’d done nearly a tank. Fuck me. £1.97 a litre though for the privilege. Spewing, I got back on the road and eventually Waze directed me off the M80 and I could see my destination in the distance. The big, brown signs announcing the The Trossachs National Park were a giveaway too.

The nearer I got to Aberfoyle, the less cars and those I saw were mostly going the other way. I was surprised, I expected it to be a bit of a tourist magnet and heaving but as I got into the tiny village, there were tourists sat outside pubs and cafe’s enjoying the sunshine but not mega busy. Result!

I turned left up a lane to nowhere and found the cottage owners house. I met them, very pleasant and then the wife jumped on a quad bike and guided me a few hundred yards around the corner and let me in my 2 bed cottage for the week. It’s fantastic. Literally in the forest.

I unpacked and took the bike the 5 min ride down to the village to pick up some beers. The weather was glorious so I couldn’t resist getting changed and going for a quick spin.

I decided to take the dead end road up the valley to have a look at Loch Ard. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

As I reached 10km I felt my rim bottoming out. Puncture! FFS. I jumped off and immediately found a big thorn in the shoulder of the tyre. Just enough off centre not to get a decent amount of sealant and the hole was quite big so the friggin thing wouldn’t seal. I pumped the tyre and dropped the hole to 6 o’clock and leaned it over and the sealant bubbled out and did what it was supposed to do. I jumped back on and a couple of km later the tyre was soft again. I had to keep adding air about 5 times on the way back as it wouldn’t seal.

I got home on a very soft tyre and set about popping some more sealant in (brought a pouch). I’ve pumped and left it now and hope it’s good for tomorrow but not sure if I’d be better popping a tube in to be on the safe side but that will leave me with just one left spare. I think I’ll just try it in the morning and see what happens. There is a bike hire shop in the village so I may pop down and get a tyre or a tube depending on what I need.

Showered and dinner done, I’m just chilling now looking at maps on the floor with a film on swigging a beer. Life just got temporarily upgraded