The day started early when I awoke at 4am to find my sleeping bag was wet. No, I hadn’t had a little accident.
As I hope anyone who has been in my class will tell you, when warm, humid air (like breath) hits a cold surface (like a tent groundsheet), condensation takes place, forming tiny droplets of water. Back in The Day, this didn’t matter because the small hurricane that blew in through the holes around the door and under the side walls would cause the water to evaporate and be carried away, and all would be well. Modern tents have sewn in groundsheets, though, and the same treatments that are used to make the walls more waterproof also make them less breathable. The knack, now, is to leave a little bit of the door open (or at least, half open so the air can get in but the mosquitoes and other creepy-crawlies can’t); I’d made the mistake of closing it completely.
Today’s ride finally saw some good weather. Although our journey through Glasgow was characterised by a driving head-wind that made us struggle to exceed 10mph, when we turned north, the wind was behind us and we stormed the last 20 miles up past Loch Lomond to the camp site, arriving early enough to have time to give our bikes a good service. Our brakes and chains are now sparkling.
Cycling into the camp site
The site, Beinglas Farm, is a little unusual in that they don’t take reservations but did promise that we wouldn’t be turned away. They also provide full cooking and facilities, including a gas hob, pans, plates and cutlery, and a roofed area with seating and tables in which to eat. It’s a really nice idea and seemed very popular with the many hikers who were also on site.
The most exciting news, however, is that we have now reached the point that we have been affectionately referring to as Ten Four: ten days down; four to go. The psychological boost of reaching double figures in the “done” column at the same time as having only two pairs of days to go is great.
