Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We explained our challenge and asked if there was anything we could do in exchange
for some free food.
'Oooooh, what do you reckon, Jan? Should we give these two strapping young lads any
food?' she said to her colleague.
'Yeah,whynot.Ifthatonewiththeskimpyshortsshowsusabitmoreleg,'shelaughed.
'That'll be you then, George,' said Ben. This was a new low. I was being made to flaunt
my body in exchange for food. I felt used. I felt cheap. I liked it. I lifted up the side of my
skimpy blue shorts, and exposed my flabby white thighs.
'Phwoooooaarr,' said both ladies in unison, before erupting into laughter.
'How about a sausage bap, a cup of tea and a custard donut each?' she said.
By the time we had finished our breakfast it was 10.45am, and our early start had van-
ished. We followed the A726 out of Paisley and crossed the Erskine Bridge. For bridge
enthusiastsoutthere,theErskineBridgeisa524m,cable-stayed,boxgirderbridge,builtin
1971anddesignedbyWilliamBrown.ItconnectsWestDunbartonshirewithRenfrewshire.
For those less interested, the Erskine Bridge is a big bridge that crosses a river.
We stopped halfway across the bridge to admire the stunning views of the River Clyde.
Public telephones and adverts for The Samaritans were installed at regular intervals along
the bridge's railings, and our mood took a sombre turn when we realised that we were
standing at one of Scotland's most notorious suicide spots.
Wehadadecisiontomakewhenwereachedtheotherendofthebridge.Wecouldeither
followthebusyA82toLochLomond,ortakethelongerroutewhichfollowedacyclepath
and minor roads described by the route book as:
'badly surfaced
' and passing
'behind urb-
an areas not recommended for solo cyclists.'
'We definitely take the A82,' said Ben adamantly.
'Why? We're not solo cyclists,' I said.
'Yeah, but it sounds dodgy. Anyway, the A82 will be much quicker.'
'It won't be dodgy. I bet we're much more likely to be injured on the main road than on
a cycle path.'
'If I'm going to get injured I would rather be hit by a car than stabbed or shot.'
'You really are a weirdo,' I said. 'Let's take the scenic route. I'll protect you.'
'Fine, well I'm not going to protect you and if you get stabbed then it's your own fault.'
The Clyde and Loch Lomond Cycleway, as it is officially called, is a cycle route that
extends 20 miles from the centre of Glasgow to the shores of Loch Lomond. It was abso-
lutely brilliant to cycle along. Although we had followed relatively quiet roads throughout
the trip, we still had to be alert to the prospect of other cars. The cycleway was all ours and
it was extremely liberating. I even pulled a wheelie.
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