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outdoor adventures with children, lake district. rachel crolla and carl mckeating. cicerone press paperback 217pp illus. £12.95
i mentioned a few days past, my visit to the local secondary school to address a group of pupils undertaking a relatively short cycle from the islay ferry to arran's small ferry to lochranza. i won't bore you with the details again, but my opening gambit was to enquire just how many of those i was about to address actually owned a bicycle. the show of hands led me to reverse my interlocution and ask how many did not own a bicycle, to which only one half-hearted hand was raised.
the group's size was probably around twenty pupils and i confess that this knowledge came as something of a surprise. i have been riding round islay for well over 30 years and the number of junior cyclists on the road has not varied one iota, so far as i can see. granted, there are always small kids on scooters and little bikes, but when it comes to the teenage generations, you could count the numbers on one finger. that fact alone pretty much explains why the sunday morning peloton consists of an ever-ageing bunch of velocipedinists, with a youth recruitment programme that remains pretty much steady at zero.
in my early years on the isle, i would organise easter bunny hops, a red nose day stonk around the runway and several other cycling activities that were rarely oversubscribed and ultimately faded into nothingness. but unless parents put some time and effort into encouraging cycling activity with their own kids and their peers, all the commuting strategies in the world won't crack the cllimate change problem. while this need not be location-specific, somewhere fun for a family holiday would make for a good start.
this is precisely where the first in cicerone's new series 'outdoor adventures with children' is likely to score well on the satisfaction scale. authors rachel crolla and carl mckeating have started with the lake district, a highly attractive region of the uk, sporting a decent spread of offroad bike rides, along with water and walking activities that ought best complement the cycling. while the post generally concerns itself with the road-going end of the cycling world, it's hard to argue against using gravel and dirt tracks for young apprentice cyclists, to guard against an increased level of motorised traffic, particularly around specific holiday regions.
the authors are to be roundly congratulated for not presenting the act of cycling with children as being a parent's ultimate goal in life, something that will be every bit as simple as making peanut butter sandwiches. "There's no getting away from the fact that cycling with children can be a faff." thankfully, they haven't left the keen reader with that as their endgame, moving on to explain how best to accommodate the needs and aspirations of the next tao geoghan hart, or lizzie deignan.
though the more draconian of cycling inflected parents may scoff at the velocipedinal dilution espoused by including other outdoor activities, the authors have obviously realised that kids often get bored quickly and a handy and immediate alternative is always a good call. for instance, as suggested within the book's well-illustrated pages, the carrot on the stick might be a boat trip or swim in a lake at the end of an offroad ride. deception and encouragement often go hand in hand.
this compact and bijou publication contains a total of forty adventures, all categorised not only at the top of the chapter pages, but in an easily accessible list at the front of the book. this is further divided into lists of each specific activity in appendix a, before the various other appendices at the rear of the publication, list attractions and playgrounds, cycle and boat hire and activity providers. for those parents looking for brownie points as a deflection from the amount of time they spend riding when at home, an active holiday in the lake district might be just what her/him indoors ordered.
outdoor adventures with children
thursday 25 april 2019
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................endura humvee shacket
typecasting is something that i believe actors are generally keen to avoid. yes, there are, of course, those who appear to have the knack of avoiding such an imposition upon their professional careers. harrison ford, for instance, has been both indiana jones and han solo, yet is every bit as believable as decker in blade runner and other non-science fiction movies, such as clear and present danger and patriot games. there are others who have fared less well; gary burghoff starred as radar o'reilly in the tv series m.a.s.h., and figured he'd reached the stage where he deserved a show of his own. next time you meet him, ask for his definition of crashed and burned.
in the considerably less dramatic world we all inhabit each and every day, we're guilty of a smidgeon of typecasting all of our very own. a fellow who lives but a few metres distant from the croft, is a keen runner, and forever entering marathons, half-marathons and fun runs. when he's not at work, it is unusual not to see him clad in a bright yellow jacket and shorts, running along the high road, training for one event or another. thus, on meeting him on bowmore main street yesterday, particularly given the particularly clement weather, i expressed my surprise that he was not out and about in running shoes.
typecasting.
yet, i could easily have been mistaken; my assumption could have been well wide of the mark. for all i knew, he may have briefly stopped mid-run, or been simply contemplating the beginning of his bout of training. of course, i wasn't wrong and the reason i knew, was not only his demeanour, but his mode of dress: jeans and a t-shirt. in all the time i have known this gent, i have never once seen him dressed in this manner just prior to or in the midst of, a training run.
of course, i myself have frequently been the subject of typecasting. particularly when the weather is fine, i am besieged (slight exaggeration) by well-wishers enquiring whether i am about to go cycling, if i have already been for a bike ride, or most commonly, why am i not cycling? my daily apparel seems not to offer any kind of a clue, which is, in and of itself, a very good thing. despite stepping forth from the croft of a sunday morning, dressed like a refugee from the peloton, i wholeheartedly agree with those who claim that cycling should not demand a change of clothing.
admittedly, much of what i wear on a daily basis was originally designed to ease any potential discomfort from riding a bike in civvies, such as jeans, hoodies, jackets etc. i have many iterations of the foregoing that would allow freedom of movement and weather protection on the bike, yet would not look out of place when meeting with my local member of the scottish parliament. and while i feel it may be a tad too colloquial for an engagement such as the aforementioned, endura's humvee shacket is just such a garment. though i do have a few misgivings about the name, i bear none whatsoever regarding its relaxed style and practicality.
the name, shacket, offers up a clue as to its mode of employ as a reversible item of velocipedinal clothing. for the more formal affair, or simply because you are of a less than ostentatious nature, one side offers a subdued shade of blue, backed by a somewhat louder, yet perfectly on trend, red lumberjack style shirt. the latter offers only an outward breast pocket for carriage, while the more subtle side of the humvee features two, zippable hand pockets. naturally enough, these can be employed as internal pockets when displaying your more rugged side. rather than a front zip to keep the elements at bay, fastening is achieved by a series of poppers, ending in a stylishly high collar. the cuffs, too, are poppered.
with record temperatures recorded even in the north of scotland, the humvee shacket might just be a tad on the warm side at present, for between the two colour choices exists a lightweight thermal filling, a factor, however, that you may find very welcome on a cool evening's return from the office. endura's humvee range is expressly designed for the intrepid commuter who fancies feeling comfortable on the bicycle, yet won't be mistaken for alejandro valverde by the staff at pizza hut. the latter function it accomplishes with both practicality and what i feel compelled to describe as 'street style'.
though i've not had the medium sized review sample for too long, it does appear to be of the sturdy construction likely to be demanded by a bona-fide lumberjack, despite not having worn it in a real forest. however, i have placed myself in a couple of situations with the blue side on outward display and not once did anyone make enquiries as to any velocipedinal intentions i may have harboured at the time. its cosy baggyness is comfortingly reminiscent of that pair of slippers of which you were once reticent to dispose; the fact that its mild duvet feeling can accompany you home on the bike is just one of life's little bonuses.
that counts as a result, in my book.
endura's humvee shacket (i really would advise a change of name) is available in sizes from small to xxl at a retail cost of £89.99. it is also available in anthracite with a greenier sort of lumberjack opposite number.
wednesday 24 april 2019
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................greatness, fitness and perfectness
st columba is a figure with an intrinsic religious connection to the hebrides, particularly those with which islay geographically associates itself: colonsay, mull and iona to the north. port ellen village features a church hall, long known as the st. columba hall, while the local gaelic centre just outside bowmore village, bears the gaelic rendition, framed as ionad chaluim chille ile. as far as i can ascertain, st columba travelled across the sea from northern ireland to islay and beyond, in a mission to spread christianity to the heathen picts. at kildalton chapel, a few kilometres past ardbeg distillery, stands what is reputed to be the finest example of a celtic high cross, still in situ. allegedly it was carved and installed by columba's entourage of monks.
the saint, however, refused to remain satisfied with carrying his mission to the isles, scurrying further to the north and east amongst the picts, having apparently reached the shores of loch ness. according to adomnán's manuscript the life of st. columba, in 565, st. columba came across residents of the shores of the loch, burying a man who was said to have been mauled by a 'water beast' and dragged underwater. columba sent one of his followers to swim across the river, a man who was subsequently approached by this selfsame beast. in order to protect him from a similar fate to that of the dead man, columba made the sign of the cross and bid the beast leave his follower alone and return to the depths of the loch.
this incident is reputedly the first recorded sighting of the mythical loch ness monster.
though history is littered with references to hideous monsters, this specific reference to one that inhabited the river ness and loch ness, gained historic traction, due in part to the significance of the water beast in celtic folklore. modernity took the monster to its heart in july of 1933, when mr and mrs george spicer witnessed 'a most extraordinary form of animal' crossing the road in front of their motor car. the legend was further enhanced by a photograph taken by hugh gray later that same year. though slightly blurred, the image allegedly depicts the head of the monster; more likely, however, is that it shows mr gray's dog fetching a stick from the waters of loch ness.
however, despite the encroachment of scientific and historical fact, intent on disproving the existence of sea monsters such as the kraaken, giant squid and others said to inhabit the depths, there is an intangible, romantic attachment to the possibility that such beasts may actually exist to this day and despite our allegedly more learned and cynical ways, i'm willing to bet that many of those passing along the shores of loch ness, still hope to catch a glimpse of 'nessie' as they head to or from inverness.
i consider myself well-educated and thus not subject to unwarranted belief in mythical beings such as that swimming in the depths of scotland's largest scottish loch. if you combined all the lakes of england and wales and emptied them into loch ness, they still wouldn't fill it to the brim, so there's plenty of water in which a self-respecting sea monster might conceal itself. on this coming sunday, assuming i can spare sufficient effort and spatial awareness, i too will be scanning the surface of loch ness in the hope that sighting of the monster will make suitable reparation for more than likely finishing as lanterne rouge in the 2019 etape loch ness, a sportive which i intend to ride for the first time.
while i fervently hope not to hinder the progress of those more intent on recording a personal best at the finish outside eden court theatre, if there are any roadside supporters with an ounce of decency about their person, i'm more than willing to accede to the occasional push. particularly if that push happens to coincide with an oppressive ascent. having said that, with a start time given as 06:29 on sunday morning (28 april), i would have grave doubts over there being many would-be pushers stood by the roadside.
i know of many cyclists who plan an entire season's worth of sportive rides, stretching from late april, such as is the case with the etape loch ness, through to the autumnal months of the year. however, having led a sheltered velocipedinal life, for the most part, for me this is very much the exception rather than the rule. if you'll pardon the trite comment, it promises to be a monster of a weekend. but sighting or not, sometime next week, i'll let you know how i got on. if you too are riding the etape, any and all shouts of encouragement will be most gratefully welcomed.
tuesday 23 april 2019
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