Postponed...

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I’d been having trouble getting a start date for the CAR due to a few issues with the University getting a placement sorted for my wife. It’s now looking unlikely that she’ll start anything before March which means she’ll be on placement and trying to juggle childcare while I’m away. The financial costs of the trip are becoming  too hard to justify when there is only one of us earning money. When I factor in the amount of food I’ll need to consume to keep me going, the cost of spare parts for the bike and any repair costs, it starts to look very tight.  There is also the matter of school holidays to contend with.  She was originally due to finish placement before I left meaning that I’d be good to go with a clear conscience.

So I’ve taken a very long hard look at the plans and have reluctantly decided to postpone the trip.

Some of you have already donated money to the GDBA and this is weighing heavily with me. Rest assured I will be doing the trip but it’s most likely going to be in the Spring of 2011. However in the meantime I will be embarking on a series of mini challenges to justify the money folk have donated. These will be done over weekends and the occasional long weekend.

So far I’ve come up with the following.

Cycle Around Skye and Cycle Home - I’ll get the train to Kyle of Lochalsh and spend a day touring round Skye before cycling home to Inverness the next day.

Cycle Around Arran - does what it says on the tin! Circular route around Arran with time to hopefully sneak in a bit of cragging on Goatfell

Cycle Hebridies(ish) - A cycle trip from Inverness to Ullapool, ferry to Stornoway and then down through Lewis and Harris, ferry to Uig, through Skye and back home.

Cycle Northern Isles - I’ve never been to Orkney and Shetland before so quite fancy cycling there, Fair Isle could be nice too!

Any other suggestions? I’m hopefully getting a Mountain bike soon, so long off road cycles through the Glens could be good. As always you’re more than welcome to come along for any of these trips.

I’m feeling pretty deflated at the moment. I hate starting something that I can’t finish, but I need to put my family (not to mention my finances!) first. Thanks to everyone that’s offered support, hopefully I’ll be able to take you up on it next year. The blog will continue on its Scottish Cycling related theme and my other blog where I talk about other nonsense can be found at http://gaidhealtachd.blogspot.com

On a plus side it means I’ll be mega fit for it next year and will have absolutely no excuses!

If I’ve let anyone down  please accept my heartfelt apologies. The trip WILL go ahead, just a bit later than originally planned.