{"id":251,"date":"2021-06-15T21:52:31","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T21:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/scotland-the-brave\/"},"modified":"2021-06-15T21:52:31","modified_gmt":"2021-06-15T21:52:31","slug":"scotland-the-brave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland &#8211; the Brave? (Or the Mad??)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Main reason I&#39;ve been off here for a while is that I spent the past 10 days being a VERY good wife &#8211; driving the support car round Scotland in pursuit of Hawksey, Nicky &amp; Jules as the three of them embarked on the North Coast 500. Yes, a 500 mile cycle round the north of Scotland.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4b200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4b200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4b200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4f200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4f200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d4f200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d53200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d53200d img-responsive\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d97200d-pi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" width=\"375\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d57200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d57200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d57200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d5b200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8826\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d5b200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d5b200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8826\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>Started in Inverness and headed west, then up the coast via Ullapool to Scourie and the north &#8211; along the top, turn right at John o-Groats, down through Brora and Durnoch, ending up back at Inverness Castle 8 days later for triumphant photos. Though for me &#8211; a wait in a side road as I couldn&#39;t find a space big enough for the bloody car and bike rack!<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0a8200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8888\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0a8200c img-responsive\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d9b200d-pi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8888\" width=\"375\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ac200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8888\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ac200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ac200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8888\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0b0200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8888\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0b0200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0b0200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8888\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>Have to say &#8211; hugely fortunate that it was a fab sunny week, as a wet one would have been a darn sight less enjoyable for the cyclists, and certainly for me. My day &#8211; get up, all pack car, bikes go, I go, walk Scrumpy on a beach or in a wood, top up bikes with water at a morning stop, meet bikes for lunch, head off again, trot dog on another beach and await them at afternoon stop, drive on to one of the 8 hotels &amp; B&amp;Bs (mm, did those range in quality!) . And then have a pint or two and eat pretty much what they did for dinner as it was the highlight of my day &#8211; sadly, without having burned off the necessary 2,500 calories to have earned it!<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0b9200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8952\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0b9200c img-responsive\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d9f200d-pi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8952\" width=\"500\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0bd200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8952\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0bd200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0bd200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8952\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c1200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8952\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c1200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c1200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8952\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c5200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8952\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c5200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c5200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8952\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c9200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_8952\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c9200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0c9200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_8952\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>Upside was that the Scottish beaches were very surprisingly pretty bloody lovely &#8211; bastard cold water but turquoise in colour and miles of soft sand, with hardly a soul on them. (You have to look closely in the photo above &#8211; S is on the water line). Apart from the one beach that had a huge flock of sheep and yes, a bloody hereof cows on it! We got off there sharpish before they came for us.. Phew &#8211; as there was literally absolutely nothing else en route, apart from hundreds of miles of single track road (eek!) with passing places. I did start to hallucinate those in my sleep..<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e0200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9008\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e0200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e0200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9008\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e4200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9008\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e4200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e4200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9008\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e8200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9008\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e8200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0e8200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9008\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ec200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9008\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ec200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ec200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9008\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d79200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9095\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d79200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d79200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9095\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>(I rather like this last shot &#8211; Scrumpy&#39;s paw marks, and yes, there she is again, impatiently waiting for me to throw her a stick in the shallows..)<\/p>\n<p>So, a week of taking photos of lycra-clad arses in front of me, as I then overtook them a sped off.Not entirely my idea of the first holiday I would choose post lockdown, but it was at least a good change of scenery (9which was nearly all pretty stunning) and a midge-free sunny experience which it might so easily not have been.&#0160;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ff200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9131\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ff200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b0ff200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9131\" \/><\/a> <a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b104200c-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_9131\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b104200c img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b026bded8b104200c-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_9131\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"asset-img-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d8e200d-pi\" style=\"float: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"IMG_0437\" class=\"asset  asset-image at-xid-6a0105359a4116970b027880309d8e200d img-responsive\" src=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d8e200d-500wi\" style=\"margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;\" title=\"IMG_0437\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>Then it was just a 600 mile+ drive home &#8211; my how good my bed felt when I made it back! Thanks to David &amp; Mandy for the much needed pitstop en route. And H does now have a particularly ridiculous bike tan &#8211; he is Mr Brown Forearms and Lower Legs. Tee hee x&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n<p>&#0160;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Main reason I&#39;ve been off here for a while is that I spent the past 10 days being a VERY good wife &#8211; driving the support car round Scotland in pursuit of Hawksey, Nicky &amp; Jules as the three of them embarked on the North Coast 500. Yes, a 500 mile cycle round the north [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Main reason I&#039;ve been off here for a while is that I spent the past 10 days being a VERY good wife &#8211; driving the support car round Scotland in pursuit of Hawksey, Nicky &amp; Jules as the three of them embarked on the North Coast 500. Yes, a 500 mile cycle round the north [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Welcome to Scottys Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Scotty Hawkes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Scotty Hawkes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Scotty Hawkes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f\"},\"headline\":\"Scotland &#8211; the Brave? (Or the Mad??)\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":520,\"commentCount\":1,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.typepad.com\\\/.a\\\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/\",\"name\":\"Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.typepad.com\\\/.a\\\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.typepad.com\\\/.a\\\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.typepad.com\\\/.a\\\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/scotland-the-brave\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Scotland &#8211; the Brave? (Or the Mad??)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/\",\"name\":\"Welcome to Scottys Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f\",\"name\":\"Scotty Hawkes\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Scotty Hawkes\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottysblog.com\\\/home\\\/author\\\/scotty-hawkes\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog","og_description":"Main reason I&#39;ve been off here for a while is that I spent the past 10 days being a VERY good wife &#8211; driving the support car round Scotland in pursuit of Hawksey, Nicky &amp; Jules as the three of them embarked on the North Coast 500. Yes, a 500 mile cycle round the north [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/","og_site_name":"Welcome to Scottys Blog","article_published_time":"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Scotty Hawkes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Scotty Hawkes","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/"},"author":{"name":"Scotty Hawkes","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f"},"headline":"Scotland &#8211; the Brave? (Or the Mad??)","datePublished":"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/"},"wordCount":520,"commentCount":1,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/","url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/","name":"Scotland - the Brave? (Or the Mad??) - Welcome to Scottys Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi","datePublished":"2021-06-15T21:52:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scottysblog.typepad.com\/.a\/6a0105359a4116970b027880309d47200d-500wi"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/scotland-the-brave\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Scotland &#8211; the Brave? (Or the Mad??)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/","name":"Welcome to Scottys Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/#\/schema\/person\/357bb657ac2d0982bd38d2258e558f5f","name":"Scotty Hawkes","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Scotty Hawkes"},"url":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/author\/scotty-hawkes\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottysblog.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}