Sunday 19 February 2012

Saturday Morning Bike Ride

Blue skies and sunshine - much better visibility than last week! Off at about 9am again. This week I have a quest...

First though, a little detour to see the tree at the corner in February. Love the strong shadows of the tree and hedge and the contrasting brown and green of the fields.

Now down from the bridge where I take the tree corner photos, and next to The Tree is this little clipped hawthorn tree.

On past the post.

This skyline catches my eye - in the foreground is the castellated rooftop of a country mansion, in the distance are the tower blocks of Glasgow.

Lovely rolling countryside.

Some big puddles around though.

I like how these wiggly tracks lead to the cluster of trees in the dip of the field.

Looking to the other side of the road I see this striking tree silhouette.

Cows at breakfast.

Further on, the road passes through more pretty countryside. It's not a part of Scotland famous for it's scenery but is still attractive in it's own way. I like the cottage at the brow of the hill, the road I'm on passes right by it.

The road to follow, a few miles further on. I've been caught in a hail storm and almost decide to cut short my ride, but the shower doesn't last long. Besides, I've been eating far too many cakes and biscuits recently so really need the excercise. This photo is taken from a bridge above the road.

Here is the view from below the bridge, looking back.

Another few miles on. I love the shapes of the bare branched trees (though I am looking forward very much to when the leaves start to appear on the trees, typically that's not till April so I've a couple of months left yet to appreciate the silhouettes). Also here I like the mossy round stones on top of the little wall at the base of the tree. And I like the blue sky! I park the bike here and go for a wander round the nearby ruins of a castle.

There's not a lot left to be seen of the castle but I do like to have a look round when I'm passing. It's easier to explore in the winter months as in the summer the ground is very overgrown with brambles and nettles. The castle lies atop a rocky outcrop between two rivers and this visit I discover how to get down to river level.

Further on again and the countrside really opens up rewarding me with expansive views.

A long abandoned cottage.

So blue and bright - magic!

However, behind me more storms are on their way.

You can see the stormy sky again behind these pregnant ewes. Which brings me to my quest...

Lambs!

I'd heard there were lambs to be seen round here. It's a particular breed which lambs early, "normal" lambs won't be appearing for a while yet.

Lovely to see them though. I take loads of photos then the hail storms catch me up and envelop me as I cycle the last few miles home.

16 comments:

Louise said...

Gosh I was surprised to see lambs too! I know in lots of places lambs start appearing from January onwards, but in Derbyshire and around me, they tend to be late March to May!

Gorgeous scenery as always :)

June said...

Another wonderful bike ride! Great photo of the cows at breakfast and of course the cute lambs!
June

flowersandhome said...

Breathtakingly beautiful views. Lovely scenery. Love the blue sky and the tree silhouettes as well.
Thanks for taking us on your bikeride through part of Scotland.
Bye,
Marian

Rosangela said...

Beautiful place.
Kisse.

GrammyK said...

Thanks for the virtual bike ride! :-) You certainly have some lovely scenery!! Loved the blue skies and the approaching storms. Breathtaking!!

Mereknits said...

Beautiful pictures, I hope you and the lambs did not get hurt in the hail storm. Have a wonderful week,
Meredith

Mrs. Micawber said...

Love your tree on the corner, and the checkerboard of brown and green fields. And the view from under the bridge is stunning.

Lucky you to be able to ride at this time of year - puddles and hail notwithstanding.

Lovely blue skies and the lambs are adorable. Thanks for taking us along.

Grateful4Crochet said...

Thanks for sharing yet another bike ride with such beautiful scenery that makes me feel as if I'm there

farfromharmfarm said...

i love these bike rides...thanks for sharing!

Simone said...

A beautiful bike ride. Your stunning photos should be made into a calender 'Andamento's Bike Rides'!

Anonymous said...

Another lovely ride - with added lambs! I saw some last week too, I was so excited.

* said...

Beautiful pics, especially the tree against the blue sky....gorgeous!

Our neighbour starts lambing second week of Jan but it is probably somewhat milder here than with you. We start lambing in a couple of weeks, but this year as we have sold most of our flock, we only have 40 ewes, but they are mainly expecting twins .....clever girls!

The Village Queen said...

Found your blog through another, what a beautifull place you live in, so wonderful. I really like your crocet too, such pretty colors makes then fresh and new and not old fashioned in a frumpy way, more in a cool vintage way. Nice job. Thanks for sharing your lovely life.

Annie said...

I'm so late catching up with blogs this week you'll have had another Saturday bike ride by now!

nimble fingers and steady eyebrows said...

What a beautiful day, those bright blue skies and the stormy grey ones, perfect. Glad the hail storm passed quickly. -Annie

blueskyscotland said...

If its where I think it is there,s an interesting back story about the guy who lives in that big house and a certain restored art deco building near Inchinnan you may know. T H plus google search.

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