Equinoctal

Aye - the days are getting longer. We are lacking a match report from last Thursday's run, but John Morton supplied a couple of photos

l-r: John Morton, John Perry, Bob Elder, Dick Taylor, Jeff Dickens, John McWhinnie, Jack Simpson and Ian Sharp

Strava shows:

Melmannoch Coll is a new destination and, according to at least one of the riders that day, it was a complete mystery ride - and a hard one at that. Apparently, Jeff Dickens was the routemaster that day - but it may be the last time!

Yesterday (Monday) our debutant guest reporter was Iain Wright:

"Freewheelers: Dickens, Dring, Elder, Larkin, Perry, Reilly, Sharpe, Simpson, Taylor and Wright participated. Wright was “volunteered" to be both Pathfinder-general and Scribe.

Given the westerly Force 5 gusting 8, consensus was rapidly achieved: to put-in two reefs and beat upwind in the lee of Scotty Woods. Unfortunately, this entailed quite a bit of uphill off-piste, but the peloton stuck together with the pathfinder for two significant hills, before a bifurcation occurred. The A team (including Jack) enjoyed a third up-hill with a lovely cruise down to Shooting Greens (with distant views of the snow-capped Ben Avon), while the B team slogged along the flat bit. All enjoyed a further downhill cruise to be re-united and victualed at the lovely Potarch Inn (see photo). 

Boosted by copious coffee and scones, the short upwind pedal to Tillydrine soon behind us, spinnakers were set before Craiglash and Glassel gained in no-time. Then a quick surf down Home Farm Road to reach the safe anchorage of Banchory just as the sun passed over the yard-arm."