Drum via Hirn

Well, the first Monday afternoon bike ride was hugely popular with a total of 8 of us eventually turning up. We thought this might be a new record, but I've checked and we've had 8 on 3 occasions before, the last back in June.

We decided on a run out to Drum, but it had been a wet morning and we wanted to avoid heading east along the Deeside Way past the wet patches at the sawmill. The Hirn road out was selected as an alternative and it turned out to be a good choice, with virtually no traffic and good tarmac surfaces.

Our run took us through Drum Castle grounds and down the hill towards the Drum Garden Centre. On the last bit, some stuck to the road and others went through a gate and down a track, but one little smarta*** thought he would try and beat us to the cafe by taking what he thought would be a shortcut. It turned out to be a building site that was fenced off at the other end. Pride had to be swallowed and Rob's assistance was called for to lift the bike over the fence:

The above was followed by a secondary (missed) photo opportunity when Dick slid under the fence to join us. Bikes were chained and we lined up for the first team photo:

Ian Stewart, Archie Cook, John McWhinnie, Jeff Dickens, Robin Brodie, John Perry, Rob Pollard & Dick Taylor.

There had been recent publicity in the press about the calorific content of various alcoholic drinks and a few of us were discussing this when John sat down with his hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. No further comments were required:

Good scones, and Rob especially likes their Rhubarb & Ginger jam. Time for another team photo - this time, John was seemingly in hiding:

We returned via the Deeside Way but turned up opposite Crathes' West Gate to avoid the muddy part of the Way. I had a Doctor's appointment at 4pm and headed straight there, where I stopped my Strava stats, which showed total distance travelled of 20.4 miles, with elevation of almost 700 feet. Dick started and stopped his stats at his home, so he is showing 2 miles and 100 feet more - http://www.strava.com/activities/215088703

Looks like there might be more Monday afternoon runs in the future.