Sandy Rough and Mike Steven finally arrived back onto Scottish soil after their successful Auld Alliance cycle ride between the capital
cities of Edinburgh and Paris. Wearing their kilts throughout their week long journey in early September out to be the least of their problems with storms, road closures and broken bikes being just some of the daily hurdles to overcome on their week long trip.

Saturday, Day 1

After weeks of preparation we had a trial run shortly before we left. As cycling through Deeside with our kilts on had all went to plan we were fairly confident ....perhaps naively so..... when we left. However, when we arrived in Edinburgh not only was the road blocked to the Castle but the first signs of a storm loomed overhead and as we were to find out, this was to be the first of a number of not just road blocks but of stormy weather that would follow us on our journey south to Paris! Indeed, the ferry crossing to Belgium was memorable for all the wrong reasons as the   storm chased us across the North Sea. I don't think either of us had witnessed so many people falling sick in one place as the waves crashed in!

Sunday, Day 2

With the bad weather following us to Belgium the ponchos were on as soon as we left the ferry as started out on our 300 mile journey south. Wind and rain were the main challenges of the first day and we soon dismissed any hopes we had of keeping out kilts dry. In fact, the entire trip almost came to a premature end just 8 miles in as we both lost control on the slippery cobbled roads of Bruge and narrowly avoided crashing into each other. For most of the rest of the day we cycled into the strong headwind and it was either the poncho or our kilts that spent their time flapping around our necks! However, we made it to Ypres in southern Belgium before dark and slept well.

Monday, Day 3

When we awoke to a clear blue sky the following morning with only a slight breeze we both thought that nothing could possibly go wrong today. How wrong we were! After navigating around some unexpected road closures we were cruising at speed when all of a sudden Mike's left pedal fell off. Half an hour of spanners, oil, tape and cable-ties later we finally gave up and decided to track down a bike shop. After asking at a local shop for directions we were given the news we'd feared that the local shops were closed because it was Monday, with the nearest possible chance of an open bike-shop being a couple of hours cycle in the wrong direction. Incredibly, a customer in the shop overheard us and very kindly invited as back to their home to see if her husband could try and fix it for   us. When it turned our he couldn't either they then insisted on loading our bikes into the back of their two cars and drove us to the out of town cycle shop. It was a huge relief to find that it was open and we couldn't have been more grateful as we thanked them for their exceptional kindness as they set off home again. Our relief was soon to turn to   grief however when the mechanic informed us that they were out of stock of the required crankshaft and it would be at least 2 days before he could order the part in. So .........we had no option but to set off to our original destination of Arras in Northern France, some 55km away. He did try to be helpful by saying to Mike that 'perhaps your friend could push you some of the way'!   Needless to say the rest of the day was a bit of a struggle as Mike sweated and grimaced his way into France and finally to Arras just before dark. On arriving our kilts quickly attracted the attention of a local tourist guide, Jenny, who kindly led us through the city streets to our bed for the night at the local Youth Hostel. To our relief the Hostel staff told us there was a bike shop just around the corner so as we climbed into our bunks we were confident that the following day would run more smoothly.

Tuesday Day 4

Mike got up excited at the prospect of finally getting his new pedal and went around to the local bike shop before breakfast.......to be met with the sign that said 'owner on holiday for 2 weeks'. Doh! A frantic search later in the morning led us to a cycle shop across town
and after some debate, decided they might be able to fix it later in the day if they ordered a new crank from another village nearby. So......over a day later and with several hours delay, we finally set off into the wind in the late afternoon on our journey to a country
farm in Carlu, Northern France. Feeling fairly sorry for ourselves after arriving soaked and tired in the late evening, a warm welcome and a traditional several course meal of french cuisine more than made up for our aching legs (and particularly Mike's right one!).

Wednesday, Day 5

Things got back on course. Yes, was still raining but the wind had died down and it warmed up through the day. Without the stresses and strains of the previous days we made good progress despite the hilly terrain and arrived after an 8 hour cycle at Compieggne, now just over a hundred kilometers from Paris. During out route we stopped off at a number of memorials to the events of WW1 including some time spent at the Somme Museum in Peronne.   Arriving in Compieggne in the early evening was particular memorable as we breezed into town under a still, sunset sky. Although our knees and thighs were on fire, cycling down the stunning tree-lined streets on a warm Autumn evening more than made up for the difficulties of the first few days.

Thursday, Day 6

Up early on a fine day for our 120km cycle into Paris. The weather was perfect and for once the wind seemed to be blowing in the right direction. On our final day though we noticed that each hill became steeper and our panniers heavier as we trailed our way into the
outskirts of the city. The last 25km were fantastic as we hit the long cycle path that leads directly into the centre of the city alongside the old canal route, moving from the modern suburbs into the grand architecture of the city itself. By tea-time we navigated though the
rush hour traffic at Place de la Republic and Place De Concorde before travelling to out final destination of the Eiffel Tower.

At last! After over 300 miles of unpredictable kilted cycling mixed in with broken bikes, bad weather and the odd road block or two we finally made it to Paris late in early evening of the 6th day. Tired but elated we hijacked the nearest passerby to take our picture before the tower before going in search of the nearest pharmacy for chaffing gel and muscle rubs. On the very moment we set off to our hotel a sense of deja vu kicked in as the heavens opened resulting once more in our bikes and kilts getting drenched for the final time.

Final hitch

After a long sleep we awoke to what we thought would be a restful last day of our trip in Paris. However.....switching on the TV to watch the breakfast news revealed that our planned route home via the Channel Tunnel was literally up in smoke as news of an overnight fire hit the screens. The next 24hrs was then spent trying to work out the best way of getting ourselves and our bikes home either by any means possible. Lady luck was (finally!) on our side as we managed to blag our way onto one of only two trains running over the weekend back to London after the tunnel partially re-opened. So finally, after an action packed and unforgettable several days we finally arrived back home to our awaiting families near midnight on Saturday of the 8th day.