I got back home yesterday eve, made sure my cats and house were OK and then just crashed (figuratively speaking). By the time I got home I had been awake for ~46 hours wearing the same clothing for the same amount of time and dealt with a lengthy baggage/customs procedure in three different countries in one day with waaaay more luggage than I usually take on trips (had an extra large bag to transport on the way home filled with goodies like "Johnston's of Elgin" Shetland wool rugs and several 70cl bottles of single malts I can't get here in the states) so I was exhausted. My trip was a roller coaster ride full of extreme ups and downs. Just three days into it so many things went wrong that I thought my vacation/holiday was going to be a washout for the remaining ~10 days but eventually after a lot of effort things worked out and I ended up having a blast... not quite the way I had planned but I just rolled with it. Now to get back in synch with my time zone, get settled back into home-mode and filter through my pics and vids to come up with a decent presentation. Here's a quick and dirty teaser thrown together using a trial video editor (damned watermark)... hopefully by next weekend I'll have something better to present.
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On a side note, after spending 2 weeks riding Amanda (my Bike Friday NWT) I can honestly say that I'm in love with her... she's just so awesome!

Yay! Waiting for more

What did you do to that church by the way? How is your dog?

Surprisingly Elgin Cathedral was like that when I arrived... no, really. For once I'm not responsible for that kind of mayhem and destruction.
I'm picking up my little Poo this eve. My vet's place was closed by the time I got home yesterday and it doesn't open for business until tomorrow. But she's good to me and knows I want my old girl back ASAP so she set up a time for me to meet with one of her techs today. Yay, the old lady is coming home... I've missed her so much.

(TM) in the image middle is annoying..

Hmm, let me guess: Trailer failed? Just guessing.. Making them DIY is something that takes a lot of testing and rebuilding when something is not strong enough. It is difficult to guess just how much strain it has to take in use and therefor material fatigue can happen..

Almost. The BF uses a 1/8" NPT male ended air chuck to screw into the frame boss as part of the hitch. When I first saw it I had my reservations about it's strength (before getting the bike I assumed that 1/4" NPT would surely be used) but thought that owners have used them successfully for years so why should I question it? I also designed my trailer with the axle further forward to reduce tongue weight at the connector whereas the BF trailer has the axle set further back thereby increasing tongue weight and adding stress to the hitch. Well I was really impressed with how well the trailer was handling and tracking. I was bombing down hills and both bike and trailer went arrow straight... the trailer really didn't feel attached at all. At about 30 miles northeast of Edinburgh the 1/8" NPT air chuck snapped at the frame boss and the trailer went off on it's own. I wasn't aware of it until I heard a pedestrian scream and saw my trailer tumbling along the sidewalk in my mirrors. I was going at a good pace and when the chuck snapped, the nose of the trailer skidded along fine until it hit the curb and flipped end over end (according to the eyewitnesses) which destroyed the frame. Thankfully I packed a spare 1/8" NPT chuck just in case my suspicions were correct and the original snapped. In hindsight I should have threaded a solid steel rod to screw into the frame boss and brazed it to the chuck.

I had no worries about my trailer/frame. I've built enough one offs in my lifetime that I pretty much know how to design and fabricate... and I tend to overbuild. So anyway the novel BF air chuck trailer hitch is out... it'll be a tried and true Burley type trailer hitch for this one just like on my other trailers.

Wow. Atacking the natives with a loaded trailer..

For some reason this came into my head, at 2:14 the fun starts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMj1XrHLulI

We actually discussed the same trailer hitch solution some years ago when we started on the trailer projects. I did not trust the solution so we went the Burley way, some we bought some we made.

Could it be the fact that your axel is forward of the BF solution that not enough weight was on the hitch, causing it to move up and down at the hitch? I remember from driving a horse with a one axel cart that some weight was wanted in the front to keep the drawbars steady and calm and not skipping up and down. Same with a dog pulling a one axel cart.

https://i277.photobucket.com/albums/k...Royashorse.jpg

(Dog not so happy about this...)

Anyway, not the most important question since you are changing the system.

What about adding a safety strap? That drawbar could have gone straight into your spokes and ruined both you and Amanda for good! I must admit i seldom use one but most of the time I am pulling the dog in the trailer (or empty trailer when dog is running next to the bike) so no bombing down hills at the moment..

I really don't think that was the case. When I initially set off from Edinburgh airport I would view the hitch in my left rear view mirror to watch how it reacted to bumps and the hitch never bobbed upwards. When I build trailers I set the axle 2/3 of the way back from the front of the parcel section... I find that best distributes most of the weight on the axle yet doesn't make the tongue weight so light that the trailer begins fish-tailing.


I did think about adding a tether to keep the trailer from veering off into traffic or pedestrians but then thought of so many other scenarios that could have been worse with a tether... like the hitch snapping and then the front end of the trailer arm catching a pot hole or freeze crack in the asphalt causing the trailer to flip and then pull the rear end of my bike with it. Or with a tether the chances of the trailer arm getting caught in my rear wheel would be greater whereas without it the trailer would most likely break free and away from the bike. A tether wouldn't be so bad with a trike or four-wheeler where the trailer stays between two wheels but a bike... ick, I shudder to think all of the bad things that can happen.

I tend to always look for a reason when things happen, it`s in my spine. Wo`nt happen again in your case, that is the main thing. Had it happen to me a few times with the car trailers (but then I use them a lot) and have been happy to have the teter (chanin on one, wire on the other) but like you say- four wheels..

I bet you were slow down the hills after that was solved!

How did you like traveling with the trailer? Some peopel want it all on the bike, some like trailers. I remember after our last time riding in Denmark we decided on trailers (for a similar ride) next time.

The thing about Denmark is that with that many bikes there are also plenty rules. They tell you where to park the bike (often with the cars) and where you can not bring a bike. In countrys with less bikes I found it is much easyer to be excused for wheeling your bike up close to the door of a museum or other place of interest and lock it there. In Denmark you`ll meet a "no bikes" sign.

I remember once somebody told me "if you are cought here with a bike it is a £100 fee". That time we traveled three persons together so one was watching the bikes & luggage and two exploring. We decided next time we use trailers and lock the bikes with the others and ask politely the staff to watch the trailers. Especially if the trailer looks like a suitcase, most of rhe time there is no rules for suitcases.

I would guess Scotland is different from Denmark, less bikes less rules.

Is "free bush camping" allowed in Scotland or would the locals (in kilt and red beard armed with furius dogs) chase you? Is bed and breakfast easy to find at a cheap price?

I remember last time in Denmark finding food (as in store, not restaurant) was difficult close to the coast. I think property prices kept the afordable places away and left only the expensive places. Leaving the coast to hunt for food is possible if you know where to go, but no signs to tell you that. Small country so not a big problem, shops turned up outside Copenhagen.

I prefer a loaded trailer to a loaded bike by far however I don't think I'd attempt to use a trailer again the next time I go back to Scotland. In the more populated areas near the larger cities the roads where pretty bumpy and potholed so either the bike or the trailer would take a beating... it's difficult to avoid with three different tire tracks within a ~24" span. That's not so much of a problem here in the US where roads tend to be wider.

I had no problems finding places to park my bike but then I avoid large cities and towns like the plague. I prefer the little villages where people are more relaxed and generally less uptight and I'm not much for going to popular places like museums and shops. There's plenty for me to experience and explore outside of the usual "touristy" offerings.

I took advantage of the Scottish outdoor access code (Land Reform Act 2003) which allows "wild" camping. The only thing that I found bothersome is that campfires aren't really allowed in the wild or at the caravan/camp sites so getting warm on the cold nights (below freezing on the majority of the nights during my trip) involved a lot of "sleeping bag dancing" throughout the night to generate body heat.

I guess you live in a big city so visiting rural areas on holyday makes sense. We can ride to areas like that from home so tend to take some trips to bigger citys sometimes. Off to Copenhagen in two days, just a short trip. I am making cowers for the B`s to make them look more sivilized than they do in "Dimpa" bags.

Visiting small villages as a tourist can be nice for sure, but living in small places can sometimes be a challenge

Sounds like a challenge! More than once have I asked myself WHY did I choose the lighter sleepingbag ?? The tric is not to be alone in the sleepingbag. Nex time try to hunt down a hairy Scotchman with a woolen kilt to keep you warm . I remember experementing with a fire innside our Tipi tent. Think it was in a grill or something. Both the dog and my son escaped under the tent into fresh air and I was stubborn and stayed in the tent trying to make it work..


Tell me about it next time you go there, I`ll make you some proper woolen socks to keep your feet warm- but I only knit in the winter so early warning is recomended!

Ooh I'm jealous. I'd like to make it to Denmark one of these days (as well as Norway, Sweden, Netherlands... so many more places ). I hope you have a good time and I want to see some pics.


As it was luggage space was at a premium for me so I had to pare down my modular sleep system to what was rated at 20ºF and leave the additional layer (the bulkiest of the three layers) that would bring the bag down to rating of -20ºF. For clothing I had to resort to 3 days worth of base layers, a pair of denims, a top and bottom rain shell set and just a polar fleece. Next time I'll probably bring more and pay the extra baggage fee.. I ended up buying extra clothing anyway so I still had to pay for an extra piece of luggage for the trip home. As for warmth when camping "wild" it's difficult to find someone to share a sleeping bag after 1-2 days of cycling and sweating although there were plenty of sheep that would probably have mistaken me for one of their own so I could have snuggled with them to keep me warm. But the times I stayed at a camp/caravan park or hotel (when I was really treating myself) with showers the extra warmth wasn't necessary but certainly welcomed... Scotswomen are a warm and caring lot, truly selfless.

Hahaha! My mom knitted me two pairs of woolen socks to take with me on my trip. Even though I just turned 50 she still worries about me as though I'm her little boy. I'll certainly take you up on your offer for the socks though... I love woolen socks.

Look on the bright side - at least you were there early enough to escaped being ravaged by the midges...

I read once that there are only three animals in nature that attack humans unprovoked - two of them were from Africa and the third was the Highland midge.


Good to see you back BNB - and still in one piece. I'm looking forward to more stories from the trip!

Thanks Elvis. It was a great two weeks but it was also good to get back home and recharge. I've experienced the Highland midges and they're no fun. Here in the states we also have midges that are sometimes referred to as no-see-ums and then there's the annoying Black Fly which I've encountered many times when exploring Maine but IIRC neither were as voracious as the Highland midge.

Ahh, pining for the fjords you too? Lots of great places to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuW6tQ0218


Did you try to experiment with "spaceblankets"? It is said you need to keep them away from direct contact with your body to be warm. I used one last summer but did not really do it in a "scientific way". Could save weight (and suffering) if used right I think.

And the sheep.. Oh yes- "Where the men are men and the sheep are nervous"..


Still a puppy compared to some of us .

I have a SOL bivy which supposedly is breathable but I still found it to be very cold as an addition to a sleep system because it doesn't breathe well enough to prevent condensation and in conjunction with very low temperatures proves to be problematic in the long run. But as a standalone emergency alternative to exposure to the elements (nothing vs space blanket) it's decent enough.



LOL! I won't even touch that.



A puppy maybe, but old enough to know that experience trumps youth... rowrrrr.

I bet you took 10 minutes out of your day to Photoshop that. LOL!

Where did you get that picture of me in my Rivendell Bicycling Kilt and Puffy Shirt?

lol. You guys are hillareous, you`ve made my day and it only just started .

Are you workong on our pictures Scotty? We are waiting..

Think I`ll post from Copenhagen litle by litle (but in the same thread) becouse if I should wait and post it all at once you may have to wait until the long winter nights before I find the time..

We still need to sort out my sons films from the trip. When I look at it I laugh so much that I cry, but it may not be fun for you who did not see the whole thing live..