Cycling the edge of the world, July 2011

Cycling The Edge Of the World: The Outer
Hebrides From Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis, July 2011

Stephen Young

Introduction and
itinerary



Dates


Travel


Route


Accommodation




Day 1. Tues. 5th July 2011


Train: Glasgow Queen St-Oban (Argyll & Bute)
0821-1127
Ferry: Oban-Castlebay

1340-2040





Castlebay Hotel, Castlebay, Barra
01871810223




Day 2. Wedn.6th July





Tour of Barra and
Vatersay (31 mls) Flat-800ft


Castlebay Hotel
(as above)




Day 3. Thurs. 7th July


Ferry: Aird Mhor, Barra-Eriskay (Sound of Barra)
0925-1005



Barra-Eriskay-South Uist-Benbecula/ N. Uist (59mls) (Flat)


Redburn House, Lochmaddy, North Uist
01876500447




Day 4. Fri. 8th July


Ferry: Berneray-Leverburgh (Sound of Harris)
1030-1130


N. Uist-Bernaray (Ferry)-Leverburgh-Tarbert (32mls.
Flat-800ft)


Hotel Hebrides, Tarbert
01859502364




Day 5. Sat. 9th July





Tarbert-Callanish (39mls). Mixed -1200ft


Loch Roag Guest House, Breasclete
(Nr Callanish)
01851621357




Day 6. Sun. 10th July





Callanish- Port of Ness
(33mls). Flat - Undulating


Loch Beag B&B, Port of Ness
(Butt of Lewis)
01851810405




Day 7. Mon. 11th July





Port of Ness-Stornaway (28mls). Flat-500ft


Mrs Barbara Burns,
Stornaway
01851702824




Day 8. Tues. 12th July


Ferry: Stornaway-Ullapool
0700-0945


Ullapool-Garve (32mls) Flat – 900ft


Garve Hotel, Garve, Wester Ross
01355271608





Day 9. Wed. 13th July


Train: Garve-Inverness
0755-0853
Train: Inverness-Glasgow
0918-1215
Taxi Glasgow-Home



Garve-Ullapool-Glasgow


Home!




This is a travelog of my cycling trip from Vatersay to the Butt of Lewis in July 2011, involving 7 days cycling and two days train/ferry travel to/from the Outer Hebrides, starting from my
home in Renfrewshire, near Glasgow.
It’s designed to provide information and advice to others thinking of making
this fantastic trip, including some personal observations on my experiences. The
cycle ride took in the islands of Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay, South Uist,
Benbecula, North Uist, Berneray, North Uist and Lewis ending up at the
lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis, with two ferries and numerous impressive
causeways linking the islands. In fact there are more than 40 islands in total
in the archipelago, but most are small and uninhabited.

I had been thinking of making the
journey to this remote, wild and beautiful region of Scotland for several years but
other things seemed to get in the way each summer. In 2011, however, I set a
date early in the year to ensure nothing got in the way; although I confess as
the final date approached I became somewhat apprehensive mainly because the
weather in the west of Scotland had been pretty bad during May and much of June
2011.
We had been
to Stornoway as a family many years ago although no one can remember the
details, so travelling the islands was effectively a new experience. I know the
Highlands of Scotland very well having climbed the 284 Munros, finishing with my
son on Ruadh Stac Mor, one of the remotest mountains on 13th August 2005 (http://www.smc.org/Munros/MunroistsCompleatists.php?ID=3410).
But the island Munros were on Skye and Mull so I didn’t have that incentive for
getting to the Outer Hebrides. Rather it was
the remoteness of these islands, their variety and beauty, and the cycling
challenge that attracted me. Interestingly there were a number of BBC TV
programmes on the Outer Hebrides in the first half of 2011 which really
stimulated me, the last being the edition of Coast presented by Nicholas Crane and his team on BBC Two on 3rd
July 2011. The Guga Hunters of Ness was a brilliant BBC programme on the annual hunt
for young gannets (known in Gaelic as guga), undertaken by ten men from Ness on
the Isle of Lewis, who sail to the desolate island of Sula Sgeir to hunt these
sea birds, which are considered a great delicacy to local people. There was
also a delightful, warm BBC series entitled An
Island Parish chronicling the life of Father John Paul Mackinnon, a new,
young Catholic priest on Barra.
The table above summarises my 9
day journey. My route more or less follows that of Brendan Walsh in his book (The Scottish Cycling Guide, Mainstream
Publishing, April 1993), and the distances are taken from the mile chart on the
Visit Scotland website. I recorded my
own statistics on the bike computer (a gift from my son, Nick, for Father’s Day
2011-a long story for another day). The latter include side trips I made to
tourist sites or restaurants etc, and the details on a day-to-day are shown
below. . For the record, I cycled 285 miles at an average speed of 11.0 mph and
a maximum speed of 33.1mph (recorded as I came down from the North Uist hills
into Lewis) – not quite a challenge to Tour de France cyclists, but hey..! All
my accommodation was booked in advance with the excellent assistance of Visit Scotland.


Daily log and some observations
Day 1, Tuesday 5th July. I was awake half the night as
is usual when I’m travelling and I left home ridiculously early (again as
usual) at 0605, caught the 0628 train for the 15 minute journey to Glasgow, and
I was sitting at Glasgow Queen Street drinking coffee before 0700! A helpful
train attendant came over to the various cyclists sitting around to tell us
when the inbound train was arriving and the coach where cycles were stored for
the journey. All very efficient: bikes were hung by their back wheels in the
storage area on this older train. There is no charge but you must book and get
a ticket.
The journey to Oban was very
relaxed and pleasant. The train even stopped to give passengers a break - shades
of the pre-Beeching days for anyone old enough to remember that far back!

The train arrived on time at the station
located right at the Ferry terminal. I had crab sandwiches for lunch on the
pier in Oban, a start of much gorging on seafood during the trip. You can’t buy
ferry tickets in advance but there are no problems of getting on. The fare is incredibly
cheap for passengers – the Island Hopscotch Ticket cost £30 for the 4 ferry
journeys; and, as on the trains, cycles go free. Cyclists go onto the ferry
with vehicles not with foot passengers, but you will be told about this and
where to park your bike.

I saw more dolphins on the journey
to Barra than on the ‘Dolphin watching’ trip I went on in Central America in
2010. Staff on the ferry were pleasant and quietly friendly – characteristics I
found to be typical of the islanders.

The ferry took just over 7 hours
arriving in Castlebay at 2100. There was a squally rain shower as I cycled the
short distance to the hotel, I but went for a walk and had a glimmer of
beautiful late evening sun as the sky cleared. And of course it was light until
late since the islands are so far north. There were lovely views over the bay
from the Castlebay Hotel.

Cycling 4 miles.

Day 2, Wednesday 6th July.
This first day was one for
exploring Barra, but also for visiting
the island of Vatersay, which is south of Barra, to ensure that I cycled the
full length of the Outer Hebrides. I started off round Barra, up the east coast
to the beautiful beach at Traigh Eais in the north which is the local airstrip;
then down the west coast and over the causeway to Vatersay; and back for a
late-ish lunch at Barra Heritage Centre. I had a great lunch of home-made
coarse oatcakes and pate. The Heritage Centre had fascinating if tragic and somewhat
depressing exhibits (enforced emigration, shipwrecks, deaths on far away
battlefields) plus local artworks for sale.

After lunch I took the boat over
to Kisimul Castle in the bay. It is the only significant surviving medieval
castle in the western isles and seat of the chiefs of the Clan Macneil. Dating
from the 15th century, the castle is spectacularly located on a rock
in the bay exposed at low tide. I was
shivering as I left Kisimul Castle – there had been light rain much of the day.

For cyclists, there is a big hill
leaving Castlebay on the east coast, and also crossing from Barra to Vatersay. Generally
the west coast of Barra was pretty flat with some really nice beaches; actually
beautiful beaches abound in the Hebrides, especially on the west coasts of the
islands – totally unspoiled with scarcely a person to be seen.

Cycling 31 miles.

Day 3, Thursday 7th July
Had an early breakfast at the
hotel, left at 0745, and arrived at the ferry terminal at Aird Mhor at 0835. I
met 4 cyclists (Jess, Jack, Ken and Duncan) at breakfast in the hotel and
another from Ayrshire at the ferry. The former had plenty of cycling gear and
road bikes, so I had no chance of keeping up even if I had wanted to.

The ferry ride to Eriskay was
only half an hour, and I was on the road for the daunting (for me) cycle via
Eriskay, South Uist and Benbecula to Lochmaddy on North Uist. Eriskay will be
known to older people as the location for the film Whisky Galore - a 1949 comedy film based around the 1941 shipwreck
of a boat carrying a cargo of whisky near the island of Esrikay. Climbing out
from the ferry, I had a beautiful short sweeping ride through Eriskay looking
down on the ocean and beaches. Then it was a longish causeway onto South Uist
and a long ride through this very flat island.

I stopped for a Power Bar and an
inspection at the machair (the gaelic word for the attractive, low lying,
fertile western coastal plain); otherwise I kept going till I found a café just
before the causeway to Benbecula at 1245, having cycled 36 miles. I had planned
this as I wanted to break the back of the cycling before lunch, but I was
getting desperate when I found the café.
Pretty tired and hungry, I ate like an animal. I also tried out my very
limited Gaelic and got a lesson on pronunciation (I went to evening Gaelic
classes years ago mainly to help with the pronunciation of the names of the
mountains)!

My cycling pace slowed down after
lunch because of tiredness and the wind; I’d never cycled this far before and
certainly not with panniers. But this was offset by a more interesting ride
taking in several causeways and numerous lochs and lochans to North Uist.

At Clachan I saw a general store selling ice cream and rapidly
made my way inside. I lent my bike against a somewhat decrepit seat outside, to
be told by the English owner that I should move my bike to the bike rack
nearby. Clutching my newly purchased ice cream I asked - with only the
slightest hint of sarcasm, you understand - whether I could sit on the seat to
eat my choc ice; sarcasm wasn’t identified and I was told of course I could!.

The sun was shining and all was
well with the world. Jess et al passed me sitting chilling out, and eventually
the sight of an oncoming storm roused me into cycling action again. So the last
8 miles from Clachan to Lochmaddy was quite testing because of squally wind and
rain.

I arrived at Redburn House,
Lochmaddy at 1605 in the rain. No one was there but the owner turned up after a
short while. It transpired that this was a self-service B&B: all very well
organised and equipped like one’s own house; and including food labelled
according to room number in the fridge. The interior of the house had been
nicely converted too. The lady owner recommended the nearby Tigh Dearg Hotel
for a sea food dinner, and the food was indeed very good. To finish off a great
day, I walked down in the evening sun to the ferry port set in beautiful
surroundings.


The wind was NE/ENE today so I
was cycling into a headwind most of the way. But the wind was light except in
exposed sections, particularly the causeways around Benbecula/North Uist and in
the rain on the last stretch of the cycling.The weather was mixed but generally
bright or sunny until Clachan.

Cycling 59 miles.

Day 4, Friday 8th July
After yesterday this was a short
day’s cycling, in lovely, warm sunshine most of the time. Leaving Lochmaddy the
road passed along the east side of South Uist by Loch Maddy, and thence on to
the causeway to Bernaray for the 1 hour ferry ride (1030-1130) to Leverburgh on
South Harris. The cycling round the coast from Leverburgh was beautiful, before
coming into the distinctive, rugged moonlike landscape of Harris. It was pretty
hilly for most of the last 10 miles, but I was sheltered from the wind so it
was nice cycling; and the icing on the cake was a fast downhill on a smooth
road into Tarbert, where I arrived at 1340.

Had lunch in a gem of a café run
by a young Glaswegian couple, almost next door to my accommodation – Hotel
Hebrides – a 4* hotel (the only one on the trip I should emphasize for those
who thought I was slumming it!). Met the 4 guys outside the Hotel Hebrides
having a beer – it was the last I saw of them as they going direct to Stornoway
the next day and had to leave early to catch the ferry to the mainland. I had a
terrific meal in the hotel restaurant: the presentation of my scallops was so
artistic that it seemed a shame to eat them. After good experiences in the
hotel including getting my washing done out of hours, things went downhill
unfortunately. Live music was played in the hotel bar directly below my room.
Being told it would finish about 1100-1130, it went on until 1240; to make it
worse the music was rubbish-the same mix of sing-along folk, country, soft rock
– that can be heard in any pub on any Saturday night from Berwick to the Butt.
I wouldn’t have cared if it was primarily Scottish rather than American. Also
it didn’t match the image the hotel was trying to portray. At breakfast I
ordered porridge and boiled egg and toast and coffee: the coffee and toast came
first, then the egg, then the porridge; a sign of lack of staff training.

Cycling 33 miles, 11 miles to the
ferry terminal at Berneray, then 22 miles round the west coast to Tarbert.


Day 5, Saturday 9th July
This morning began with a nice
run around the sea coast for a few miles before a hard climb to the base of
Clisham (a Corbett and the highest hill in the Outer Hebrides), followed by
another climb before a long and very welcome downhill.

Again I was desperate to find a
coffee shop but the only place I passed – an art gallery – was closed because
of illness, so I kept going to Callanish - sustained by two Power Bars! The run
from the turn off on the main Stornoway road (A859) to the A858 to Callanish
was a dream – pretty flat, great road surface and a tail wind, and I reached the
Visitor Centre at 1345 for a very welcome lunch of bacon rolls and cake.

I spent most of the afternoon at
the stones of Callanish – the excellent Visitor
Centre, plus the three related sites.
The stones on the main site are genuinely awesome: shaped in the formation of a
cross, some are at least double my height, and the location is more or less
totally surrounded by water. This must
be one of the wonders of the world, and everyone should visit in their
lifetime: beautiful, mysterious and bewitching.

After early sun, heavy clouds
threatened rain as I cycled through the mountains (the scenery was very
reminiscent of North West Highlands on the mainland) but only a little drizzle
transpired; and the sun came out in the afternoon when I was at the Callanish
Stones and again in the evening when I went for dinner. I had a couple of large
glasses of wine at the Doune Braes Hotel, feeling very relaxed as the Callanish
Stones was a major objective for this trip and it fully lived up to my
expectations. Met a nice young couple in the restaurant (Finnish man /Polish
woman); they were travelling more or less the same route as me but at a more
leisurely pace and camping en route. Fortunately I hadn’t far to travel back to
my B&B as the wine had gone to my head and I could hardly get back on my
bike!

Dinner at Doune Braes Hotel about 3.5 miles north of my
accommodation, Loch Roag Guest House, Breasclete (Nr Callanish)

Cycling 41 miles to the Visitor
Centre at Callanish and 53 miles in total.

Day 6, Sunday 10th July
It basically rained all day,
despite looking like it might stop once or twice. This was the day I realised I
needed overshoes for my feet: I had Goretex trainers and waterproof socks, but
the water simply ran down the inside of shoes and socks! I managed to get the
trainers dried out at my accommodation but they smelled bad as most people will
know.

I had lunch at the Cross Inn just
before Port of Ness. It was the only hotel open in the area, Sunday being a day
of rest in this Free Church dominated island. It also meant that some of the
sites I wanted to visit weren’t open which was a great shame, and I didn’t have
time the following day because of my tight schedule, therefore bad planning.

A couple in a camper van took
pity on me in my bedraggled state at the Lighthouse at the Butt of Lewis and I
had a very welcome cup of lemon and ginger tea. Then I was welcomed very warmly
at the Loch Beag B&B. Turned the heating on and got my clothes dried. The
cliffs at the Butt are pretty wild and spectacular, and similar in many ways to
those around Berwick and St Abbs.

The very kind, maternal lady who
ran the B&B was desperate to please; the nice meal she served had enough pork loin
to satisfy three people, but I struggled manfully out of politeness and nearly
finished it. We talked about the Guga and how Angus, her husband, liked the
Guga stew, but since it only available in September I couldn’t try it. She told
me she was a bit miffed (understandably) because some visitors in the past had
requested Guga, which she spent ages cooking, only for them to reject it
because of the smell. The couple have a croft (actually 1/3 of a croft) running
down to the sea. While crofts are handed down within the family, the authorities
can acquire them if they are not being used. The lady said she couldn’t have
livestock on their croft because she would treat them as pets, and so the croft
was pretty overgrown with long grass. They solved their dilemma by permitting
friends’ animals to graze on their croft.

Cycling 39 miles in total:
Breasclete to the Butt of Lewis and back to my accommodation about 2.5 miles
along the same road.


Day 7, Monday 11th July
I had breakfast with a young
Indian couple who had arrived late the previous evening. The young man was
educated at IIM Bangalore and worked for A T Kearney; his wife had her own
business. They were both vegetarian, and I was amused that the young woman, who
agreed to have beans for breakfast, was served with what looked like two large
cans of Heinz baked beans. But it was out of kindness, I’m not being critical.

I departed the Loch Beag B&B
at 0845, visited the Port of Ness and then cycled south to Stornoway arriving
at 1140. The route was flat/undulating for much of the way, with a longish
uphill before descending fast into Stornoway.

The weather was mostly cloudy,
with a rain shower as I arrived in Stornaway, but it cleared to leave a
beautiful afternoon. Following a visit to a fantastic Lewis Chessmen
Exhibition, the afternoon was spent walking in the attractive, heavily wooded
Lews Castle park: it was built by James Matheson who made a fortune in the
Chinese opium trade and set up the conglomerate multinational corporation now
known as Jardine Matheson. The castle was sold together with the Isle of Lewis
to Lord Leverhulme who donated it to the Parish of Stornoway in 1923.
Incidentally Leverhulme (of soap, Lever Brothers and Unilever fame) was
involved in an ambitious but ultimately ill-fated herring processing project at
Leverburgh Pier (the original name of the village was Obbe) in December 1920.
With Leverhulme’s death in 1925 the project was abandoned and the workforce
laid off, a big blow for a small community.

I really enjoyed my brief stay in Stornoway.
I’d been there about 55 years ago (gosh time flies) and my recollection is of a
rather depressing place on that rainy day. Now it is transformed, with
attractive white-painted buildings, good cafes and restaurants, a lively port
for both commercial and pleasure boats, and what seemed like a vibrant cultural
scene. Dinner at the Royal Hotel was splendid.

I stayed at a pleasant B& B
close to the ferry terminal with nice views over the sea. The owner Mrs Burns
had strong family connections to Glasgow and Glasgow University (see below).

33 miles including a side trip to
the Port of Ness and cycling around Stornoway.


Day 8, Tuesday 12th July
Up at 0515, with breakfast at
0550 for the 0700 ferry to Ullapool. I slept for about 1.5 hours of the 2.75
hour ferry journey; and had coffee at the Ceilidh Place as per usual when I am
in Ullapool.

This was a day for reminiscing,
as the route was well travelled during my Munro bagging years; there are lots
of Munros in the area - from the Fannaichs and Deargs in the north, to Ben
Wyvis which dominates the skyline above Garve. I had lunch in the Altguish Inn
and afternoon tea at the Inchbae Lodge Hotel, both places where we had eaten
and stayed on various occasions. Both of course had new owners, and the latter
was much changed with various bits added on somewhat randomly as it seemed to
me. The Altguish Inn was an eccentric, rather rundown kind of place in the past
(and I loved it), but the new owners were clearly more professional and I hope
make a success of it. Plans were up the Inn for a windfarm overlooking it; the
articulate young woman serving me was very opposed to this development
specifically, but also more generally to the inefficiency of wind power
generation and its high cost.

The main road from Ullapool was
fortunately less busy with lorries than I had expected; my past experience was
of a fast and busy road, hence rather unpleasant for cycling. Starting with a
short hill out of Ullapool, the next stretch was flat/undulating until I
reached the signs for Braemore Junction (a major route west) when there was a
long and pretty steep uphill section. It then flattened out, with a long
descent past the Altguish Inn to Garve.

The weather was mainly cloudy
until the sun broke out near Alguish and the rest of the day was beautiful,
sunny and warm. I sat outside the Garve Hotel and chilled out, very relaxed,
the end of cycling! The Garve Hotel is a strange place, which I was aware of
since Susan and I had stopped there for coffee once. It is a favourite
overnight stopping point for coach tours, and that evening I was one of only three
or four independent residents so it felt a bit odd. Catering for large numbers
meant the food wasn’t great; on the other hand it was pretty cheap (which the
hotel accommodation itself wasn’t). Fortunately I was in an annex to the hotel
and so away from the evening music! But
it was next to the railway station and so perfect to catch the 0755 train to
Inverness in the morning.

Cycled 35 miles to Garve Hotel,
next to the railway station.

Day 9, Wednesday 13th July
The final lap was the train from
Garve to Inverness; and then the mainline service from Inverness to Glasgow,
with a taxi back home from Queen Street Station.

Great trip, highly recommended.

Overview lessons and observations

Sources used and books read
Brendan Walsh (1993), The Scottish Cycling Guide, Mainstream Publishing, April.
Lesley Riddoch (2008), Riddoch on the Outer Hebrides, Luath
Press.
The Rotary Club of Stornoway
(1992), The Outer Hebrides Handbook and Guide, Kittiwake Press.
Philip’s Red Books, Outer Hebrides Leisure and Tourist Map.

Weather
I was pretty lucky with the
weather and especially with the wind. On average Stornoway gets rain for 21
days in the month of July, whereas I had an odd shower on several days but only
one day of solid rain. However, people seem to have a culture of anticipating
rain, as the responses to my optimistic comments about the weather to a couple
of passers-by show:
‘… the rain is never far away’ –
A reply in Castlebay Hotel to my observation that that there was a little
shower outside.
‘Aye but rain is forecast for
later’ - A sunny morning in Lochmaddy as I left my B&B.

The prevailing winds are westerly
and strong winds are common; and my daughter Juliette commented on strong cross
winds from the west during her time tracking hedgehogs on South Uist. I’ve read
that gales are expected one day in five at the Butt of Lewis (in the same way
that the summit of Ben Nevis is only visible one day in five). However I didn’t
experience either of these: while headwinds from the north were most common, they
were generally pretty light.

Hotels and restaurants
The standard of hotels and
B&Bs I stayed in was very high (with minor exceptions as I note above). Apart
from a couple of places, all were advertised in the Visit Scotland brochure on
the Outer Hebrides, and I did choose 3* or 4* locations. Also I was impressed
with the standard of food in restaurants and cafes; the one problem was the
absence of food outlets between places. The Jess group stopped at the ferry
ports and stocked up with sandwiches and drinks, whereas I assumed that there
would be cafes en route. I suppose it was a naïve assumption given the
population in the Outer Hebrides of around 26,000 with 6,000 in the biggest
town Stornoway. Anyway I missed my mid-morning caffeine and cookie intakes.

Language
I’m not going to write about
Hebridean culture and the role of gaelic and religion. Lesley Riddoch provides
strong opinions in her book, and I’ll leave you to read this. Gaelic is widely
spoken among the older generation with an effortless mixture of Gaelic and
English being common in conversations; but Gaelic is much less common among
younger people. One little quirk I identified was the common usage of the
English expression ‘All right’ in greetings. I can only assume this has come
from some soap or other!

General
Mobile phone reception was
generally very poor. With my T-Mobile operator, I was only able to get mobile
reception in Tarbert and Stornaway. People with Orange as their operator seemed
to have better luck; but maybe I had a rubbish phone too.

Surprisingly I wasn’t assaulted
by hordes of midg(i)es. It may have been because of adjacency to the sea and
sea breezes most of the way. Anyway I only noticed midgies on two occasions:
the first was when I stopped in a bus shelter in an area of peat moorland on
the road to Callanish. The second was at Garve Railway Station waiting for the
train; a fellow passenger who lived in Garve told me that she couldn’t go out
in the garden during the summer without wearing a midgie hood!

Links to Glasgow University
Since I’ve been in the Outer
Hebrides I’ve heard that The University of Glasgow is the university of
preference for students. This fits exactly with my experience. One of my first
conversations in the Castlebay Hotel was with a young waitress who had just
graduated in Finance & Accounting from Glasgow University; and was
returning to that city in a few weeks to take up a position with an accounting
firm. Mrs Burns, the old lady in my Stornoway B&B, told me that she had 6
grandchildren in Glasgow, after her children had settled there post-university.
I should say that the current Principal of Strathclyde University (also in
Glasgow) hails from Barra.

Theme 3: Economies, Peoples and Cultures

These three countries lie between Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to the north, and Colombia to the south; Managua, our starting point is about 12 degrees north and Panama City, the finishing point, 8 degrees north of the Equator. It is an area of active volcanoes, especially in Nicaragua which lies at the intersection of three continental plates; and the entire area is a continuation of the Pacific fault line which runs down the west coast of North America. The Arenal Volcano is very live and there are great photos on sale of it erupting, but unfortunately it didn't perform while we were in the nearby town of La Fortuna.

For the visitor, the currency in Nicaragua is the cordoba (exchange rate $ 1= Cordoba 21) and in Costa Rica the colones ($1=Colones 518). Dollars are routinely accepted, with change given in local currency. Local currencies are not convertible across the borders. At these exchange rates, Nicaragua is very inexpensive: a large bottle of water cost $1 in Nicaragua and $2.86 in Costa Rica. However, Nicaragua is a poor country, its per capita income being the lowest in Latin America. Panama is a completely $ economy, including coinage, although there appeared to be local coins minted replicating their $ equivalent. I can't really make many valid comparisons as we didn't visit many large towns or cities because it would have made for dangerous cycling. The only capital we stayed in was Panama City; we flew into Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, but it was dark and we travelled straight away to Granada (which has a very attractive, restored old centre near the lake shore). There appeared to be quite a lot of subsistence or very small scale peasant farming in Nicaragua. The extremes between wealth and poverty seemed most evident in Panama: the area around the border was pretty dismal with real urban squalor and poverty (our family visited Nuevo Laredo in Mexico, walking over the border from Laredo in Texas, while we were staying in Dallas in 1982, and it was similarly dismal). In Panama City, where one third of the population lives, the skyscrapers of the so-called financial district sit cheek-by-jowel with the poverty and crime in areas close to the old city (Casco Viejo). The skyline has mushroomed as the city gained prominence as a centre of international banking, cocaine trafficking and money laundering, until Bush Senior invaded the country in December 1989 with 'Operation Just Cause'. The occupancy rate of some of the skyscrapers didn't seem high, but one doesn't need many people to manage letterbox ('shell') companies! The Panama Canal has of course brought big economic benefits.

Proximity of these Central American countries to the United States means that the US influence has been and continues to be substantial-sometimes benign, more often perhaps malign. Nicaragua has a history of involvement with the US as far back as 1909 when the US Marines were sent in to overthrow the Liberal president; they stayed there until 1933. Readers of a certain age are likely to remember the 1978/79 revolution against the Somoza Government by the Sandinista guerillas. After heavy fighting and over 30,000 deaths, the Sandinistas took over; and then won the election held in 1984 with Daniel Ortega elected President. The US failed to recognize this democratically elected government and supported the Contra rebels in a lengthy guerilla war against the Sandinistas which went on until 1990. Reagan on one occasion wore a t-shirt with the label 'I'm a Contra too'. A major political scandal in the US during this period was the 'Iran-Contra Affair' of 1986 when a US flight crew was shot down over Nicaraguan territory. The subsequent period has seen a continuing series of political controversies, with Ortega, as leader of the FSLN party, the dominant political leader.

In Costa Rica, there is some tradition of democratic government going back to 1889, and the country is more stable than its neighbours. The 'revolution' of 1948/49 led the the dissolution of the army which could be somewhat problematic if the current border dispute with Nicaragua isn't resolved by diplomatic means (see following). Other challenges have concerned the role of the US banana multinationals; and issues associated with privatization and deregulation; as well as the allegations at some times of government corruption and links with drug traffickers. Generally, good government and planning appears to have brought major tourism benefits both in beach and wildlife tourism, mainly I assume from the US, but my personal experiences were quite limited.

I have talked about the benefits and controversies surrounding relations with the US over the Panama Canal. We stayed in the Albrook Inn in Panama City which is located in the area which housed the US Air Force base of Albrook Field, until the Canal Zone became Panamanian territory. According to our trip notes, the opulent dwellings which were residences for American military officers, are now dwellings for the elite class of Panama with good connections to government. The ownership of the Canal was a source of bitter resentment for many years. The ending of Panama's protectorate status by the US in 1939 and the limiting of the latter's rights of intervention, having little effect on anti-US feelings. A key political figure in the years from the early 1980s was General Noriega who had both removed existing Presidents and annulled elections before formally assuming powers as Head of State in 1989. The US miltary 'Just Cause' invasion, mentioned above, led to Noriega's arrest and extradition to the US on drug trafficking and related charges. Noriega was sentenced to 30 years in prison and released in 2007. The country has had a reputation as a dumping ground for international political criminals seeking asylum, and the political situation remains highly volatile. Personally I didn't get good vibes in Panama City - although it's hard to put a finger on the reasons. It may simply have been the big city environment after the peace of the countryside and the small towns we experienced for most of the trip. One (of many doubtless) remnants of US influence in Panama is the celebration of Thanksgiving: so I had a pretty genuine Thanksgiving dinner at the Pencas Restaurant set right on the bay of Panama City, comprising Turkey soup, Turkey and accompaniments, and Apple pie; a bit weird but enjoyable.

Aside from internal politics and US relations, inter-state relationships can also be volatile. I had heard the story of the border current dispute between Nicaragua and Costa Rica from our Trip Leader and from Walter, and The Economist newspaper discussed it too in its 13th November 2010 edition. In what can be considered the first 'Google War'(!), the Nicaraguans claimed that Google Maps showed the south side of the San Juan River (until then Costa Rican territory) to be in Nicaragua. Google then admitted an 'inaccuracy' in its map, noting that its maps 'should not be relied on to make military decisions' (The Economist, p66). The dispute is bound up with Nicaraguan politics and the aims of the former Sandinista guerrilla leader Daniel Ortega to seek a third, unconstitutional, term as President of the country. Nicaragua has the support of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela who has provided donations to offset the cut in Western aid associated with Ortega's trampling over the constitution. Walter, however, asserted that Chavez was seeking to revive an old plan to build a trans-ocean canal along the San Juan River and through Lake Nicaragua to the Pacific. In fact this route had been a serious contender with the Isthmus of Panama in the early days of exploration, but current plans seem like a pipe-dream, especially with ongoing works to widen the Panama Canal. As a postscript to the above, The Economist (March 12th 2011) reported that the 'International Court of Justice ruled that Nicaragua must remove its troops from Calero Island in Costa Rica. Nicaragua sent the soldiers there last year when it began dredging a channel in the San Juan river, which marks the border between the two countries. However, the court said that Nicaragua could go on dredging, despite Costa Rica's claim of environmental damage.'

I have mentioned already about the Afro-Caribbean population on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. They are primarily in the province of Limon, where black peoples of Jamaican descent make up around one third of the population, speaking Jamaican English as their native tongue. My guide Walter at the Hanging Bridges reserve was of Jamaican mixed-race origins and still spoke in a Jamaican accent. He told me that his grandfather had come from Jamaica as a slave to clear the forests and work in the banana plantations, followed later by his grandmother. He commented that until the 'revolution' in 1948/49 (primarily about disputed election results and the country's constitution), the Caribbean population were not allowed out of their coastal enclaves, meaning discrimination and segregation by race (I'll need to check the accuracy of this). Once free movement was allowed, many of these black Jamaicans moved inland where their English language capabilities were valuable in customer-facing businesses (including tourism) in the cities. Reflecting this trend, the black population in Limon had declined from 57% in 1927 to 33% fifty years later. While a topic for comment on a later day, there was considerable international pressure in the 1990s over poor labour conditions, labour rights abuse and low levels of unionisation (despite supposed constitutional guarantees of union freedom) in the banana plantations.

Theme 2: Highlights

In no particular ranking, these included the Panama Canal; Bocas del Toro group of islands; rafting, and hiking in the rain forest, where the wildlife was the major attraction, as it was indeed throughout our journey; and the Eco-Termales hot springs near La Fortuna.

The Panama Canal deserves to and will get longer comment and reflection on another occasion (especially in connection with politics), but it was a real highlight, the more so perhaps since it was our last cycling day (Day 14).

The canal was conceived in the early days of discovery in the 16th century with the desire by the Spanish to unite the Pacific and Atlantic oceans across the Isthmus of Panama. The project was finally inaugurated by the French in 1869 with Ferdinand de Lesseps as its builder, but was beset by financial problems, weather and disease (over 6300 graves were dug during the abortive construction) and abandoned in 1903. Strong political pressure from the United States led to the independence of Panama from Colombia in 1903, with the US then 'negotiating' a treaty with the new country whereby a strip of land 10 miles wide from ocean to ocean plus some parts of the capital city and and adjacent islands were ceded to the Americans to build and manage the proposed canal. The Panama Canal was finally completed in 1914, a hugely impressive engineering feat. The US maintained control of the Isthmus of Panama until 1999, when, following growing tensions over financial confrontation and sovereignty and the breaking of diplomatic relations, it was transferred to Panamanian ownership and control.

We visited the two-tier Miraflores Lock, one of three lock systems overall, located at the Pacific end of the canal. At this lock system, ships are lowered by means of two tiers to the level of the Pacific Ocean, from which they enter a broad approach channel and continue under the spectacular Bridge of the Americas to the open sea. Average transit time for the overall canal journey is 8-10 hours, but 24-30 hours in total when customs and other formalities are included. We were extremely fortunate as a ship was about to enter when we arrived at the observation platform overlooking the lock system at 9am on this very hot and sunny Friday. Although at first I thought it was going to be like 'watching paint dry', the transit process was both obsessively fascinating and impressive; and from entry to exit of the Miraflores Lock only took about one and a quarter hours. While ships are under their own control in the canal (or at least that of a canal captain), a number of mechanised vehicles (called 'mules') are attached to the ship to keep it centred in the canal chamber and prevent it hitting the concrete walls; the widest ship would only have 60cms space on each side of the lock walls. So this was a great spectacle, most enjoyable, accompanied by detailed commentary and applause from the many visitors. I bought Isla, one of my grand-daughters a Panama Canal t-shirt for Xmas-she's only 6 so I hope I can explain this to her okay, but I have decent photos which will help.

Leaving Miraflores, we had our last cycle ride alongside the canal to lunch at an open air restaurant on the lake shore. While, this wasn't the best ride because of heavy traffic (something we had hardly experienced before), the open vistas of the lake and the Bridge of the Americas from the restaurant were great.

Bocas del Toro is the main town on Colon Island, one of a group of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama, close to its border with Costa Rica. A 30 minute crossing in a small boat dropped us off a few metres from the Bahia Hotel where we stayed for two nights. The Bahia Hotel is the old Panama headquarters for the infamous United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands) and the big safe, where ill-gotten gains were doubtless stored, has been maintained. And no cycling - which was something of a relief! I also spent the second evening on my own, eating a burger and drinking some beer by the ocean, which was also a relief I must confess.

Bocas del Toro is an emerging tourist town, attracting a mix of backpackers and wealthy incomers at present. It is basically a single street, one side of which backs onto the waterfront. The latter was a curious mixture of rundown dwellings and very expensive properties with equally expensive boats. There was a real Caribbean flavour to the town, so although the Afro-Caribbean population was not as dominant as in Cahuita, there was a pleasantly relaxed air which I liked.

With a free day on Tuesday (Day 11), a number of us opted for a trip involving dolphin watching, snorkelling and a visit to Red Frog Island. We all got soaked on the boat trip out to Dolphin Bay, a combination of heavy rain and the spray from the waves; we saw a few solitary dolphins, the remainder presumably having shut up shop because of the weather (Juliette has a similar but better story about hedgehogs on North Uist!). However the rain gradually eased and then the sun came out (shades of 'wait a minute it's stopped raining, guys are singing, guys are sailing... mother, father kindly disregard this letter' - only people of a certain age will know the song!), and I enjoyed the snorkelling which I haven't done in years. The highlight, however, was the afternoon when we took the boat through an area of dense mangrove swamps to Red Frog Island. We hiked over to the far side of the island (looking at some red frogs en route - tiny frogs about 3 or 4 cms in length) where there was an idyllic beach and the surf was up giving the opportunity for some great swimming. So a day which started out in a dispiriting manner ended on a real high.

Rafting and Hiking. The two wildlife-focused activities were the float trip down the Rio Tenorio (Costa Rica) on the morning of Day 6 and the hike in the Hanging Bridges of Arenal (it sounds better in the Spanish - 'Puentes Colgantes del Arenal') private nature reserve in Costa Rica on Day 8. I was impressed with this reserve which comprised 600 acres of protected forest, located in an area of ravines, streams and waterfalls with 16 hanging bridges to negotiate the terrain; some of the bridges were high up allowing spectacular vistas of pristine rain forest. It was designed with conservation in mind with a single paved track over the bridges and around the reserve. It was beautiful in the rain, although I didn't see much because it was late morning before I got there. However I has a fascinating discussion with my guide Walter (I hired a personal guide) which I'm going to write about in the next theme. Wildlife sightings were a regular feature of cycling days too, especially those through the rain forest areas.

Just a general aside on conservation, it seemed that Costa Rica was doing a decent job in balancing wildlife tourism and rain forest protection. There was mention of 35 state-owned and a similar number of private reserves. But I need to investigate this. By comparison in relation to Panama the Footprint guide writes that: '..the integrity of Panama's fragile natural environment is in peril. Rainforests are being cleared for gated communities and foreign-owned housing projects; ancient tribal lands face obliteration from grandiose hydroelectric schemes; and many of the country's most beautiful coastal habitats have already been wrecked by luxury hotels hoping to profit from tourism' (p317).

On the Rio Tenorio rafting, the main species were the iguana (some pretty large), crocodiles, various types of heron, egret, kingfisher, humming birds, and howler monkeys. On the Arenal hike I saw a viper close up which was pretty special (they are small but very dangerous and apparently quite a number of children are killed by trying to pick up the yellow variety to play with), but otherwise there wasn't much on view as it was late morning when I got there. While cycling, we saw toucan, parakeets, white-faced monkeys, coatis (like racooons), and the huge sloth. The howler monkeys were pretty ubiquitous in the forests: they make a sound like a dog barking, but when you hear them at dawn, the noise of a colony is quite haunting, reminiscent of distant thunder. The habitat of most varieties of toucan is open woodland rather than rain forest, so we saw these distinctive yellow-beaked birds on a number of occasions. As ubitiquous as the howler monkeys were the vultures: I saw vultures nesting on a fence in Ometepe Island; and four vultures in the scruffy back yard of a ramshackle dwelling on the waterside in Bocas del Toro (for vultures in Bocas del Toro, read sparrows in Scotland!).

Hot Springs. While not in itself a huge highlight, the hot pools were integrated into the dense surrounding jungle with an attractive hotel/restaurant complex where we had a good buffet dinner (Day 8). The hot pools were layered by heat level, which I'd not experienced before, with an artificial waterfall and it was very relaxing. My previous experiences with hot springs were more interesting and amusing, however! When Juliette and I were in the Amazonian rain forest, we were taken to a natural 'hot spring', basically a little pool filled from a stream which drained into the main river complex. There was just enough room for the four of us present. Sitting uncomfortably on stones of different shapes and sizes, I seemed to be attacked at every turn by little biting fish-the other three were women, whom these fish apparently didn't fancy, so I didn't stay too long! I wouldn't say the water was terribly hot either. The second (non-)experience was also in Peru, this time Agua Calientes (literally 'hot water'), a shabby, rundown town at the bottom of Maccu Pichu. Returning from the Macchu Pichu trek, all my clothes were dirty and smelly, so I stripped off and sat huddled under the blankets on the bed stark naked - what a sight to behold! - while Julie took her and my clothes to the laundry. She returned with them three hours later, having also investigated the hot springs which she pronounced dirty and smelly too and not worth a visit. We had a good laugh about all of this-perhaps I have an obsession with clean clothes which has come up a few times in this blog!

Introduction & Theme 1: Cycling in Central America

My post from Managua was as it turned out the only one I could manage while I was in this region. Hotels often had internet access but no computers and we were hardly ever in towns, plus in Nicaragua and Costa Rica I struggled with the keyboards (!). So I'm writing now from my notes. But first I wanted to add another observation to my list of disadvantages of group travel. I found that I had rather little time to myself, and also little integration with local people and cultures because these interactions (for example, dealing with Customs & Immigration, which in fairness would have been a nightmare especially at the Nicaragua / Costa Rica border) were handled by the Trip Leader.

The attraction of this trip to me, when I was thinking of booking, was its variety, so writing in a thematic way is quite appropriate. Cycling was, of course, the central purpose and so I'm going to write about this first. I would describe this activity as 'designer cycle touring' (remember 'designer backpacking' in New Zealand). Bikes were Cannondale hard tail mountain bikes with semi-slick tyres, appropriate for the mix of terrains. Most of the cycling was on minor tarmac roads but potholes were a constant threat, and there were some tracks and rutted unpaved roads.

Most of the group were active cyclists, and a number were much more serious than myself which showed in their stamina and power, especially on long, flat sections - but (as with my walking experiences) some of the Southerners weren't so good on the uphills. Cycling gear was well in evidence-tops, shoes, shorts etc (by comparison I simply wear hill-walking stuff except for cycling shorts with their padded inserts).

We had a mini bus for the entire trip with an impressive roof rack that carried our 19 bikes. It also had a container at the back with water, fruits & snacks plus repair equipment for the bikes. Aside from Rob the leader who cycled, we had two Costa Rican cyclists/mechanics (Paul and Randall) and a Costa Rican driver Luis. Paul and Randall were brilliant mechanics as there were quite a lot of punctures plus broken chains, and my derailleur which broke when I ran into Mary who came off in front of me. Later in the trip we lost Rob who went back to his family in the US for Thanksgiving and was replaced by non-cycling Kevin (which didn't go down so well with the group), and Paul who had to quit because of a throat infection.

In total I cycled 275 miles at an average speed of 11.6mph. Doesn't sound much I suppose. We cycled on 11 days but mileages were very short on some days; I opted out of one day to go to the rain forest, and another was effectively washed out by torrential rain. Maximum downhill speed was 40mph - one or two people got up to >45mph but I braked as soon as as got to 40 in case of potholes. Most of the cycling was in the mornings as it got very hot and humid after lunch, and I have memories of reaching some restaurant lunch stops, really enervated and absolutely lathered in sweat. As the days went on the interior of the bus really stank!

The longest cycling were Days 7 & 13. The former involved 43 miles from Hotel Tilawa (near Tilaran) to La Fortuna, a developing (but currently shabby) tourist town on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Basically we cycled around the north side of Lake Arenal towards the beautifully symmetrical, cone-shaped and very active Arenal volcano. This was a lovely cycle through lush agricultural land and dense rain forest. The rolling countryside meant numerous albeit generally short uphills and made it pretty hard going in the heat. I definitely had 'lead legs' and had to push myself hard for the last few miles before lunch. Stayed at the Hotel San Bosco near the beach in La Fortuna: I was looking forward to swimming in the Pacific Ocean at sunset, but the sight of two sewers was somewhat offputting, and I ended up dipping my toes in the water.

Day 8 also involved 43 miles cycling in Panama from Santiago to the Pan American Highway some distance from Panama City. After an uphill section at first, the route was mainly flat through rolling countryside (a bit like southern England). It was hot but I felt great and really enjoyed this.

Other interesting days involved cycling to/from country borders where one really got close to people, long lines of trucks, and scruffy border posts; crossing and re-crossing the Continental Divide; and Day 9 when the formal cycling was cancelled as I mentioned above. Leaving La Fortuna on this ninth day, we crossed Costa Rica to its Northern Caribbean coast, where we stayed at the lovely Hotel Atlantida, near Cahuita, amongst beautiful tropical gardens right by the beach. The rain had more or less petered out and a few of us went out for some offroad cycling on the rough track running parallel to the palm-fringed, totally empty beach. Named Black Beach, it looked to me have pristine white sand. Undeveloped at present, this will undoubtedly be a tourist haven in years to come. At present the most distinctive features were the small palm-leaved huts with reggae bars and little dwellings; and the area itself is Afro-Caribbean, with English spoken in a Jamaican dialect, lots of 'hey man', dreadlocks and a very laid-back, friendly atmosphere. Cycling along, the track became increasing indistinct and muddy with no possible access for cars, and little 'bridges' over creeks which eventually led to a tree-trunk bridge that was impossible for bikes too. This was about the only occasion where bugs were a slight nuisance. Still it was a great end to a day mostly stuck in the bus. My personal finale was to go for a little swim in the sea, although I didn't stay long as it was getting dark and there was a noticeable undercurrent.

So this is just a flavour of the cycling which itself characterises the variety of this overall journey. The scenery encompassed banana plantations on the Caribbean coast, the rugged, tree covered mountains of the Continental Divide; the volcanoes particularly in Nicaragua and the huge Lake Nicaragua; rain forests; and lakeside and coastal vistas.

Travel to Nicaragua

Saturday 12 November was a long day. Staying at the Premier Inn at Heathrow, I was up at 5:15 to get the bus and thereafter two AA planes to Miami and Managua. With a predisposition against US airlines and not having flown by AA before, I was pleasantly surprised by the flights. Both busy but service and food was good. We had lovely doughy individual pizzas before landing in Miami.

I'd never been through Miami Airport before but it´s new and pretty impressive. US Immigration must have been investing money in the number of Immigration Desks, and particularly, in Customer Service courses, as things were quick and smooth. Mind you this is off-season, and the procedures of having four fingers of both hands and thumbs plus face photographed will cause big delays at peak time. Still, the need to pick up your bag, trail it through Customs and then, apparently randomly, pass it under a tape to some guys to put on another carousel, doesn´t seem so efficient. The bag of one of our group went missing here: she got it 2 days later minus all her jewellery etc.

Got out of Managua Airport by 8:50pm and into the hotel Patio del Maninche by 10pm: This was 4am UK time so everyone was exhausted. The group is 16 strong, with 2 Aussies, 1 Canadian woman and 13 Brits. Aside from myself, there was a semi-retired dentist and his wife (of Polish origin) in their 60s, who had been on 15 Exodus trips, their favourite being the Galapagos Islands; 8, I'm guessing in their 40s, including two couples; 4 in their 30s, including one couple; and finally an English Exodus rep based in San Francisco aged 27.

We´re in the Patio del Malinche for two nights. Rooms are plainly furnished with air con and fan, and a good shower. Above average from my experiences I would say. Breakfast was brilliant: muesli with yogurt, fruit of many varieties I can´t remember eating before, and toast and mango jam.

Not sure if and how I´m going to write this blog. The leader is an American who now lives with his family in Costa Rica and is now full-time during the season; and one of his colleagues has written extensive notes on the planned trip day by day. So I could write this up any time. Instead I´ll maybe write in a thematic manner. It´s different to New Zealand but I´ll try and make it interesting.

This computer has free access for guests. It´s located in the central open area of the hotel planted with trees and flowers. It´s 6:30pm and there are few bugs around but only marginally irritating. Temperature must be about 28C and pretty humid.

Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama Trip Details

Here are a few trip details so that you can see where I'm going over the next 16 days.

I'm staying near Heathrow Airport on the evening of 12 November; and fly to Miami, departure 09:45, with a transfer onto a flight to Managua in Nicaragua, scheduled arrival time 20:30 on Saturday 13 November ( the time change is -6 hours, so that is 14:30 UK time); with a two hour bus transfer on to to Granada (Day 1).

We travel down the Pacific coast, over the border into Costa Rica on Day 5. The cycling in Costa Rica takes us close to the active Arenal Volcano as we ride through jungle and rural areas to the tropical lowlands on the Caribbean coast at Cahuita.

We move into Panama on Day 10 with some longer days cycling as we switch coasts again towards Santiago and then on to the Panama Canal and Panama City. We depart Panama City on the afternoon of Saturday 27 November at 14:00, transferring again at Miami for a 20:35 flight to London. Finally I am due to get a 15:00 flight on Sunday 28 November to Glasgow.

All international flights are American Airlines. Just a small detail for travellers: our American friends now require visas even for transit passengers. A new level of security checking. You can apply electronically, cost $14; lasts for 2 years.

Travels in Central America, 12-28 November 2010

Hello folks,

This is my first post since New Zealand & Australia at the start of 2010, and my first overseas trip except for work-related visits to Switzerland and Ireland. Unlike the Australasian travels, I am going to Central America as part of a group cycling holiday with the travel company Exodus.

It's my 5th overseas trip with Exodus, others being to Mali (Timbuctou, trekking etc, 2005); two to Morocco (ascent of Mount Toubkal, and Atlas Descent mountain biking, both 2007); and the Pyrenees (Pyrenees Single Track mountain biking, 2008).

The other travel company I have been on international walking holidays with is Ramblers Holidays to 6 locations (Mallorca, 1998; Las Alpujarras, Spain, 1999; Francavilla, Sicily, 1999/2000 millennium; Ligurian Alps, 2001; Andalucia, Spain, 2002; and Madeira, 2005/06 Xmas/New Year). Despite it's rather unfortunate brand name - when I first went with this company, my son commented 'when I think of Ramblers, I think of old guys like you with Rohan trousers'! - I've had some good walking and usually nice company.

As these are UK-based companies, most of the people are British, especially with Ramblers, where the age profile is older too. The Exodus mountain biking holidays in particular attract largely the 30-somethings age group. As with all these activity holidays, you can choose the grade you wish, although as I've found the grades are not always consistent! This can have interesting consequences as with my Pyrenees mountain biking where I went over the handlebars on the first morning, and then came off again when I skidded on some stream water on the same afternoon! Decidedly bloodied, but mostly unbowed, I got better! I still went over the handlebars a second time later in the week, and I was at the limit of my mountain biking 'expertise', but I enjoyed it a lot.

Anyhow in anticipation of going cycling in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, I thought it might be interesting to provide a few observations on the pros and cons of group holidays in case any readers are thinking of signing up. So here goes...obviously group holiday are are less flexible; some group leaders may permit people to do their own thing at particular times (such as going up a mountain which is outside the holiday grade - at one's own risk of course), but this is not the norm. For many people the fact of having no responsibility is a major plus point for group holidays, and basically it depends what one wants. Independent travelling has its limitations when there are language barriers or safety problems exist; and in some instances governments may not permit solo hiking as with the Inca Trail trek in Peru or where it's physically hardly possible to travel alone (the Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Amazon region falls into that category)

Outside these obvious points, there are a number of factors which determine the degree of enjoyment in group holidays (the actual holiday locations and activities have all been great, at least matching my expectations so I won't say any more about these issues):

• Organization and logistics: All good. Flights and transportation were efficiently organized with people being met at the airport by the group leaders. The Ramblers trips were hotel based (2 star- ish) in one location, with day hill walking (except Madeira which had two centres over a 14 day period, the others being typically 8 days in length). The Pyrenees mountain biking with Exodus was based in a chalet; otherwise these Exodus trips involved trekking in whole or part (with camping / hutting on occasions) or mountain biking in the Anti-Atlas region where we stayed in hotels. I always have a single room in the small hotels even though the additional cost can be quite high.
• Group leader: The leader clearly plays a major part in the success of the trips. Mostly these were Brits, except in the case of Mali and Mount Toubkal where the leaders were locals, and the Pyrenees, where there is a French requirement to have a local as well as a British guide. There were one or two slight difficulties with Ramblers who may have trained volunteers as leaders, who weren't always so fluent in the local language or didn't really know the routes very well. In fairness I would say that some routes in Mallorca had been blocked off by land owners, associated with the big growth in German holiday home ownership. The best leaders were those who were efficient and friendly, but not over-friendly (I can think of one who seemed to be more interested in the women in the party than in guiding!). It's not an easy job though, given the personalities of the group members!
• Group profile: I talked a bit about the group age and nationality profiles above. From my perspective as a single and 'older' person, other factors influencing the success of trips were the mix of single/married people (sometimes the latter tend to stick together somewhat); age range didn't bother me despite being the oldest by far on the mountain biking trips; and nationality mix. I would say I prefer a range of nationalities since it makes for more interesting discussions. On Ramblers holidays, all-British groups wasn't an issue on the short trips, where conversation revolves around who has been where, when and associated anecdotes. But anything longer than a week or so means that conversations begin to get into potentially contentious topics. I have to confess my problem with the 'Middle Englanders' (they may not be English-they could be Scottish or Welsh!) and their illiberal / socially conservative views on immigration, gay rights, hanging and so on, and readership of you know what newspaper(s). So there are conversation topics to avoid, let's say.

In my New Zealand blog, I mentioned my favourite locations and I'll do the same for my group trips, although I'm loathe to rank them since they were very different:

1. Atlas Descent-my first mountain biking with superb mountain scenery, and landscapes shimmering in the midday heat; pretty (albeit poor) little villages with bleating, bell-jangling goat herds. And we had a really great leader - Liz Proctor. It was graded higher than the Pyrenees trip but I think Liz altered routes to match group skills. The finale was amazing: a long downhill ride to the ocean.
2. Francavilla, Sicily. This village resides above Beautiful Taormina with rugged landscapes and hill walking that included a partial climb of Mount Etna (we were forced back because of deep snow and volcanic activity). It was almost bound to be a hit because of the millennium. The group was great and we had a lot of fun. On New Year's Day there was a sinister atmosphere pervading the town centre - fires burning, gnarled old Sicilian men in dark shabby suits, grey day...Welcome to the new millennium.
3. Mali (Timbuctou and the Dogons): I've been fascinated by Timbuctou since I was a child and always wanted to go there as it seemed so remote and romantic. I went with my friends Richard and Susan Shaw and Sue's friend Alex. The route went via the capital Bamako and along the River Niger, with some trekking and camping in the Dogons and thence on to Timbuctou by mini bus. Timbuctou, once a major centre for Islamic learning, is now being taken over by sand, as desertification sweeps inexorably southwards. It may not exist 50 years from now. The main street was 25-30 cms deep in sand, there was sand in the hot, humid wind, and sand in our bread rolls. The Tuareg looked menacing and hostile (and still have women slaves). I was pretty sick (like Richard too) and still I loved it.
4. Now that I've identified the above three, I feel I shouldn't have done this. It means I've omitted the Ligurian Alps where we stayed in a quaint rustic village. The group was great and danced a lot, and we had stimulating conversations and ate homely Italian food.

In truth I've enjoyed everywhere. Just be positive and adaptive, and don't get involved in petty issues like how much the group should tip etc. And now to Central America!