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Sunnier this morning which made getting up and on the bike a lot more enjoyable. I followed the Sustrans National Cycle Routes through Pitlochry and then on to Perth. These are fantastic, well signposted and almost always on deserted or very quiet backroads. Often I’d cycle for 5 or 6 miles without seeing a car, and it’s far more varied than bombing it down a major dual carriageway: quiet country roads, paths through housing estates, abandoned roads which have been re-purposed as cycle tracks, riverbank paths.

Some of the sections of the old A9 between Pitlochry and Inverness are now dedicated post-apocalyptic cycling routes: there is no-one around, the road markings are faded, there is moss and grass pushing up through the cracks, and this goes on for miles. Great fun.

I had to ditch the cycle routes after Perth as I was running a bit late and needed to be in Dunfermline that evening. Having grown up in Dunfermline this always feels like coming home, and as I headed into Fife the surroundings and place names became more and more familiar and had more and more memories attached: Kinross, Loch Leven, Lochore, Kelty, Townhill and then home to Dunfermline.

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I locked my bike in my friend Duncan’s garage along with the rest of his extensive bike collection. He had to dash off to hockey practice so I helped make some space in his kitchen by finishing off his pasta supplies. Thanks Duncan! I headed into town to meet up with Jamie and Kyle for a few pints at the Commercial Inn. The sun was setting over the new Tesco building site, the old fire station, and a vast amount of roadworks. Beautiful.

Duncan joined us at the pub and the night ended back at his flat drinking too much whisky and watching old music videos. Finally to bed, and I fell asleep instantly in the luxury of a real bed.