Clocking up Team Matilda’s 7000th mile in tandem on celebration sunny “overseas” ride on Millport with new round island record!

The “old gal” taking in the sunshine and stunning views towards Millport Town.

This blog is the story of how my dynamic crew had fab fun on a truly epic Sunday clocking up Team Matilda’s 7000th mile in #tandem on a celebratory “overseas” ride on Millport What’s On Millport, Isle of Cumbrae complete with an amazing  new round the island speed record!

The big 7k was approaching and – unable to attend the Tandem Club rally in Nottingham – the “old git” and “old gal” decided that there was no better place to hit the mileage mark than a day trip to ‘Costa del Millport’ Visit Cumbrae.

You can check out the details of our route by clicking on the Strava map below.

It was definitely one of those sun-kissed, wind free, days when the Isle of Cumbrae lived up to its slogan: “Millport – in a world of its own!”

Up at 6am and after a near 80 mile drive to Largs my dynamic crew boarded the 10 minute CalMac Ferries trip from the mainland.

The “old gal” with her Cal Mac ferry ticket just before boarding.

The “old git” and “old gal” enjoying the short 10 minute crossing from Largs to Cumbrae.

On arrival on the island there was a quick pedal clockwise from the ferry slipway to the town of Millport and a very welcome yummy strong morning coffee at Crocodeli Millport – seated in their new outdoor seating table with wonderful views across the bay.

Coffee spot with a view … fab coffee too from Crocodeli Millport

Lap one was a fairly brisk clockwise pedal with my crews breathing in the fresh sea air and taking in the wonderful coastal views all the way round the 10 mile perimeter road. The sunny vistas towards the island of Arran were just spectacular.

The ‘Sleeping Warrior’ of the hills of Arran was a spectacular view with crystal clear visibility.

The “old gal” captured the “old git” making sure the camera angle is just right!

Millport is known as a cycling paradise due to the virtually flat and quiet circumference route – and it was great to see the island so busy with visitors. Super to see big queues at bike hire shops like Mapes of Millport. Round the island is not an official The National Cycle Network route – but it should be!

Back into the town and there was a look at some of the shops before going anti-clockwise to our fabulous “table with a view” – situated just before Fintry Bay – which overlooks the beach and has stunning views across to the island of Bute. Team Matilda’s retro AG2R CITROËN Team tops perfectly matched the blue of the sea and sky!

This is one of my dynamic crew’s favourite spots and naturally it was the ideal venue for one of Team Matilda’s signature prosecco picnics.

Picnic table with a view – the stunning outlook across to Bute!

My dynamic crew took a fun selfie on a walk on the sun-kissed beach.

It was idyllic sitting in the sun having the picnic, before a walk on the beach and some madcap photos at a spot potentially earmarked for a future top secret Team Matilda project!

The “old gal” having fun on the beach – with cycling top matching the blue of the sea and sky!

On the rocks! The “old git” posing for a madcap photo on the beach.

With still a good few miles to pedal to hit the 7k mark, the “old gal” decided that our picnic spot would be the ideal place to hit the milestone. So recharged after the picnic, my dynamic crew did some calculations to work out just how far was left to pedal, and completed the anti-clockwise lap cycling back into Millport for a loo stop and coffee and cake at The Dancing Midge Cafe.

Now it was time for the “speed lap” with the “old git” determined to break Team Matilda’s record of 38 minutes – which they failed to do by just 5 seconds on their previous visit!

The Strava sector is known as “Millport TT Clockwise Out and Back from Royal George Hotel” and my dynamic crew were totally up for the challenge – helped by the warm sunshine and hardly any breeze.

The “old git” knew they had to pedal at above the average speed of 15.6mph on their previous attempt to break my dynamic crew’s existing record for the 10.02 miles circuit.

And amazingly the energy levels held all the way round as the “old git” and “old gal” completed the circuit in 35.01 minutes, at an average speed of 17.2 mph. And that spectacularly shaved some 3 minutes off their previous best! Wooooo!

The “old git” feeling the pain after smashing Team Matildas round the island record by 3 minutes.

The “old git” was more than a bit out of breath by the end, so made a call for a celebratory – and recovery – refreshment in the new beer garden at Millport Pier, which is the new name from the recently taken over Royal George Hotel. The celebrations were helped by Strava informing my dynamic crew that they had registered the “seventh fastest worldwide” time for the lap of the island for a female as this “old lady” tandem is obviously registered as a female. Fabulous to get such recognition!

And proof from Strava of the 7th fastest time ever!

Team Matilda next paid a flying visit to the great new island business – Isle of Cumbrae Distillers – set up by a group of five women on the island who distill gin to match the mood of Cumbrae.

Team Matilda had to pay a visit to the fab Isle of Cumbrae Distillers – a local gin distillery!

A purchase was made of Croc Rock gin – which has a hint of ginger and therefore seemed highly appropriate for the “old gal”! The “old git” decided that the only thing to be done was a fun photo opportunity – with the Croc Rock gin at the iconic Crocodile Rock on the promenade!

A purchase was made of Croc Rock gin and there was only one place for the photo ….

… naturally the “old git” had to introduce Crock Rock gin to the iconic Crocodile Rock!

There was now just 5 miles to go to hit the 7k mark so my dynamic crew headed clockwise back towards their favourite picnic stop. And as luck would have it, just as it came into view, the milometer clicked over to 7,000 miles! What an amazing coincidence!

The actual magic moment was captured by the “old gal” on video – so click here to view or on the image below.

There was a burst of mutual celebrations, especially as the “old git” had worked out that a 7000 mile radius of non stop cycling from our home base would take Team Matilda as far as Tokyo in Japan; Jakarta in Indonesia; or Buenos Aires in Argentina! Quite an amazing distance really!

And there it is… 7000th mile clocked up by Team Matilda!

There was a small celebration toast – complete with a superb congratulations video call with our great tandeming friends Jane Termini Taylor and John Taylor – who are fellow founding members of the self-proclaimed Nutty Tandemers Club! Sadly they were unable to be with Team Matilda on Millport, but have shared several previous thousand mile landmarks in person on some of our amazing tours.

The 7000 miles landmark is obviously worthy of a small celebration toast!

Fellow Nutty Tandemers Jane and John joined us by video link to celebrate!

Mission accomplished, my dynamic crew pedalled back into Millport and had a most tasty alfresco fish and chips by the harbour. Why does it always taste so much better outside at the seaside?

Superb end to the epic day on Millport with alfresco – and very yummy – fish and chips!

It was a perfect way to finish an epic action packed day on Millport, before a frantic dash back to the ferry slipway and the ferry back to the mainland.

On the ferry back to Largs the “old git” checked Strava which officially recorded the ride as being a brilliant 30 gongs – made up the “seventh fastest in the world” plus 16 personal bests, 10 2nd bests and three 3rd bests. No wonder it was an energy sapping day!

The detailed Strava figures showed my dynamic crew tandemed a distance of 46.9 miles with a moving time of 3 hours 08 minutes. The average speed was a very healthy 14.9 mph. Elevation was just 418 feet, given the island is virtually flat. The maximum speed was 22.6 mph and Team Matilda managed to burn up 1,852 calories and produce an average power output of 147 W.

As always the route is brought to life in our Relive 3D mapping video – so click here to view or on on the image below.

One final piece of news in this blog is that my dynamic crew were asked by Sustrans Scotland – the charity that makes it easier for people to cycle – to join in on publicising The Scottish Governments Net Zero #LetsDoNetZero campaign on Twitter, to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint and be “net zero” by 2045, by making a journey by bike.

So the “old git” calculated that by pedalling our 7000 miles, Team Matilda had saved the planet a staggering 3.5 tonnes of co2 emissions – compared to driving the same distance. And of course there’s an argument for saying you could double that as there are two cyclists on board!

Here’s the series of tweets:

My dynamic crew joined @ScotGovNetZero's campaign as clocked up 7000th mile in #tandem @Whatsonmillport on Sunday
That's staggering 3.5 tonnes CO2 emmissions saved v same distance by car!😱
And can double that as 2 cyclists!🚴‍♂️🚴‍♂️
Tagging @Briarcottages to join in!#LetsDoNetZero pic.twitter.com/F0wTapw7Hb

— Matildas Musings (@matildasmusings) August 4, 2021

So epic adventures – and helping to save the planet – its all part of Team Matilda’s ethos having fun on a bicycle built for two!

Team Matilda introduces fellow Nutty Tandemers Club members John & Jane to delights of ‘overseas’ trip to ‘Costa del Millport’!

Selfie time for the Nutty Tandemers on the beach looking over to Bute.

This is a post about a truly epic day in #tandem as my dynamic crew introduces fellow founding (and only!) members of the self-proclaimed and highly exclusive Nutty Tandemers Club to the delights of an “overseas” trip to ‘Costa del Millport‘

Jane Termini Taylor and John Taylor, who have their own Travelling In Tandem blog, have the same nutty attitude to tandeming as the “old git” and “old gal” – so what better place to go for a day tour than Millport, Isle of Cumbrae?!

Jane and John on their e-assist bright green Pino tandem – suitable named Polly!

The island – officially known as The Isle of Cumbrae – is a cyclists paradise offering a gently undulating 10 mile loop on almost traffic free roads never more than a few yards from the sea.

We even managed to chase away the early showers and the sun came out to play to show our English-based visitors Cumbrae at its glorious and stunningly beautiful best! They are now converts and fully agree with the slogan: “Millport – in a world of its own!”

You can check out the details of our route by clicking on the Strava map below.

Our day started with the early 10 minute CalMac Ferries trip from the mainland at Largs and a quick pedal into town for a welcome yummy strong morning coffee at Crocodeli Millport.

Lap one was a clockwise slow dawdle in the unwelcome rain – but provided a good opportunity to highlight the many attractions including Indian Rock and Lion Rock. Back in town naturally there was a photo stop at the iconic Crocodile Rock.

The self proclaimed Nutty Tandemers Club at the iconic Crocodile Rock on Millport.

The “old git” and “old gal” enjoying a fabulous view from Millport across to Arran

Team Matilda pictured while having a photo taken near Crocodile Rock

Lap two and the tandem crews headed anti-clockwise to our fabulous “table for four with a view” overlooking the beach and over to Rothesay, situated just before Fintry Bay.

Naturally this was the site for one of the Nutty Tandemers signature prosecco picnics – which caused a bit of interest with passers by. One kind lady stopped from her walking circuit and offered to take pictures, asking what was the nature of our fizzy celebration? She was a bit bemused and just laughed when the reply was: “There isn’t one other than its Sunday! Do you need another reason for prosecco?!”

The four Nutty Tandemers enjoying a signature prosecco picnic toast!

The chilled prosecco – which had been carried on my trendy and eye-catching La Bouclée wine carrier – provided the basis for a highly memorable alfresco picnic.

Re-fuelled – and after a walk on the beach – the tandem teams completed that lap with an enjoyable stop for afternoon coffee and a sampling of the simply divine home made chocolates at Brewbaker Millport cafe and chocolate shop.

Ahoy there! Jane and John looking out to sea to glimpse the many boats enjoying a sail.

To burn off some calories the tandem crews then embarked on a pedal on the hilly Inner Circle with its two Category Four climbs. Let’s just say this was somewhat easier for John and Jane on their e-assist bright green Pino tandem – suitably called Polly! My dynamic crew were admittedly a bit slower going up!

My dynamic crew in EF Pro Cycling jerseys just after the hilly climb on the Inner Circle route!

The Nutty Tandemers stopped for another fun photo opportunity at the viewpoint which has a magnificent vista over the whole island. The heather at the viewpoint was at its best and provided a truly halcyon aroma to the photographic frolics which saw the “old gal decide she would pose for a shot on the front – just to see if anyone could spot what was “wrong” or “different” about the picture!

Spot what’s “wrong” with this photo! Answers on a postcard …. (Clue – who is on the front!)

The “old git” trying to merge in with the fabulous aromatic purple heather.

Jane with the “old gal” at the viewpoint on the hilly Inner Circle route.

The “old git” and “old gal” posing with their Tour de France EF Pro Cycling jerseys!

But amazingly Strava showed that on the descent, to my absolute delight as an “old lady” tandem, that Team Matilda was awarded gongs for two different sectors for being “9th fastest in the world” and “10th fastest in the world”! I may be old – but I am still fast!

Team Matilda heading downhill to record a 9th fastest in the world Strava gong!

The “old gal” said it must be something to do with my dynamic crew’s weight and the resulting momentum downhill! The “old git” said it was the fact that he rarely uses brakes on steep drops which always brings screams from my back seat from the “old gal” who is a bit of a scardey-cat Stoker! But that is all part of the fun!

After re-grouping back in town the crews decided on a final clockwise “speed lap”! There was an epic fail for my dynamic crew here tho as they failed to break their own lap record by just FIVE seconds! Back in April 2018 they recorded a time of 38 minutes dead, but today’s time was 38 mins and 5 seconds much to the chagrin of the “old git” who was really going for it and very keen to break Team Matilda’s existing record! He blames having to slow down for people wandering onto the road as they came down the main street in the town!

Next up was an amazing – and highly recommended – Gin High Tea at Round Island Cafe which my dynamic crew decided would be a fitting way to eat for the Nutty Tandemers!

A great way to end a Nutty Tandemers ride with the fab Gin High Tea at the Round Island Cafe

And it most certainly was! Great fun with the gin cocktails poured from a traditional china teapot and drunk from cup and saucers! And mine host Cindy provided an amazing and tasty array of savoury bites, scones and cream, and cakes and sweet treats! And great value too!

Then it was time for the final few miles pedal back to the slipway and the ferry back to Largs before a final extra mile or so along the promenade to The Pencil monument for Jane and John to record an answer to a British Cycle Quest (BCQ) clue.

Back to the cars and fond farewells. But the good news is that Team Matilda and Team Travelling in Tandem are meeting up for a week long Nutty Tandemers Club tour in John and Jane’s home territory of Redditch in Worcestershire, which will be fabulous!

Back at Matilda’s Rest, the “old git” checked Strava which officially recorded the ride as being worthy of a total of 15 gongs – made up of 7 personal bests, 7 second bests; and 1 third best times.

The detailed Strava figures showed my dynamic crew tandemed a distance of 46.15 miles with a moving time of 3 hours 42 minutes. The average speed was a healthy 12.5 mph while the elevation was 854 feet. The maximum speed was 33.3 mph and Team Matilda managed to burn up 2,071 calories and produce an average power output of 139 W.

As always the route is brought to life in our Relive 3D mapping video – so take a look below.

As a little tribute to the fabulous Nutty Tandemers Club Tour de Costa del Millport the “old git” has pulled together a photo montage video – set to music – to help everyone remember the fun and nuttiness we all enjoyed – so click below and enjoy!

All together a truly sensational Nutty Tandemers Club day out on Millport on bicycles made for two!

Hope you enjoyed the fun and our pictures! And if you did please leave a comment as it’s always good to hear from readers of my blog.

Matilda’s miles on Millport

Quiet table for two with a sea view?! Our lovely isolated beach view lunch spot on Millport.

7 am on the Sunday of the early May Bank Holiday weekend and the alarm beeps! The “old gal” has a quick look out the blinds and confirms it is lashing down with rain, and as we say in Scotland – it is blowing  a hooley!

But there is no chance of a duvet day as the “old git” has booked us all on an “overseas” trip for some “warm weather” boot camp training on the “sunshine” island of Millport.

For those unfamiliar with the charms of “Costa del Millport”, the island (officially known as The Isle of Cumbrae) is just 10 minutes by Cal Mac ferry from the mainland at Largs on the firth of Clyde and it offers a virtually flat 10.25 mile loop round the island on almost traffic free roads.

It is a cyclists paradise really and is a favourite destination of those in need of some training practice. Well it is when the sun shines and the wind doesn’t blow! Which is exactly the opposite of the weather conditions when we wakened up.

Despite the “old gal’s” protestations in the parlance of John McEnroe that “You cannot be serious!” we were all soon packed up in Matilda Transport and heading down the A9 and across to the west coast in driving heavy rain to Largs for the ferry.

The “old git” – ever the optimist – was trying his best to convince the “old gal” that there was going to be a weather window later in the day when the sun would shine. It would need to be said that the “old gal” was giving him her best “I don’t believe you look” – but obviously delivered with a smile on her face!

Those annoying motorway signs which were flashing “Warning – surface water” and “Caution – high winds” didn’t really help the “old gal’s” mood. But she knew mutiny was pointless as the bed and breakfast was already booked and the “old git” was a man on a mission.

The “old git” was clearly banking on the fact that Millport – being an island – is well known for its typical “four seasons in a day” Scottish weather. And it can actually change conditions very quickly.

Almost miraculously as we drove down the alpine zig-zag bend-style Haylie Brae overlooking Largs, the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sun broke through the thick cloud. There obviously is a God!

So we were able to keep to the original plan of leaving Matilda Transport at Largs and cycle round to the ferry – complete with my natty matching (and bulging) panniers!

A quick stop at a new Costa Coffee beside the ferry terminal and we were on board! I really enjoy a ferry trip you know, as you always meet some interesting new bikes – especially some of these sleek young racing bikes! Which is nice eye candy for this “old lady”!

On arrival – the ferry slipway at Costa del Millport – just 10 minutes from the mainland.

Ten minutes later and we were in a different world – it is amazing the difference that short journey makes as you make the trip “overseas”!

So after disembarking and a quick photo stop, we headed the anti-clockwise “long way” round – the 6 miles down the quiet side of the island to the town in order to take in the stunning views of nearby islands of Rothesay and Arran and clock up the best part of the first loop.

Check out the location and route of my Tour de Millport du tandem on Strava below – don’t forget to click on the map to get the full data and statistics!

Believe it or not as we passed beautiful remote beaches, with abundant wildlife, the sun was shining and we managed to knock up a fair speed – even with the heavy panniers! In high spirits, we identified our lunch spot for the second loop and continued pedalling into the town.

Next job was to hand our panniers in at the Craigard Guest House – a wonderfully friendly bed and breakfast business – run by the really hospitable Janette and Crawford. We stayed here last year and were all welcomed back like old friends! I was most impressed when Crawford greeted us with “Good to see the three of you again!”

After a quick pit stop we were back on the road, with us all enjoying the tandem up the side of the island which looks out on the mainland. We were whizzing along now and soon completed the first lap as we passed the ferry terminal and on to our lunch stop.

It was now almost balmy round the more protected side of the island and my dynamic duo were feeling euphoric as they had to remove their cycling jackets due to overheating! Or as the “old gal” said: “I will say this only once probably this weekend – but I am too warm!”

The “old git” unpacked the prosecco picnic lunch as they took up seats on their idyllic “quiet table for two with a sea view”!

The “old gal” posing in alfresco fine dining mode!

Now prosecco picnics by tandem at remote quiet sports are one of the great simple pleasures in life, and my dynamic duo take them very seriously with meticulous preparation! Today they had a very healthy Hay Plan menu of caesar salad wraps and fresh fruit – and yes the bubbly is on the approved list! They are obviously taking this eating healthy plan thing seriously (not a diet shouts the “old git” who doesn’t do diets!) as they have now lost 53 pounds between them in 11 weeks. And it has left them feeling so much fitter. And as for me I am equally grateful that I don’t have to carry all that extra weight around on my ageing frame!

A quick walk on the beach to take in the scenery in brilliant sunshine was a bonus – although the views to the snow-capped peak of Goat Fell on Arran was testament to the recent cool temperatures!

The “old git” trying to blend in with the bright yellow gorse at the picnic stop!

Back in the saddles and we were off for again with a couple of quick stops for some photos, including the poignant War Memorial which looks directly out to see and what has been – and still is – the Royal Navy’s training ground for warships.

Paying respects at Millport’s War Memorial – a truly peaceful spot.

We tandemed into Millport town again – and after a quick coffee refuelling stop we set out on the third and final loop of the day! The “old git” decided this would be a non-stop clockwise circuit against the clock! We were soon clocking up an average of over 15 mph on the calmer side of the island before we hit the wind on the ferry side! This slowed progress a bit, but we still managed the complete lap in just over 50 minutes.

Strava officially recorded the day’s cycling at a total distance of 26.5 miles, covering an elevation of 651 feet. The average speed was 9.0 mph and we reached a maximum speed of 19 mph!

Just on cue as we arrived back at Craigard Guest House the rain started, so I was quickly parked up safely in their garden with carrier bags over my saddles and bags as rain protection.

Craigard is now in its third season and Janette and Crawford have rightly established a reputation for a home-from-home stay. So my dynamic duo enjoyed a bit of rest and relaxation before a shower and change for their meal at The Harbour. Regular readers of my blog will know that this is one of the favourite restaurants of the “old git” and the “old gal”. And the offering now includes a cocktail menu – including gin concoctions – so the “old gal” was ecstatic!

Dilemma for the “old gal” – to have the Pilot Cocktail or the Stoker Cocktail – or both ..?

The food was brilliant as always – very tasty and originally presented! The “old gal” for example enjoyed baked camembert followed by a build-your-own burger with blue cheese topping and bacon, finishing off with a chocolate toffee brownie and all washed down with Shiraz wine. Just what was needed to restore energy levels!

So after a great night – full of laughs – it was back to the bed and breakfast for some much needed zzzs ahead of three more tandem laps on the Monday!

Well that was the plan! But someone forgot to send the email to the weather department and we awoke to gale force winds and rain battering the windows. But again the BBC weather app gave hope for sunny spells mid morning – although it was still going to be windy!

A hearty cooked breakfast at Craigard set my dynamic duo up for the day. Over breakfast the rain did stop so we headed back out full of hope for more training!

As we set off anti-clockwise the sun broke through the clouds and all seemed good as we cantered along the ferry side of the island with a nice breeze behind us. There was even time for me to become acquainted with some of the local landmarks on the way round, including Lion Rock – a prehistoric rock formation which (up close) resembles a prowling lion.

Time for a quick photo stop at the landmark of Lion rock. Note the “old gal’s” pink ski gloves!

It was significantly colder and more blustery than yesterday so the “old gal” decided to break out the pink ski (sorry stoker) gloves to keep the circulation in her hands.

We were actually enjoying being out on the road, but just after we passed the ferry terminal the first drops of rain started. And as we rounded the headland at the top of the island we were met with a combination of a heavy downpour of a squally shower and the full force of the wind.

With a wind speed of around 30 mph this really was like hitting a brick wall and more or less stopped us in our tracks. No matter how much my dynamic duo huffed and puffed they couldn’t make any significant impact against the wind and our speed slowed down below 5 mph.

They battled on in stony silence passed yesterday’s idyllic lunch spot. It appeared to be a totally different world today and one that they weren’t going to stop at. Nor did we risk stopping for a picture at another of the island’s landmarks for cyclists and walkers – Indian Rock – in case we couldn’t get going again.

Eventually we managed to get to the bottom end of the island and the wind resistance dropped – which gave a welcome chance to breathe and pedal into the town.

The “old git” wisely took the decision that we should abandon any further attempts at training laps and decided on a warming coffee and lunch at the welcoming Dancing Midge Cafe. Here the “old gal” thawed out and joined the “old git” in having a tasty bagel light lunch, followed by a spirit-reviving slice of that staple of cyclists  – home made carrot cake.

As spirits revived the sun broke out again and my dynamic duo decided to venture outside again for a daft photo at the third of the island’s rock landmarks – and the most famous – Crocodile Rock. Over the years it has  attracted many generations of children to have their photograph taken with the Millport Crocodile. So naturally that meant the “old git” – who can be a big kid sometimes – had to have his photo taken there! And the “old gal” got the angle just right!

It was very scary for me at Crocodile Rock – but the “old git” rescued me just in time!

With the weather dry the “old gal” wisely decided it was time to make a break for it and tandem the 4 miles back to the ferry slipway. Fortunately we made it to the shelter before the rain started again. Just a quick shower this time fortunately, and we were soon back on the mainland for the journey back to Matilda’s Rest after our  mini break. We maybe didn’t clock up all the planned boot camp training miles – but an enjoyable time was had by all.

To finish this posting, news of the UK Blog Awards 2016. The glitzy awards ceremony was held in London last Friday night – albeit without me (or my dynamic duo) there in person! My Matildas Musings blog didn’t win a prize in the Most Innovative category in which I was shortlisted – but congratulations to all who did.

The judges clearly didn’t think a blog “written” by a classic Jack Taylor tandem was innovative enough to pedal away with the trophy! But it was great fun taking part in the event and I can always use the words “UK Blog Awards finalist” in my future posts!

In time honoured tradition of thank you speeches I would like to thank everyone for their votes and support which got me to the finals in the first place. And who would ever have thought that my blog would have been in the last 10 shortlist out of 2,000 entries – and been the only Scottish blog to reach the finals?

And there’s always 2017!