Posts by flyfifer

  • Excitement in Inveraray today

    We asked "Whits gaun oan ?" ----

    Filming of a Netflix crime drama -.


    Must have been frustrating with folk inadvertently popping out of a shop door as they filmed the hero catching Rank Bajjin !


    Traffic was being stopped but I guess not so easy to sweep the street clean of folk !

  • Mosko Backcountry Panniers.

    Phunnily enuff in a conversation with the "staff", in the new Ducati outlet in Dundee last week, the allegedly positive attitude of Ducati to warranty claims Vs the relatively high cost of servicing the bikes came up.

    Dougie K has had a number of cosmetic but expensive items fixed, on his Multistrada, under warranty.

  • The Rest and Be Thankful

    I fell over a government press release this morning, ref the R&BT.

    I have chopped out the gov self congratulation in the announcement to try and understand what the announcement means.

    "

    Rest and be Thankful.

    Transport Scotland has announced the intention to progress design and development work for the route through Glen Croe.

    The £25m contract will provide -

    An estimate of the overall contract value for undertaking the design, promotion, procurement and construction supervision, of medium and long-term solution.


    "We will bring forward proposals for the medium term by the end of this year, with an announcement on the preferred route option for the long term by Spring 2023.

    "


    If the word Solution had an S on the end I might follow it better.


    Does it mean the work currently being done is taken as read as being the Short term solution ?


    Does it mean they are considering taking further remedial action as Medium term work (how many years would that be ?!).


    [If they publish proposals in Spring 2023, "only" eight months from now for the Definitive solution, I will be amazed.].


    Does £25million seem appropriate for 8months consultancy to establish a Definitive design and full costings, with construction time ?


    Anybody with knowledge of road building got a guess ??

  • Nice day out.

    Steve,

    I have used the A701 a lot over the years but I have never ever enjoyed the junction where it meets up with the A702 just before the 702 meets the bypass. I don't know how many accidents there have been but poor visibility combined with volume if traffic are a problem for sure - four wheels or two when heading North.


    A couple of years back I found a way of enjoying the A701 and then joining the A702 near Penecuik.

    The attached pic with a red line scrawled across it shows a road that runs from the 701 in Penecuik through a relatively new housing estate to join the 702 at a nice new roundabout.

    It is called Mauricewood Rd and is a left turn at a set of traffic lights. The roundabout was presumably put in to support the umpteen hundred vehicles leaving the nice Cala houses heading to Embra.

    My marker in Penecuik is a run of green metal fencing on your left as you approach and Tesco on the right.


    Screenshot_20220828-193947-344.png

  • ADV Scotland ‘Hangman's Cairn' Rally 2022

    I see that Dave78 and Bazzaric have each booked a pod.

    Perhaps I am the only person in the world to have missed it but it is only on re:re:reading, the pod description, I worked out they are set up with a Double bed rather than two singles.


    Just sayin'.

  • The other Way round

    Had a run out today with Dougie K and went "round the other way."

    For some reason if we want to use the Cairn o Mount road we invariably do it on the return south and ignore Edzell

    Today we went north via Edzell and Cairn o Mount.

    Perhaps more importantly the run across Angus was glorious, hills to the left, hills to the right - to mangle a line from a poignant song.

    Ballater was its usual glorious self. (With the bonus of petrol 4p cheaper than Morrisons).


    Glen Shee was bicycle city ! Apart from the guy on the para wing thingie.

  • Flying Pigs I fear ??

    Be careful what you wish for -

    The nice new Gairnshiel bridge will be capable of carrying Large Goods Vehicles.

    Not sure who would benefit from that but --- there would surely be a negative !


    Ref the alleged Transport Scotland 20year investment vision --- I think there's a lot of folk on this forum who could have scribbled down an impressive list in Five Minutes ; I wonder how much the actual "vision" cost us ?


    The A96 consultative document must be costing a small fortune --anything rather than bite bullets and get on with it.

  • B976 A939 Gairnshiel bridge


    Short version.


    The A939 road from Gairnshiel Lodge eastwards towards Ballater will be closed for two weeks from Monday, August 22.


    The signed diversion route will be from the A93/A939 junction, east along the A93 to Dinnet, then north along the A97 to Strathdon, then west along the A944 to re-join the A939 at Colnabaichin.


    The works are towards the end of the Lonach Gathering/Games on Saturday 27th August 2022 but it will not impact on any access.


    The closure will be removed by the weekend of the Braemar Gathering/Games, Saturday 3rd Sept and Cycle Tour of Britain, Sunday 4th September 2022.