For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.
During COVID, after weeks at home, I finally snapped and bought… a toastie machine.
It had been years since I’d had a toastie and, day after day, the feeling grew that it would be reassuring and comforting to eat a toastie again. Not sure why I associate toastie sandwiches with comfort. I think it’s the satisfaction of having all the ingredients in a sealed toast pocket. It’s like a present for a sandwich. You don’t know what you’re going to get until you bite into it and open it.
But there are dangers. The toastie is not an electric blanket of a sandwich. It’s more like a hot water bottle filled with boiling hot liquid that could burn if pierced. The toastie can superheat the wrong ingredients, like tomatoes. The water in tomatoes, when sealed in the pocket, reaches boiling point and will scar your mouth when you eat into it. It’s important when eating a toastie, to choose wisely.
So, no tomatoes, no relishes or chutneys and, no soft cheeses. A brie can dissolve into liquid lava when heated by a toastie. Instead, a toastie needs chunky, solid ingredients. The kind of ingredients that offer the reassurance of concrete (though hopefully not the taster).
So, for today’s lunch, as I was at home for a GP appointment:
“Hello,” I phoned, “Can I make an appointment to see my GP”
“Yes,” said the receptionist, “and what will I tell him it’s about.”
“My ear” I said.
“Telephone appointment okay then?” She said.
“What do you think would be best for a question about hearing?”
“Ah, in person then.”
As I was at home, I got out the toastie machine and had a reassuring and comforting toastie.
For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.
For several years, every Christmas, someone sends me a box containing four jars of chutney.
I don’t like chutney.
I never eat chutney.
I have never indicated in any way that I would like to receive chutney.
Yet, every year, when I open my Christmas presents, there it is. A gift box of chutney.
It’s got to the point now where I just accept it. I can’t turn round and say “I don’t like chutney”. I just say “thank you”, and then put the chutney in the cupboard until I either remember to have it (rarely) or I find it again once it’s best before date has passed and I can put it in the bin.
I could put it straight in the bin but that doesn’t feel right. That would be wasting food. Instead, I let it lie until it’s inedible and then I put it in the bin. Because that’s not wasting food? There is the possibility I might eat it. I don’t but it still remain possible.
For this challenge though I have tried this year’s chutney, first a tomato one and now an apple and cider. And both were…. alrightish. I don’t think they added much to the sandwich. The tomato one was a pale imitation of having an actual tomato and the apple one was like adding jam to a sandwich. Not unpleasant but I would no more add Lemon Curd to a cheese roll than ice cream to a lasagna.
However, as the point of the month is to learn more about lunch, I add chutney again to my lunch. But that’s where I will stop. I’m definitely not adding Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey to my dinner!
Bread: M&S soft white roll (still using since Friday)
Ingredient: Edam, sliced ham, apple & cider chutney
For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.
Last week, when I was ill, I missed a late Christmas lunch at a restaurant in town, which was annoying. I had chosen the venue and had been looking forward to going.
Today, we went to it for lunch, since I missed out.
“The food is fantastic,” said Mrs TwinBikeRun, “and the portions were just the right size.”
So, we ordered, and an entire supermarket aisle of food arrived.
Mrs TwinBikeRun pork ribs looked like they came from an entire family of ribs. My chicken had the the entire hutch. Even TwinBikeChild’s kids menu vegetable spring rolls had deep fried an entire farm worth of vegetables.
“Oh,” said Mrs TwinBikeRun, “when I was here we had the lunch menu.”
Today, Saturday, they don’t have a lunch menu. It’s just for business lunches, Monday to Friday.
We asked the waitress. “Is the lunch menu smaller portions?”
“Yes,” she said, “and to be honest, I think it’s a lot more manageable, but better to have too much than too little, right?”
Today, I had too much. And once you have too much you don’t really see ingredients or meals anymore, you just think “that was too much!”.
For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.
“Is it windy in Glasgow?” I’m asked.
“Biggest howler since Jack Butland own goal last night,” I said.
It’s a red weather warning day as storm Eowyn batters its away across Ireland and the central belt of Scotland.
Everything is shut so last night I popped out and stocked up with lunch and dinner.
“What would be good hunkering down food,” I asked myself. The answer: I thought there would be nothing better than ‘stodge’ and what could be more stodgy than a sausage roll… in a roll.
When I worked a summer job at the local golf club the greenskeepers I worked with had a simple roll rule: if you can stick it in a roll, it’s a snack, and not a meal. Three course lunch? Not lunch, if on a roll. That way they could a snack at 1030 consisting of pie, beans and chips… on a roll and then lunch at 1230 of pie, beans and chips, not on a roll. Anything you could think of was fair game to be a snack as long as it was buttered and covered in a floury bap.
From them, I discovered the joy of getting a sausage roll and eating it in a roll. You might ask “Why would you do that? The sausage roll already had pastry, it’s designed to be eaten by hand. It already has a protective pastry sheath.”
But I think it’s still greasy and the roll gives you an extra layer to absorb all the grease and, more importantly, the ketchup, without getting your hands greasy.
It’s a roll on a roll and that’s been my rule for sausage rolls ever since.
For the last three years I’ve used January to try and learn something new. Three years ago it was to try 31 days of exercise, two years ago it was 31 days of stretching, last year it was 31 days of learning to play the piano and this year it’s 31 days of… lunch.
I was invited to join a Q&A seminar with the Scottish Tory leadership team at lunch. I’ve been to a few of these with other parties but this was this first time I’d ever met a Tory MSP.
At each session, I like to ask the same question:
“Politician’s always criticise other parties, can you tell me what policies or actions you admire of the SNP/Labour/Tory [delete as appropriate]”
I asked an SNP cabinet minister and he praised the Conservatives then approach to many foreign policy issues. I asked Ian Murray, now the Scottish Secretary, and he praised many of the domestic reforms introduced by the SNP. I asked Russell Finlay, Craig Hoy and Murdo Fraser today and they, well…
I like this question because it tells me a lot about the person answering it. Can they put aside their standard responses and give a considered reply? Can they show genuine praise of people they normally oppose? Do they have empathy for them? And can they answer the question, as I’m not asking for criticism, I want a straight answer.
And from the Torys, I got two minutes of waffle and then a joke about Hamza Yusuf.
What a bunch of plonkers.
And I didn’t even get a decent sandwich. Instead, I got tiny wraps filled with a bit of tomato and ham. Less a sandwich and more a tiny napkin that looks like it’s been used to wipe up a messy table.
The Isle of Lewis is renowned for three things – Harris Tweed, Gaelic and having the oldest group of rocks in the UK. The rock is called Lewisian gneiss. The second oldest rock group in the UK is The Rolling Stones.
In Summer 2016 I met a cyclist at Stornoway ferry terminal. I asked him where he’d been cycling on the island. He said: “I did the Hebridean way. A 185 miles route from Barra to Lewis.” I asked if he’d enjoyed it. He said: “I’ve cycled in the arctic circle in Norway. I’ve biked the far north of Canada but I’ve never been as cold and miserable as cycling here!”
I gave gave him some words of encouragement “If you think this is cold you should try it in winter!”
The Hebrides is the best place in the world on a nice day but on a bad day….
After speaking to him I looked at the route of the Hebridean way. I was disappointed. It missed out lots of great places and bike routes. So here is my improved version based on my own experience doing the route and my local knowledge of my home islands of Lewis and Harris
The ferry from Oban arrives early evening into Castlebay. The official route recommends starting your trip the next day in Vatersay before heading north to catch a ferry to Uist.
DON’T DO THAT! Stay in Barra for two nights so you have a full day to explore the island before leaving.
Vatersay
Day 1: Head to Vatersay to see the official start. Make sure you have walking shoes with you as there’s a nice beach to explore here. From the start head clockwise around the island aiming to get to the airport for lunch time. They have a great onsite cafe. Check the plane timetable so you can watch the plane take off and land from the beach.
On the way to the airport stop at Barra golf club so you can see how a sheep field has been converted into a sports venue.
View from the statue above castlebay
There’s only one hill of note which is towards the end of the route. Anyone of moderate fitness can bike up it. Park your bike at the top of the hill so you can walk up the hill to the statue overlooking Castlebay. Finish off the day with a fast downhill ride into Castlebay.
Day 2: Catch the ferry to Uist….or its day 1 if you ignored my suggestion 🙂
This is a controversial choice but I’d argue not to go the official way up the west coast but instead take the east coast. Heading south first means you can visit Rodel church. This is ancient church has one of earliest known representation of a man in kilt. Now a day there’s lots of men in kilts here. Its a very popular place to get married.
I was best man at a wedding at Rodel
Next to the church is small pier which is the southernmost point you can cycle to on the Harris.
The west coast has some great beaches but the landscape of the east coast is unique to the island. A barren landscape of ancient rock and heather. The windy undulating single track road is great fun to ride.
Once you get off the east coast head for Luskentyre beach. The official route passes a bit of it but the best view can only be seen by heading along to it. If you want a challenge try running up the sand dunes. It’s hard work!
The island across from the beach is where the BBC filmed Castaway.
Finish the day by heading to Tarbert. There’s a long climb from the beach towards tarbert but once you get to the top its all downhill into the town.
Note: You can choose to miss out the one way road to Huishnish if the weather is bad.
Unfortunately Tarbert is at sea level and at the base of a hill (The Clisham), so today is going to be hilly no matter which way you go. I’ve added in some diversions off the official way.
Start by heading to Husinish Bech. At one point Madonna was going to purchase it, until she discovered the public are allowed to walk right by the windows. Robert Plant from Led Zepplin was also interested. He went for a pint in the local pub but the beer must have been bad as he never came back with a bid.
The road out to the castle packs in allot of interesting sights. There’s the ruins of an old whaling station, there’s stunning views of the harris hills and there’s the world’s most useless tennis court! It’s exposed to the wind and wild weather of the Atlantic.
If you like very wet and windy tennis then this is the court for you.
From the castle you can walk up to one of the UK’s biggest cliff faces. The 600-foot cliff face of Sron Ulladale, There is an easier walk (or gravel bike path) to the eagles observatory if you want to try and see Golden Eagles.
I’ve not marked this on Strava but the re is another one way road thats realy scenic. From the top of the Clisham you can had to Rèinigeadal . Rèinigeadal had no road access until 1990; the only route in was along a hill path, or by boat. There’s a postman’s marked path from the village back to Tarbert. Imagine doing it carrying a load of Amazon parcels. It’s worth walking a bit of it as it has some spectacular views. There is a hostel at the end of the road.
The most spectacular bit of Lewis is Uig. It is more expensive to buy a house here than anywhere else on the island. So that shows you how good it is! 🙂
Its a one way road but worth heading there to stay the night. Try to stay near reef beach or Timsgearraidh
Head back up the west coast. You will pass by the callanish stones and Carloway Broch.
Watch out for a sign that says Dail Mor beach. Its one my favorites especially if the weather is bad as it gets hit by the full force of the Atlantic.
You could head to Ness to finish the route but the road to Ness is one of the most boring drives on the island. Vast empty moor as far as the eye can see. Instead head to Stornoway as there’s much better routes that you can do from there.
If you do want to know what the end of the route looks like then check this out. I was there on a very stormy day.
Give yourself at least a couple of days in Stornoway. From here you can do some great routes.
A flat out and back route to a lighthouse. From here you can watch whales pass by. On the way back a small detour will take you to a 15% hill climb! It’s short but hard. I needed a quick rest at the top!
If you tire of road biking then a recently completed mountain bike trial has been constructed in the Castle Grounds. An area of forestry next to Stornoway. I hadn’t tried it before and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. There’s no major hills but lots of undulating tracks. It was a great way to pass a few hours.
Tour De Tolsta: If you only do one route from Stornoway then do this one! The beaches along here are some of the best on the island. One of them even has its own waterfall
Originally the road to Tolsta was supposed to go all the way to Ness but it was never completed. Supposedly a local sightseer had predicted that if the road was complete then the “The day will come when the Isle of Lewis will sink beneath the waves.”
Which seems unlikely as how can a whole island sink? But, in 1995, the ferry to Ullapool was named the “Isle of Lewis”… There was no calls to complete the road whilst that ferry was operational!
There’s some great swimming spots along the route. Coll beach is very popular with the Hebrides open water swimmers.
Go to the Co-op and buy a “Stag Bakery’s Stornoway Biscuit” It’s like a more solid version of a scone. Delicious with butter. I buy loads when I’m at home as you can’t get them anywhere else
Braighe is an apt name for the beach as it means sandy strand in Gaelic. The sandy side of the beach is a fine sandy strand between two parts of the island.
You can swim on either side but normally the west side is calmer as it faces a protected bay.
Although when I visited (Sep 2022) it was the east side that was flat as a pancake.
The water temperature was 13C and the tide was fully in. Be careful when swimming that you don’t go too close to the shore there are posts sticking up from the beach that you can’t see when the tide is in. I hit one with my hand and it was sore!
REVIEW
Ease of Access: There are three car parks available. The middle one has toilets. It is only a 10 minute drive from Stornoway to the beach.
Water quality: The water quality is crystal clear and perfect for swimming although on a wild day it can get a bit sea weedy on the bay side.
Swim Quality: Cold. In December the temperature was 7C. I had a short swim in a circle. In the summer I’ve been here and swam the length of the beach.
Other People: Not a soul.
Would I go back: Yes. Its the easiest place to get to have a sea swim that is near my parent’s home in Stornoway. Normally one side of the beach will protected from any bad weather.
The route was a new improved Toddman route featuring an altered bike and swim course than the 2020 version.
Swim
We started with a 1km swim in Carron Valley Reservoir. There is no set route so I did some 200m laps back and forth until I hit the race distance. Even though Andrew started five minutes before me, I still finished before him.
I think our GPS watches have very different ideas about how far 1Km is. I’ve noticed even if I swim, bike or run right next to him we will often have very different distances logged.
But in this instance I’m sure my watch was 100% accurate and therefore I declare myself the winner of the Swim leg. 1-0 to Iain.
Bike
The new bike route comprises a climb of Crow Road and Tak Me Doon. Which we have renamed Todd Me Doon. The fastest to the top of both climbs would be declared Todd of the Mountains and he would be awarded the Polka Todd Jersey.
Andrew beat me to the top of both climbs.
BUT I let him win. I had a camera with me as I was filming the competition as we did it. Did Chris Froome have to film his own Tour De France wins? No! Someone did it for him. I lost all the time having to cycle slowly so that I could get Andrew in the shot. If I’d cycled at my normal pace he’d have been left behind and I wouldn’t have had any shots of him.
That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.
I think, even though he came first, I should be declared the winner. 2-0 to Iain.
Run
The last leg was an out and back run to the Summit of Meikle bin. I knew from the start of the run that I would win. Each time I pushed the pace a bit faster Andrew would struggle. I was feeling great so I was confident I’d outpace him at the end.
With 1KM to go. Andrew’s shoe lace came undoe. He claims he shouted at me “Hey, wait a sec, I need to tie my shoelace!”
All I heard him say was “Hey Champ, run on. You deserve the win. You truly are Toddman!”
Who knows who was correct? All I can say is “I am Toddman !”
Although it has got a little bit busier. Previously, I did not see anyone swimming here but on my last couple of visits there has been at least one other group swimming.
Its a great sport for a quick dip within easy access of Stornoway.
REVIEW
Ease of Access: There is a car park next to the beach (by the pier)
Water quality: The water was clear and I could see a good distance under the water.
Swim Quality: 12C in August. You can swim from one beach to another just a few hundred meters away along the coast. The Pier blocks the worst of the waves. It was flat calm during my visit.
Other People: There was another couple of swimmers splashing about.
Would I go back: Yes. Nice spot for a swim and easy to access.
When you turn up at a race and accidentally pose for a picture dressed as a traffic light!
Someways, I do a race and think “wow, that was great. It felt really easy. I could have carried on all day”
Other days I think “Please God make this stop. I hate every second of this”
The Hebrides triathlon was a “make this stop” day. It was entirely my own fault that I felt like this!
Swim (36min 46 sec)
The swim is usually in a Loch but due to the presence of Blue-Green algae the organisers wisely moved it to the sea instead.
Normally I love swimming in the sea. The clear water is much more enjoyable than a peaty dark loch. Unfortunately. I made a mistake when choosing my swim googles. I wore tinted lenses. It was an overcast day and the tinted lenses made it seem even more overcast. I could barely see my nose let alone the course markers.
My sighting was so poor I swam 1800m instad of 1500m!
Even worse than that – Andrew beat me.
I should have brought the correct googles.
Bike (1hr 22 min)
The bike course is an out and back route to the Callanish Stones. It was an undulating route with a strong head wind on parts of it.
Andrew is a better cyclist than me so I knew I wouldn’t catch him on this section. I hadn’t ridden my TT bike in a year. I struggled to get comfortable on the bars. It wasn’t an enjoyable ride.
I should have done some test rides before the race.
Run (1hr 03min 02 sec)
I injured my foot a couple of weeks before the race. I debated whether to start the run or not. I wasn’t sure my foot could handle the race.
I decided that I didn’t want a DNF against my name so I decided to start but walk whenever my foot felt like it might be sore. I quickly realized it was ok on flat sections of the course but sore on up or downhill parts.
There wasn’t many flat sections!
I should have walked all of it so that my foot wasn’t sore
Overall. (3hr 10min 12s)
I was happy to finish!
It is a great, friendly race with a great selection of food available at the end. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to combine a trip to the Hebrides with a scenic challenging race.
Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland 