Flower and Freedom On The Backroad to Bannockburn

Rarely, in the history of the world, has there been such a serene and peaceful cycle route as the 20 or so kilometres between Croy and Stirling, the 'backroad to Bannockburn' as I like to call it, crossing the fells and hills that separate two of Scotland's main urban centres, Glasgow and Stirling.

Being the 7th centennial anniversary of the rout of the English by Robert the Bruce and his squad made the day even more palatable as I surveyed the green June hills, listened to the call of the curlews, and 'struggled' onwards (and mostly upwards) towards the pinnacle rock upon which Stirling Castle now sits. Passing through these empty roads, no man nor car to be seen, freedom and peace has never seemed so tangible. Call it a pilgrimage for freedom, a celebration of space, a salute to the great Self, on the single track road called Scot-land.

The route is straightforward enough. Take the train to Queen Street (a return ticket to Stirling is 8.10) and get off at Croy. Follow the route previously marked for the Carron Valley, that is, through Kilsyth and up the Tak Ma Doon to the quiet crossroads where the Carron Birdge Hotel sits. Now, just carry on north taking the road to Stirling (8 miles). From here, just follow the route marked above for the most scenic and peaceful cycle imaginable.


























The approach to North Third Reservoir (June, 2014)

The idyllic North Third Reservoir (June, 2014)


Lewis Hill and cliffs on the east side of North Third Reservoir (August, 2011)

Entering Stirling from the west is a magical experience as one is shot through a linden studded street with large sandstone villas on either side. Some of the lime trees (now at the end of June fully flowered) look as if they are several hundred years old. It's a great entrance to a city, and moreover it's downhill, so the cyclist has the added advantage of soaring into the city. In spite of the fact that this is not a race, I always find my arms raising themselves at this point to embrace the space and the 'finish line' which is Stirling's high street. The castle and the views across to the Ochils and beyond are a few hundred metres up the hill. And the train station from where we will get a train back to Glasgow Queen Street is just beside the High Street.


























The view east from Stirling Castle ramparts towards the Wallace Monument and the Ochil Hills
(August, 2011)

Seagull & Cyclist

Bicycling is the nearest approximation I know to the flight of birds. The airplane simply carries a man on its back like an obedient Pegasus; it gives him no wings of his own. 

Louis J. Helle, Jr., Spring in Washington

Cycling isn't just a metaphor for flying - it is flying. Wheels, let's face it, are wings, especially on those downhills, freewheeling, soaring, gliding through space.

If you are a cyclist and you live in a community like I do where birds are as much resident as humans, and you watch these birds, particularly the seagulls, you will soon realise the parallels between freewheeling and soaring. In both cases it is momentum that propels the organism through space; the wind too is crucial as every cyclist and seagull knows. The capacity to breathe 'physics' (which invariably leads to metaphysics) on a bicycle, in one's understanding (under-sitting) of momentum, inertia, force and mass, is not to be underestimated. Indeed, I have often thought that instead of sitting in laboratories examining ticker tape and wave machines, students of physics would be a lot better off just cycling, and writing up a log of their findings. The joy of physics is in doing it, not in having it imposed upon you. You can see this joy in the freewheeling gulls and soaring cyclists, especially children on bicycles who simply enjoy the bicycle as an end in itself.

For people who dream of flying then, the logical thing to do would be to get on your bike, and learn of the prevailing winds. As every seagull and cyclist knows, having a tailwind is like having a second engine, a second engine that invigorates and ventilates as you go.

What more could you ask for?!

 

 'Wheels & Wings'