Pretty well all of my Kirk o Shotts photos have a blue sky. That wasn't going to happen today without the sudden acquisition of extensive photo editing skills, so I'm going for b&w. The weather wasn't as challenging as yesterday. Indeed the only thing to puncture my good mood was a puncture.

This used to be a bright, vibrant community hub full of friendly people who I sincerely believe were making a difference to our town's well-being and sense of self. Now it's a vape shop. Better than nothing, you might argue, and employment for some. Still feel hacked off about it.

Remembering the time I was out cycling and took a selfie, only to be photobombed by a house doing a facetious impersonation of me.

Dunblane to Callander the quiet way, then NCN 7 past the Falls of Leny and Loch Lubnaig. Superb!

The Voe near Torbothie, Shotts. Also know, perhaps whimsically, as Torbothie Beach, at least on Google Maps. Old maps show it as a reservoir with a brickworks on its shore and collieries nearby.

Faint aurora tonight...

The under-helmet balaclava my neighbours gave me is great - though I do feel like a Scooby Doo villain when I take it off...

Loanhead Farm Tearoom - a community initiative - is open again. As before, it's only 11 am to 2 pm, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Still well worth a visit.

The low traffic route from Carluke to Carstairs has been much improved due to a relatively small piece of infrastructure: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2026/01/14/c...

Asking @southlanarkshire.gov.uk if the council was responsible for the short cycleway from Ryeflats Road end to Carstairs? I would genuinely like to thank whoever was responsible - a small piece of infrastructure improvement can make a big difference.

I asked AI to create a picture of a horse drawn carriage.

The signed cycle route between Carluke and Carstairs has IMO been marred by a short, busyish stretch on the A721. Now there's a cycle path beside it - a fine example of a little infrastructure going a long way. Now so much better for young or inexperienced cyclists. Kudos to whoever made it happen.

Carried out a welfare check on the Brow Woods birds as a winter's sun went down mid afternoon.

When Scotland lowered the drink drive limit, the double entendre limit was reduced too. Now you can get in trouble just for having a small one.

70 or so years of solitude - a visit to the lost village of Haywood, South Lanarkshire: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2026/01/03/h...

2026 came in on a brisk, cold, dry wind. I managed to fit a ride in this morning and came across this fully decorated Christmas tree around three miles from the nearest road. I hope the new year is kind to you and yours.

Is there anything more disappointing than a shop-bought New Year steak pie? You take it home and beneath that massive puff pastry crust is a quarter-sized tinfoil boat full of gravy and four little dauds of meat.

From the Loch Tulla viewpoint, on the way home from Fort William. Must have been too cold for the piper.

Loch Ness and the Spean Bridge Commando Memorial - a favourite monument.

A frosty morning's walk near Caol

She's checkin it wance, she's checkin it twice, She still cannae think o onythin nice. Mrs Nae Offence at Christmas...

Why you're cheating if you ride an e-bike: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/i...

Squirrel at the bird feeder...

Knitted post box toppers seen on today's ride. Nutcracker - Cleghorn, other - West End.

Huge celebrations as I reach my annual mileage target.

Finally got the chance to ride the last stretch of the route from NCN 74 to Douglas. This runs to the village from the biomass plant at Poneil. Except that I didn't quite do that: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/.../poneil-t...

Today my bike computer showed me travelling at 40 mph. I've never previously attained that speed even on a steep downhill. The wee spoke magnet that creates a pulse in a coil was squint. Was it sending a double pulse? When I straightened it up, the computer behaved. Thoughts?

"In the high places of the field" as it says on the Darmead monument. Brilliant, cold, crunchy ride around Black Law wind farm this morning.

Lovely, bright, frosty day. I went to Trackside Cycles in Shotts for a couple of inner tubes and had a good blether with the guy there. Unfortunately, the back road from Allanton wasn't gritted. I dropped my guard at one point and ended up on the deck. (It was actually quite funny)

Cyclists - here's a tale of a well-known Scottish climb. walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/t... Do you think a climb has defeated you if you take a rest on the way up or push for a while, or is geting to the top with your bike all that matters?

Here's a description of a literary tour along the Clyde Valley, mentioning books by Walter Scott, Robert Maclellan and Ethyl Smith: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2025/11/10/a...

When I was wee, I thought the rhyme went: Remember, remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder, trees and a plop.

Visiting Couthally Castle near Carnwath - not my finest hour on a bike: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2022/03/20/c...

Muirkirk Heritage Layby. Hae a read at the poem by Thomas Floyd. #Scotstober #glabber

The Rubbish Patter bins stert a rammie wherever they're pit. Read mair Eejit Street comics here: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/comi... #Scotstober

Not very warm, a little breezy but dry and sunny. A loop around Forth, Climpy and back through the wind farm, with a detour to Winnyknowe Woods and Aitken's Pond. The woods always look lovely at this time of year.

Aye passin through Brocketsbrae on the ither side o the Clyde Valley. And if Ah tak the back road tae New Lanark, Ah see a muckle picter o a brock. #Scotstober

Puir gran wis puggled climbin doon the stairs. This is whit she did... Poem frae Itchycoo's Blethertoun Braes. Braw drawin by Bob Dewar. #Scotstober

A wee me up on ma grandfaither's shooders. Fowk say a look like him noo. #Scotstober

Rode to the Edinburgh Bike Cooperative to spend a voucher that I won in a @spokes.org.uk 'favourite bike ride' competition. Used part of the route I described for the comp. Got some gear for the winter months. Home by train.

Ah ken the day's #Scotstober word (warp) has naethin tae dae wi faster-than-licht space travel. In ony case, We hae wheech drive instead. See www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/comi... fur mair o the Major Tam story.

A wee nyaff cried Sandy gets a skelf... read mair in the Eejit Street comic: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/comi... #Scotstober

Unambiguously autumnal at the pond near Craigenhill, Kilncadzow. Old maps show a building called Cleekimin near the pond. There's a similarly-named place in the Motherwell area. It's at the top of a steep hill. A 'cleek', in Scots, is a hook. 1/2

The bad news- Loanhead Farm Tearoom is closing, though it's hopefully a temporary shutdown. The good news- there's a community cafe in Coalburn. I tried it today and it's great. Ideal if you're trying out the new paths.

Frae The Pizzenous Pet Shop: The Slevverin Slug is sleekit, It plans oot its attack, It slides up yir shirt tae the collar, And dribbles doon yir back. Read the hale poem here, or hear it frae actor Katya Searle: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/poem... #Scotstober

A misty day, so I headed off road. Waste of time putting the washing out...

A wee plooter aboot at the seaside in Leven wi ma granny (1963 or thereaboots). #Scotstober

Half birthday for this beastie - I bought it six months ago. We've enjoyed a fair number of miles together in that time.

Hoo dis Mrs Nae Offence ken whit a monkey's oxter smells like? Read mair braw ScotshooseYaldi comics here: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/comi... #Scotstober

One from the archive - a visit to the site of Couthally Castle near Carnwath goes a bit wrong: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2022/03/20/c...