Hello, I am the guy who shared a table with you on the train up from Edinburgh to Inverness. I had cycled the NC500 in June and thought about you often over the next two weeks, wondering where you were and how you were getting on. Now I know! I loved the video and saw a lot of familiar sights but was really sorry to hear that you had to abandon the trip. It was absolutely the right thing to do, particularly calling the Coastguard, as once you are cold and wet hypothermia is a real danger and, as the coastguard told you, it could have finished very differently and were may not have had this video from you. The strength of the wind in the Highlands is often underestimated and, as you now know, it can wreak havoc. But you did the right thing and you should feel very proud of yourself for that. Get back up there sometime and finish the journey. Look forward to watching some more of your adventures (now subscribed) and all the best, Ross

Enjoyed that mate - great job. Awful way to end but got to look after yourself up there. Been up there in similar conditions and it's bloody awful! Keep up the great videos. 👍

You should do the Hebridean way next 😍

Fine effort mate! Great video, you live to fight another day! 👍

Well done mate you deserved to be there. Safety is the priority in the situation like that. You can’t really predict the power of nature. Another story to tell my friend! Good luck. Just wish me luck coz I’ll be doing NC500 this year September 2024 in 5 days. 😢 🤞☯️

What a story! I’m so pleased the coast guard helped and reassured you calling 999 was the right thing to do. In my opinion you’ve cycled the best part of the NC500, I done it in 2017 but if I done it again I’d get the first 200 out the way anticlockwise. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Great video - enjoyed it. Glad you’re safe. You’ll have a story to tell your grandchildren one day now!

Great vid .. great adventure! Well played on getting out safe to fight another day. 👍

Great video, beautifully shot, edited and commentary. A man's gotta know his limitations.

The most important thing is that you're still here, and obviously remaining positive for future trips. We were in Thurso in September, all was calm, but at the time we commented on how bleak it must be in a storm - now we know!! Thanks for sharing and all the best for your next adventure.

Leaving on march 1st next year, on a solo backpacking adventure, I have no plan, and no end destination..... Great vid mate

Wow. Scary stuff. I enjoyed the film a lot. Thank you for sharing.

What a superb superb superb video. I’m sorry it ended the way it did, but what a story you have for the pub!!!

Thank goodness you had a charged phone battery and a signal !

That storm was scary! You absolutely did the right thing calling the emergency services. Just a shame the police didn't offer you a cell for the night and a nice cup of tea🤣 Beautiful route, I did it in 2019 on my Cotic Solaris mtb . I remember that steep climb where I overtook a motorhome, struggling its way up. Hopefully you'll get a chance to do the rest of the route some day.

You didn't fail, you just did the NC300! Sorry to see your trip was cut short, but it looks like you made the right decision and it gives you a good excuse to go back when the weather's a little less hurricaney!

Well done mate, good job. It must have been an absolutrly terrible night, and you certainly did the right thing to involve the emergehcy services. Take care.

Gorgeous bike ! Well filmed and edited. Best wishes.

I feel for you. I'm aciclyst too. An Argentinian living in Canada for the last 50 years. Good luck next time, mate.

At least you live to tell the tale

You did the right thing, getting help. I particularly enjoyed the Bealach na Ba section. 35 years ago-ish, I backpacked from Toridon to the foot of the pass, walked the pass the following day to Applecross and back to Toridon the next. The walk across the pass lives on in my memory - I had many wonderful days of walking while backpacking, but I think BnaB was the best.

Stunning scenery & great effort. Fair play to you as well for sharing the video (albeit the journey not completed) - You've really helped highlight how easy it is for things to go wrong, despite planning which is really important. Hopefully, your experience will help prevent someone else putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. Top marks as well for making the decision to quit - that must have been tough but under the circumstances was definitely the right thing to do. I look forward to watching you take up the challenge again sometime in the future. Thks for sharing. 👍

Enjoyed your video, thanks for posting 👍

A well put together video you should be proud of. Sensible decision and here’s to the next time. Having supported my son on the NC500 you’ll enjoy finishing it.

Gutted ! for you me as it looked like we were both going to enjoy an excellent adventure. But that said you made a brave decision and the right one. Glad to hear that the rescue services thought so too. I know how tough it is to abandon an adventure as after blowing myself up in a tent and being treated for burns in Keswick Hospital when I was on my way to Fort William I had to decide whether to continue. Very long story short I did and the landlady I stayed with became a family friend for more than thirty years. As you said its why they are called adventures. Stay safe out there.

Definitely a bit of wild camping going on there! Good on you showing the true aspects of bikepacking in the north coast. You're here to tell the tale after making the correct decisions. It's a fantastic route, done it twice in both directions and , hopefully will repeat it. Had a slightly lesser experience like yours on my first trip, thankfully the tent survived , just! Nothing beats a wee adventure and having stories to tell. Imagine your only conversation was relating what youd seen on the TV from the sofa! Keep getting out there 😁

Great job and I would say you definitely had an adventure. Not gone wrong but gone right. You set out with a mission, challenges were thrown up by the environment and you adapted to each making the necessary calls along the way. You can never beat nature, just accommodate it. You're left with vivid memories and I'm sure a lot of learning. Are there any choices you would make differently knowing what you know now?

Brilliant! Enjoyed this one. Did Hebridean way last year and it was raining a lot too but I was lucky a few times finding shelter at the right moment just before storm etc.. I am sure you will be back to finish it🙂

That’s a real adventure

You made the correct decision I always tell people from down south that Scotland doesn’t just get four seasons in one day we get four seasons in one hour & the further north you go they four seasons can be extremely dangerous in less than one so you lived to enjoy it all again in a warmer month as we say in Scotland haste ye back 🙏🏻🙏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🚴🏻‍♂️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Unlucky mate but at least you’re here to tell your story. Brush down and go again another time 👍🏻🚴

Nice trip 😊

Excellent video. well done

Mate, that sounds like an epic. You did the right thing, just a bugger your trip was cut short. Sweet cinematic shots. New subscribe here

We were supposed to do a hiking tour in Knoydart (Fort William, Mallaig area) that week. We saw the weather forecast and baled (at considerable cost). Wouldn't have been pleasant (or safe) in those conditions.

Loved your video - until it went pear-shaped. Bad luck with the weather but you are still here and perhaps you will go back and do it again (with brilliant weather) another time. I rode the NC500 a few years back with friends in September, we had to abandon one day due to a storm but we weren't camping.

enyoed it very much thanks for posting and very sad that it ended the way it did. which is the best season to bikepacking the NC500 ?

Cool

Well done, you planned properly but still got caught out and that can happen. The rescue services would have been happy to help out. Not so keen on people going up the hill in winter wearing shorts and trainers ! The weather here is getting more unpredictable, especially the wind and rain so I guess low level recues may become more common.

Gutted it went dodgy for you matey, looked amazing up til the storms rolled in & sure you would've smashed it in normal weather. Next time bud, keep at it.

And I thought 4+ hours on a (somewhat) crowded bus to Astoria on the Oregon Coast was awful…? Well, at least I got Covid out of it! (Joke) That said, I enjoyed Amtrak travel back in 2021…

Glad you got home safely but you didn’t say what happened to your tent and contents. Did all that plastic just get left there in the wilderness? 😲

Am watching this video when its been up for eight days. But how long ago was it undertaken? If its october it may have been a little to late in the year. Admire your resilience and fortitude . The weight you carry as a recording artiste exceeds normal bike packing KG’s. The guy you did it in the perfect month , June, the chance of reasonable weather and before the schools break up. Like looking at content from amiable chappies and not self obsessed racing snake community.

no such thing as bad weather in scotland just the wrong gear and if you have to call the mountain rescue because your tent failed then it was the wrong gear and a trekking pole tent is the wrong gear

Didn't you check weather forecast, Scotland 4 seasons in one day, Rules for wild camping Scotland leave nothing but footprints.