We set off up a small climbing B-road- no number but labelled Tak Ma Doon. Boy, this is some hill. We climb steeply forever, well the best part of an hour anyway. Norman actually manages to get to the top without stopping, but I have to stop about 5 minutes from the top for a breather. At the top there’s a splendid view- to the Forth Bridges on one side, and, on a clear day, to Arran on the other. Anyway, it’s all downhill for a very long way now. We push on to Menteith. [The Lake of Menteith is said to be the only lake in Scotland. This unusual name is believed to be a corruption of the Lowland Scots Laich o Menteith, where "laich" simply means "low place". Wikipedia.]

I get my shoe stuck on the pedal and fall off. Norman doesn’t laugh. Well, not much. Another mainly sunny day. With the new bike I find I’m keeping up pretty well with Norman, though I notice that if he’s freewheeling downhill I still have to pedal a bit to keep up. I think the slick tyres may make a difference. Also, he’s probably still slightly fitter than I am. We generally arrange it so that I go first, and Norman keeps to my pace. This seems to work OK.
The logistics team come and pick us up in Callender. We spend the night in Balfron at the house of Hugh Gurney, an old buddy from the diving club, and his delightful daughters, and look at old photographs.

The support team spent the day in Stirling, soaking up English loathing by checking out Bannockburn, Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. Did you know: Pre-Braveheart, Stirling Castle got 180,000 visitors per year, post-Braveheart: 300,000 and growing each year. It's also not the original Stirling Castle, as Robert the Bruce destroyed it and it was later re-built by the Stewart dynasty.