According to Auntie Beeb (BBC) sunset is not untill 17.41...

Not sure if anyone's told Aberdeen that. 

Anyhoo, with my resolve of yesterday still fresh in my mind, I set off down the Deeside Railway Line.  In the dark. which gets to you after a while. 

For those unfamiliar with the terrain it's a strip of tarmac about 2 meters wide and can be followed - for the most part - all the way to Ellon (I think, though I'm sure some pedant will no doubt correct me).  It's a general haunt of drinking teenagers, dog walkers and other cyclists. With it having no lighting there are strips of it so dark your eyes play tricks on you.  We cyclists are usually armed with some sort of light, where we for the most part glide silently along the strip looking like some ethereal lycra (or jegginged) clad ghost, escaping from some self imposed purgatory. 

Occasionally you will come across a dog and his walker both bedecked like Christmas trees yielding a fist at the silent cyclists - which is kind of what happened to me last night.  I was gliding along, minding my own business (the dog was on the back sitting comfortably), and I see this red and blue light dancing about on some trees, then up a side of the embankment and then across the path way.  Now I'm not one to jump to conclusions, it was very dark, and I was beginning to loose it somewhat, so naturaly I thought it was faries.   When it tried to get into the buffcage with my dog when I stopped I realised it was a black lab.  Get speaking to the man and he said I was the first cyclist to stop, (he himself could be seen from space he was so brightly lit - I really don't know how I missed him, well I do, I was seeing faries.) that he's had abuse from other cyclists and there is a longstanding war of attrition between the cyclists and the walkers along this line. 

Now, having been too and fro on that line for quite a few years now, I have seen many a thing there.  I've seen all sorts of transport from horses to little tyke motor bikes, and as a cyclist I've come to the conclusion that as long as something’s conscientiously done no one can object.  You will get the odd misery guts who will snort 'Have yeh no' got a bell' when I'm rolling by at a snails pace (2.5 miles) and choose say a cheerie 'excuse me' as opposed to ringing a bell. But I find an equally cheerful 'Go to hell you old fecker' usually shuts them up. 

Anyway, after chatting to the man and his blue and red lit dog I hope I eased the walker/cyclist relationship.  Next stop The West Bank...

But the point is -50 and counting. Yey.

Mx