The Cycling Scot
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Route Map
  • Where to go in Scotland
    • Aberdeenshire
    • Angus
    • Argyll and Bute
    • Central Scotland
    • Dumfries and Galloway
    • East Lothian
    • Edinburgh and Midlothian
    • Fife and Clackmannanshire
    • Glasgow and the Clyde Valley
    • Islands
    • Perthshire
    • Scottish Borders
    • Sutherland and Caithness
  • Advice About Cycling in Scotland
    • What kind of bicycle?
    • Cycle Clothing
    • What gear to buy
    • Taking your bike on the train
    • Coping with traffic
    • Best cycling guide books
    • Best novels about cycling in Scotland
    • Family-Friendly Bike Holidays in Scotland
    • Mountain Biking Guide
  • Travel Writing Projects/Working with Me
  • Best Cycling Books
  • Diary of a Cycle Commuter

Great Orkney saddle theft

10/3/2013

2 Comments

 
One of the greatest cycling crimes known to mankind was committed on the Orkney isles- the theft of my friend Paul’s saddle.

It was our first ever cycling trip and we had chosen to visit Orkney, a chain of 70 islands located 10km from the north coast of Scotland. These lands of green fields, heather moors, lochs, coastal scenery and archaeological sites promised great cycling country.

We arrived into Stromness, the second most populated town in Orkney, by ferry. I had expected a quiet and peaceful town, but the place was packed with people celebrating, laughing and having fun.  We had to push our bikes very slowly through the crowds to reach our room for the night.  We had unwittingly walked into Stromness Shopping Week, an annual gala with parades, music and dancing.

The town has one main street with lots of narrow alleyways. We had to store our bikes in one of these alleyways because our bed and breakfast did not have a garden or garage to keep them in. “They’ll be fine there,” the sweet and laidback owner told us.

We spent the evening enjoying local seafood and one of the most delicious desserts I have ever come across, Orkney fudge cheesecake. This was followed by some Orkney Ales, including one named Skull Splitter!
Picture
Stromness, Orkney with the hills of Hoy in the background
In the morning we were looking forward to our very first day of cycling which was going to include a visit to Skara Brae, a Neolithic settlement that is older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids. However, you can’t do much cycling if one of you doesn’t have a saddle! Paul and I looked in shock at the metal stump on his bike.

“Someone’s nicked my saddle! I don’t believe it!”

Was this the end of our first ever cycling trip before it had even started?

We discovered that Paul’s saddle was on a quick-release system which means it is very easy to remove it without the need for tools. Perhaps too tempting for a passer-by who had consumed one too many Skull Splitters?

We felt silly because we should really have removed the saddle at night and kept it in the room. But this was our first ever trip and there was a lot we did not know about bikes, like quick-release saddles. What a stupid invention anyway! I mean, you are unlikely to want to adjust your saddle so often that this system is worth the risk of someone being able to easily remove the saddle.

Adjacent to the alley there was an abandoned garden and we thought it was worth checking in there in case the saddle had been unceremoniously discarded over the wall. When we entered the garden we could not believe our eyes. It was thick with the tallest, stingy nettles I had ever seen! How on earth were we supposed to look through this? We tried anyway and fought our way through the jungle. This disturbed a squadron of stinging insects. We were defeated and retreated to the safety of the saddle-less bicycle in the alley.

We decided to check other alleys and peaked over garden walls as if we were searching for a lost cat, but there was no sign of our poor missing saddle.

“I could put a jumper on the stump and try to cycle,” Paul suggested.

There was no way a jumper would cushion the blow and he ended up doing standing up cycling as we tried in vain to find a bike shop. Everything was closed and it seemed the town was still fast asleep from the partying the night before. The tourist office was about the only thing that was open.

We went inside and asked if there was a cycling shop in town, but there was not and when they asked what was wrong we dreaded telling them. Inevitably they laughed and we all laughed together. It was funny, but then the realisation dawned on us that without a saddle this trip was over.

“Would you like us to call the police?” one of the women offered. Her name badge said Isabel.

I imagined sirens, sniffer dogs and door-to-door enquiries. “Police! Open up! We know the saddle is in there! We can do this the hard way or the easy way!” We both agreed that it would be crazy to involve the police. All that we wanted was to be able to buy a new saddle.

“Mac could probably help out. He fixes cars n’ stuff,” Isabel offered. “Only thing is that he was oot last night and is probably still in bed.”

We took up the kind offer and could not help smiling as she explained the situation to Mac on the telephone, “I’ve got these two lads here. Their saddle was stolen,” there was a pause and then,”Yeah, that’s right, saddle. It got stolen.”

Mac said something and Isabel replied, “No, they don’t want to bother the police. Just want a new saddle.”

After the conversation Isabel turned to us and smiled, “Good news! Mac can help. He is still in bed and has a wee hangover, so he asked if you could give him half an hour. I’ll write down the address.”

Paul and I were overjoyed. If Mac could put a new saddle on Paul’s bike then our trip would be saved. We waited long enough for Mac to get out of bed and then found his place, a garage for fixing cars. It was filled with tools and odds and ends, including some old bicycle saddles. Mac looked a little worse for wear, “Are you the boys that had the saddle nicked?”

He examined the metal stump on Paul’s bike and tried matching up some of the saddles to it. “This one will do. Not perfect, but it will do.” He hammered it in place using a mallet and it stuck perfectly. There was going to be no possibility of adjusting it, but Paul was delighted. He could ride again!

When Paul asked Mac how much we owed for the job he shrugged, “You’re all right.”

We cycled off in the direction of Skara Brae. The replacement saddle was great and did Paul proud for Orkney and many other cycling trips. We laughed about the entire incident and that it would probably get talked about all over the island. “Did you hear about these lads who had their saddle stolen?” 

Picture
Paul and I at Skara Brae
Picture
Paul with his new saddle

View Orkney Islands in a larger map
Orkney can be reached by ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall or from Scrabster (near Thurso) to Stromness. See NorthLink ferries.

Trains travel to both Thurso and Aberdeen.

To find out more about Orkney the official tourism website is crammed with information.
2 Comments
Richard link
29/5/2013 08:19:08 am

Oh no,glad you could laugh about it and that it wasn't the end of the trip. Has that happened to you a lot on your travels?

Reply
Colin
29/5/2013 08:33:40 am

This is the only time that anybody has stolen a bit off a bike. Most of the time I don't bother locking my bike in Scotland, unless it is a bigger town. I quite happily leave my bike on the side of the road to go forest walking and it is always there when I return. It is a joy to roll up at a bed and breakfast to be told by the owner, "just leave it round the back, it will be fine" and you know that they are right. As a city boy it took a wee while to get used to the fact there really is no need to worry about your bike being unlocked.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is Colin Baird and I want to see all of Scotland by bicycle. Follow my blog on Facebook:

    Categories

    All
    Aberdeen
    Aberdeenshire
    Addiewell
    Airdrie
    Airdrie To Bathgate Cycle Path
    Airth
    Alba Cola
    Alloa
    Alloa To Dollar Cycle Route
    Altnabreac
    Angus
    Architecture
    Argyll
    Auchterarder
    Aviemore
    Baird Monument
    Bakery
    Balerno
    Ballater
    Bathgate
    Beach
    Bed And Breakfast Reviews
    Beer Reviews
    Bettyhill Hotel
    Biggar
    Bike And Go Cycle Hire At Stations
    Bike Clothing
    Blackness Castle
    Bonawe Iron Furnace
    Bo'ness And Kinneil Railway
    Book Review
    Bookshops
    Borders Railway
    Bowhill House
    Branklyn Garden
    Brechin
    BrewDog
    Bridges
    Broch
    Broughton
    Cafes
    Cairngorm Brewery
    Cairn O'Mount Road
    Caithness
    Caledonian Railway
    Carnwath
    Castles
    Chocolate
    Christmas Food & Drink
    Coffee
    Colinton Tunnel
    Colonsay
    Commuting
    Copenhagen
    Craigmillar Castle
    Crichton Castle
    Cupar
    Currie
    Cycle Routes
    Cycling Books
    Cycling Mirror Review
    Cycling To Work
    Cycling With A Buddy
    Dawyck Botanic Garden
    Deeside Way
    Deskford
    Disused Railway Paths
    Disused-railway-paths
    Dollar
    Dornoch
    Dornoch Castle Hotel
    Doune
    Drem
    Drummond Castle Gardens
    Dryburgh Abbey
    Dumbarton Castle
    Dumfries And Galloway
    Dunblane
    Dunmore
    Dunrobin Castle
    Dunrobin Castle Station
    Dunstaffnage Castle
    East Linton
    East Lothian
    Edinburgh
    Edzell Castle
    Falkirk
    Falkirk Tunnel
    Fallen Brewing
    Ferry
    Fife
    Flowers
    Folding Bikes
    Fonab Castle Hotel
    Gardens
    Garelochhead
    Gigha
    Glasgow
    Gleneagles
    Glen Esk
    Glen Lonan
    Golspie
    Haddington
    Hailes Castle
    Helensburgh
    Helmet Review
    Helmsdale
    Highland Cattle
    Hill Of Tarvit Mansion
    Hills
    Hostels
    Hotels
    House Of Dun
    House Of Mark
    House Of The Binns
    Huntingtower Castle
    Indoor Cycling
    Inveresk Lodge Garden
    Inverurie
    Island
    Jedburgh Abbey
    Kelso Abbey
    Kildonan Station
    Kinnoull Hill
    Krispy Kreme
    Lanarkshire
    Larbert
    Lauder
    Leaderfoot Viaduct
    Library Of Innerpeffray
    Linlithgow
    Livall BH60SE Smart Helmet
    Loch
    Loch Earn
    Loch Leven Heritage Trail
    Loch Turret
    Longniddry
    Maps
    Meadows Festival
    Melrose
    Melrose Abbey
    Microadventures
    Midlothian
    Montrose
    Moray
    Morton Castle
    Mountain Biking
    Musselburgh
    Muthill
    National Mining Museum Scotland
    Netwongrange
    New Bike
    Newstead
    North Berwick
    Oatcakes
    Oban
    Oban Chocolate Company
    Only In Edinburgh. Book Review
    Orkney
    Outer Hebrides
    Penicuick
    Perth
    Pitlochry
    Preston Mill
    Published Writing
    Puncture
    River Tay
    Roslin Glen
    Rosslyn Chapel
    Scotstarvit Tower
    Scottish Borders
    Scottish Borders Abbeys
    Scott's View
    Smailholm Tower
    Splendid Book Of The Bicycle
    Sportives
    Standing Stones
    Stately Homes
    Stations
    St Boswells
    Stow
    Sunglasses
    Sunset
    Sutherland
    Tantallon-castle
    Taynuilt
    Tea Room
    Tempest-brewing-co
    Temple Of The Muses
    The Counter Canal Boat Cafe
    The Elphinstone Hotel. Biggar
    The-pineapple
    The Unknown Sculpture
    Thirlestane Castle
    Tips
    Train Problems
    Trains
    Traquair-house-ale
    Travel Writing Competitions
    Trimontium
    Union Canal
    Vogrie Country Park
    Vulpine
    Walk
    Wanderlust Magazine
    Waterfall
    Water Of Leith
    Wemyss Bay Train Station
    West Lothian
    Whisky
    Wick
    William Wallace Statue
    Your Piece Baking Company

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Route Map
  • Where to go in Scotland
    • Aberdeenshire
    • Angus
    • Argyll and Bute
    • Central Scotland
    • Dumfries and Galloway
    • East Lothian
    • Edinburgh and Midlothian
    • Fife and Clackmannanshire
    • Glasgow and the Clyde Valley
    • Islands
    • Perthshire
    • Scottish Borders
    • Sutherland and Caithness
  • Advice About Cycling in Scotland
    • What kind of bicycle?
    • Cycle Clothing
    • What gear to buy
    • Taking your bike on the train
    • Coping with traffic
    • Best cycling guide books
    • Best novels about cycling in Scotland
    • Family-Friendly Bike Holidays in Scotland
    • Mountain Biking Guide
  • Travel Writing Projects/Working with Me
  • Best Cycling Books
  • Diary of a Cycle Commuter