Bealach-na-blip (1 of 3)

Day 1: Escape from EH

Action-packed weekend, boring pictures - here's the back of my freshly-minted shirt for the impending bike challenge.

Bit of an eventful journey up to Shieldaig. Had a half day off work, so thought I'd get away at about 12.30 to boost Northward, but several things conspired to stop me leaving Edinburgh. First Laurinha phoned at 12.25 to ask me to print a wee email attachment before I left the office, neglected to attach said item, then promptly went out for 45 mins without her phone so I had to wait to ask her to resend it.

That turned out not to matter, as it soon emerged that fellow chain-ganger Andy had missed his train and was running an hour late for pickup.

Third, after sorting L's request I went down to the printers to discover they'd mucked up their timing and didn't have our team shirts ready, so found myself with another hour yet to kill. Not the end of the world as it meant Andy was off the hook and I went to pick him up, then back to Leith, then off, now two and a quarter hours behind schedule.

Called into Dunfermline to get Laurinha plus my bike etc. While loading the car, a lady went into - then soon came out of - a neighbouring flat. She asked if we could go in and help as her friend had got herself locked in the kitchen and was starting to panic a bit. Fair enough, happy to help...

Went up to check it out; the lock was knacked and door was really solid (one of those heavy fireproof numbers). A couple of trial shoulder-barges didn't feel too promising and I wasn't about to kick-in somebody else's door, so I went to get my crowbar, then forced it open with minimal damage but plenty of nasty splintering noises. Happy days; but only then did it emerge why she was in there in the first place.

There was a pigeon trapped in the living-room which had got in through an open window upstairs and proceeded to fly throughout the whole flat in a panic, knocking things over and off walls and crapping everywhere. The woman had arrived, got a bit frightened, so left the front doors open and shut herself in the kitchen in the hope that the bird would find its own way out. After a few minutes it hadn't, so she tried to leave the room but couldn't. She'd phoned her friend - the woman who approached us.

Just the fact that they didn't mention it until then was all a bit surreal. Sure enough when the door was opened the living room was a crazy mess, but woman no. 2 caught the bird in a towel and carried it outside. Weird.

Finally hit the road. Made the drive in about four and a half hours, mostly thanks to Lau.

Meeting up with everyone for fish n' chips at the pub in Shieldaig gave us a chance to relax at last.