The Inverness-Ullapool CitiLink/Stagecoach are express services and show only a few intermediate stops on their timetables, so not much scope for hopping on or off along the route. However, Ewen’s Inverness-Ullapool service 813 on Mon/Wed/Sat does call at villages in between, and also most usefully is timed to stop at Braemore Junction to connect with Westerbus’ service to/from Gairloch (it will wait for the connection too so no danger of being stranded). Westerbus doesn’t have a website, so you’ll need to phone 01445 71225 for their latest timetable info.

Double checking by phoning transport operators or talking to drivers is really important if the bus service/time is critical – we discovered things change at short notice so a printed timetable does not mean the bus will run. The Travel Line is up to date but their 0871 200 2233 number is a premium number – find a local number by searching Say no to 0870. Currently this shows 01236 634361 as the number for Travel Line Scotland.

Chatting to other car-free visitors to the area, we discovered that some local bus services only run if there is demand at the starting point, so to avoid the possibility of being stranded, you need to phone up the company itself or talk to the driver; don’t rely on a website or tourist information as situations change. Or plan to take the bus out, and walk back, or hitch.

The other timetable minefield is school holidays – although some children still had their noses to the grindstone, the Scottish Highlands children were already off – so that’s the first question for the tourist info people as many buses only run in term time.

With more digging on the net, we found these sites that we’ll use for better planning next time:

• Highlands public transport map 2009 – a pdf file download
• Highland Council public transport page – has some links, but until this page is revamped (if ever), the ones below are of more use.
• UK bus, train, plane timetables – comprehensive, with info arranged regionally with phone numbers plus links to all the relevant sites if they exist – including Royal Mail Postbus services. Includes a link to the maddening Stagecoach site.
• Carl Berry’s Travel Search – this site lists services and timetables so you really do have to double check with operators, but links and phone numbers are provided to help you.
• Carl Berry’s list of buses serving Ullapool
• Scottish hills by bus and train – Wester Ross and Torridon – an info site and forum for walkers
• CTC forum with many contributions re cycle transport in Scotland – mostly relating to cycling end-to-end logistics (ie Lands End to John o’Groats – LEJOG).
• Celtic Fringe – a visitor guide to Wester Ross
• Lochcarron and Wester Ross. Lots of info on the area, including a comprehensive round up of ‘how to get to Lochcarron area by public transport’.
• Current timetable library on Travel Line Scotland – good if you know which operator to look for – find this out first on Carl Berry’s site

Perhaps a better picture of Cheshire’s responses are in the accumulated figures (not clear whether this is an all time total, or over a more recent period) from the same online reporting site? Cheshire West & Chester is 25th in the Fill that Hole league table, with 272 potholes reported and 89% fixed, and Cheshire East is 33rd with 515 reported (they rejected about the same number though) and 54% fixed. Not quite so bad, but definitely could be better.

We’ve certainly found that pothole responses have fallen in our area (Cheshire East) since Cheshire split into two, but it seems that the council is waiting to resurface a whole stretch instead of piecemeal repairs. No doubt this makes financial sense but some potholes really need immediate attention to prevent accidents.

You can report potholes on CTC’s Fill That Hole website or via local authority websites – look for ‘highway fault reporting’ links.

So far we’ve seen youngsters completely absorbed in their mobiles when eating, crossing the road, cycling, skateboarding (on a steep downhill heading towards a junction – surely a recipe for disaster) and today, a first of driving a ride-on mower (still on the lawn, fortunately) with one hand on the wheel and one on the text buttons. But the best was a lifeguard (in Slovakia) who was so interested in her mobile phone that we thought we should have taken our mobiles into the pool with us in case we needed to text ‘Help, drowning’.

Meanwhile, the government will throw a few millions more at roadworks, supposedly to reduce traffic jams. If they took any notice of research, they’d know that improved roads attract more traffic so the result is – continuing congestion.

Additionally, the non-car borne shoppers visited several shops on each trip, and went shopping more frequently, so it could be argued that they are more frequently exposed to impulse buys.

There’s more about how this and how cyclists make better shoppers on Copenhagenize.com – the Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog.

We do all our shopping by bike – it’s surprising what you can fit into panniers.

I’d forgotten that my 3-layer approach to fending of frostbite in the fens (outside lifting carrots and in sheds sorting spuds) included work gloves over washing up gloves over Damart thermal gloves.

Next time I venture out on the bike I think I’ll try thermal gloves plus washing up gloves plus Buffalo mitts for extra warmth and to stop teenagers pointing at me any more than they already do.

Have decided to stay on foot for now – although the black ice might have us over before long.