When cycling in Scotland you should know one thing, no matter what direction you travel, no matter if the road you travel by is in the direct opposite direction from where you came from, all roads will be uphill.

Then there are the roads that you know will be uphill. You get the map out and decide to punish yourself and look for the uphill that is the most uphill of all the roads that go uphill. When at home, that road is the one that leads up Kinnoull Hill.

At the bottom, you think, well this isn’t going to be so bad, just a tad up. You remember the days rather long ago, admittedly, when you’d go all the way up, if you timed it as too slow, you’d come down and do it again, quicker. Well, I’m not expecting that, but surely we can make it.

It takes about a minute for the legs to protest. That first little bit was not so terrible, but then we had to go round the corner, and it gets steeper. But keep going, look ahead, you’re getting somewhere, there’s a flattish bit ahead.

You reach the flat bit, which is actually uphill, just not as bad as the rest. Adjust the gear, get ready, in a moment or so we’ll go from up to really up!And there it goes, feels like vertical for me. Past some houses, and finally a monastery on the right as you turn a corner and think, ‘well, I’ve got this far, can’t be so bad now.’In truth, it’s not so bad, as you are nearly there.

But the twist of the corner, how the gradients fight each other makes for some extra pain, but as you line up straight, you can see it’s just a hundred metres or so now. Swing round a corner, and is it really correct? This is flat! Yes. Made it.Made it, as we’ve got to the car park, top of the road that leads to the path that leads to actually going up to the top of the hill. 1.3 km done, another 1.5km to go.

Now go along the next path, as you come round a fairly gentle slope, say hello to the horses and riders as you go by.

Then take an extreme bit up, and as you’re feeling why why why, check the view on your left, across the Tay, the raspberry fields and the way to Dundee.

Just a little more now and you find the summit. The small tower at the top is a bit ruined, but then so am I. As a resting point it is perfect. The evening sunshine, the view, the lack of people. Remember when you were a child and you went down on the small ledge in front of the tower? So we do it, try not to consider the folly of an eight year old doing that, and then we can go home.

The way home seems freewheeling, but at any moment we’ll be going back up.