iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Klostoph Buddha, Leven Seat, near the village of Forth.

Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Until today, I had no idea that 200 years ago, there was a socialist utopian community of 300 people at Orbiston near Motherwell (take the Greenlink from Strathclyde Park).

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The search for Treasure Island - ride from home to North Berwick, taking in the Colinton Tunnel with its mural of Stevenson, Yellowcraigs where you can see the Island of Fidra, the model for Treasure Island, and Lighthouse Corner in the town itself.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

A ride to Broughton today. A couple of miles before I reached the village, out of the blue I decided to go to Biggar via the railway path. I last rode this stretch 25 years ago or more when a couple of us stewarded a Biggar High sponsored walk on our mountain bikes. Lunch sitting on a rusty bridge.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Folder fun along NCN 7 near Glasgow- the remains of a station (Scotstoun East, I believe) and Andy Scott's 'Rise' sculpture.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Steuart Padwick's COP26 legacy statue at Cunigar Loop and my wee Dawes folder outside the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

You know that I ain't braggin', It's a pinky-purple wagon, Greased lightnin' ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ Hire bike! Reminds me of a stripped down Glasgow Nextbike.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

AI - show me an image of the Bayeux Tapastry...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

If you haven't seen it before, you do a double take when you see it in the distance. Is that really a field of snow in May? Of course not. It's bog cotton, one of my favourite sights, a gentle wonder of the natural world. And the socks... are they being funny, or is it a brilliant typo?

A field of bog cotton with hills in the background

Bog cotton - from a distance it looks like a snowfall

A pair of cycling socks. One has the words 'Live to ride', the other 'Dire to Live'

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The new addition to the fleet...

A Dawes Jack folding bicycle in front of a poster advertising New College Lanarkshire with the words 'I could be happy'.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

The truth is almost certainly that the house was long gone before the bing was there. But isn't it great to imagine that there's a preserved building there waiting to be discovered in the future? More here: scottishshale.co.uk/.../path.../... Maps courtesy of the National Library of Scotland 2/2

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Passing the Five Sisters shale bing, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a guy in Loanhead Tearoom. He claimed that there was a mansion buried under the bing. Could he be right? If we look at old and modern maps, we can see that Westwood House was indeed on a site now covered in spoil. 1/2

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Got my paper copy of the latest Eejit Street. I thought I'd ditched imposter syndrome when I retired, then I was asked to script two football-based comic strips. Not my area of expertise... You can read the full comic here: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/wp-content/u...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

When you're an auld dude like me, you get invited for an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm ultrasound scan. Had mine this morning. Celebrated being clear by having a coffee and roll in Kim'Z Cafe, Blackburn, buying a @spokes.org.uk cycle map in Pedal Power and having another coffee and biscuit at Loanhead.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

It's certainly smaller than it once was but this air photo shows the bing to the north west of the loch, which appears to have some sort of tramway or conveyor running across it: maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/... The paths around here can be a bit muddy but today they were as good as I've ever seen them.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

A wee ride to Redmire Loch today. This is in the Kingshill Nature Reserve, on the site of the former Kingshill Colliery. A fading information board claims that the loch was covered over by the colliery bing but I can't see any evidence of this on old maps. 1/2 @mininglandscapes.bsky.social

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

The Ruined Farmhouse on the Edge of Forever - a time portal at Auchterhead. You stand in the old building and look out at modern Lanarkshire. In a month or so, there will be too many nettles* to do this. 1/2

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Cobbinshaw Reservoir (built to supply water for the Union Canal). Never before have I seen such a deep shade of blue there.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

The latest Eejit Street comic - Fitba Daft - is here: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/primary/comi...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

A day early, but celebrating buying this Dawes tourer a year ago.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

A morning ride to the Outback...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

As we approach Holy Week, here are a couple of photos of Dura Kirk. There has been a white cross in the grounds for a year or so now.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Two photos taken a few minutes apart...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Double delight in the post - hard copies of the Eejit Street comic I contribute to, and a complimentary copy of the 'Favourite Bike Ride' booklet from Spokes that has a route description from me. @spokes.org.uk

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Possibly my favourite 'submit your work to an AI and ask for a stinker of a review' piece...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

My new hobby - feeding a piece of my writing into an AI and asking it to write a stinker of a review.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

First time I've noticed this in Glasgow.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

A walk along Glasgow's riverside while the ladies lunched.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Best cycling day of the year so far. I took a trip to Douglas via Poneil and the great new path. Saw my first lambs of the year but perhaps the best part was riding home around four in the afternoon in full daylight.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

In Eejit Street 5, someone has changed the past and Major Tam isn't a Spacepolisman any longer. Fortunately, Doctor Loo is there to help him. Full story here: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/.../comics/e...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

The Rubbish Patter bins are back! The latest edition of the Eejit Street comic is out: www.scotshooseyaldi.com/wp-content/u...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Pretty well all of my Kirk o Shotts photos have a blue sky. That wasn't going to happen today without the sudden acquisition of extensive photo editing skills, so I'm going for b&w. The weather wasn't as challenging as yesterday. Indeed the only thing to puncture my good mood was a puncture.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 01/02/2026

This used to be a bright, vibrant community hub full of friendly people who I sincerely believe were making a difference to our town's well-being and sense of self. Now it's a vape shop. Better than nothing, you might argue, and employment for some. Still feel hacked off about it.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Remembering the time I was out cycling and took a selfie, only to be photobombed by a house doing a facetious impersonation of me.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Dunblane to Callander the quiet way, then NCN 7 past the Falls of Leny and Loch Lubnaig. Superb!

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

The Voe near Torbothie, Shotts. Also know, perhaps whimsically, as Torbothie Beach, at least on Google Maps. Old maps show it as a reservoir with a brickworks on its shore and collieries nearby.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

Nobody ever thought of lightening up and going back to this?

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

The under-helmet balaclava my neighbours gave me is great - though I do feel like a Scooby Doo villain when I take it off...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Loanhead Farm Tearoom - a community initiative - is open again. As before, it's only 11 am to 2 pm, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday for breakfast. Still well worth a visit.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

The low traffic route from Carluke to Carstairs has been much improved due to a relatively small piece of infrastructure: walkridecarluke.wordpress.com/2026/01/14/c...

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

I asked AI to create a picture of a horse drawn carriage.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

The signed cycle route between Carluke and Carstairs has IMO been marred by a short, busyish stretch on the A721. Now there's a cycle path beside it - a fine example of a little infrastructure going a long way. Now so much better for young or inexperienced cyclists. Kudos to whoever made it happen.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Carried out a welfare check on the Brow Woods birds as a winter's sun went down mid afternoon.

Bird sculptures made of gas canisters at Brow Woods near Allanton, North Lanarkshire

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

2026 came in on a brisk, cold, dry wind. I managed to fit a ride in this morning and came across this fully decorated Christmas tree around three miles from the nearest road. I hope the new year is kind to you and yours.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

From the Loch Tulla viewpoint, on the way home from Fort William. Must have been too cold for the piper.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Had my first cycle tour in 44 years. Ended up in Glen Nevis where my parents' ashes are scattered. I went to thank them for the love of the outdoors that they gifted me.

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Gregor Steele @gregorsteele.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Loch Ness and the Spean Bridge Commando Memorial - a favourite monument.

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