I CYCLED TO GLASGOW TO FIND THE SCARIEST COFFEE SHOP IN THE SOUTH SIDE OF TOWN 🎃

🚴‍♂️ That Cycling Chimp’s Mocha Mission: Ayr to the Transylvian Café, Glasgow 🧛☕

Join That Cycling Chimp on an epic caffeine-fuelled adventure from the seaside town of Ayr all the way to the heart of Govanhill, Glasgow, home to the infamous Transylvian Café, Scotland’s quirkiest gothic coffee stop. This isn’t just a ride… it’s a gothic pilgrimage for a mocha worthy of Dracula himself!

Leaving the Ayrshire coast behind, That Cycling Chimp rolls through quiet country lanes, dedicated cycle paths, and the National Cycle Network, proving that with a good route (and even better motivation), Scotland’s cycling infrastructure can take you just about anywhere even straight to a vampire’s café.

Along the way, there’s a pit stop at the atmospheric Craufurdland Castle, where dark history meets beautiful scenery. Expect tales of gothic grandeur, eerie legends, and some good old-fashioned Scottish charm. Then it’s on through the pretty village of Fenwick, a peaceful contrast to the spooky tales ahead the perfect place to stretch the legs before tackling the urban sprawl of Glasgow.

As the miles roll by, That Cycling Chimp shares snippets of history, dry humour, and the occasional coffee craving confession. From quiet rural backroads to the buzz of city life, it’s a ride full of contrasts light and dark, calm and chaos, caffeine and… well, even more caffeine.

If you love cycling adventures, Scottish landscapes, and unique destinations, this video is your next must-watch. Whether you’re here for the route inspiration, the banter, or the brew, you’ll leave wanting to plan your own cycling coffee quest.

So grab a cuppa, hit play, and let’s spin through Scotland one gothic mocha at a time. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more two-wheeled adventures, epic climbs, and offbeat destinations from That Cycling Chimp.

☕🚴‍♂️🖤

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#ThatCyclingChimp #CyclingScotland #TransylvianCafe #AyrToGlasgow #CycleAdventure #CyclingVlog #CoffeeRide #GravelCycling #ScottishCycling #CycleRoutes #CraufurdlandCastle #FenwickVillage #CyclistLife #ExploreScotland #MochaMission #BikepackingScotland #CyclingYouTube #GravelAdventure #RoadToTransylvian #ScottishVlogger

Welcome along to another video. I am that cycling chimp. And in this one, my route is going to be a 64 km trip. I’m inviting every single one of you that’s watching this to join me as I take on yet another solo adventure to a place I’ve been before. So, if you want to find out how I got on today, or maybe you’re new to the channel and you would just like to see Scotland by bike, you’ve came to the right place. So stick around, grab yourself a cuper, kick back and relax. Let’s get the show on the road. [Music] Today’s adventure, I’m heading towards Glasgow City, but I’m going to take an alternative route. The last time I cycled there, I cycled the old Kernney railway track. This time I’m going to utilize the cycle way up the A77 and come into the south side of the city. The reason for that? Well, there’s a point of interest I want to see today. As it’s October and we’re getting into spooky season, I think this is rather fitting. So, let’s get clipped in and see how we got on. First of all, I’ve got a little apology for you all. It’s been a wee while since I’ve done one of these videos. The last time we were down in Whitby with the Brmpton. When I come back, I’d picked up the dreaded rona bug. So, absolutely floored me for nearly two weeks. Then I was planning a video, but Storm Man decided to come in and be a bit of a nuisance. So I couldn’t do a video that week either. But here we are. Now the plan for today, as I said, we’re going to head towards Glasgow. But as always, I’m challenging myself. First of all, I want to see how much of this I can do traffic free. And I think I’ve got a semi- good route. The plan is head towards Irvin. Cut from Irvin across to Kaluk up through the Fenic M A77 using the cycle way and into the south side of Glasgow. I did have another video planned for this week, but I thought because of the last video at Whitby, this was going to be a little bit fitting and you’ll see why if you stick around. In other news, I’m trying to get my fitness up because I’ve got another Sportif coming up very soon. It’s a Braveheart Sport. More about that later as well. Today’s weather, as the weather has been for the last week or two, we’ve got to that time of the year where it’s just dank, damp, overcast, just boring weather. I’m hoping the sun’s maybe going to come out later on as I get closer to the city. Well, that’s the forecast anyway, but who knows? It’s Scottish weather. How you doing? Thank you, sir. Well, that’s me just heading into the Shulton wood just the outskirts of Irvin before I turn off to use the cycle track to Karnlock. Now, again, it’s one of those cycle tracks that utilize an old railway line, which is quite handy and is traffic free. So far, we’ve been 90% traffic free. And I’ve got somebody waiting for me here. Thank you very much. I’ll I’ll get the other gate for you. And there we go. There’s a little bit of the cycling community there. As I was coming up to the railway gates, one cyclist held open and I held other. So, as I was saying, the reason I’m heading towards Glasgow is there something I want to see, but I’m trying to get my mileage up. It’s actually supposed to be a taper week for me. So, I’m trying to keep my heart rate in zone 2 as much as possible, which is quite hard, especially when I haven’t been out the bike for a little while. I can actually tell that the fitness has dropped a little bit. So, hopefully this long, slow ride is going to help. Actually quite excited to be doing this cycle way because it’s one I’ve always seen driving to Glasgow, but I’ve never actually cycled on it. So, it gives me an idea. Also, if you want to try this route out, as always, I’ll leave the commute link down below for you, just in case you want to try it. A little fan of the channel there. Hello. Well, that’s me done 19 kilometers. So, we’re nearly a third of the way through the ride today. I’ve just got to the crossroads of Irvvin and I’m starting to head towards Karlock. It says in the sign up here that it’s 7 miles. I’m utilizing the Cunningham path which is also the N73 cycle track. It’s 18 miles long and it goes all the way from Adross to Karnuk. There’s actually a couple of new bits that they’ve added onto the path recently as well which is going to help out. It has been a little bit misty on the way over here. So, I’m hoping that mist is maybe going to lift as I as I keep going cuz it is starting to get a little bit warmer. I love this time of the year with all the colors and like just autumn in general. But the thing I do hate about it is with all the leaves in the ground, there’s two things you’ve got to look out for. Number one, I’m using semi slicks. I’ve got to watch I don’t come off the bike. And not only that, I don’t know what’s underneath the leaves. So, I’m hoping I don’t get a puncture today. Let’s see how we going towards K Manlock. I’ll just show you the map just now. As I said, the cuttingham path goes all the way from a drawing all the way across to Kwan uses the the NC7 again down towards Irving and then across to Kalok. Again, it’s mostly traffic free and it’s a good trail. This is just an absolutely great cycle path that goes all the way from Irvvin to Kanlook. Completely traffic free. It’s usually not too busy. A few walkers and a few other cyclists, but it’s a great place. Command looks a little bit significant. As I was talking earlier on in the video, I’m going to be participating in the Braveheart Sport Thief. Now, the Sport Thief starts off from Kanlock and it heads down towards Murek and then basically back up. Now, Mure is a little minor village and just in the outskirts in the borderline between East Asia and Dre and Galloway. There may be a few familiar faces at the Sportif so stay tuned for that. I do know there’s a couple of celebrities cycling it. We have Peppa York who is one of the Tour to France legends. We also have Jack Carlin who is an Olympian and won many medals for Great Britain. The good thing about the Braveheart Sport is all the funds generated go towards the future of cycling in Scotland. So the likes of your track racing and training for the younger generation for the likes of the Olympics and that. So it’s a really good cause. I know they have a dinner on the evening. Unfortunately, I can’t make that one. But I’m really looking forward to it. I just hope the weather stays good. I said this is why I don’t want to overcook myself today cuz it’s only a couple of days before I’m taking part in it. But yeah, this path is just absolutely brilliant. Just good to get out in the fresh air. I had to stop for a little minute there. I passed something there that I didn’t know was on this route. And a lot of you that will follow this person on Instagram will know exactly what I’m talking about when you see this. Ladies and gentlemen, can I please introduce Bill and Ben, the flower pot men? I didn’t even know that was I can’t see out my glasses. That’s the only thing about the autumn as well. your glasses steam up really quick because of the coldness and then obviously the body heat. I didn’t even know. See if that helps now. So Kenny, if you’re watching this, at least I know over the we guys are now H I may have committed myself in this one. I’ve came up to obviously as you can see some chain saying it’s a private garden and it is a private garden. I actually plotted this route to get through the Crawfordland estate cuz I wanted to see Crawford Castle. Now I know we’ve got a reasonable right to Rome or reasonable access for a right to Rome in Scotland. I’m going to set this one out. I’m actually going to try and see if I can find another way around about. Might add a little bit of distance on, but I’m pretty sure I seen there was a path back there to the castle and the road. Well, I certainly didn’t have gravel on my bingo card today, but this is where the fun begins. Let’s see if we can navigate this. I’ll need to update the map if you guys are want to do this, too. Here we go. Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that little bit there. Behind me is Crawfordland Castle. Now, this castle somebody actually lives in. It’s actually at this time of recording the 29th layer of Crawford that stays on it and they also have a little self catering accommodation at the side as well. But it’s just an absolutely magnificent looking castle. It’s actually a 13th century castle, but through the years through the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, they modified it all the time. And currently it’s a Gothic style castle. It’s actually better that I stopped here to see it because if I was closer, you probably wouldn’t be able to see as much over there. But Gothic is a bit of a theme on today’s video. As I said, there is a point of interest I want to see in Glasgow. And um if we hark back to the last video, and if you’ve not watched it, you need to go and watch that one. Um, when I was down in Whitby, there was a little bit of a Gothic theme in that as well. I spoke a little bit about Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And if I was to ask you where Dracula was from, where would you tell me? That’s right, Transylvania. So, I heard there’s somewhere in Glasgow that I wanted to visit that’s kind of Halloween themed as well, and it’s a Transylvania Cafe, which is in Govern Hill. So that’s where I’m heading today as it’s October and it’s coming up to spooky season and I hope they do a killer mocker. But until we get there, we’ve done about 30 km. We’re about halfway there now. Going to get myself a quick snack before I tackle the A77. Let’s get an O GT bar into me and some water and continue the journey. It really is a lovely estate and I just found out about it last summer when I was cycling round about Karl area and um as I said the castle just looks fantastic. There’s also a lot of other adventure activities around here. They’ve got archery but they’ve also got like a treetop adventure climbing and I’m just about to actually go underneath some of it just now. Wait till you see this. I did not know that this was here. It’s kind of the same idea as Go Ape and Aber Foil. But yeah, it’s absolutely fantastic that there’s also a cafe just outside it called the Lair’s Table. I haven’t been a patron of that one yet. That may be one for the future. We’re just about to head into the village of Fenick and then we turn on to A77 and then the climbing starts. And I wouldn’t really say I’m looking forward to the climbing today because I’ve not been doing hills for quite some time. So, we’ll just need to see how we get on. As I said, there’s the the layered table there. And obviously, some people are looking as if they’re going to do some climbing. Literally one click from the Crawford Land Estate, you come into the village of Fenick. Now, Fenick is a bit of a significant village. It houses apparently 1,700 people, although the census back in 2021, the information I found was 992. So, if you know if that’s right or wrong, let me know in the comments below. Historians have been arguing the significance of Fenic for a long time. And there’s a plaque behind me as always that tells you a little bit about the Weaver Society. And then we’ve got somebody that’s just about to come into the video that we haven’t seen for a little while. It’s a special guest. And the special guest, it’s Cheap Bike CC. Hello. So as it says on the plaque here that fenic was formed in the early 14th century and it was ideally situated in the crossroads for the main north south east west roots and the village soon became a successful trading post and a carriage stop. As it says down at the bottom here in the mid 1750s the weaver society established the world’s first documented cooperative. And this is where the historians argue because they say that this was the first documented cooperative as we now know as a co-op. So there’s a little history lesson for today. I’m going to take a couple of minutes to speak to my fa to see if he’s going to continue the journey with me to Glasgow. And also in the village they have a book swap. And as we can see somebody’s having a good mch inside it. We were going to go for a little coffee at the Fenic coffee shop, but it’s closed. Anyway, we’ll clip in and see how we got on. You just never know who you meet out in the trails. I did ask if he wanted to come to Glasgow for a coffee, but he said it was a little bit too far. So, he’s heading back to Sturton and back home. That’s the first time I’ve cycled on this cycle way up by the A77. I’m actually inspired a little bit. I was watching the Glasgow cyclists YouTube channel and he was explaining quite a lot about the infrastructure that’s now in Glasgow. So I wanted to go up and see what the southside was like. So everything kind of fit in together. The forecast it has lied to me. We’re just about to pass Whitely Wind Farm and uh the cloud’s pretty low. It’s quite foggy and misty as well. So I also think I’m starting to come into the climb which is quite long. Apparently it’s 330 m high. So, we’ll see how we got on. Anyway, onwards. Made it to Newton Mes. I’m just going to start heading into the city. It says it’s nine miles. I need to consult the government head unit as well because that’s the point where you’ll start getting lost. Or I will anyway. So, let’s see how we got on. Well, that’s we successfully made it to the south of Glasgow City. I’m currently in Queens Park. I’m not too far away from the Transylvania Cafe. So, let’s go and see if we can get ourselves a mocka, something to eat, maybe a little toilet break. I thought there was toilets back there, but they seem to be closed cuz our back teeth are floating. So that’s me finally arrived at the destination and wait till you see this. This is absolutely brilliant. The Transylvania shop and coffee is located in the corner of Prince Edward Street. Wait to see the decorations. [Music] Let’s go and see if we can get a coffee. So, I’ve picked myself up a spooky hot dog and a killer mocker. The question is, how good is a mocker going to be? [Music] Oh my god, that is that is contender for the best mocka so far. A that’s brilliant. Right, you guys don’t want to see me eating, but I need to fuel up before I start heading into the city center. So, I’m going to eat my spooky hot dog. I can confirm that the spooky hot dog was really nice as well, but I just love this Halloween. We don’t celebrate it the same way over here that we do elsewhere in the world. And we really should. And this is a testament to it. It’s absolutely hilarious. I told the hangouts, but they have to bring their own. [Music] It’s not just a cafe either. It’s also a shop that sells some produce as well. It’s been here for quite some time and it’s been on my radar for quite some time to come and visit it. Not with the Halloween stuff. That’s just an added bonus. But yeah, I’ll definitely be back. And I suggest if anyone’s in the area looking for a decent coffee or a mocker, this is the place to be. Better get toolled up, clipped in, and start heading towards Glasgow Central so we can utilize Scott Rail service back to air. This train is cautious. Well, after a train journey back from the big smoke, that’s us back into the Shire. And that’s us at the end of yet another video. Just like to thank you all for sticking around today to keep me company and also a little special guest star from Cheap Bike CC. I hope you enjoyed your cameo in the video. I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did. I think with the cycling infrastructure in the south side of Glasgow, I definitely want to go back and investigate. Think maybe next time I’ll take a little Charlie Brmpton though. It was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. Even though that bit the A77 is just a bit monotonous and a bit kind of bogged down, but once you get into Newton messes, it’s actually quite an enjoyable ride. And I want to give a big shout out to the Transylvania coffee shop that’s in Govern Hill. That coffee, I think it is number one. It’s probably the best mock I’ve had in a long, long time. The spooky hot dog was really good as well. So definitely if you’re in the area, go and check them out. And especially at this time of the year when they’ve got the Halloween decorations up. Also, with the mileage today, I definitely feel like I’m ready for this Braveheart sport that’s coming up. Hope to see you on the next one. But in the meantime, you can check out my last video up there, which was when I was down in Whitby, or you can check out previously on that Cycling Chimp, which are archived videos. Till the next time, guys. Bye for now. And remember to pedal smart out there.