UK - Anthony Parsons, 63, charity cyclist, found deceased, Argyll, Scotland, 29 Sept 2017 *Arrests*

[silverjug]

I was reluctant to comment but he seemed rather unfit and though I am not a cyclist (but do live on a very popular cyclist route in the west country), he seemed completely unprepared to cyclists that I have seen. My first thought was heart attack, though I sincerely hope it is not. Why would you pick such a long journey as a new comer?
I understand it was a personal goal but .......

 

[Seryth]

I have just done a bit of a search of Twitter and news outlets, and can't see any updates from today's search. I imagine that means he unfortunately hasn't been located.

Looking at a map of his route, I wonder if, without any lights on his bike and no streetlights along the road, he couldn't really see anything. Then, when he reached Loch Ba, he accidentally rode off the road (!) and in to the marshy-looking area there. There is no barrier between the road and the wetlands there, and if he was to ride in to that by accident he could quite easily sink, especially if he was already physically exhausted from cycling.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Then, when he reached Loch Ba, he accidentally rode off the road (!) and in to the marshy-looking area there.

The only Loch Ba coming up on maps for me is on Mull so I doubt that is the one you are referring to. In reaching Bridge of Orchy he would already have passed Loch Tulla and I don't see any other bodies of water on his route home until Loch Dochart.

However is it possible that when he got to Crianlarich he was so tired and it was so dark that he took the A82 towards Lomond by mistake and that the searches have been in completely the wrong area.

Obviously if he was seen in Bridge of Orchy at 23.30, it would have been midnight or later by the time he reached Crianlarich. That's pretty late for finding accommodation if he decided to stop for the night and no doubt all the hostels, B&Bs and hotels in the area have been visited and questioned.

 

[Seryth]

The only Loch Ba coming up on maps for me is on Mull so I doubt that is the one you are referring to. In reaching Bridge of Orchy he would already have passed Loch Tulla and I don't see any other bodies of water on his route home until Loch Dochart.

However is it possible that when he got to Crianlarich he was so tired and it was so dark that he took the A82 towards Lomond by mistake and that the searches have been in completely the wrong area.

Obviously if he was seen in Bridge of Orchy at 23.30, it would have been midnight or later by the time he reached Crianlarich. That's pretty late for finding accommodation if he decided to stop for the night and no doubt all the hostels, B&Bs and hotels in the area have been visited and questioned.

Ah - I did mean Loch Ba; if you look North of Loch Tulla, along the A85 you will see Loch Ba. However when you search Loch Ba, the one on Mull comes up! (See attached screenshot, I have dropped a pin where I meant).
All this said, retrospectively I made an error with my geography anyway. The Bridge of Orchy Hotel is actually well past the area I have marked and was thinking of, in which case he definitely made it past the area in question. So disregard that thought, my mistake!

Regarding your theory on him possibly taking the wrong road - I think that's also quite possible. I've looked at the area where the A82 and the A85 split on street view, and I could imagine that one could make the mistake of thinking the A82 just continues straight over the roundabout, and the road to the left is a separate road. In reality, the A82 bends round to the left, and it's the A85 that is straight over the roundabout, second exit. (See second screenshot, of the roundabout where the roads diverge. Left is the route he should have gone down, continuing along the A82. To the right/straight over is the A85 which is a totally different route towards Loch Lomond).

 

[Taskforce88]

It's possible he took the road past the hotel towards the Black Mount. Also possible he took the road down Glen Orchy. I haven't been able to find out exactly where the search and rescue teams have covered. Someone on Facebook said that they started the search at Crianlarich while others began from Bridge of Orchy. I hope Glen Orchy and the River Orchy has been searched in detail.

 

[Taskforce88]

Ah - I did mean Loch Ba; if you look North of Loch Tulla, along the A85 you will see Loch Ba. However when you search Loch Ba, the one on Mull comes up! (See attached screenshot, I have dropped a pin where I meant).
All this said, retrospectively I made an error with my geography anyway. The Bridge of Orchy Hotel is actually well past the area I have marked and was thinking of, in which case he definitely made it past the area in question. So disregard that thought, my mistake!

Regarding your theory on him possibly taking the wrong road - I think that's also quite possible. I've looked at the area where the A82 and the A85 split on street view, and I could imagine that one could make the mistake of thinking the A82 just continues straight over the roundabout, and the road to the left is a separate road. In reality, the A82 bends round to the left, and it's the A85 that is straight over the roundabout, second exit. (See second screenshot, of the roundabout where the roads diverge. Left is the route he should have gone down, continuing along the A82. To the right/straight over is the A85 which is a totally different route towards Loch Lomond).

Excellent point, that new road layout could cause some confusion. I don't think the road towards Loch Lomond has been searched in any great detail since the official line is that he didn't pass Tyndrum since he wasn't spotted on CCTV passing through.

 

[Taskforce88]

Someone from Tyndrum posted on the Police Facebook page that around the time of Tony's last sighting it was 'pouring down with rain'.

So he would most likely be looking for shelter, or a place to spend the night i.e hotel. I cannot see him wanting or being able to continue his journey at this stage.

He may have got a lift from someone with a vehicle that could take his bike as well. I imagine the people carrier that the police are looking for could take a bike, but again the timing is slightly out, unless he spent some time further up the road trying to flag down a vehicle. If he got a lift that would explain why a cyclist wasn't seen on the CCTV. That means he could be anywhere.

Again with the weather, visibility would have been poor.

 

[Taskforce88]

I am interested what the 'confirmed sighting' at Bridge of Orchy Hotel was. Did Tony enter the hotel to ask about accommodation? Was he also seen on hotel CCTV? Or was the sighting a passing motorist who seen him in the pouring rain and dark?

Probably safer to begin the search from Glencoe village and study the entire length of the Glen and the Rannoch Moor. A large number of boggy areas close to the road, peat bogs and remains of the old Caledonian Pine forest, I have nearly sunk in a few myself on the Moors. An exhausted cyclist would be in difficulty if he went into one, at night, in the rain.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Apologies Taskforce - I've slightly rearranged your post to ease commenting.

Someone from Tyndrum posted on the Police Facebook page that around the time of Tony's last sighting it was 'pouring down with rain'.
Again with the weather, visibility would have been poor.

This would also increase the danger of him being hit by a vehicle, though the assumption would have to be that the driver either removed his body and bike there and then (so must have had a vehicle capable of taking both) or was able to return with a suitable vehicle before daybreak.

So he would most likely be looking for shelter, or a place to spend the night i.e hotel. I cannot see him wanting or being able to continue his journey at this stage.

That would narrow things down considerably. I don't know whether a youth hostel in Scotland would admit a man on his own at that time of night. When I was involved with the YHA E&W (1980s) the age-old policy was to admit lone women or a couple of women travelling together providing they were on foot or bike, even if the hostel was officially full, especially in remote areas. If the hostel was full, lone men travelling by bike or on foot would almost always be allowed to shelter in a shed or other outer building if there were no reasonable alternatives nearby.. For reasons of fire safety, wardens are not supposed to admit more guests than there are actual beds for but that has been flexible where turning people away could put them in danger. People travelling in cars were almost always turned away after official closing time, especially if there were other forms of accommodation nearby.

Independent backpacker hostel - no idea what their policies might be.
Small B&B - ditto.
Proper hotel such as the Bridge of Orchy Hotel or the Best Western Crianlarich Hotel - yes, there would have been a night porter on duty so he could have got a room there if he wanted and one was available.

He may have got a lift from someone with a vehicle that could take his bike as well. I imagine the people carrier that the police are looking for could take a bike, but again the timing is slightly out, unless he spent some time further up the road trying to flag down a vehicle. If he got a lift that would explain why a cyclist wasn't seen on the CCTV. That means he could be anywhere.

Agreed.

 

[Taskforce88]

Apologies Taskforce - I've slightly rearranged your post to ease commenting.



This would also increase the danger of him being hit by a vehicle, though the assumption would have to be that the driver either removed his body and bike there and then (so must have had a vehicle capable of taking both) or was able to return with a suitable vehicle before daybreak.



That would narrow things down considerably. I don't know whether a youth hostel in Scotland would admit a man on his own at that time of night. When I was involved with the YHA E&W (1980s) the age-old policy was to admit lone women or a couple of women travelling together providing they were on foot or bike, even if the hostel was officially full, especially in remote areas. If the hostel was full, lone men travelling by bike or on foot would almost always be allowed to shelter in a shed or other outer building if there were no reasonable alternatives nearby.. For reasons of fire safety, wardens are not supposed to admit more guests than there are actual beds for but that has been flexible where turning people away could put them in danger. People travelling in cars were almost always turned away after official closing time, especially if there were other forms of accommodation nearby.

Independent backpacker hostel - no idea what their policies might be.
Small B&B - ditto.
Proper hotel such as the Bridge of Orchy Hotel or the Best Western Crianlarich Hotel - yes, there would have been a night porter on duty so he could have got a room there if he wanted and one was available.



Agreed.

No problem I am not sure about Hostel policies, but along the route there are a number of biggish hotels where he could have stopped, even if he just crashed out in the lounge/bar area, I know a few people who have done that.

The more I think about the whole thing the more I am very surprised he made it to Bridge of Orchy (If he actually did).

He arrives in Glen Coe village after 6. There are plenty of places to phone home, shelter, seek accommodation, but he decides to continue on this huge journey - through the night - which would see him arrive home around 06.00? He would be on the road for over 12 hours with just basic clothing and a small backpack. None of this adds up. He must have planned a stopover.

What was he doing for those 5+ hours going through Glen Coe? He must have been stopping a lot, perhaps getting off and walking up the steeper parts of the road? Perhaps he went off-road and onto the old military road that runs alongside to avoid the traffic? Being dazzled by the headlights would have been annoying. Big lorries speeding past in the dark would be unnerving to the inexperienced (and experienced).

There was a guy on the Police Facebook page saying how he discussed the journey with Tony. I hope he advised him against it.

4+ hour train journey from Stirling to Fort William via Glasgow. So he must have left home before 12.00 lunch time. I wonder why he didn't go for the earlier train at 07.20?

Was he really intending on a night-time cycle?

He clearly planned the journey in some measure due to the fact he discussed it with people days before.

 

[Seryth]

Unfortunately still no developments on this that I can see online.

Sent from my Mi-4c using Tapatalk

 

[Taskforce88]

Nope nothing new

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Nope nothing new

It's all very strange. Given that he was last spotted on CCTV around midnight, it's a resonable assumption that he didn't just decide to go off-road during the hours of darkness. I suppose he could have sought shelter in a barn close to the road and died there, eg of hypothermia, but if there are suitable barns on his expected route those should have been checked by now.

If he'd ended up in a body of water his body should have floated weeks ago. Maybe it has but just not been spotted.

I suppose it's possible that when he got to Orchy he became confused (again, hypothermia?) and went back the way he came, in which case they may be searching in the wrong place.

 

[Taskforce88]

It's all very strange. Given that he was last spotted on CCTV around midnight, it's a resonable assumption that he didn't just decide to go off-road during the hours of darkness. I suppose he could have sought shelter in a barn close to the road and died there, eg of hypothermia, but if there are suitable barns on his expected route those should have been checked by now.

If he'd ended up in a body of water his body should have floated weeks ago. Maybe it has but just not been spotted.

I suppose it's possible that when he got to Orchy he became confused (again, hypothermia?) and went back the way he came, in which case they may be searching in the wrong place.

So he was spotted on CCTV at Orchy? The Police said he then headed south. I wonder how they know? There is no external CCTV at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel looking south or north.

He may, as you say, began to retrace his route back towards Rannoch Moor.

If he fell into the River Orchy his body may be trapped in one of the many sharp bends or between rocks in the narrow parts, or he could have been washed right down the full length to Loch Awe - unlikely but possible.

 

[silverjug]

Any news about this gentleman?

 

[Seryth]

Any news about this gentleman?

Unfortunately not that I can find. The latest information I could find was this article:
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/f...-cyclist-who-has-been-missing-for-four-weeks/

From Oct 28th, which states that the Forth Valley police have refreshed their appeal. The article also says he was last seen at 11:30am, but should state pm, so I'm not sure how well researched it is...

 

[Taskforce88]

Its obvious they are looking in the wrong area. He is either between Glencoe village and Bridge of Orchy or between Tyndrum and home. They must be be looking at the possibility he passed by Tyndrum without being noticed on CCTV.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

So he was spotted on CCTV at Orchy? The Police said he then headed south. I wonder how they know? There is no external CCTV at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel looking south or north.

You're right - the original BBC report says that the last known sighting of him was at 11.30pm in Bridge of Orchy. That does raise the question of whether it was indeed him who was seen.

Looking back that that article one thing jumped out at me:

He wears glasses and was last seen wearing a distinctive red waterproof jacket.

He was earlier seen wearing a blue, long-sleeved cycling top, a high-viz vest, fingerless gloves, beige combat trousers, a silver and grey cycling helmet and walking boots.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-41537102

If I have understood this correctly, he was wearing a high-viz vest earlier in his ride but this was presumably covered by the red jacket when it turned colder. If so, he would have been less visible later in the evening while riding on that remote, exposed and unlit road, which to my mind makes it more likely he was hit by a vehicle.

Since it was only a reported sighting of him at Bridge of Orchy rather than him being caught on CCTV, I'm no longer convinced that he made it that far. Someone leaving the pub/hotel at 11.30pm may very well have seen a cyclist but it may not have been Tony. It could very well have been someone completely different who then put up at one of the B&Bs in the Orchy or Tyndrum areas. I'd hope the police have managed to trace and speak to other cyclists in the area that evening to see if any had noticed or passed another cyclist who seemed to be struggling.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

They must be be looking at the possibility he passed by Tyndrum without being noticed on CCTV.

As far as I can see there are only 5 CCTV cameras in Tyndrum.

1. On the front of the Green Welly Stop, pointing parallel to the front of the building.
2. On the side of Green Welly Stop, pointing across the petrol station area.
3. On the side of Green Welly Stop, pointing across the petrol station area and the front of the restaurant area.
4. On top of the freestanding Green Welly Stop sign, pointing away from the road and into the carpark area.

5. On the sign for the Real Food Cafe, pointing into their carpark and away from the road.

Camera 2 is the one most likely to capture at least part of the road alongside the shop and petrol station but judging by the angle he would have been well past there by the time he would have (possibly) come into the camera's view. It depends on how wide the camera's field of view is and whether the freestanding sign would have been in the way at the critical time.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I've been thinking about Tony's route and how he might have changed his plans. If he realised part way into his journey that he had bitten off more than he could chew, his only way home was by rail and that meant he had to reach a railway station.

Once he left Fort William the first place he would have found a railway station, other than by returning to FW, was at Bridge of Orchy and the second was at Upper Tyndrum.

Bridge of Orchy

The station building at BoO has been turned into a bunkhouse, actually an independent hostel, for walkers on the West Highland Way, so he could have got accommodation there for the night. Presumably he didn't, so his other option was to use the waiting room, unless it was locked overnight, and take the first train out.

The last southbound train of the evening leaves at 20.48 or 21.35 (possibly depending on weekday or weekend schedules) and the first train of the morning is 09.07.

The station itself is unnmanned and has no facilities other than the waiting room (there is no CCTV), so the question is whether the waiting room is locked overnight, and if so when is it locked and unlocked and by whom, or is it left open all night as an emergency shelter for walkers?

AFAIK hostels, and some bunkhouses, are manned so in theory the warden at the bunkhouse could have locked and unlocked the waiting room, but did he or she do so?

https://www.thetrainline.com/train-times/bridge-of-orchy-to-glasgow-queen-street

Upper Tyndrum

This is also an unmanned station with a waiting room and without CCTV.

Southbound trains from Tyndrum leave around 15 minutes after they leave BoO, and northbound ones about 12 minutes before they leave for BoO.

Again, if the waiting room was left unlocked all night he could have sheltered there overnight and taken the first train south in the morning. It's possible that the guard on the last train of the night locked the waiting room and the guard on the first train in the morning unlocked it, but given that this was a remote location it may have been left open all night. In any event I'd have thought a guard would remember a cyclist boarding the first train of the day (similarly at BoO).

It's also possible that Tony sheltered at one of these stations overnight and then continued his journey by bike the following morning, but if so surely he'd have had to stop somewhere not too far away for breakfast.