If you've followed my posts over 2012 for Cisco Data Center,  you may have noticed that I took a slight departure back in September from data center topics to tell you about a "Giving Back" initiative I was part of in 2012 -the "Deloitte Ride Across Britain" (RAB).   I noted previously the role of Cisco WAAS as part of our "Network on Wheels", one of the technologies we consult on in our Cisco Data Center Services customer engagements.   I did at the time promise an update on the actual ride itself, which if you read my earlier post, you may be interested in. So forgive me while I stray from the data center topic for today!

 What prompted me to remember to post this update, to be honest, was the announcement yesterday from CNN of the world's top travel destinations for 2013 -and my home country of Scotland was named by CNN  as the#1 destination for 2013(!)  One the the reasons for this accolade was the scenery shown as part of the James Bond "Skyfall" file -which included a dramatic chase through the Glencoe area of the West Highlands of Scotland -an area that we cycled through on the RAB a few months back, into some horrendous winds.

You can read more about our ride -including the 60mph winds, the scenery around Glencoe and our cycle by Loch Ness (home to the famous monster ) - on our Corporate Social Responsibility blog.

As a taster, see the short video clip (above), taken by Cisco UK & Ireland CEO Phil Smith, who joined for the final 2 stages of the ride, and also see below some of  the scenery we passed on the cycle.

Now that we've started 2013, I promise I will get back to the data center topic soon, so look out for more on my current theme of the "Cisco Domain Ten" framework for data center transformation over the  next few days and weeks.

One of the Glencoe Mountains -Buachaille Etive Mor -from the Entrance to Glencoe Mountain Resort