EDINBURGH 20-MILERS

20th Anniversary Year

You are welcome to join our easy-paced bike rides. Click here for all the information you need.

Pages

Sunday 23 April 2017

Evening rides start this week


Starting this coming Thursday (27th April), we will be having an evening ride every week throughout the summer. These rides will be about 15 miles or so, and will be taken at a moderate "sociable" pace. That means about 10 mph, which is a little faster than our Saturday runs but not so fast that you can't keep up a conversation.

The details are as follows:


Meeting point: At the very end of the Union Canal in Fountainbridge. Look for us near the outside tables at the back of the Akva bar.

Start time: We'll gather from 18.30, in time for a 18.45 departure.

Finish time: Most rides will end around dusk, which is about 20.30 at present but nearer 22.00 in mid June. Be sure to bring lights (with plenty of spare battery power).

Cost and booking: Like all of our rides, these evening runs are completely free, with no need to book in advance.

Other details: In most cases, the ride will end at or near the start point. There might sometimes be an optional pub visit at the end of the ride, but note that there will be no official meal break.

We won't be posting individual reminders for these rides, so keep the above details handy. There is also a special blog page where you can find details of the routes that have been planned so far, as well as directions to the meeting point and other useful information. See http://20milers.pbworks.com.

Thanks to Jim for taking the initiative in planning and organising these events.

Monday 17 April 2017

Pedal on Parliament this Saturday


20-Milers meeting for the 2016 PoP
As you probably know, the annual Pedal on Parliament takes place this coming Saturday (22nd April). This is a fun event, in which thousands of cyclists descend on the city centre, and ride from the Meadows to Holyrood on roads closed to motor vehicles.

As usual, a 20-Milers contingent will be taking part. We will meet outside the Bicycle Works in Argyle Place (which is just south of the Meadows, near the southern end of Middle Meadow Walk). We'll gather from 11.00, and aim to join to main crowd on the Meadows at 11.15.

If you miss us at the above meeting point, make your own way to the Meadows, and look out for us there.

The event includes a mass bell-ringing, so if you have a particularly loud bell or a hooter, please bring it. If you can decorate your bike with flags or balloons, so much the better.

I hope you'll be able to make it. If you want to know more about Pedal on Parliament, have a look at the event's website.

Wednesday 12 April 2017

Our next cycling weekend: Perth in May


This year's 20-Milers cycling weekend will be to Perth on 20th – 21st May.

We'll leave Edinburgh on the Saturday morning and make our way to Perth. We'll  stay overnight (all meet up for dinner) in Perth and return to Edinburgh on the Sunday.

The pace will be similar to a usual 20-Milers rides. The distance each day will be about 40 miles.

You will need to book your own accommodation. It's very likely that we'll end up in several different hotels / guest houses / bed &  breakfasts.

If you are interested in joining this ride, please let Glenn know. This doesn't commit you to anything. It's just to give us an idea of numbers, and also so that we can keep you informed of any changes in plan.

Please reply direct to Glenn Brearley, glenn.brearleyATTforestry.gsi.gov.uk (replace ATT with the usual AT-sign).

Saturday 8 April 2017

Carberry beneath blue skies


At the end of a week when the 20 Milers had said farewell to one of their own; today's ride was never going to be easy. A respectable turn out of 25 riders gathered at the start for the April ride to Carberry. Beneath blue skies with a slight chill in the air, the leader spent a couple of minutes paying tribute to Logan Strang who sadly passed away whilst riding with friends from the group on 25th March. There then followed the customary briefing before we headed off towards the Innocent tunnel in one group. It was good to see new faces and some we hadn't seen for a while mixed in with the regular ones. It was nice to see the road works had gone from Milton Road as we made our way towards Musselburgh station along familiar paths. At the station, we halted as various sweets and cakes were passed round. Just after leaving the station, we realised that the back marker and a couple of others were missing. The group waited a few minutes. With no sign of them, a rider was sent back to look for them. No joy. We set off hoping that they would wait by the River Esk and rejoin us there. That's what happened. After leaving the station, they had lost sight of the rest of the group and taken the second left rather than the third. We were now all back together; suspecting that Logan was laughing at us from on high. We crossed the river, made our way down the side of the race course and onto the John Muir Way as far as Prestonpans. Following a brief comfort stop, we made our way past Prestonpans station before turning onto a track that took us to the cyclepath and to the edge of Tranent. From there we climbed steadily to Elphinstone. It was now quite warm as the chill wind had dropped. Layers of clothing were shed. After re-grouping on the forecourt of a classic car dealership, we took the lovely quiet road that brought us to Crossgatehall. Just down from there, we entered the lovely Carberry estate. A ride along dirt tracks in the estate, back onto the road and we arrived at Craig House for our lunch stop. We were slightly later than planned. But no one minded as we spread ourselves around the beer garden tables in the warm sunshine. This was in contrast to the day of the recce, when four brave souls had endured dreadfully wet weather.

Lunch over, we got back on the road and began our journey towards Edinburgh. We made our way through the village of Inveresk to the church. After negotiating a gate, we sped downhill and onto the path beside the River Esk known as "The Grove". This took us to Tesco. Getting all the riders across the road took a few minutes. From there we made our way to Fisherrow Harbour. Crossing the busy road out of Musselburgh, quiet back roads took us to a gate in a wall. Through the gate, a short stretch on a busy road, through a hole in the wall and we were on the Brunstane path. We were making good progress until we came to a fence blocking the path. Fortunately, there was a diversion that took us to where we needed to be. From there, a familiar route took us back to the Meadows. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the ride, and the newcomers were made to feel welcome. We had lovely weather and for most of the group, they had discovered places they hadn't been before. On a ride the leader had dedicated to Logan, I think we did him proud. He was in our thoughts and conversations a lot today and we can be sure he would have enjoyed the ride. We will miss him, but never forget him. Logan, thank you for being our friend - it was a privilege.

Leader: Glenn
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: Jim