In the briefing at the start of today's ride, I felt obliged to give a warning about something that rarely comes up on our rides: the risk of heat exhaustion. We are officially in the middle of a heat wave, with the afternoon's temperature forecast to reach 25C. Folk in some southern regions might not think of that as particularly hot (it has recently been over 32C in parts of southern England), but it is not something we in south east Scotland are accustomed to.
Despite the heat (or perhaps because of it), twenty riders joined us for today's outing. It was good to see several newcomers in the group. Our destination was the Harlaw Reservoir, a ride that inevitably involves some substantial climbing.
The first part of our route was a familiar one: Roseburn Park, Pinkhill, South Gyle Station, Edinburgh Park and Herriot-Watt. So far, reasonably flat. But then the climbing started – gently at first – through the back streets of Currie and Newmills. Reaching Balerno, we faced the real work of the day: the final haul up to the reservoir. In previous years, we have taken the direct route up Harlaw Road, which frankly is a slog. But last year we found a better option, via Johnsburn Road and Cockburn Crescent. It involves the same overall ascent, but is spread over a longer distance and so avoids the worst of the gradients. It is also particularly scenic, with open views to the west and a delightful wooded section through Malleny Millgate. It was this route that we took this time.
Not surprisingly, the reservoir was crowded. There were people venturing onto the water with paddle boards, inflatable dinghies and the like, not to mention the usual anglers and dog-walkers. But we all managed to find a nice spot for our picnic lunch, with some of us settling on the grassy water's bank and others heading for the walled garden. Because of the heat, some of the group were running alarmingly low on drinking water, but a pair of rangers came to our rescue by allowing us to top up our water bottles in the kitchen in the former visitor centre (which has been closed to the public for several years).
Return to town
Lunch over, we set out on the return leg. Pausing at the top of the Currie Kirkgate, we saw a remarkable view. Looking down, we could see the whole of the Firth of Forth blanketed by a low dense haar, while the rest of city and the Fife hills were all clearly visible in the sunshine. Folk in Granton, Newhaven and the Fife coastal villages must have been shivering with cold while those just half a mile inland would have been sweltering. Such are the quirks of the Scottish climate.
We continued through Easter Kinleith and then along a series of paths alongside the Clubbiedean and Torduff reservoirs. This is a very scenic route, but some of the paths were quite rough – so much so that some of us decided to dismount and push for short distances. At least it was all downhill now, with the bonus of a pleasant easterly breeze to cool us down. Before long we were off the hills and heading down through Bonaly and Colinton Mains, and then along the Braid Burn path, through Braidburn Valley Park and the Braid Estate, and so back to the Meadows.
We all managed to finish the run without any ill effects from the heat. And the reservoir proved to be an ideal spot for our picnic lunch, being high up and exposed to the cooling breeze. It was good to be able to enjoy some sunshine, given that the weather will probably soon be back to its normal uncertain state.
Leader: Mike
Report: Mike
Photos: Glenn and Mike
