Almost spring-like in Dalkeith

Dalkeith was the destination for today's ride. It had been raining earlier, and the forecast suggested there would be more to come. But by the time the 17 riders gathered at the start, it was dry and the sun was shining down from a clear blue sky. It was breezy, quite cool and felt not quite like spring, but [perhaps] heading in the right direction. The wind strengthened in the afternoon, but the rain stayed away.

Following the customary briefing, our leader for the day, Alison led us off down Middle Meadow Walk. But instead of heading down and turning left onto North Meadow Walk, she took us through George Square, along Crichton Street, right along Potterow, Chapel Street and Buccleuch Street, before turning left up Gifford Park and back onto our usual route. Just before the start it was realised that getting the group along North Meadow Walk would have been difficult as the cycle path section was closed due to the Meadows 5k/10k run. We went past the entrance to the Innocent Tunnel into Holyrood Park, along Duddingston Low Road, and turned right down the steep hill to join the Innocent Railway path which we followed all the way to Musselburgh station. After a brief pause, we headed down the new path beside the railway line, and along The Grove to Whitecraig. The A6094 to Dalkeith was closed, so there was little traffic to contend with, and we were soon on NCN 1 heading towards Dalkeith. Once there, we took the path through Riverside Park to Newmills Road. It was tricky crossing the busy road due to roadworks and the pedestrian crossing being out of action. With everyone safely across, we continued on the paths through the Newbattle Estate to arrive at the kissing gate. This is always a bottleneck, but we were soon through it and making our way into King's Park for our lunch stop. It was a bit cool and breezy, but being outside in the sunshine was very pleasant.

We left the park and rode through the busy town centre to enter Dalkeith Country Park at the end of the High Street. As we got to the more open parts of the park it became clear that the wind was strengthening as we were blown about more. We took our tried-and-tested route through the park until we were almost at the A6094 exit, where we forked left and took a new route to exit through a tall wooden gate, crossed a bridge over the City Bypass and emerged in New Craighall beside the new crematorium. From there, it was a short run back to Musselburgh station, before returning to town via the Innocent Railway - this time going through the tunnel. At The Meadows, Alison declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Alison for leading. Was great to find a new exit from the country park avoiding the section of busy road into Whitecraig. The gate has been closed for a number of years, and it is so good that it is open again. Thanks to Alan for back marking.

Leader: Alison

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Ride to Dalkeith this coming Saturday

We've got our April ride coming up on Saturday (11th). Alison will be leading us to Dalkeith on what promises to be a pleasant scenic route.

The total distance will be around 22 miles, with no particular difficulties. We will mainly be cycling on well-surfaced paths and quiet roads, although there might be a couple of paths that will be a little rough and possibly muddy. Apart from a short stretch through Dalkeith town centre, we should be able to avoid busy roads. Nor do we expect any serious hills.

For our lunch stop, we'll head to the King's Park in the centre of Dalkeith. This is a pleasant spot for picnicking, with plenty of seating. For those who prefer to eat indoors, there is a cafe in the Morrisons supermarket across the street (and also toilets). The cafe serves a range of snacks and light meals, or you can pick up a sandwich and take-away drink to bring to the park.

As always, we'll set out from our meeting point at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk at 10:30. And, as always, you don't need to reply to this post or let anyone know in advance whether or not you plan to join us.

Please remember to bring a spare inner tube and any any tools that might be needed to remove your wheel in the event of a puncture. If you are not comfortable changing a tube, don't worry - there are usually willing helpers on hand.