I had the pleasure of leading today's final Extra ride of the year to Haddington. We often run the last Extra of the year in September, but this year I opted to take the risk and squeeze one more in - giving us a total of six this year. Psychologically, the last one of the year seems to mark the end of summer. That was certainly the case today as we were blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine, the lightest of winds and not the slightest hint of rain. Yes, the day started very cold, but thanks to the sun and light winds it felt very pleasant by mid-morning, and stayed that way all day. We even sat outside at lunchtime. For once, the forecast had been quite accurate. So, as I waited at the start, I was very surprised when there were only four of us come 1030. Another rider appeared just after I had finished giving the briefing, and another joined us as we rode beside the River Esk.
We were on roads and paths I knew like the back of my hand as the six of us made our way up past Campie School, through the houses, past Musselburgh Station and onwards to Whitecraig. From there we took the cycle path towards Dalkeith, turning off and making our way up past Smeaton Shaw Farm and onwards to join the Pencaitland Railway Path at Crossgatehall. For the next 6.5 miles we rode along the delightful path enjoying lovely views as we headed deeper into East Lothian. Apart from when we had to cross the busy A6093, we were well away from any traffic. Except for the occasional wet patches in sections shaded beneath the trees, the path was lovely to ride on and presented no problems. At the end of the path, we turned left and took the minor road into West Saltoun. A couple of the riders commented on what a lovely little village it was. We were now making our way through lovely farming country on quiet roads. We rode through Samuelston, a settlement so small that if you blinked you'd miss it. Several riders commented on the gorgeous long straight and slightly undulating roads that took us ever closer to Haddington. We stopped at the Grant's Braes Monument, a roadside memorial that marks the exact location of the long-demolished cottage where Agnes Broun (mother of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns) lived during the final decades of her life with her other son, Gilbert, and daughter, Annabella. Carrying on, we left the road at a sign for NCN 196 which took us down a path to a quaint white footbridge over the River Tyne and on into Haddington. A short ride along the high street and we were in the centre of town. With everyone ready for lunch, we headed to The Loft Café and Bakery, where we enjoyed lunch sitting in the courtyard which was bathed in warm sunshine.
After an enjoyable lunch, we left town on the B6471. At the signpost for NCN 76, we turned right and headed up the side of the East Lothian Community Hospital and joined the Haddington to Longnidddry Path, another former railway line. This lovely traffic-free path took us to Longniddry, where we took the A198 through the village, turned left under the railway bridge carrying the East Coast Main Line (ECML) and up past the new houses. It was on this stretch that we encountered the first impatient drivers of the day. Despite it being a 30 mph zone, several cars couldn't wait to roar past us at the first opportunity. We were soon back on one of those lovely quiet East Lothian roads devoid of traffic. This took us to a level crossing where we recrossed the ECML. We carefully crossed the dual carriageway and took the path which ran alongside it, before joining the road which dropped steeply downhill towards Port Seton. Usually, we would carry straight on down to the coast, but this time we turned left and followed the road to a new junction. Ahead lie "Willie Innes Way", a new road named after a former local councillor which was unfamiliar to most of the group. We had the exceptionally wide shared-use path to ourselves as we rode towards Prestonpans. We took the road through Prestonpsans before joining the familiar John Muir Way back to Musselburgh via The Lagoons. At the Electric Bridge I declared the ride officially over.
Everyone enjoyed the ride with many having been to places that were new to them, including the Pencaitland and Longniddry paths. Despite a particularly cold start, the weather was very good for mid-October making it feel as if summer was signing off in fine style. For those that didn't make it today, you missed a great ride which rounded off our Extra rides for the year with a flourish. We'll definitely do this ride again, but probably earlier in the year. Thanks to Alan for back marking.
Leader: Glenn
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
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