April 20-Milers on Saturday

 Just a quick reminder of our ride this coming Saturday (8th April). Alison will be leading us on what looks like a very pleasant route to Dalkeith. The total distance will be about 24 miles. I don't foresee any difficulties apart from a couple of short stretches through the centre of Dalkeith that might be busy with traffic. There won't be any killer hills, and the paths will mostly have good surfaces.

For our lunch stop, we'll head to the King's Park, where there is plenty of space for picnicking. 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 take to the park.

We'll meet at 10.30, at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. As always, the ride is free and open to all, with no advance booking.

Roslin by an unfamiliar route

Today's ride saw us head out to Roslin by a route that was far from familiar to all except the leader. All week the weather forecast had carried warnings of snow. On Friday it was suggested we would miss the snow, but it would be bitterly cold. On the day we had bright sunshine and blue skies, hardly any wind, and whilst it wasn't warm, it was more pleasant than anyone had dared hope. That certainly helped muster a very respectable 21 riders.

Following the leader's customary briefing, we headed towards Holyrood Park. On this occasion, we didn't enter the Innocent Tunnel. Instead we took the road through the park and onwards to Duddingston village. Taking the path by Duddingston House and past the golf course, we continued to the bus terminus at Bingham Medway. Under the bridge, across Niddrie Mains Road, along Niddrie Marishal Road and we were soon passing the Jack Kane Centre. At this point most of the group were in unfamiliar territory. Following a brief stop whilst the leader offered around homemade cake, lightly used paths took us through Hunter's Hall Park to emerge beside a tower block in Greendykes. From there we made our way to Danderhall and cut through the new housing estate to arrive at the start of the Danderhall to Roslin cycleway. The cycleway was surprisingly busy with walkers with and without dogs, clearly making the most of the better than expected weather. After a pleasant, trouble-free ride we rolled into Roslin for our lunch stop. Most riders headed to the café, with the remainder heading to the pub or a picnic in the graveyard near the chapel. The picnickers found it reasonably mild as they enjoyed lunch in such a quiet and peaceful spot.

Lunch over, we regrouped in the village and headed back to the cycleway towards Danderhall. We left the path and made our way up the cycle path alongside Lasswade Road, before turning off to make our way through the backstreets of Gilmerton and Moredun. We skirted the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and rode past Craigmillar Castle and through Craigmillar Castle Park to emerge on Peffermill Road. Across the road, through the industrial estate and we were at the Innocent Railway. From there we headed back to the Meadows where the leader declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Iain for managing to plot a route to a familiar destination that took us on roads and paths that were new to all of us. It's great when someone can do that as it keeps the rides fresh. And we mustn't forget to say how much the home baking was appreciated. Thanks to Neil for back marking, and thanks to the weather for being considerably better than anyone had dared to expect.

Leader: Iain

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

March ride this coming Saturday

We've got our March ride coming up on Saturday (11th) - exactly one year after we resumed our full-day runs following the pandemic.

For this ride, Iain will be taking us to Roslin. I don't have any details of the route, but based on previous Roslin runs, I would expect it to be in the region of 22 miles, mainly on quiet roads and well-surfaced paths, with a bit of climbing in the morning and some nice downhills in the afternoon.

At Roslin, there will be a choice of lunch venues. Dolly's Tea Room offers a range of soup, sandwiches, toasties and panini, at reasonable prices. The Original Rosslyn Inn also offers a good selection but is more expensive and with slower service. A third option would be to bring a packed lunch: there are some pleasant picnic spots near the chapel and castle. You can also pick up a take-away sandwich and hot drink from Dolly's.

The meeting time and place are as constant as the North Star: 10:30 from the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. As always, there is no need to contact us in advance. If you would like to join us, just turn up.

This isn't South Queensferry

Today's leader has several rides under their belt - all to South Queensferry. The group has always prided itself on offering a wide variety of routes and destinations. Against this backdrop, the leader decided she didn't want to be typecast as the Queen of South Queensferry. As a result, today's ride saw us head out to Heriot Watt University's Riccarton Campus by a less familiar route.

The forecast suggested we were in for a dry day with milder temperatures than we might expect at this time of year. That clearly helped muster 21 riders at the start - which is a respectable turn out for February. The forecast wasn't far off. A couple of very short spells of light drizzle and the temperature dropping a little in the afternoon was nothing to worry about.

Following the customary briefing, we left the Meadows behind, heading to the Telfer Subway via Bruntsfield Links and the Leamington Bridge. The usual path to Dalry Road was closed for works, so a short detour via Orwell Terrace was necessary. We were soon back on our usual route to Murrayfield where we began following the Water of Leith. We crossed Balgreen Road and headed through Saughton Park and continued along the Water of Leith path as far as the visitor centre. Here we paused for a comfort stop and Iain kindly handed round homemade cake. The cake was enjoyed by all, including a lovely little robin that joined us. We then had a short stretch on the busy Lanark Road. The segregated cycle lane being most welcome. We turned off at Redhall Bank Road and re-joined the Water of Leith path. There followed a good spell on the path, through the Colinton Tunnel and onwards towards Balerno. We left the path at Kirkgate, crossed Lanark Road West and made our way through the quiet backstreets of Riccarton, along Curriehill Road and took the back entrance into the Heriot Watt campus for our lunch stop.

After an indoor picnic lunch (the best sort of picnic at this time of year) we meandered through the campus and made our way to Gogar Station Road. From there, the path we often use took us to Edinburgh Park via the subway, which was particularly smelly on this occasion. Through Edinburgh Park, past South Gyle station, through Broomhall and Carrick Knowe, we joined the cycle path that took us to Balgreen Road and back to Murrayfield. It was beginning to get busy as rugby fans made their way to the stadium for the Scotland v Wales match which kicked off a couple of hours later. From there we retraced our morning route back to the Meadows; this time going via the Kings Theatre rather than Bruntsfield Links. There the leader declared the ride officially over.

Everyone enjoyed the ride, several riders commenting that they had either been to new places or on a different route to places they had been before. That is always the sign of a good ride. Thanks to Yaz for leading and confirming she is much more than a South Queensferry one-trick-pony. Thanks to Alan for back marking.

Leader: Yaz

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

February ride this coming Saturday

We've got our February ride coming up on Saturday (11th). Yaz will be leading us on what looks like a very pleasant route through the west of the city, with a total distance of 21 miles. I hope you'll be able to join us.

The route

For this ride, we'll be heading out through Roseburn and along the Water of Leith as far as Currie, and then on to our lunch stop at Riccarton. Most of this part of the route will be on paths with good surfaces, although there might be one or two rough or muddy sections. There will also be one short stretch on a main ride that might be busy with traffic.

The return leg will follow paths and quiet roads by way of Edinburgh Park, Pinkhill and Murrayfield. There will be a few gentle hills along the way, but nothing particularly difficult.

Lunch arrangements

We'll stop for lunch at the Heriot Watt campus. Please note that there is no catering of any kind at the campus. The large cafeteria there is no longer open on Saturdays, nor are there any cafes or food outlets nearby. For this reason, you are strongly advised to bring your own food.

But don't worry: you won't have to picnic in the cold or wet (unless you want to), as there is plenty of seating inside the main university building.

Time and place

We'll meet at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk, aiming for a 10:30 departure. This won't be a very long ride: I expect we'll be back at the Meadows early to mid afternoon.

As always, there is no need for you to contact us in advance. If you are planning to attend, just turn up on the day.

Other points

As with all our rides, the details given here should be regarded as provisional. The meeting time and place are fixed, but we reserve the right to change the route according to conditions on the day. This doesn't happen very often, but it is always a possibility.

And finally, please remember that, if you unlucky enough to get a puncture, it will be very much easier to get you back on the road if you bring a spare inner tube suitable for your wheel size. And if you don't have quick-release hubs on both your wheels, please also bring whatever tools are needed to remove the wheels. If you don't know what tools or size of tube you need, your local bike shop will advise.

I think that covers everything. I hope to see you on Saturday or whenever.

A chilly start to the year

Eight hardy riders braved the elements for our first ride of 2023. Not a bad turnout considering the conditions: very cold, windy, heavy showers, albeit with some occasional spells of sunshine. Alan led the group on a familiar route in the west of the city, stopping for a late lunch at Craigie's Farm.

Unfortunately your two official blog reporters were both absent from the ride, laid low by various bugs, aches and pains. Hence this abbreviated write-up. Sorry about that. We should be back to normal in time for our February outing.

Leader: Alan

Report (such as it is): Mike

Photo: Alison

 

20-Milers ride this coming Saturday

 This is just a quick reminder of our ride this coming Saturday (14th). I don't yet have any firm details of the route, but we will likely be heading to the west of the city, with a lunch stop at Craigie's Farm. Based on previous rides in that direction, I would expect the total distance to be around the 20-mile mark, with some short stretches on rough paths and one fairly steep hill just before lunch. Most of the mileage is likely to be in the morning, which means that lunch will be on the late side.

The cafe at Craigie's offers a good choice of sandwiches, salads and a soup of the day. There is also a separate picnic area which is suitable for those of us who are prepared to brave the weather with a packed lunch.

The meeting time and place are the same as ever: 10:30 from the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. All are welcome.