January ride this coming Saturday

We've got our first ride of 2024 coming up on Saturday (13th). This will again be a half-day run, starting at 10:30 from our usual meeting point at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk, and finishing at or near the Meadows around 13:00.

Under Alison's leadership, the ride will take in some interesting bike routes in the south of the city, including no fewer than five parks. The total distance will be about 12 miles, with most of the route being traffic-free. There will be a few hills, none of them particularly difficult. There will also be a couple of short stretches which will be rough and possibly muddy, where we might need to dismount.

Because this is just a half-day ride, there will be no official lunch stop. There are plenty of cafés, coffee shops and pubs near the finish for those of you who would like to go for a post-ride snack or meal, but that won't be part of the official ride.

Looking ahead, we will be reverting to our usual full-day format from February. I'll post the details of the February run nearer the time.

Remember, there is no need to book in advance for any of our rides.

A short wet cycle

For today's ride we departed from our usual format with a shorter than usual half-day ride finishing around lunch time. Given the weather, no one seemed bothered. The leader had devised an interesting and unusual route to Musselburgh involving some little-known back streets of Portobello, a newly surfaced path near the Honest Toun's station, and some quiet paths through the Gilbertstoun estate. Even our habitual riders found that there were parts of this route that they had never cycled before. It was a wet ride; but the rain wasn't heavy, there was hardly any wind and it was milder than it has been for a while. We did have a bizarre incident with a nimby in Portobello - more of which later.

Given that the day dawned wet from the start and the forecast was for heavy rain later, a turnout of 13 riders was quite good. Following the customary leader's briefing, we headed off to Holyrood Park and on to Duddingston village. Down Duddingston Road, across Milton Road, we waited at Hamilton Terrace to regroup. It was here that the bizarre nimby incident occurred. The leader/writer/photographer (one and the same) was taking photos of the riders on the segregated cycle lane when a local resident appeared telling him not to take photos of lots of riders on the cycle lane, as very few cyclists used it. He didn't want the photos to be used as part of a campaign suggesting the cycle lane was well used. A strange conversation followed where it was explained to him that the photos were being taken for a report on today's 20 Milers ride. The conversation became quite strange and the leader was rescued by Mike who told him politely that we were on a schedule and had to go. Fortunately he didn't run down the road after us trying to continue the conversation, but if he had, few of us would have been surprised. It was a relief to escape from the bizarre conversation. We continued down Brighton Place and onto Portobello prom. Just past the Portobello Swim Centre, we turned up Pittville Street Lane to begin our discovery of the delightful little lanes that exist so close to the prom. To avoid a deep puddle across the width of John Street Lane, we made a detour back to the prom and back up to James Street Lane. Here we found a second wide, deep puddle that stopped us in our tracks. This had not been there on the recce two weeks earlier. More backtracking to the prom followed, along Bedford Terrace and the narrow and cobbled Joppa Park to emerge on Joppa Road. Following that road to Musselburgh would have been the preferred choice; but our recce had flagged a hold up further along due to temporary traffic lights. So a steep little climb up Colliesdene Drive, a twiddle through more quiet back streets and we were on Milton Road. From there, it was an easy run to Fisherrow Harbour for a comfort stop. Ian kindly went round the group handing out lovely homemade mince pies. 

Suitably replenished, we pressed on to the river, ducked under Musselburgh's main road bridge and were soon crossing Olive Bank Road. From there, we joined the Grove to run alongside the River Esk, before crossing it on the footbridge. At Monktonhall, we nipped under the railway bridge on the path which had recently been resurfaced. So much better than the wet muddy mess it used to be, especially on a day like today. Up the lovely new cycle path to the station and back on the familiar territory that is the path to Newcraighall. At Gilbertstoun, we took the last less-familiar part of the route to twist through the estate and emerge at Brunstane station. The familiar Innocent Railway then took us back to the Meadows where the leader declared the ride officially over. He thought a round of applause was beginning, until the rider explained that he was simply trying to warm his cold hands. Perhaps next time. Despite that and the weather, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the ride, and no one seemed upset to have had a shorter route and earlier finish.

Leader: Glenn

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Half-day ride this coming Saturday

As you might know, our rides take place right through the year, including during these winter months. However, for this month and next, we will be departing from our usual format. In December and January, our runs will be shorter than usual: just half-day rides, finishing around lunch time. This is partly in deference to the winter weather and the short daylight hours; and partly (in the case of December) because of the difficulty of finding lunch venues during the festive season.

With that in mind, here are the details of our next ride, which takes place this coming Saturday (9 December).

For this ride, Glenn has devised an interesting and unusual route, involving the back doubles of Portobello, the Musselburgh waterfront and a delightful stretch of the River Esk walkway. Even if you are one of our habitual riders, you might find that there are parts of this route that you have never cycled before.

The total distance will be about 16 miles. It should be a straightforward run, with no difficult hills and with generally good surfaces - apart from a couple of short cobbled stretches.

Time and place

The ride will start as usual at 10:30 form the north end of Middle Meadow Walk.

We will aim to get back to the Meadows by 13:00 at the latest. There will be no official lunch stop, but given the large number of pubs, sandwich shops and cafés near the finish, some of you may wish to get together for a meal or snack after the ride. But if you do, it won't be part of the official event.

Looking ahead

For various reasons, we have decided not to run our customary Christmas morning ride this year. It's possible that someone else will organise a ride for that day. If so, I will let you know.

Our January ride will follow the same half-day format as in December. From February, we will return to our usual full-day runs.

One more thing ...

As some of you will know, 2024 will be a momentous year in the history of the 20-Milers: our 20th anniversary. Our first ever ride took place on 11 September 2004. I would very much welcome any suggestions you might have for how we might mark this important milestone. Please get in touch if you have any ideas.

The wrong way to Mortonhall

Today's ride saw us take some interesting and unusual routes in the south of the city, taking in the Bioquarter, Burdiehouse Valley Park, Mortonhall and Swanston. Lunch was at the Mortonhall Garden Centre. We've been there quite a few times over the years, usually approaching from the west; today we arrived from the east. Crisp, bright winter sunshine and barely any wind was the order of the day, which was nice for November. Thirteen riders mustered for the start.

At the leader's briefing, he emphasised that there would be a few crossings of busy roads to contend with. Briefing over, we headed off towards the Innocent Railway. We whizzed through the tunnel and left the path at Bingham to head up Hay Avenue. This road had been in the national news a week earlier with rioters attacking police with fireworks and petrol bombs; but there was nothing to suggest that as we cycled up the quiet, almost deserted road. We continued through the backstreets of Niddrie to the Bioquarter and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. From there we rode through Moredun, took the cycle path beside Gilmerton Road, which we crossed and took the path beside Morrisons. Cycle paths took us through Gilmerton and Burdiehouse Valley Park to arrive at Lasswade Road. Having crossed the busy road, we regrouped at the entrance back into Burdiehouse Valley Park. As we waited, Ian handed out homemade baking to the group. The path beside Burdiehouse Burn, through quiet backstreets, Captain's Road, Frogston Road East and we were at Mortonhall Garden Centre for our lunch stop. It's a long time since we arrived for lunch before 1200. Most riders headed to the café, whilst a few hardy souls sat outside to eat their packed lunches.

We frequently leave Mortonhall and head towards the Braid Hills. Not today. We took Frogston Road West towards Fairmilehead, turning left and headed towards Morton House and cut through the housing estate just north of Lothianburn Junction. We crossed the busy Biggar Road, then the off and on slip roads for the City Bypass. Leaving the traffic behind, we began to climb the rough path that would take us to the delightful Swanston village where we paused to get our breath back and admire the village. We crossed the City Bypass again, but this time a bridge made life much easier. Across Oxgangs Road, quiet roads and paths through Oxgangs took us to Greenbank Crescent and the traffic lights at Comiston Road. Despite the road works, we were able to go straight across and cycle along Braidburn Terrace. The quiet backstreets of Morningside and Marchmont, along Leamington Walk, and we were back at the Meadows where the leader declared the ride over.

Everyone enjoyed the ride, the weather was kinder to us than we had dared hope in November and it was nice to visit a familiar destination using a far from familiar route. Thanks to Mike for leading, and Yaz for back marking.

Leader: Mike

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

November ride this coming Saturday

We've got our November ride coming up on Saturday (11th). I hope you'll be able to join us.

For this ride, we'll be exploring some interesting and unusual routes in the south of the city, taking in the Bioquarter, Burdiehouse Valley, Mortonhall and Swanston. Most of the ride will be on quiet roads, with just one short stretch that might be busy with traffic. There will also be a couple of rough and possibly muddy paths, but these will be quite short. We will face some moderate hills during the morning, compensated for with a nice a downhill run in the afternoon. It won't be a long ride: slightly less than the nominal twenty miles.

Lunch stop

We'll stop for lunch at the garden centre at Mortonhall. This has a spacious and comfortable self-service restaurant, albeit a little pricey (sandwiches start at £6.25, baked potatoes £8.95). As always, you have the option of bringing a packed lunch.

Logistics

We'll set out at 10:30 from our usual meeting point at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. The ride will go ahead whatever the weather, but if conditions are  particularly bad, we might shorten the route slightly. We'll decide that on the day.

Now that the clocks have gone back, this would be a good time to check that your bike lights are in good order with plenty of battery power. Saturday's ride should end well before dark (sunset is at 16:15 that day), but you might need to bring lights if you have a long way to ride home.

I hope to see you on Saturday, but if you can't make it, keep in mind that our rides continue right through the winter. I'll post details of our December run nearer the time.

How to get lost on the canal

There is a saying in the 20 Milers, "you can't get lost on the canal"; but today's ride to the climbing arena at Ratho saw us do just that. But, in all fairness, it was a matter of missing a turning to leave the canal that caused the problem.

After last Saturday's wall-to-wall heavy rain, it was a relief to see the sunshine today. There was a noticeable breeze and the temperature was below average for mid-October, but the sun stayed with us all day and there wasn't a drop of rain. Following a comprehensive route and safety briefing from the leader, 14 of us left the Meadows to head to the busy Morningside Road via Leamington Walk, Whitehouse Loan and Canaan Lane. The right turn into Balcarres Street at the lights could have been problematic, but we all got across relatively easily. At the end of Craighouse Gardens, we went through the gate in the wall to enter the delightful woods of Easter Craiglockhart Hill. For once, the ground was quite dry. We exited via several steep steps to emerge in Lockharton Crescent. From there we made our way to the busy Colinton Road. We quickly left that behind and were soon joining the Union Canal tow path, which we stayed on for a few miles. It became quieter and more rural as we left the city behind. The trees were beginnig to change colour. With the sunshine and reflections in the water, this was a lovely section of the ride. We left the canal near Ratho Park Golf Club and headed towards the Ratho village. At the back of the group, one unfortunate rider suffered a puncture. The backmarker headed after the group whilst others began to remove the wheel. The backmarker caught the group who were waiting in Ratho village. The group settled down to wait as Alan swapped his leader's hat for his chief mechanic one and headed back down the hill to help. It wasn't quite as straight forward as it might have been, but the puncture was fixed, the group were back together and we were rolling again. We climbed up through Ratho village to join the B7030 at Bonnington. From there, we had some lovely downhill to enjoy, and were soon at the climbing arena. We enjoyed an al fresco lunch at the picnic tables on the terrace, which was a great sun-trap.

Retracing our steps to the B7030, we turned right and just before the bridge carrying the M8, we turned left onto a steep rocky path up to the Union Canal. A couple of riders rode up, but the majority opted to push their bikes up. It was on this stretch that the ride began to unravel. After all, no one gets lost riding beside the canal, do they? The group got stretched out with the front section disappearing out of sight. So, when they left the canal at Ratho's Bridge Inn, those behind sailed past remaining beside the canal. After a while it began to dawn on some of us that the front group were not ahead. So we stopped chasing shadows and decided on our next move. A couple of phone calls later and we were heading back to the Bridge Inn. There we regrouped and began heading back towards the city. We followed quiet back roads, lanes and paths to emerge at Edinburgh Park. Through the Gyle shopping centre, past South Gyle station, through Broomhall and we were soon at Roseburn Park. From there, the familiar route took us back to the Meadows via Russell Road, the Telfer Subway, Fountainpark and the canal.

At the Meadows, the leader declared the ride officially over. There had been a couple of hic-cups along the way, but it had been an enjoyable ride with some lovely scenery and decent weather. Thanks to Alan for leading (and swapping over to become chief mechanic temporarily) and to Mike for back marking with a little help from Yaz.

Leader: Alan

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

October ride this coming Saturday

 We've got our October ride coming up next Saturday (14th).

Under Alan's leadership, we will be heading out to Ratho. The route will take us along some nice country lanes (with good views of the Pentland Hills), a couple of stretches on the canal towpath, and a short rough-ish path through some woods (which might be muddy). There will be more than a few hills especially in the morning, but no real killers. The total distance will be about 22 miles.

Our lunch stop will be at the climbing arena in Ratho. This has a café which serves hot and cold drinks and a limited selection of sandwiches and cakes. On past visits, the service there has been very slow, so you might prefer to bring a packed lunch. There are picnic tables on the terrace as well as some indoor seating (with views of the climbing wall). There are also vending machines selling hot and cold drinks.

As always, these details should be regarded as provisional. We sometimes need to vary the route and destination, depending on conditions on the day. But the meeting time and place are the same as ever: 10:30 at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk.

There's no need for you to contact us in advance. If you fancy joining us, just turn up a the meeting point.