Extra ride to Dunfermline this coming Saturday

We are planning another of our Extra rides for this coming Saturday (26th). Under Alan's leadership, we will be heading over the Forth Road Bridge and into Fife, with a lunch stop in Dunfermline. Alan has worked out a route that avoids the worst of the busy roads that we have faced on this ride in the past, although there will still be a few short stretches where we will encounter some traffic. For the most part, though, we will be riding on quiet roads and well-surfaced paths. There will be a number of hills in the morning but no real killers (and some nice free-wheeling in the afternoon). The total distance will be 30 - 32 miles.

Please remember that these Extras go at a faster pace than our normal rides, with fewer stops. They are suitable for those of our riders who find our usual runs well within their capabilities. Those who are less fit or who haven't cycled for a while might prefer to avoid this one.

Lunch arrangements

Our lunch stop will be in Pittencrieff Park in the centre of Dunfermline. This is a lovely park and an ideal spot for a picnic, so I suggest you bring a packed lunch. Alternatively, there is a cafe in the park, serving a soup of day and a good range of snacks and hot and cold drinks.

Meeting time and place

For this ride, we'll assemble at the Craigleith path junction (see here if you need directions). Please aim to get there in time for a 10:30 departure.

Looking ahead, our next 20-mile ride will take place on 10 October. As usual, I'll post full details here nearer the time.

A rather blowy ride to Roslin

Not far into today's ride to Roslin one rider was heard to say, "it's rather blowy today". That turned out to be a perfect description. There was a noticeable wind that stayed with us all day, we endured a couple of showers, but the temperature was probably about average for early September. The forecast had suggested we would have a mixture of light rain and showers all day, so it was better than that. Roslin has been a regular destination over the years, but whoever is leading always seems to manage to shake up the route just enough to make it a little different. The same thing happened today courtesy of Alison who was leading her second 20 Milers ride in as many months. Given the weather forecast, a turn out of twelve riders was neither unexpected nor disappointing.

With the briefing over, Alison led us away from The Meadows and into the Park via Holyrood Park Road. A short distance along Duddingston Low Road and we dropped down to join the Innocent Railway. We remained on it as far as Bingham, where we turned right under the bridge, up Hay Avenue and across Niddrie Mains Road. Edinburgh Council Quiet Route 61 took us through Niddrie and onwards to the Royal Infirmary. Having crossed Old Dalkeith Road we rode through Mordun, Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park and emerged on Lasswade Road. The shared use path then took us down to Gilmerton Station Road where we joined the Gilmerton to Roslin path. Near Loanhead we stopped to don waterproofs as we now had heavy drizzle to contend with. The writer [as an Englishman who has lived in Scotland for over 35 years] still can't get used to that uniquely Scottish phenomenon where there is rain and bright sunshine at the same time. We carried on across the impressive Bilston Glen Viaduct to arrive in Roslin. The heavy drizzle continued, but soon eased and gave way to blue skies. We spread out between the pub and tea room, whilst the picnickers settled on the benches on the grassy area beside the road.

We regrouped after lunch with those that had been to the tea room telling us that the service had been very slow. We retraced our outward route as far as Lasswade Road. The blue skies had given way to grey, and light rain came and went. At Gilmerton Dykes Road we headed into the new housing estate, where a mixture of quiet roads and paths led us to a sharp steep climb up Ellen's Glen Loan. Following a pause to regroup and get our breath back, we continued along Ellen's Glen Road before turning left onto Gilmerton Road for a short distance. Another left turn onto Double Hedges Road, down Kirk Brae and up Mayfield Road. We turned off and made our way through King's Buildings, crossed West Mains Road, through The Grange and returned to The Meadows where Alison declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Alison for leading an enjoyable ride that had taken many to places they had not been before. Thanks to Saqib for back marking.

Leader: Alison

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

September ride this coming Saturday

 We've got our September ride this coming Saturday (12th), when Alison will be leading us to Roslin.

This will be a fairly straightforward run. We'll be using a mixture of quiet roads and off-road paths, with just a few not-too-difficult hills. The total distance will be about 21 miles.

Lunch choices

At Roslin, there is a nice quiet spot near the chapel and castle where we can eat our picnics. For those who prefer to have lunch indoors, Dolly's Tea Room offers a range of soup, sandwiches, toasties and panini at reasonable prices. A third option is the Original Rosslyn Inn, but keep in mind that this is more expensive than the tea room and with slower service.

Time and place

We'll set out from our standard meeting point at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk at the usual time of 10:30.

As I hope you know by now, there is no advance booking for our rides. Just turn up on the day.

Looking ahead, we've got another of our Extra rides planned for the 26th of this month. And our next standard ride will be on 10 October. Look out for details of those rides in due course.

How Merryhatton became Athelstaneford

Today's Extra ride to the Merryhatton Garden Centre (well, it was originally, but more on that shortly) has become an enduring late August date in the group's calendar. The original route was instigated by a stalwart of the 20 Milers, our much-missed friend - the late Logan Strang who passed away in 2017. It has been my pleasure to lead this ride every year it has run since 2017. In 2024 a sinkhole closed off part of the route, and we were unable to come up [at short notice] with a way round it, so were unable to run the ride. By the following year we had altered the route to bypass the sinkhole, which remains. Another snag cropped up when we were recce-ing today's ride a few weeks ago. We discovered the Merryhatton Garden Centre has changed hands and the reasonably-priced café with relatively speedy service is no more. As a result, we decided that going there for lunch was no longer a viable option. So we needed an alternative lunch venue or we would need to consider scrapping a long-standing and popular ride. As the ride takes us out into the depths of the East Lothian countryside, no alternative lunch venue sprang to mind. But we all agreed that we didn't want to scrap such a wonderful ride, especially with it being Logan's legacy. On the recce we discovered that there are picnic tables and a bench in Athelstaneford Village Park. We had a plan. So long as the weather played ball, it could work. As it happened, we were blessed with weather that was bright, sunny at times, dry, with a very light breeze and pleasant temperatures.

With a compliment of 13 riders and a promising sounding weather forecast, things were looking good. During my briefing, I mentioned that we would need to contend with stretches on two quite busy roads which would necessitate staying in smaller groups. I'm pleased to report this is what happened, and made those stretches less stressful and safer for us all. We left Fisherrow Harbour, crossed the River Esk by the Electric Bridge and made our way to the path beside Musselburgh Racecourse. We then made our first off-road excursion of the day through the trees to emerge beside the coast, and onwards to Prestonpans. We left the High Street at a sign for the "John Muir Way". This section of raised road beside the sea is much nicer than the main road through the town, and was new to many of the group. We re-joined the coast road for a while before taking the shared-use path running alongside, before taking quiet backstreets past Cockenzie and Port Seton harbours. Along the seafront, we paused to look at the new water fountain that one of the group had flagged up. They said they had used it on several occasions to top up their water bottle when returning from rides in East Lothian. A shared-use path took us to the entrance to Seton Sands Caravan Park where we re-joined the coast road. The road was busy in places, but I've seen it a lot worse. Riding in smaller groups was definitely the right approach. After the section where the road hugs the coastline at Gosford Sands and then heads inland, we stopped at the entrance to Green Craig where Iain passed round his delicious homemade cakes. I then gave riders the choice of taking the busy road or the delightful path that runs alongside through the woods separated from the road by a stone wall. All but one opted to avoid the road. In Aberlady we took a quiet back road to join the A6137, before taking the busy B1377 to Drem. Once again, we split into smaller groups before regrouping on the quiet road beside Drem railway station. Quiet country roads then took us to the Merryhatton Garden Centre, which we swept past without stopping and onwards to Athelstaneford Village Park for our picnic lunch stop. We spread out in the sunshine making use of the picnic tables and a bench whilst others opted to sit on the grass. With lunch over, a couple of riders had a go on the play park zip-wire, having first checked that there were no children about.

We left the park and rode a short distance up the main street to the National Flag Heritage Centre in the grounds of the parish church. Having found out a little about the history of the Scottish flag, we left the village on the quiet B1343. The road climbs very gradually which is only noticeable due to the headwind; but today was so calm it was like riding along a flat road. We crossed the Haddington road and regrouped. On this road past the Hopetoun monument, several riders commented on the beautiful views across farmland down to the sea. We then joined the A6317 for our only significant climb of the day. The climb was soon over, we crested the brow of the hill, turned right and were on another lovely quiet East Lothian road. There followed a fantastic steep descent that was enjoyed by all. Relatively flat roads then took us to the level crossing near Longniddry. For once, the barriers were up and we all got across, but only just as they came down behind us. We carefully crossed the busy A198 dual carriageway to join the shared-use path alongside. Another steep descent took us into Cockenzie, where we had a comfort stop. From there we rode past the harbour, through Prestonpans and onto the path beside the coast that took us back to Musselburgh. At the Electric Bridge, I declared the ride officially over.

Everyone enjoyed the ride; the weather had been kind to us and the new lunch venue met with approval. Some on the ride went to new places they had never been before. I find that to be one of the most satisfying aspects of leading a ride; whether it's a route that is new to everyone or just to a few - it makes it all worthwhile. Thanks to Saquib for back marking. And thanks to Logan for leaving us with such a fantastic ride as his lasting legacy.

Leader: Glenn

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn 

Extra ride to East Lothian next Saturday

We've got the fourth of this summer's Extra rides next Saturday (29th).

In what has become very much a tradition for our August Extras, this ride will be in memory of Logan Strang, a long-standing 20-Milers regular who died while cycling with some of our group in 2017. The route is one that he often took us on and which was a particular favourite of his.

The route

The ride will start in Musselburgh. Under Glenn's leadership, we'll head east along the coast road, part of which is an A-road and therefore possibly busy with traffic. But it has the advantage of being reasonably flat - not to mention having excellent views over the Firth of Forth. We'll turn inland at Aberlady, after which we'll take mainly quiet roads to Drem, East Fortune and Athelstaneford.

The return leg will also be on quiet roads through attractive countryside. There will be a few hills on this part of the route, but there will only be one that is likely to be at all strenuous. We'll eventually rejoin the coast near Seton Sands before returning to Musselburgh.

Be aware that this will be a particularly long ride. The total distance from and to Musselburgh will be about 36 miles. Musselburgh is a further seven miles from central Edinburgh, so, depending where you start from, your total mileage might be nearer 50. As well as the extended mileage, the ride will go at a faster pace and with fewer stops than most of our runs. Please keep that in mind when deciding if your fitness level will be right for this outing.

Lunch stop

Although the route will be the similar to previous years, the lunch arrangements will be different. We previously stopped for our midday break at the cafe at the Merryhatton garden centre. Unfortunately, the centre recently changed hands and there is no longer a suitable cafe there.

Fortunately, there is a nice picnic spot at Athelstaneford - just a mile or so further on from the garden centre. So please be sure to bring food and drink for a picnic lunch. There are picnic tables and toilets there (there are also toilets at the meeting place and we'll have an additional toilet stop on the way home).

As you might know, Athelstaneford is noted as the "home of the Saltire". If time permits, we'll have a very brief stop at the parish church where there is a small exhibit telling the story of the Scottish flag.

Time and place

Our meeting point for the ride will be Fisherrow Harbour in Musselburgh (see here if you need directions). Please be there in time for a 10:30 departure. The ride will finish in Musselburgh mid- to late-afternoon.

Before you set out

As always on a long ride, it is important for our bikes to be in good road-worthy condition.  So before you set out, please check that your tyres are properly inflated and free of stones or other fragments that might cause punctures, and that the gears and brakes are working smoothly. I know I don't need to remind you to bring a spare inner tube and whatever tools, if any, are required for removing your wheels in the event of a puncture.

As always, there is no need to let us know in advance whether you intend to join us. If you plan to attend, just turn up at the appointed time and place.

A new twist on a familiar route

Today saw us head out to Craigie Farm. It's one of our regular rides, but there was a new twist on the route which had many riders commenting on how unfamiliar it was to them. The weather turned out to be better than expected with several riders removing layers even before we set off. It stayed dry all day and was pleasantly warm, without being too hot - ideal cycling weather. A turn out of fourteen riders was acceptable rather than good; but August is often a strange month with riders on holiday or attending the Festival. In amongst the regular faces, it was good to see at least one new rider. There was an ironic moment when a driver that had been driving dangerously decided to tell us how we should have been cycling.

Following her briefing, Alison led us away from our meeting point. Perhaps it can be blamed on the large crowds (thanks to the Festival) milling around, but there was a moment of confusion when the group turned left at the Middle Meadow Walk crossroads rather than going straight across. Fortunately, we soon got sorted out and were heading to Roseburn Park by the familiar route via Bruntsfield Links, Leamington Bridge and across the Western Approach Road. We then joined Edinburgh Council Quiet Route 9 through Saughtonhall, Carrick Knowe and Broomhouse. After crossing Meadowplace Road we rode through Gyle Park to arrive at the very busy Glasgow Road. Unable to all get across in one go, we regrouped on the other side and headed through quiet back streets and past Craigmount High School to join Craigs Road. Having crossed Maybury Road, we made our way through the new housing development and onwards to Turnhouse. On this section, Julie (one of our regular riders who couldn't make today's ride) stood at her front gate and waved to us as we rode by. Near to Lennie Mains, Alison led us down a gravel track searching for Craigiehall Temple. We found some houses, but not the temple. At least there was a nice horse in the field. Back to the road for a short distance, before turning off through the woods to the delightful Grotto Bridge where we paused to admire the waterfalls and rapids of the River Almond. From there we made our way through the former Craigiehall Army HQ. The route we used to take is fenced off, but an alternative one led us through the estate to emerge beside the A90. The path beside the road took us to the Burnshot Bridge where we joined the road to Kirkliston. It sometimes seems as if each time we use this stretch of road the experience is more unpleasant than the time before. That was certainly the case today. Riding two vehicles behind the rest of the group, the writer was able to see clearly what was unfolding. It wasn't safe for the van to get past, but the driver of the car behind kept crossing the white line looking as if he was about to embark on a suicide pass. They did this numerous times and could be heard shouting. They then deliberately slowed down and the writer ended up alongside. In a breath-taking moment of hypocrisy, he then proceeded to share his opinion on how the group should have been riding to avoid inconveniencing him. Oh, the irony of it! The road then straightened out and he and the van were gone. We turned right and climbed the short steep hill to Craigie Farm and our lunch stop. Most of us had a picnic lunch. Feedback from some of those that used the café was not positive, even those wanting a take-away drink. 

Straight after lunch we had the pleasure of a lovely descent. The writer stopped at the bottom to take photos of the riders coming down. Having got some photos, he thought, "there's quite a gap. I wonder if there has been a hold-up on the hill?" After waiting a few minutes, the realisation dawned that everyone had come down and he was waiting in vain. Whoops! So, back on the bike and he headed off in pursuit of the group, catching them on the climb up to Burnshot Bridge. Following the obligatory pause at Old Cramond Brig, we took the familiar route back via Barnton and Silverknowes to Craigleith; the only difference being at the end of Barnton Avenue we turned right and then left through Tesco's car park and took the path through to join the Blackhall Path further down. From Craigleith we took the usual route back to The Meadows via the Roseburn Path, the zig-zags, Fountainhall and the Leamington Bridge. We were in for a shock at the Leamington Bridge. Having been there for what seems like an eternity, the temporary traffic lights on Lower Gilmore Place have finally gone. A short distance from there, after a six year refurbishment, the King's Theatre looked resplendent in front of us as we waited for the traffic lights to change. Back amongst the crowds at The Meadows Alison declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Alison for leading us to an old favourite with a couple of twists to the route to keep it interesting. A most enjoyable ride which was appreciated by all. Thanks to Alan for back marking.

Leader: Alison

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Two rides planned for August

We've got two rides coming up this month: our standard "second Saturday" run this coming weekend; and our fourth Extra of the season on the 29th.

Saturday 8 August: Craigies Farm

For this Saturday's ride, Alison will be leading us to Craigies Farm. Our route will be similar to one that we have done several times before, but there will be at least one interesting new twist - more about that when we get to it. We will have the usual steep climb up to the farm just before lunch, as well as a couple of other moderate hills during the morning. Apart from that, I don't foresee any difficulties. The total distance will be just under twenty miles.

Craigies Farm has a spacious cafe with a varied menu - albeit a fairly pricey one. There are also outside tables for those who prefer to bring a picnic lunch (as well some seating under cover in case of rain).

We'll set out from our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk at 10:30. We'll aim to finish the ride at or near the Meadows around the middle of the afternoon.

Saturday 29 August: Merryhatton

For this month's Extra, Glenn will be leading us on what has become our traditional August run, to the Merryhatton garden centre. This is a particularly scenic route though pleasant East Lothian countryside. But do keep in mind that, like all our Extras, it will be longer than our usual rides, with a somewhat faster pace and fewer stops. This one will be about 35 miles, starting and ending in Musselburgh. I'll post full details here nearer the time.

As I'm sure you know by now, all our rides are free, with no advance booking. If you'd like to join us, just turn up on the day.