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.

Four seasons at the Lost Shore

Today's ride saw us head out to the Lost Shore Surf Resort near Ratho. The month of March lived up to its reputation by giving us four seasons in one day - hailstones, wind and a brief spell of warm sunshine. The forecast suggested it would stay dry until late afternoon, but that wasn't to be. It was bright and sunny but cool as an impressive turnout of twenty riders gathered at the start. There was even a new rider and a returnee we hadn't seen for quite a while.

Our leader for the day, Alan gave his usual in-depth briefing prior to us heading off towards Murrayfield via Bruntsfield Links, the Leamington Bridge and Roseburn Park. Through Saughtonhall, along the cycle path behind Silvan House, along Meadowhouse Road, and we then stopped beside the dovecot that gives Dovecot Road its name. Perhaps it was a little early in the ride for a refuelling stop [given some of the climbing that lay ahead], but Iain and the writer went amongst the group offering cakes. With the cake-stop over, we pressed on through Broomhall to South Gyle station where we dismounted and pushed our bikes along the walkway that is there whilst the bridge is being worked on. After remounting, we made our way through the Gyle Shopping Centre car park, through Edinburgh Park, took the subway under the Edinburgh City Bypass, along Gogarbank, Gogarmuir Road and Ransfield Road, before turning right to take the downhill followed by a stiff little climb up into Ratho village. We then climbed up through the village and out to join the B7030 for our final downhill run to the Lost Shore Surf Resort. A combination of dangerously impatient drivers and being blasted in the face with heavy rain made this the most unpleasant part of the whole ride. It was a relief to turn off onto the quiet road that took us to our lunch stop. Some riders headed to the dry and warmth of the café, whilst others decided to tough it out in the rain on the picnic tables. A few minutes later we were sitting beneath blue skies and basking in warmish sunshine.

The sun was still shining as we headed up the path back towards Ratho village. But before we had left the village we were being hit by hailstones. Several riders stopped to don waterproofs whilst others gritted their teeth and pressed on. We regrouped just before Roddinglaw by which time it was dry. Usually, we would have turned left onto the unsurfaced track past Kellerstain, but on the outward journey we had seen a sign telling us that Gogar Station Road was closed. Instead we stayed on Roddinglaw Road and joined Gogarbank to retrace our outward route from the morning to Edinburgh Park. From there we took the cycle path alongside Bankhead Drive, Broomhouse Drive and Stenhouse Drive before joining the path beside the tram tracks that took us back to Jenners Depository. Our route back to The Meadows was almost the same as our outbound route, the only difference being that we went via the King's Theatre rather than Bruntsfield Links.

It had been a enjoyable ride despite the changeable weather. Thanks to Alan for leading and thanks to Saquib for back marking.

Leader: Alan

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Ride to Ratho this coming Saturday

 Hello everyone,

We've got our March ride this coming Saturday (14th). Under Alan's leadership, we'll be heading out to Ratho. The route will mainly involve quiet roads and firm surfaces, but there will also be a couple of short off-road sections that might be a bit rough. We can expect some steep climbing towards the end of the morning, but otherwise fairly easy gradients. The total distance will be about 22 miles.

Lunch stop

Provided the weather is not too awful, we'll have our lunch at the Lost Shore surf resort. This is an ideal place for a picnic. There are benches and picnic tables on the terrace as well as informal seating by the side of the lochs, all with nice views over the water and the wider countryside.

There is a large restaurant at the centre, but this mainly serves full meals rather than quick snacks. It is quite expensive and the service is inclined to be slow, so you might be hard pressed to have lunch in the time available. For those reasons, I suggest you bring your own food for a picnic if at all possible. There is however a separate kiosk where you can pick up a hot drink.

If the day is particularly cold or wet, we might opt for a lunch stop at the nearby climbing arena instead. This has picnic space both inside and out, as well as a small cafe where you can pick up a light snack.

Logistics

We'll gather at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk in time for a 10:30 departure. We'll aim to finish the ride at or near the Meadows some time around the middle of the afternoon.

There is no need to let us know in advance whether or not you plan to attend. If you'd like to join us, just turn up. The ride is of course free and is open to all.

Finally, please keep in mind that we always welcome suggestions for new routes or destinations for our rides, especially if you can volunteer to lead a ride yourself. If so, do get in touch.

Even Mike hasn't been to some of these places

For today's ride we were back to our usual full-day format after our recent programme of half-day mid-winter rides. But given the weather first thing, it still felt a lot like mid-winter. Despite a substantial overnight frost, the dry ground meant there was no problem with slippery surfaces. It was far from warm, but the clear blue skies and sunshine were most welcome. The frost obviously kept many away, resulting in a mere nine riders making the start. Surprisingly, we had one new rider amongst the small group.  During the leader's briefing, Steve told us we would be going on an interesting tour of bike paths, back streets and parks in the east and north of the city. He also promised us that we would be going to places none of us had been before; and to add gravitas, he said, "even Mike hasn't been to some of these places!" The morning saw us head to Ocean Terminal for a relatively early lunch. The actual route may not have been that familiar, but at least the majority knew where they were. That was in stark contrast to the [longer] afternoon part of the ride.

With the briefing over, we made our way into Holyrood Park and along Duddingston Low Road, where we had to dismount and walk a short distance beside the barriers by the unstable rockface. From Duddingston village, we took Meadowfield Drive, Queen's Park Avenue and Royal Park Terrace before cutting through to Lower London Road. Having crossed London Road, we were soon riding through Lochend Park past the ice-covered pond. Having left the park, we continued on to join the cycle path to Leith Links and made our way to the Shore. Across the Victoria Swing Bridge, along Ocean Drive past Victoria Quay, through a couple of quiet backstreets and we were at Ocean Terminal for an early lunch stop.

With lunch over, we left Ocean Terminal and made our way along the cobbles [and disused rail tracks] of the quiet street that runs between Victoria Quay and Commercial Street. Passing Leith Market, we crossed Commercial Street and were soon being given an history lesson by Steve on St Ninian's Chapel - a very impressive building tucked away down a quiet backstreet. He then expertly led us through unfamiliar streets and Pilrig Park to arrive at The Tram Shed off Shrubhill Walk. Here Steve explained the history of the iconic building and its evolution from the Shrubhill tramway workshops and power station to the luxury flats of today. Passing the Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage, we rode along McDonald Road, through St Marks Park and along the Chancelot Path to the Five Ways Junction. We continued along the path that runs beside Lower Granton Road, and onwards to visit the Granton Gas Holder. Steve then led us through Forthquarter Park and along West Shore Road. As we headed into Muirhouse on the new North Edinburgh Path Network we were all well and truly into unchartered territory with no idea where we were. Fortunately Steve knew his way around the area and led us back to the Blackhall Path, where we were all able to say, "now I know where I am". From there, it was an easy ride back to the Meadows on familiar paths and roads via Craigleith Junction, the Roseburn Path and the canal. At the Meadows, Steve declared the ride officially over.

Everyone enjoyed what was a really good ride. Thanks to Steve for leading us to new places and informing us of the history of places along the route. Even the weather turned out OK after a frosty start. It wasn't as cold as expected, and the sunshine and clear blue skies were an added bonus. Thanks to Mike for back marking.

Leader: Steve

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Full-day ride this coming Saturday

We've got our February run coming up next Saturday (14th). This time we will be back to our usual full-day format after our recent programme of half-day midwinter rides.

Steve will be leading us on what looks like an interesting tour of bike paths, back streets and parks in the east and north of the city. The route will be similar to the one that Steve led this time last year, but with some interesting variations, including a chance to see various bits of new cycling infrastructure.

The total distance will be about 20 miles. There will be a bit of climbing near the start, but most of the route will be fairly flat. We'll mainly be riding on firm surfaces, apart from one stretch that might be a bit muddy. Watch out too for some cobbled streets along the way, including some with embedded rail lines. Fortunately, these are all fairly short.

Lunch stop

Our lunch stop will be at the Ocean Terminal. I'm pleased to report that there is now some indoor seating there which will be suitable for those of us who like to bring a packed lunch. But you can still choose to take your picnic on the veranda if you prefer. There are also the usual take-away outlets, including a Starbucks and a Greggs, where you can pick up a hot drink and a sandwich.

Logistics

Nothing new here. We'll gather at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk in time for a 10:30 departure. Like all our rides, this one is free and open to all, and there's no need to tell us in advance whether or not you plan to attend.

Looking ahead, next month's ride will take place on 14 March. Look out for more information about that nearer the time.

A chilly January jaunt

The original plan for today was to head out on the Water of Leith path, returning by a high route along Woodhall Road and through Bonaly. But with temperatures barely reaching zero, and reports of extensive icy patches on many bike paths and minor roads, we opted for a different route – one that involved staying in town, and on roads that were likely to have been gritted.

Seven of set out from the Meadows, which was not a bad turnout considering the conditions. We started down The Mound and Dundas Street, and then on to Canonmills and along Inverleith Row towards Leith. Fortunately, the traffic was light, and, up to that point, we did not encounter any serious ice.

We cautiously crossed Leith Links and then onto the Restalrig Path. At first, all was well. But about half way along the path, we came up against some serious slippery stretches, with the ramp leading up to Lochend Road being all but impassable. We had been aiming for Lochend Park and Meadowbank, but when one of the group slipped and fell on the ice (fortunately she was unhurt), we decided on another change of plan.

So we left the Restalrig Path at Easter Road, then weaved through back streets to Leith Walk. We stayed on the segregated bike lane to the top of the Walk, then into Leith Street and across Waterloo Place. The final leg took us over North Bridge and into Chambers Street to the National Museum, at which point the ride was declared over and we went our separate ways.

At slightly less than an hour and half in the saddle and seven miles on the clock, it was not exactly a long run, but the general feeling was that we had made the best of the morning, despite the difficult conditions. And although the temperature remained around zero the whole time, at least it stayed dry and reasonably sunny.

Next month we will have a normal full-day ride. With luck, the weather will have improved by then. (But don't hold me to that.)

Leaders: Alison and Mike

Report: Mike