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

 

half-day ride this coming Saturday

We've got our first ride of 2026 coming up on Saturday (10th). This will again be a half-day run, ending at around 1 pm at or near the Meadows. We will not be organising an official lunch stop, but there are plenty of cafes, sandwich shops and pubs near the finish point for anyone who wants to go for a post-ride meal or snack.

Alison will be our leader on Saturday. She'll be taking us on a pleasant route along the Water of Leith to just beyond Colinton, and then back via Woodhall Road and Bonaly. The outward leg will be mostly flat, but there will be a couple of moderate hills on the way home. Most of the route will be on quiet roads and well-surfaced paths, apart from one rough track that might be a little muddy, and a couple of short stretches on main roads where we might see some traffic. The total distance will be about 14 miles.

As always, we'll set out at 10:30 from our usual meeting point at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. And, as always, the ride is free and open to all on a "just turn up" basis.

Keep in mind that the route details given here are provisional. Although it doesn't happen very often, there is always the possibility that we will have to change the route at short notice, depending on conditions on the day. But even when that happens, the meeting time and place will always be as advertised.

We'll look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday. And, looking ahead, our February run will be on 14th, when we will be back to our usual full-day format.

Christmas morning ride

This is a reminder of Jim Cameron's half-day ride which is coming up next Thursday (25th December, Christmas morning). This is not an official 20-Milers event, but Jim tells me that all those who cycle with us will be welcome to come along. Like our own rides, this one is free, with no advance booking.

One of the attractions of cycling on Christmas morning is that there is much less traffic than usual, which makes it nicer to visit places where we might not otherwise care to pedal. In this case, the ride will take in parts of the West End, Princes Street, Calton Hill and Leith. The pace will be leisurely with plenty of stops.

The ride will start from the Black Sheep café at 56 Shandwick Place. Get there around 10:00 if you want to join Jim for a pre-ride coffee. The ride itself will set out at 10:30. It will finish around midday at the Mosque Kitchen in Nicholson Street, where those who want to have lunch can do so.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact  Jim direct: 07760 455819 or Easycycle@JimCameron.Co.uk.

Looking ahead, the first 20-Milers of 2026 will on 10 January. Look out for more details of that ride nearer the time.

Just right for December

Today saw us head to Lauriston Castle for our last ride of 2025. As is now the custom, our December and January rides are shorter than usual being half day rides finishing around 1300 back at the Meadows with no lunch stop. We had a new leader in Julie Matthews. Whilst Julie has led other rides, this was her first time at the helm with the 20 Milers. The weather forecast suggested it would get windier, with strong winds and rain by the time we finished. Fortunately, the weather was kinder to us than expected. Yes, it was windy at times, but not too bad; the strong winds held off until after the ride had finished, and the rain stayed off until everyone was home. Given the forecast and the fact that it's the December ride, a low turnout would not have been a surprise. Instead we had a very respectable eighteen riders make the start.

Following Julie's briefing, we left the Meadows and headed to Leamington Bridge via Bruntsfield Links. The novelty of riding down the smooth road that is Leamington Terrace remains several months after it was resurfaced; if only more roads in Edinburgh were like that. From there, we pressed on via the canal, Fountain Park, across the Western Approach Road and the new cycle path to the zig-zags on Russell Road. We paused there whilst the leader briefed us on the next section of the route. Instead of heading through Roseburn Park as we so often do, we made our way up to Roseburn Terrace and took the CCWEL cycle path to Wester Coates Terrace, where we joined the Roseburn Path to Craigleith junction. We then took the Blackhall Path; a familiar route as if we were heading to Barnton, but instead of going straight over at the crossing on Quality Street, we turned right to join the busy Cramond Road South and into Lauriston Castle Park. We paused in front of the castle whilst Mike offered round sweets to the riders. 

Leaving the park, we turned right to re-join the busy Cramond Road South. In the interests of safety and consideration for other road-users, the leader had us split into three groups of six for this section. At the traffic lights we turned right onto Cramond Road North. A short distance further on we turned right and headed through an archway. A slightly muddy path led us through lovely grounds to Cramond Kirk Hall. After a brief pause we headed out onto Cramond Glebe Road to emerge on the esplanade beside the River Almond. Whilst it wasn't warm, it was nothing like as cold and windy as it might have been, so we paused for a while to admire the views. We then made our way along the quiet Silverknowes Promenade, before climbing up to Marine Drive. The signs told us that Silverknowes Road was closed, but we rode up it anyway. One half of the road surface had been scraped off, but the other half was fine. The old barriers were gone and we didn't have to share the space with other traffic. So it was a pleasant climb up. It had been recced previously, of course. At the roundabout, instead of going straight up the hill to the Blackhall Path, we turned right along Lauriston Farm Road and up Silverknowed Drive to get there. From there it was an easy run back to the Craigleith junction, along the Roseburn Path and down the zig-zags at Russell Road. We then more-or-less retraced our outward route back to the Meadows where the leader announced the ride officially over.

Everyone enjoyed the ride, which given the time of year and the weather was just right. Fortunately, the weather was better than expected. Thanks to Julie for leading us on an interesting ride. Thanks to Mike for middle-marking and Alan for back-marking.

Leader: Julie

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

December run coming up on Saturday

We've got our last ride of 2025 coming up on Saturday (13th). As is now our custom, this December run will be shorter than most: just half a day, finishing at around 13:00. This is partly because of the winter weather and partly because of the difficulty of finding suitable lunch venues during the festive season.

For this ride, one of our long-standing members, Julie Matthews, will be making her debut as a ride leader. Julie will be taking us out towards Davidson's Mains and Cramond, with possible stops at Lauriston Castle and Cramond Kirk. The exact route will depend in part on conditions on the day, but it is likely to be about 14 miles. I don't foresee any difficulties except for the fairly steep - but short - climb up from Silverknowes Esplanade.

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. If anyone wants to go for lunch after the ride, they will find an ample choice of  cafes, pubs and sandwich shops near the finish point, but that won't be part of the official programme.

As always, the ride is free and open to all, with no advance booking.

Christmas morning

Another of our long-standing members, Jim Cameron, will again be leading a short ride on Christmas morning (25 December). This is not a 20-Milers event, but Jim says that anyone who cycles with us will be welcome to come along. Like our own rides, this one will be free, with no advance booking.

The ride will start at the  Black Sheep cafe, 56 Shandwick Place, at 10:30. Those wanting a pre-ride coffee can gather there from 10:00. It will end around midday at the Mosque Kitchen in Nicholson Street, which will be open for those who would like to go for lunch or a snack.

Nearer the time, I'll post a reminder of this ride, along with more details of the route.

Looking ahead, our first ride in 2026 will be on 10 January, and that will be another half-day run. We'll get back to our normal full-day format in February. In the meantime, happy pedalling.

An old favourite via a new route

For today's ride we headed westward to the familiar destination of the Heriot Watt campus in Riccarton. But this time we took an unfamiliar outward route, and visited a different venue for our lunch stop. The leader's intention had been to include a section that we have not used before as a group; but the mile and a half on a rough track was scrapped due to muddy conditions. The day dawned unseasonably mild, bright and sunny. This clearly helped swell the numbers to 25, which was most impressive for a November ride, complete with some new faces. 

Following the customary leader's briefing from Mike, we headed through the quiet backstreets of Morningside, through Braidburn Valley Park and onwards to the stables at Woodhall Road via Colinton Mains, Redford Road and Bonaly. From there we took the rough path across to Blinkbonny Road. Seeing how muddy that path was led Mike to decide that the mile and a half rough track would be best avoided. A short stretch on a muddy path is one thing, but a mile and a half is quite a distance to deal with under such conditions. A dynamic decision made on the fly; but no doubt it was the right one. We continued along Blinkbonny Road and down Kirkgate, past the track we would have taken, before stopping whilst Iain passed round his delicious homemade baking. We then joined the Water of Leith Walkway for a short distance, before climbing up and crossing Lanark Road West. A short distance into the housing estate, up went the dreaded shout, "puncture!" Alan and Ken were soon on the case helping the stricken rider. It wasn't as straight forward as it might have been and took longer than expected. Two-thirds of the group were waiting ahead. After some discussion, it was decided that they would press on to the lunch stop, and the remainder would join them once the puncture was fixed. At least it was dry, sunny and mild. With the puncture fixed, we headed off in pursuit of the others. After threading our way through the housing estate to emerge at Curriehill station, we wheeled our bikes up and over the footbridge to cross the railway line. From there a short ride along Curriehill Road took us into the Heriot Watt campus by the rear entrance. Rather than head to the main admin building for a picnic lunch, we made our way to the Oriam sports centre. Some of the group headed to the café, others picnicked indoors, whilst the remainder took the opportunity to enjoy an outdoor November picnic.

With lunch over, we regrouped and made our way to Edinburgh Park via Gogar Station Road and the subway. Skirting the edge of the Gyle Shopping Centre car park, we made our way to South Gyle station where we had to dismount and negotiate the walkway in place whilst the road bridge is being replaced. Onwards from there via Broomhall and Saughtonhall to Murrayfield Stadium, where we made our way through the rugby fan crowds on their way to the Scotland v New Zealand match. We took the familiar route back to the Meadows via Fountainhall, the canal and the Leamington Bridge, where Mike declared the ride officially over.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the ride. Unfortunately, the totally new section had to be scrapped, but we look forward to using it in the future when conditions allow. But it was still a different route to the one we usually take, and we have found a new venue for lunch. The unseasonably mild weather was most welcome, and clearly added to both the turnout and enjoyment of the ride. With thanks to Mike for leading, Alan for back marking and helping with repairing the puncture along with Ken.

Leader: Mike

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn