Merryhatton Extra this coming Saturday

We promised you two rides this month. We had the first of these last Saturday (see our previous post on this blog). The second one takes place this coming Saturday (20th). This will be one of our Extra rides, which are longer and faster than our usual runs.

For this ride, we will meet at Fisherrow Harbour in Musselburgh. Please be there in time for a 10:30 departure.

Glenn will be leading us into East Lothian, with a lunch stop at Merryhatton. The round-trip distance from the meeting point will be about 36 miles. Musselburgh is some seven miles from the city centre, so if you are coming from central Edinburgh, your total mileage will be nearer 50. Please keep that in mind if you are more accustomed to our usual 20-mile runs. Inevitably, Saturday's ride will go at a faster pace, will have fewer stops and will finish later in the afternoon (probably towards 5 pm, but don't hold me to that).

The route

For much of the outward leg, we will follow the East Lothian coast road, 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 the roads will be quieter with just a few gentle hills.

The return leg will take us through Athelstaneford and past the Hopetoun Monument. This will also be on quiet roads, with a couple of moderately steep hills, before re-joining the coast road near Seton Sands. 

Lunch arrangements

Our lunch stop will be at the garden centre at Merryhatton. The restaurant there (which is now table service) offers a range of sandwiches, baked potatoes, a soup of the day and other snacks. The eating area is entirely under cover: there is no terrace or other open-air eating space.

For those of us who prefer to bring a packed lunch, we have identified a quiet spot for a picnic about half a mile from the garden centre. Note that there is limited seating there, so be prepared to sit on the grass if necessary. Picnickers can use the toilets at Merryhatton (there are also toilets at the meeting point, and we will have an additional comfort stop on the way home).

I think that covers everything - except to remind you to bring a spare inner tube in case of a puncture, as well as any tools needed to remove your wheel. And because it will be a long ride and with the recent high temperatures in mind, I advise you also bring plenty of water or other drink.