February ride this coming Saturday

We've got our February ride coming up on Saturday (11th). Yaz will be leading us on what looks like a very pleasant route through the west of the city, with a total distance of 21 miles. I hope you'll be able to join us.

The route

For this ride, we'll be heading out through Roseburn and along the Water of Leith as far as Currie, and then on to our lunch stop at Riccarton. Most of this part of the route will be on paths with good surfaces, although there might be one or two rough or muddy sections. There will also be one short stretch on a main ride that might be busy with traffic.

The return leg will follow paths and quiet roads by way of Edinburgh Park, Pinkhill and Murrayfield. There will be a few gentle hills along the way, but nothing particularly difficult.

Lunch arrangements

We'll stop for lunch at the Heriot Watt campus. Please note that there is no catering of any kind at the campus. The large cafeteria there is no longer open on Saturdays, nor are there any cafes or food outlets nearby. For this reason, you are strongly advised to bring your own food.

But don't worry: you won't have to picnic in the cold or wet (unless you want to), as there is plenty of seating inside the main university building.

Time and place

We'll meet at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk, aiming for a 10:30 departure. This won't be a very long ride: I expect we'll be back at the Meadows early to mid afternoon.

As always, there is no need for you to contact us in advance. If you are planning to attend, just turn up on the day.

Other points

As with all our rides, the details given here should be regarded as provisional. The meeting time and place are fixed, but we reserve the right to change the route according to conditions on the day. This doesn't happen very often, but it is always a possibility.

And finally, please remember that, if you unlucky enough to get a puncture, it will be very much easier to get you back on the road if you bring a spare inner tube suitable for your wheel size. And if you don't have quick-release hubs on both your wheels, please also bring whatever tools are needed to remove the wheels. If you don't know what tools or size of tube you need, your local bike shop will advise.

I think that covers everything. I hope to see you on Saturday or whenever.