Special ride on 23 March

I'm pleased to tell you that we've managed to organise a special half-day ride for this coming Saturday (23 March) to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL).

As you probably know, the CCWEL is a new bike route through Edinburgh city centre. It links the Water of Leith and the Roseburn Path in the west with Leith Walk in the east. Most (not all) of it runs alongside main roads but on completely segregated paths.

Time, place, route

For this ride, we'll meet as usual at 10:30, at our normal spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. We'll head first to Roseburn Park, where we'll pick up the new path as it runs alongside West Coates and Haymarket Terrace and through the West End to Charlotte Square. The route then follows George Street, but this section is not yet segregated so we will be riding in traffic for a short distance. After another segregated section around St Andrew Square, we'll head down to Canonmills and George V Park. The return leg will be via the north Edinburgh bike paths.

The total distance will be about 14 miles. We'll be riding on good surfaces most of the time, with only a few gentle hills.

We'll plan to finish the ride at around 13:00. We won't organise a lunch stop, but there are plenty of cafes, sandwich shops and pubs near the finish for those who want to go for a meal or snack after the ride.

As with all our rides, this one is free and open to all, so feel free to tell your friends. We don't have any kind advance booking system, so just turn up on the day if you fancy joining us.

Official opening ceremony

I understand that there will also be an event to mark the official opening of the CCWEL this coming Wednesday (20 March). I don't have any further information except that it will take place in front of the Four Points hotel in Haymarket Terrace from 11:30 to 14:30

Looking ahead, our next "second Saturday" run will be on 13 April.