July ride to the Harlaw Reservoir

We've got out next ride coming up on Saturday (11th). We'll be heading to what has become our traditional July destination: the Harlaw Reservoir at the edge of the Pentland Hills. This is a pleasantly scenic route and a nice spot for a picnic lunch.

The route

For the outward leg, we will mainly follow quiet roads and well-surfaced paths. Although we will avoid the very steepest routes up to the reservoir, there will inevitably be a fair amount of climbing during the morning (the reservoir is 250 metres above sea level). But we'll take it at our usual steady pace, and allow time for stragglers to catch up.

In return for our exertions of the morning, we can look forward to some nice downhills on the return leg. But this will also include a couple of very rough stretches where we might have to dismount. Thankfully, these will be fairly short.

The total distance will be about 24 miles. Slightly more than half the mileage will be in the morning, so our lunch break will be a little on the late side.

And talking of lunch ...

... There are no shops, cafés or other catering outlets at the reservoir or anywhere near it. So please be sure to bring food and drink for your lunch. Happily there are several nice spots there for picnics.

There are portable (chemical) toilets at the reservoir. We will also stop for a toilet break about half way through the morning.

Time and place

As always, we will set out at 10:30 from our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. As I'm sure you know by now, there is no advance booking for our rides, so just turn up if you decide to join us.

What if the weather is bad?

The 20-Milers rides go ahead regardless of the weather (as some of us know only too well). For this ride, please bring a picnic even if the weather is bad, as we will find an alternative spot where we can eat our lunch under cover if necessary.

Looking ahead

We've fixed our next Extra for the 25th June. I'll post details of that ride in due course. In the meantime, happy pedalling.