I don't know where we are

Cockenzie House was today's destination. The Meadows, Musselburgh and Cockenzie House - a quite straight forward ride by a well known route then? Not at all. At the briefing, the leader informed the group that whilst much of the route would be on familiar roads and paths, there would be a couple of stretches that would be completely new to most. So the scene was set for an interesting route, with some nice East Lothian scenery thrown in. The weather forecast suggested sunny intervals, pleasant temperatures and no rain. As it turned out, two out of three ain't bad. Good weather and the promise of an interesting route led to a turnout of 28 riders - second highest of the year.

Not long after leaving the Meadows, we came across an obstacle. We couldn't cross St Leaonard's Street at the usual crossing as new tar had been laid a short time before our arrival. A very helpful road worker informed us we would have to go up the pavement and cross further up. This slight detour didn't delay us for long. Safely across, and we were soon through the tunnel and travelling down the Innocent Railway. At Brunstane station, we turned left as if heading for the Brunstane Burn path. But we carried straight on to follow a less familiar path as it threaded through the Gilbertstoun estate. With the first unfamiliar section behind us, we re-joined the usual route to Musselburgh station. Paths, quiet back streets and a footbridge over the River Esk saw us on The Grove for a short distance, before turning onto a path that took us to Inveresk. A left and right and we were on Crookston Road, which peters out to become a path running alongside the A1 slip road. A short pause to regroup beside the site of the Battle of Pinkie, and we were on the road towards Whitecraig which crosses the A1. A left turn, and it looked as if we were heading for the steep climb that is Fa'side Hill. Those that knew where they were, looked worried. There had been no mention of this steep hill at the briefing. The leader then turned left onto a flat strtech of road and stopped. We then had a stop for cake thanks to Iain. Pressing on towards St Clement's Well, there were several comments about how beautiful it was riding past sheep grazing in the fields. The comment, "I don't know where we are" was also heard from many. The road ended and a path lead us on a footbridge over the A1 to emerge amongst the new houses being built on the edge of Wallyford. A track led us between the unfinished houses to emerge at Wallyford Industrial Estate. Down to the traffic lights, turn right and we were heading towards the top side of Prestonpans. We stayed on that familiar road until we turned left and took a path down to the site of the Battle of Prestonpans. Back on the road for a short stretch and we arrived at Cockenzie House for our lunch stop. Most of the group headed to the cafe, but a few opted to picnic in the park across the road where they dined in the warm sunshine.

We left Cockenzie House by the rear entrance. This avoided the main road and took us past Cockenzie harbour. Avoiding the main road, we were soon on the new cycle path. With no shelter, this was where we were hit with a brief but heavy shower. Back onto the coast road, we left Prestonpans and joined the cycle path beside the Firth of Forth. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing flood defence works, a section of the coast path is closed. This meant we had to re-join the road for a while, before turning off and getting back on the coast path. Onwards to Fisherrow Harbour for a comfort stop before joining the road towards Portobello. At the bottom of Milton Road we took the Brunstane Burn path to Brunstane station. The run back into town saw us retrace our outward route from the morning. We had another slight delay at St Leaonard's Street. The tar was now dry, but the crossing was not working and traffic was heavy. Back at the Meadows the leader declared the ride over.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the ride. There were no problems and it lived up to expectations about seeing new places. A successful ride. What more can anyone ask for?

Leader: Glenn

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Two hills lead to cake

For the second 20 Milers Extra ride of the year we headed into East Lothian to tackle two substantial climbs. A lunchtime conversation led to an impromptu stop for tea and cake on the return leg. This ride started at Fisherrow Harbour in Musselburgh. As the majority of the riders were making their way in from Edinburgh; a short period of heavy rain lashed the Honest Toun. A turnout of 15 riders despite the weather was reasonable. These longer and slightly tougher rides never get the turnouts of the usual 20 Milers ones. Such a number meant we only needed one group which always makes the logistics less complicated. Although we had no new riders, it was nice to see some less frequent attendees in amongst the hardened regulars. We headed off in light drizzle on wet roads to several grumbles of "I wish I hadn't bothered to clean my bike!" Along the promenade, under the bridge that carries the main road through Musselburgh (remembering to duck) and we were soon crossing the other main road near Tesco. We were soon following the River Esk up the Grove in the direction of Whitecraig. We turned onto a muddy path just before the bridge [that carries the main east coast railway line] and made our way to the village of Inveresk. From there we followed the cycle track to the edge of Wallyford by the site of the Battle of Pinkie. There followed a short spell on a busy road that crosses the A1 before turning onto the minor road that would lead us to our first serious climb of the day - Falside Hill. A flat run in made some wonder what the fuss was about. Then the road began to climb, steepening as it weaved between hedges and banks; thus making it difficult to see what was coming next. Inevitably, this split the group with riders arriving at the summit in dribs and drabs. Several riders informed the leader that one rider had suffered a puncture on the climb. He wasn't alone. But as time passed, it appeared there may be a problem. One of the regulars volunteered to go back down and offer his help. The rest of the group waited in a layby eating cake and sweets. Eventually the three missing riders arrived and were placated with cake. It appeared that the puncture had been caused by a sea shell. How a sea shell ended up on that road, over a mile from the sea remains a mystery.
A speedy run down the other side followed and we were soon on the edge of Tranent. From there, a further downhill stretch of cycle path soon had us at Meadowmill Sports Centre. As we headed towards the main road, a fox wandered nonchantly across in front of us. After a short spell on the main road, we turned off and sped down another marvellous hill to Port Seton. We were making good progress along the coast road when a shout of "puncture" brought the group to a halt. It was the same unfortunate rider as before. This time a sliver of glass being the culprit. Once fixed, we were on our way again. It was looking as if it was going to be quite a late lunch today. At least it was dry and the sun was making a welcome apperance. We were soon heading down the lovely Longniddry railway path. It was a bit muddy in places, but didn't slow us as we headed towards Haddington and lunch. Lunch was taken sitting outside a pub in the market square. During lunch the conversation turned to afternoon tea and cakes. Talk about a cycle group that rides on it's stomach! This was when the impromptu afternoon tea stop plan was hatched.

Within a few minutes of setting off, all thoughts of afternoon tea were put to the back of our minds. So soon after lunch we hit the second major climb of the day - the Garleton Hills. Just like Falside had done in the morning, this climb soon had the group very strung out. This was a busier, but wider road and it was easier to see what lie ahead apart from a few devious false summits. The run down the other side was glorious with twists and turns to make it more fun. We regrouped, and after a rest and some sweeties we made our way past the Hopetoun Monument. Another little hill followed, before we left the main road behind. For the next few miles we had the pleasure of some typical quiet East Lothian lanes. We carried on to a level crossing. No trains to hold us up. So we crossed the railway and busy A198 dual carriageway to find ourselves on the cycle path heading to Seton Collegiate Church. We headed down to the coast at Port Seton via the same road we had taken in the morning. This time we headed west rather than east. We passed the lovely Port Seton Harbour and arrived at Cockenzie House. This was our impromptu afternoon tea stop. The cakes there are amazing. It is very difficult to cycle past without going in. It has also been a very popular lunch stop on rides in the area. It was now very warm and sunny, making it difficult to get up and ride again. But we managed it. We had a short stretch on the coast road, turned off onto the John Muir Way and headed back into Musselburgh via the racecourse. Along Goose Green, over the bridge, down the side of the Esk, along the promenade and we were back at Fisherrow Harbour. The leader declared the ride over and everyone began to make their way home.

The weather at the start made it look likely that a wet day may have been on the cards. Fortunately that was not the case at all. Blue skies and sunshine had even led to suncream been applied before the day was over. Like the weather, the ride had been varied and interesting. The two hills having thrown in a bit of a challenge. The debate of which hill is the toughest doesn't look set to be settled anytime soon.

Leader: Glenn
Report: Glenn
Photos: Michael and Glenn
Map trace: Jim

Sunny Dunny lives up to its name

For the third annual 20 Milers weekend away, we headed east to Dunbar; the town that claims to be one of the sunniest in Scotland. There having been a shortage of sunshine so far this year, and a firmly held belief that the weather god's owed us big time after our wind-battered weekend to Peebles last year; many of us had been following the weather forecast with trepidation in the preceding days. Even in our wildest dreams, we could not have expected the weather to be as kind as it ended up being. That, linked with beautiful scenery, quiet East Lothian roads and good company made for a very successful weekend.



A very impressive turnout of eighteen riders assembled at our usual starting point. Not that long ago, such a turnout would have been commendable on a standard 20 Milers ride. A number of the riders were only intending to do the first day, returning to Edinburgh that evening by train, car or strategically concealed van. The leader gave a briefing and handed out encapsulated route cards - just in case. The long line of riders left the Meadows and snaked their way towards the Innocent Railway. From there we took the familiar route to Musselburgh station for our first sweetie stop of the day. Onwards to Whitecraig and on to the cycle path for Dalkeith. We left the path and made our way to Crossgatehall where we joined the Pencaitland Railway path. Riding on a surface of whin dust, we meandered through the delightful East Lothian countryside for 6.5 miles. It is easy to forget that this used to be coal mining country. The sun was shining, it was pleasantly warm and there was blue sky in all directions. This was the life. We left the railway path behind. A deserted road took us to the delightful village of village of West Saltoun which is dominated by an impressive white church. Through East Saltoun we took the lovely quiet road to Gifford for a slightly late lunch stop.

Some of the group decided to picnic outside the church (another white one), whilst the remainder went for lunch in one of Gifford's two pubs. Whilst waiting for those in the pub to finish, some of the picnickers went for a coffee in a cycle-friendly cafe that had opened for business that very morning. Definitely one to check out if you're ever in the area. We regrouped and prepared for the off. A wedding party tried to hurry us up as they didn't want us in the background of their wedding photos. We couldn't understand why that would be a problem. Logan placated the ushers with Jelly Babies before we headed off. We never did get to see the bride. Why oh why does there so often have to be a steep climb staright after lunch? Instead of a nice flat bit of road to get back into the rhythm, we climbed steeply leaving Gifford behind. We turned off and headed towards Stenton on an almost deserted undulating road. Here we had to stop for what looked like being the day's first puncture. Fortunately, the tyre was pumped up, we were back on our way and it lasted all the way to Dunbar. We then took a detour to visit the beautiful village of Garvald. It was well worth the detour as very few of the group had ever been there. We stopped beside the play park. Someone spotted a flying fox ride. Yes, you've guessed it, several members of the group just had to have a go. 

We left the village and took another steep climb to get back on the road to Stenton. This was an undulating road and we did meet more traffic. Don't ever believe anyone that tells you East Lothian is flat! A quick pause to check the map in Stenton and off we went. On the route cards it said "Pitcox (by phonebox) turn right onto minor road". Phoneboxes may be hardly used these days, but as landmarks to help route-finding they are priceless. This road ran gently downhill until there, before us was the busy dual carriageway that is the A1 trunk road. We had to cross that to get to Dunbar. Few of the group had read that far down their route card. The leader smiled knowingly and turned left through a gate signed "private farm access". This was also a recognised cycle / walking route. Another sweetie stop before making out way under a bridge that carried the A1. Who would have thought crossing such a fast, busy road could be so easy? We could clearly see Dunbar and the sea. We were nearly there. We headed in what looked like the right direction to be confronted with a no through road. Turning round, a couple of locals pointed us in the right direction through a new housing estate. We were soon heading down a very quiet Dunbar High Street. It made sense when someone pointed out it was Scottish cup final day. We were looking for a pub for a post-ride beer. We retraced our route down the High Street and ended up in the hotel where a few of the group were staying. The fact it was a stones throw from the railway station was a bonus. Following a refreshing drink (or two) the riders began to head off and find their accommodation, lift or trains. Fifteen of us sat down to dinner in a restaurant close to the harbour and tucked into hearty food. It was a lovely end to a great day. Those that were staying headed back to their accommodation and the others headed for the station or the strategically concealed van.

For day 2, ten of us gathered in the car park of the hotel where three of the group had been staying at 10 o’clock. It was already pleasantly warm as the sun shone down from a clear blue sky. Everyone was glad they had applied sun cream. For many, this was the first application of the year. Further applications would be necessary as the day wore on. Sunny Dunny was definitely living up to its reputation. Off we went to our first stop; a petrol station on the edge of town. One of the riders had a rucksack of clothes that he was sending back to Edinburgh, and this was the drop off point. The writer looked on enviously as he realised he had two panniers to ride home with and knew there were quite a few hills to climb. We left the petrol station and headed west through Belhaven and West Barns.

We were glad of the cycle / foot path beside the busy A199, just north of the even busier A1 dual carriageway. This took us to the A198 towards North Berwick. That would have been the quickest way. But would have been quite busy and nothing like as lovely as the meandering route we were to take. Perhaps the leader was still half asleep; but he missed the left turn. We continued to a lay-by and stopped. A quick check of the map revealed the first wrong-slot of the weekend. Some of the group saw another left turn not far up the road and suggested we went and turned there. But the leader was adamant that we had to retrace our route back to the original turn to avoid deviating from the planned route, and thereby missing one of the gems of the ride. We made our way past the farm shop at Knowes and joined the John Muir Way. This led us to that gem – a less than shallow ford. Fortunately, there was an alternative route across the footbridge. Nevertheless, three brave souls rode through the ford. They reported it as being a bit slippery. But they all got through with nothing worse than wet socks. There then followed a few miles of beautiful East Lothian back roads, some of which were quite steep. We then found ourselves whizzing down into town past North Berwick Law. Despite the rather indirect route we had taken, it was only 12 o’clock.
Following hearty breakfasts, no one felt ready for lunch. So we sat outside a pub and partook in coffee and ice creams instead. North Berwick was heaving with visitors on such a glorious day. We picked up some food for a picnic and headed out of town on the busy A198. We turned off at Dirleton and made our way to the huge village green there. We enjoyed a leisurely picnic as the sun continued to shine down on us. We crossed the A198 and made our way inland on much quieter roads. It was now slightly cooler and there were grey skies not far away. Fortunately the darkest skies remained in the distance and we stayed dry. We carried on to Drem station, and after a short stretch on a busy road, we took the delightful quiet road past Myreton Motor Museum and on to Aberlady. We rejoined the busy coast road to be greeted by a noticeable headwind. We pushed on to Cockenzie where the group got split as some went to the harbour and others to the toilets. Half the group waited next to where the power station used to stand knowing the others would have to come that way. After a few minutes wait, we were back together and on familiar roads heading back towards Edinburgh. At Prestonpans we left the coast road and joined NCN 76 towards Musselburgh. At Levenhall Links there was a nature event on which meant there were many more people and cars than expected. So instead of heading into Musselburgh along the sea wall, we entered beside the race course. Then the shout went up, “puncture!” The first one of the weekend, and so close to home. It was soon fixed. We crossed the river and made our way to Fisherrow Harbour via the promenade. At this point, the leader [who lives in the Honest Toun] bade farewell to the group and handed over the reins to another rider to lead them back to town.

So that was another 20 Milers weekend away ride over. We had been blessed with glorious weather. Not a drop of rain fell on us. The beautiful East Lothian scenery had looked even better bathed in bright sun light. Yes, some of the climbs had been a bit challenging. But we had a great weekend that was enjoyed by all. Hopefully, those present will be talking about it for months to come. It will be remembered for very different reasons to last year’s brutal ride to Peebles. Now to start thinking about next year.

Leader: Glenn

Report: Glenn
Photos: Michael and Glenn
Map trace: Jim