A cool picnic beside the Forth

The first 20 Milers Extra ride of 2018 saw us head out to Blackness Castle on the shores of the Firth of Forth. Great weather at the start had us expecting a warm and sunny picnic beside the castle. Alas, come lunchtime the cloud had rolled in and a cool breeze was blowing in off the Forth. But, overall the weather was reasonably kind to us - we did have long spells of sunshine, it was mostly warm and there wasn't any rain. Perhaps those that had continued to ride throughout the winter thought they were owed some magnificent weather. Fingers crossed that is on the horizon.

As usual when the Extra rides see us head out west, our start point today was Craigleith. In amongst the turnout of nineteen riders, it was good to see a few new faces along with some we had not seen for a while. We headed off in one group along NCN 1 via Silverknowes and Barnton to Cramond Brig. Following what has become a mandatory stop there, we headed up the path beside the road towards Dalmeny village. On this stretch, a confused-looking cyclist was trying to work out how to get to the other side of the A90 as the Burnshot Bridge was closed. The writer was able to point him in the right direction via the subway and corresponding diversion. From Dalmeny village, the cycle path took us to South Queenferry, onto the coast road and into the Hopetoun estate. We had made such good time that it was only twelve o'clock as we rolled up to our lunch venue  - Blackness Castle. Was it better to choose a picnic table closer to the visitor centre and further from the shore, or beside the shore? It made little difference; the cool stiff breeze seemed the same whatever the choice. Beneath a cloudy sky it wasn't perfect picnic weather, but it wasn't too bad. Once food had been consumed, no one wanted to hang around unnecessarily. The lure of the big climb of the day awaited.

We left the castle and rode the short distance to the newly-opened village shop, where several of the group grabbed a quick coffee to warm up. A short climb followed by a flat section, a left turn and the main climb of the day lie before us. Not ideal straight after lunch, but everyone got up without any problem. A right-left to cross the A904 and we headed to Philipstoun. Turning right into an housing estate, it never looks as if the canal will lie ahead. But meander through the estate to arrive at a row of garages, and just up the slope lies the canal towpath. A short distance along the towpath and the group ground to an halt. A very aggressive mute swan did not want us to pass. The reason why, soon became clear. His mate was on the nest just a few yards from the path. One by one, we gently made our way past, pushing our bikes which we kept between ourselves and the aggressive bird. All safely past, we remounted and rode away leaving the swans in peace. A lovely ride along the towpath, without further drama followed. Leaving the canal behind near Niddry Castle, we followed minor roads before emerging in Kirkliston. A planned comfort stop came to nothing when we realised the sports centre was closed. A little further along we joined a path that led us through the trees, then followed the road to Burnshot Bridge where we negotiated the roadworks. The lovely new cycle path led us to the subway and back onto the path to Cramond Brig. A brief stop there, and then back to Craigleith via the same route that had taken us out in the morning. Here the leader delared the ride over. Thanks to Mike for leading the first Extra ride of the year. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed it and the only drama had been with the swan. Yes, the lunch stop could have been a bit warmer, but all in all a very enjoyable ride. It always seems as if summer is beginning [or at least just around the corner] when the Extra rides begin. Here's hoping for a great summer of cycling.

Leader: Mike
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: Jim

A castle and a chilly picnic

For the opening 20 Milers Extra ride of 2016 we headed out to Blackness Castle in west Lothian. A dry, cool but overcast day greeted the 19 rides that assembled at the Craigleith start point. It was good to see a few new faces mixed in amongst the regulars and more familiar participants. We made good progress as we headed west on the Blackhall path, through Silverknowes, Davidsons Mains and Barnton. We were soon having our obligitory halt on the bridge over the River Almond. From there we made our way on to the path beside the A90 and onwards to the village of Dalmeny. From there a mixture of paths and roads took us to South Queensferry for our comfort stop. We left South Queensferry behind and rode under the new Queensferry Crossing and into the Hopetoun Estate. In the estate there is one difficult to negotiate gate that is a real bottleneck for group rides. A new approach by the leader meant rather than wait until everyone was through, everyone went through and carried on. Such a simple approach avoided wasted time and will be the norm from now on. Just as we were leaving the estate, we suffered our only puncture of the day. It was agreed to push on to our lunch stop and leave the victim in the capable hands of our mechanical maestro, Alan Orr.

We arrived at Blackness Castle and looked for picnic tables and benches that would afford us some shelter from the cool wind blowing off the Forth. Some were successful in their search; others less so. The two held up by the puncture soon joined us. The small castle shop sold more teas and coffees than ice creams on this ocassion. It wasn't the weather to linger over a leisurely picnic, so we finished up and headed off. Within a few minutes we were warming up on the toughest climb of the day. We then made our way to Philipstoun where we joined the Union Canal. After a few miles on the bumpy towpath, we left the canal and made our way to Kirkliston. From there paths and back roads took us to the edge of the Dalmeny Estate and the path beside the A90. Again we stopped on the bridge over the River Almond where three children were busy playing Pooh Sticks. From there we returned to Craigleith on the route we had taken out earlier.

Thanks to Mike for leading the first 20 Milers Extra of the year. There will be more to come as the summer progresses. Lets hope we can have weather that feels more like summer.


Leader: Mike
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: Jim

A sunny (at last) Extra ride to Blackness Castle

For the opening 20 Milers Extra ride of the year we headed out to Blackness Castle via the John Muir Way. This followed the same route we took for last year's John Muir Way inaugural ride. On that ocassion we had a cool, but mainly dry day. This year we were blessed with a warm and sunny day; one of the best of the year so far.

The Extra rides usually have a lower turnout than the main 20 milers. The lovely weather obviously helped as an impressive 30 riders assembled at the Criagleith meeting point. It was great to see some newcomers in amongst the familiar faces. Lets hope they enjoyed the ride and will return. Opting to keep in one group, we headed off along the familiar NCN 1 route through Barnton before making our customary stop on the Old Toll Bridge at Cramond. We then pressed on to South Queensferry for a comfort stop at the Co-op. From there we followed the shore and made our way into the Hopetoun Estate. The views of the existing road and rail bridges, the new Forth crossing and the Forth itself were stunning bathed in bright sunlight with a backdrop of blue sky. Today these views were in vivid colour. So often they seem to be available only in monochrome. This led us on to our lunch stop at the impressive Blackness Castle. There was a minor diversion on the way to lunch when two of the group nipped into a deserted children's playpark to have a shot on a rocking horse they remembered from their childhoods.

We spread out across a number of picnic tables beside the castle. How nice to enjoy a picnic lunch in the warm sunshine for a change. Our departure was delayed whilst one of the rider's needed to have their brakes repaired. Some wag suggeted they wouldn't need their brakes for a while as the first section after lunch was uphill. This was certainly the case as two quite stiff climbs greeted us as we hit the road again. We made our way to Philipstoun where we climbed up to join the Union Canal. We followed the towpath for four miles, before leaving the canal at Niddrie Castle. Quiet roads, paths and a stretch of main road took us to Kirkliston from where we returned to the Old Toll Bridge at Cramond. A brief stop to admire the River Almond in the sunlight, before retracing our steps back to the start point at Criagleith.

Leader: Mike

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Trace: Alan S

John Muir Way Inaugural Ride

About thirty one riders turned up for the John Muir Way inaugural ride on Saturday (3rd May). The weather forecast had promised it would warm up as the day went on, but it never did. But at least it stayed dry for the most part.

We split into two groups: the first led by Julia and the second by Glenn with help from Dave (which kept the number of wrong-slots in single figures). After a trouble-free start, the second group caught up with the first at the toilet stop at the Co-op at South Queensferry. The route then took us along the shores of the Forth, past the construction site of the third Forth bridge, and then through the Hopetoun Estate. A quick detour to look at the house resulted in someone from the estate informing us we would have to pay if we wanted to look at the house, even though we were about a quarter of a mile away. Needless to say, we declined.

We then followed the shoreline to our lunch stop in the grounds of Blackness Castle, where we were welcomed by the inquisitive castle cat. Many of the group found a spot out of the wind to enjoy their picnic. But a few bagged a picnic table which was in the coldest and draughtiest part of the grounds. Trying to offset the cold with ice cream didn't work,

Just as the second group were ready to leave, mechanical gremlins struck one of the rider's bikes. It took quite a while to fix (especially given that chief engineer Alan Orr was not present); this proved to be a further opportunity to get cold before starting the journey home. But after a couple of stiff climbs, we were soon warmed up.

Our return route to town took us along the canal from Philpstoun to Niddrie Castle. This was followed by some quiet roads and paths through Kirkliston. The first group had their first puncture of the day on the home stretch just before Cramond Brig, but we all eventually arrived safely home.

Leaders: Julia and Glenn, assisted by Alan (Stalker), Dave (Gilchrist) and Holly.

Report: Julia and Glenn