Third time lucky

Crazy as it may seem, being March, today's ride was the first one of the year that went the full distance. This time the weather was on our side and we made it to Davidson's Mains and back as planned. Despite the familiar location, the leader came up with an imaginative itinerary that was entirely new to the group. The route was essentially a loop around the east, north and west of the city, taking in several parks, some pleasant bike paths and a stretch of the waterfront with very little climbing and only a few short stretches on main roads.

Given that there was a moderate breeze and some sunshine, a turnout of fifteen riders was slightly lower than expected. But it was good to see a couple of new faces in the mix. Following the customary route and safety briefing, we headed off towards the Innocent Railway. We could already see this was not the usual way to get to Davidson's Mains, so were expecting something less conventional. The leader took us through the back streets of Bingham, through Mountcastle and into Figgate Park. After a brief halt at Figgate Pond, we did a circuit of the park exiting on to Mountcastle Terrace. From there we took the bridge over the railway, joined Fishwives Causeway and were soon on Craigentinny Crescent for our first history lesson of the day courtesy of Mike. He told us the story of the Craigentinny Marbles - the impressive mausoleum that looks totally out of place in an Edinburgh suburb surrounded by 1930's bungalows. History lesson over, through the back streets of Restalrig and we were riding across Leith Links. As we made our way to The Shore, we stopped for our second history lesson of the day thanks to Mike. This time we were in front of Lamb's House, a fine merchant's house tucked away in Burgess Street. From The Shore, we took the cycle path into Victoria Park where we stopped and cakes were passed around. Through the tunnel on the Trinity Path and we were soon on the path with the Firth of Forth on our right and the busy Lower Granton Road on our left. It is great that the path has now been extended allowing us to stay on the path all the way to Granton Square. Through Granton, along the Telford Path, a cut through to the Blackhall path, along a slightly muddy path and we arrived in the car park at Tesco's in Davidson's Mains. The leader had all bases covered and arranged for the pub's beer garden gate to be opened so we could all wheel our bikes in. Believe it or not, we once went there and were told to wheel our bikes through the pub! Whilst a few of the group had lunch beside the fire inside; the majority sat outside. Whilst not that cold, they did endure a few spots of rain. Perhaps a little early in the year for alfresco dining?

Lunch over, we left the pub and made our way through Davidson's Mains Park, across the busy Queensferry Road and in to the back streets of Clermiston. For most of us this was new uncharted territory. We passed the Drumbrae Leisure Centre and weaved our way through Drumbrae and East Craigs. It was on this section that a few of us at the back of the group came across a couple of teenage cyclists; one of whom was having problems with his bike. His front brake had jammed on and the wheel wouldn't turn. A couple of minutes later and it was all fixed. We left a very grateful cyclist and headed off after the group. We crossed the busy Glasgow Road, passed the David Lloyd Club and made our way to Broomhouse. Down beside the tram track, past Jenner's Depository and onwards to Murrayfield and Roseburn Park. From there we returned to the Meadows by the well-worn route via Russell Road, Dalry Road, the Telfer Subway, Leamington Bridge and Toll Cross. At the Meadows the leader declared the ride officially over.

It was great to have our first ride of the year run its full course rather than be abandoned or curtailed, as happened with the previous two. One of the challenges facing our ride leaders is to come up with new and interesting routes which don't just repeat the same old rides that we do again and again. Today Graham succeeded in doing just that by linking together familiar routes in an unfamiliar way, resulting in a good ride enjoyed by all. Thanks also to Mike for the two history lessons. Good weather and lunch outside added to the feeling that 2020 is truly underway for the group following a couple of false starts.

Leader: Graham
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: Iain

A few steps and lots of parks

Today's ride saw us head south-west to Colinton, followed by a big loop round to Leith and Craigentinny in the north-west. Our route took us through a number of Edinburgh's many parks, and saw us navigate several flights of steps.

A lower than expected 18 riders assembled at the start. Despite knowing a few of our regulars were
riding through to Glasgow for the following day's Pedal for Scotland; the weather was quite pleasant - so the relatively low turnout was a bit of a mystery. At least it meant we only needed one group and we did have a couple of new faces. We left the Meadows behind and threaded our way through the backstreets of Morningside and on through Braidburn Valley Park. On through Colinton Mains Park, Spylaw Park and bypassing Colinton village, we rode through the curved Colinton Tunnel. That tunnel so reminds the writer of a scene from the film "The Italian Job", that he now finds it impossible to ride through it without whistling, "We're all members of the self-preservation society". Each to their own! We followed NCN75 before joining the Union Canal towpath. A short run along the canal and we dismounted to walk across the Slateford Aqueduct. Once across, we negotiated the steep flight of steps down to the Water of Leith path. Past the cemetery and allotments, across Gorgie Road and into Saughton Park. Major works in the park resulted in a detour that brought us out on Stevenson Drive. A twiddle through the backstreets of Saughton took us past Murrayfield Stadium and into Roseburn Park. Across the busy Roseburn Terrace and another flight of steps got us back on the Water of Leith path. We left the path at the rear of the Britannia Hotel and climbed up to Belford Terrace. From there a short ride saw us arrive at the Gallery of Modern Art - our lunch stop. The cafe was the quietest many of us had ever seen it. We quickly got served and enjoyed lunch sitting in the garden making the most of the sunshine.

Lunch over, we made our way through Ravelston Dykes and the grounds of St George's School for Girls. Another flight of steps took us down to join the Blackhall Path. The Roseburn, Telford and Ferry Road Paths took us to The Shore at Leith via Victoria Park. From Leith Links we made our way through Lochend Park and through Restalrig to Craigentinny. Hidden away down Craigentinny Crescent, an unassuming suburban street is a most impressive mausoleum - the Craigentinny Marbles. Jim is the group's expert on its history. In his absence, David and Mike did a good job of telling the interesting story of the Craigentinny Marbles. From there, Fishwives Causeway, Mountcastle Drive North, Figgate Park and Durham Road took us back to the familiar Innocent Railway for our return to the Meadows. At lunchtime, one of the riders, new to both the group and Edinburgh had asked what the Innocent Tunnel was. So it was great for him to experience it first hand. Thanks to David for leading us on an interesting ride that despite never being too far from the city centre, showed the wide variety of what Edinburgh has to offer.

Leader: David
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: David

Fourteen parks and a touch of culture

Today's ride took us through fourteen Edinburgh parks and the touch of culture was provided by visits to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Craigentinny Marbles.

A chilly, damp start to the day resulted in a [relatively] low turnout of 22 riders. A very rare occurence for recent rides; this meant we only needed one group instead of two. We left the Meadows and threaded our way through the backstreets of Morningside and on through Braidburn Valley Park. We carried on through Colinton Mains Park, Spylaw Park and bypassed Colinton village. We rode through the curved Colinton Tunnel and onto the Water of Leith Path. Having crossed the busy Slateford Road, we paused briefly at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre before pressing on past Murrayfield Stadium and through Roseburn Park. The Water of Leith Path and Belford Road took us to our first culture stop and lunch at the Gallery of modern Art. Many of the group were more interested in lunch than the art. It was even suggested that one of the sculptures would be ideal for locking bikes to! You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. We partook in a very pleasant lunch from the cafe. By now the weather had improved. Sitting outside, the sun came out and for a while it felt quite warm.

Sufficiently fed and watered, we made our way through Ravelston Dykes before taking the Roseburn, Telford and Ferry Road Paths to head towards The Shore at Leith. Just before we left the path, we stopped to admire a cormorant sitting on a log in the middle of the Water of Leith.

The paths across Leith Links, through Lochend and Lochend Park took us to Craigentinny. Tucked away down Craigentinny Crescent, an unassuming suburban street is a most impressive mausoleum - the Craigentinny Marbles. David, ably assisted by Jim gave us an interesting talk about it. It is well worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

We made our way via Mountcastle into Figgate Park where we rode round the pond. After donning waterproofs due to a heavy shower, we left the park and headed through Duddingston before returning to the Meadows via the Innocent Railway Path. This final stretch was where we had our only puncture of the day.

Leader: David

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Trace: Jim