July ride to the Harlaw Reservoir

After several hot and sunny days, this morning was cooler and more overcast - but still good weather for cycling. Around 30 of us turned up for a ride to the edge of the Pentland Hills. I led the first group, with Ken in charge of the second.

Our route took  us over Bruntsfield Links, and then to Whitehouse Loan, Hermitage Drive, Braidburn Valley Park, the Braid Burn path, and Redford Road. At Colinton, we had a brief comfort stop before continuing along Woodhall Road. This part of town has a distinctly suburban feel to it, but once we passed the City Bypass, we were in open countryside, with fields on both sides of the road, and good views all round.

Inevitably, given that we were heading for the Pentland Hills, we had some climbing to do. Most of this was concentrated on the Curry Kirkgate, a grindingly steep half mile of ascent that climbs from Blinkbonny to Harlaw Road. We all made it to the top without mishap - albeit with various degrees of exhaustion.

A mile or so later, we arrived at our planned lunch stop: the picnic tables by the Harlaw Reservoir. Here, there was a moment of slight embarrassment for yours truly. I had assiduously warned the group that there would be no café or pub anywhere near the reservoir, and that they must bring their own food or face starvation. What I didn't know was that some enterprising person recently set up a caravan, right outside the ranger station, from which they were serving hot drinks, sandwiches, soup, cakes and a tempting selection of crêpes: in short, everything you need for a decent lunch. I'm sorry I didn't know about this earlier - although several of our party were quite happy to buy a meal from the caravan and eat the sandwiches they had brought with them.

After lunch, we did a circuit of the Harlaw and Threipmure Reservoirs. And then it was downhill almost all the way home. We had an exhilarating freewheel down to Balerno, followed by a fairly fast run on the Water of Leith path to the point where it crosses the canal.

At this point, the two groups were re-united. Some riders then chose to continue along the Water of Leith to Roseburn. Others made a bee-line back to town along the towpath. For most of us, the timing was impeccable: we got home shortly before the arrival of a heavy burst of rain which lasted well into the evening.


Leaders: Mike and Ken, with Jim and Logan as backmarkers.
Report: Mike
Photo: Alison

July ride and picnic

On most of our rides, we stop at lunchtime for a hot snack or light meal to see us through the day. Today, just for a change, we skipped the cafés and pubs, and opted for a picnic instead. It turned out to be an ideal day for it: clear skies, only a slight breeze, and temperatures reaching the mid twenties.

With such good weather, it was no surprise to see another high turnout. Over 30 of us set out from the Meadows. But by the time we got to the bottom of Whitehouse Loan, the ride was already well strung out. So we decided to split ourselves into two groups. I led a slightly faster party, with David (Gilchrist) acting as backstop. Ken and Logan looked after the slightly slower group.

Our destination was the Harlaw Reservoir. Given that this is on the edge of the Pentland Hills, and is at an altitude of 850 ft (compared to 260 ft for the Meadows), it was inevitable that we would have to do some climbing. This started almost straight away, with an ascent of Braid Avenue to Hermitage Drive.

Then came an easier stretch through Braidburn Valley Park and on the path running alongside the Braid Burn and through Colinton Mains Park. But this was followed by another slog, this time up the steep path to the NAAFI in Redford Road. (It's funny how we still refer to this point as the NAAFI, even though that establishment closed several years ago, with no trace of the former buildings remaining.)

After a nice downhill run into Colinton (and a stop at the convenient new conveniences), we headed up Woodhall Road and Blinkbonny Road, and then started on the real work of the day: the climb up Curry Kirkgate. In fact, this wasn't quite as bad as some of us had feared. I can't speak for the slower party, but nearly all of my group reached the top - albeit quite slowly - without having to get off and push. The first riders in the second group came into sight just as we had got our breath back and were setting off on the last leg to Harlaw

The two groups joined up at the reservoir. This proved to be an excellent place for a picnic. We spread ourselves between the reservoir wall and the various tables and benches in the delightful garden behind the rangers' station. After lunch, some of us set out for an extra circuit of the reservoir. Others passed the time by paddling in the water, trying a recumbent trike belonging to one of the group, and queuing for the only loo.

On leaving the picnic spot, we immediately reaped the reward for the hard work of the morning, with a lovely long freewheel into Balerno. We then made good time along the Water of Leith path, eventually reaching the Lanark Road bridge and the canal. At this point, about a third of the group chose to go straight back to town along the towpath. The rest of us headed for the Water of Leith Visitor Centre, where we took a lazy afternoon tea on the sunny terrace before drifting off on our separate ways.

Leader: Mike, with help from David, Ken and Logan
Report and photos: Mike