A ride of contrasts

Today's ride was the one rescheduled from April. We were promised an interesting and unusual route to Musselburgh taking in part of the new CCWEL (City Centre West to East Link) route through the city centre, weaving through quiet streets and pleasant green spaces in the east of the city, before heading towards the coast. It was a ride of contrasts: varying between the hustle-and-bustle of central Edinburgh and the peaceful path beside the River Esk as we approached Musselburgh. The weather was lovely; a very light breeze, wall-to-wall sunshine and an ideal temperature for cycling, without being too hot. The trees and path side vegetation still retained that lush freshness that epitomises spring. Given the conditions, a turn out of 27 riders was not surprising. If a day like today couldn't tempt riders to get out, nothing would.

Following the leader's customary briefing, we had our first surprise of the day. 99% of the time we head off down Middle Meadow walk regardless of where we are heading; but today we headed up and turned left onto Lauriston Place. A right turn down Lady Lawson Street, down the side of the Usher Hall, across the busy Lothian Road and we were soon cycling across Festival Square. A few paths and quiet roads, across Shandwick place (taking care on the tram lines) and we were soon on the CCWEL cycle path which took us to Charlotte Square. George Street looked very cosmopolitan with tourists enjoying the sunshine and refreshments at tables beside the road. At St Andrew Square we rejoined the segregated CCWEL and made our way down Queen Street and York Place alongside crowded pavements. It almost seemed as if Festival time had arrived early. On past the Playhouse, across London Road and onto Elm Row before turning into Montgomery Street. Leaving the bustle of the city centre behind, Easter Road, Bothwell Street, past the Hibs stadium and we were in Lochend Park. Past the pond and through the park, we were soon riding through the backstreets of Restalrig - which was a new experience for many of us. A short stretch on the busy Portobello Road, onto Fishwives Causeway, up and over the bridge saw us on the quiet backstreets of Mountcastle. From there, we headed into Figgate Park and stopped by the pond. Here the leader handed out his delicious home baking to the group which was appreciated by all. As we approached Portobello Golf Course, a rider near the back suffered a mechanical issue that required attention. Unfortunately, the leader was unaware of this and pressed on. By the time the issue had been fixed, those at the back had regrouped and caught the others, we were nearly at Brunstane station. All together again, we took the familiar NCN 1 route to Musselburgh station. Via the new path from the station and the Ferguson's housing estate, we were soon heading down the Grove towards the centre of Musselburgh. On this stretch, the backmarker turned to the writer and said, "what a contrast this lovely path beside the river is compared to the centre of Edinburgh". So very true. We ducked under Musselburgh's main road bridge and were soon at the Shorthope Street bridge. This was our lunch stop. The High Street eateries were a short walk away, but the majority opted to picnic beside the river in the sunshine.

Lunch over, we headed to Fisherrow Harbour via the coast path. The harbour area was heaving with people thanks to the Harbour Festival being in full swing. It was too busy to linger, so we took the main road towards Portobello. As we headed off the road onto the Brunstane Burn path, up went the dreaded shout, "puncture!", bringing us all to a halt. Some discussion, agreement from the puncture victim and those helping them and it was decided that the rest of the group would continue and the others would catch us up. From there our usual route back - the Innocent Railway took us towards the Meadows. On exiting the Innocent Tunnel, the leader declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Iain for leading us on such an interesting route to Musselburgh that lived up to expectations. There were many complimentary comments on the ride and it was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Yaz for back marking, and to Alan for dealing with the mechanical issues.

Leader: Iain

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

A fort, a chapel and a gasholder

Today's ride saw the leader making his debut in the role. He led us out to Ocean Terminal, but via an interesting and somewhat unusual route, taking in bike paths and quiet roads in the east and north of the city. The route included a couple of spots that were new to all of us. Getting a turn out of 20 riders for our February ride was good. The weather helped. Despite being quite chilly and overcast, it remained dry, and [for once] there were no issues with ice.

The leader gave a comprehensive briefing, telling us of three specific locations we would visit, warning us of a short muddy section, and to take care on the old rail lines by Victoria Quay. Then we were off. Through Holyrood Park, down to Duddingston village, a short section on Duddingston Road West before turning left through the houses to emerge at the Meadowbank entrance to the Park. A cut-through, across the busy London Road, and we were soon in the pleasant surroundings of Lochend Park where we paused by the pond. Through the back streets of Lochend, which were unfamiliar to many, and we were at the Crigentinny Golf Club. Here was the short, muddy section we had been warned about. With everyone safely through, we crossed Seafield Road twice to arrive at The Shore via Leith Links. After a short distance on NCN 75, we turned off to head through the back streets of Bonnington. More twiddling through back streets, The Shore, Victoria Quay and we arrived at Ocean Terminal for our lunch stop. Most of the group headed out onto the veranda for an al fresco lunch.

With lunch over, it was time for some history lessons. First stop was St Ninian's Chapel in Quayside Street, then Leith Fort in North Fort Street. At both stops, the leader gave a brief talk informing us of the history of the two places. We were soon at Victoria Quay, taking care on the embedded rail lines we had been warned about. Unfortunately, they caught out one rider - their bike went down, they appeared to fly up into the air, but miraculously, they landed on their feet unharmed. If you have to fall, that's the way to do it. Via the Hawthornvale Path, Trinity Path, McKelvie Parade and Lower Granton Road we made our way to Granton Gasholder Number 1. Having only opened a week or two earlier, the newly painted gasholder in its own park was our final stop of the day. Here Ian handed out his delicious homemade cookies. From the waterfront we made our way to the Telford Path for the run back into town. We were delayed by a puncture on this stretch. Underway again, the Roseburn Path, the new path that bypasses Gorgie and the canal led us back to the Meadows where the leader declared the ride officially over.

Thanks to Steve for leading us on such an interesting route for his debut ride as leader, which was enjoyed by all. The fact that Mike said, "in my 20 years on the group, I did not expect to be taken to places I hadn't been before, but I was." speaks volumes. Thanks to Alan for back marking.

Leader: Steve

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

Sunshine on Leith

 If today wasn't Edinburgh's warmest day of the year, it couldn't have been far off. A great day for exploring a most interesting new route around the north Edinburgh waterfront. A turnout of 19 riders was perhaps lower than expected, but seems to be a typical turn out these days. The heady days of when we mustered 43 riders looks like a record that will stand for a considerable time.

Following a comprehensive briefing from the leader, we left the Meadows and headed towards the Innocent Tunnel. But on this occasion, we swept past the turn for the tunnel and continued into Holyrood Park. We whizzed down the hill and were soon riding along the track behind the Palace of Holyrood House. Turning right, we followed the path past the Park Rangers Centre to exit the park on Royal Park Terrace. A cut through between some flats and we emerged onto an incredibly busy London Road. We wanted to go almost straight across and up Wishaw Terrace, but the volume of traffic made it into a time-consuming challenge. We regrouped on Marionville Road, rode along it for a short distance and headed into Lochend Park. We paused beside the pond where the leader handed out sweets. Leaving the park, we made our way to join the cycle path which took us to Leith Links. At Constitution Street we crossed the tram tracks without incident on our way to The Shore. From there, we took the cycle path through Victoria Park and on to the Five Ways junction. The Trinity Path took us to the busy road beside the waterfront, which we left at Newhaven Harbour. A lovely section followed as we went out, round and back on the spit of land by Western Harbour. We were soon cutting through a gap between blocks of flats to emerge on the recently opened platform at the Newhaven tram stop. A mixture of path and roads took us to Ocean Terminal for our lunch stop.

We had just crossed the road, and were riding away from Ocean Terminal when a rider realised their brakes were not working properly. The group waited patiently whilst Alan quickly fixed the problem. We took the Hawthornvale Path back to the Five Ways junction, and with a sense of déjà vu headed down the Trinity Path again. At the end, we turned in the opposite direction and headed towards Granton Square along McKelvie Parade. The cycle path took us up Waterfront Avenue, where residents were sitting outside their front doors enjoying the sunshine. We paused at Saltire Square to admire the sculpture, "going to the beach" as the leader again handed out sweets. Leaving the statue behind, we took the cycle path to the red bridge near Crewe Toll and onwards to Craigleith junction and the zig-zags at the end of the Roseburn Path. The familiar route via the Telfer Subway, Fountain Park and the canal took us to the Leamington Bridge. Back to the Meadows where the leader declared the ride officially over, and received a round of applause from the group.

Thanks to Yaz for leading us to familiar places via an unfamiliar route. Everyone enjoyed the ride, and we could not have wished for better weather. Thanks to Neil for back marking.

Leader: Yaz

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

A balmy Christmas ride

 Fourteen riders turned up for this, our eleventh Christmas morning ride. Unlike last year's run, when the bitterly cold wind forced people to scurry off early in search of warmth, today's conditions were decidedly pleasant: a balmy 8C with only a moderate breeze. We did see a bit of light rain towards the end of the morning, but not enough to dampen the spirits.

For today's event, we were joined by our friends from EasyCycle, this being the last Sunday of the month, which is the day fixed for their usual monthly run.

Leaving Middle Meadow Walk a little after 10.30, we headed up the Royal Mile for our first stop of the day, at the castle esplanade. We then swooped down Johnston Terrace and across Lothian Road. The Filmhouse was looking very sad, being all boarded up since it closed down in October. We continued through Festival Square, and then into Rutland Square and across Shandwick Place towards the West End.

What came next was something of a new experience for many of us: a chance to cycle on a small part of the east-west bike route which is currently being built through the city centre. This will eventually link Leith Walk with the Roseburn Path. Today we contented ourselves with riding just a fragment of the route, using a segregated bike path along Melville Street and the south side of St. Mary's Cathedral. From Palmerton Place, the official route will proceed westward along Landsdowne Crescent, but we headed north instead for a short distance, and then turned right into Chester Street.

We next weaved through Randolph Place and Charlotte Square (work on this part of the bike route is due to start next month). We then turned into George Street, the entrance to which is currently dominated by a temporary building housing the seasonal ice rink: an enormous structure and, in your scribe's humble opinion, not a particularly beautiful one - though no doubt the patineurs appreciate it.

 For the next leg, we pedalled almost the entire length of Princes Street, this being something of a tradition for our Christmas rides. And then came the only real work of the day: the ascent of Calton Hill. We all reached the summit without too much difficulty, and lingered there a while, taking in the superb views.

At this point – and for reasons too boring to go into – we had a change of leadership, with Jim Cameron taking over from the undersigned. Jim led the remainder of the ride, which included a quick visit to the Stones of Scotland (excellent views of Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat), a circuit of Lochend Park and a final leg through Holyrood Park. Those who hadn't peeled off earlier regained the Meadows just after 12:30. It was by no means a long ride, but still an enjoyable one – and a good way to start Christmas Day. 

Leaders: Mike and Jim

Report and photos: Mike

A modern start to 2017

The 20 Milers opened their account for 2017 with today's ride to the Gallery of Modern Art. Despite the sunshine, it was cold and there were a few icy stretchs on some paths to watch out for. Despite a run there being a tried and tested one, Mike added to the interest by changing the route in places. The section between Holyrood Park and Lochend Park had a number of our regular riders unsure as to where they were. There were 19 riders at the start. A reasonable turnout given the cold and icy conditions. But we have had higher January turnouts in the past. Surely those "I'm going to get fit in 2017" new year resolutions couldn't have been abandoned less than half way through January? It's always good to have new riders turn up. This time there was only one. But we hope they enjoyed it enough to come back. The group rolled away from the Meadows and took the familiar route towards the Innocent tunnel. One of our regulars was so used to going through the tunnel, he headed that way and had to be called back. On this ocassion, we continued past the tunnel entrance and made our way into Holyrood Park and whizzed down Queen's Drive. We turned off the road at the car park and made our way towards London Road. Via paths and quiet roads we made our way to Clockmill Lane. A cut-through between flats and a few more quiet back streets left many in the group wondering where they were. It's always nice to discover new parts of what you consider to be familiar territory. Arriving on Lower London Road, the majority knew where they were once again. A left turn was followed by a short spell on the very busy London Road. A right turn, more unfamiliar back streets and we found ourselves on a path that took us through Lochend Park to emerge beind the Hibs football stadium. We crossed Easter Road, and via Brunswick Road and Macdonald Road joined the path that took us into St Mark's Park where we stopped in the sunshine. So many snacks appeared that it was reminiscent of the Christmas Day ride. Suitably replenished, we made our way onwards past the Royal Botanic Gardens and into Inverleith Park. We passed the impressive Fettes College and made our way through the backstreets of Craigleith to the retail park. From there we made our way through the grounds of Mary Erskine School, along Ravelston Dykes Road and Ravelston Park to arrive for our lunch stop at the Gallery of Modern Art in Belford Road.

After a pleasant warm, and lunch in the cafe, we set off for what promised to be a relatively short run back into town. Before leaving the grounds of the gallery, there was some debate as to whether something there was a picnic table, fancy bike stand or a work of art! Cultural experience over; we retraced our steps to Ravelston Dykes Road. From there we made our way through the grounds of St George's School and on to the Roseburn Path. From the zig-zags via the Telfer subway, Fountainpark, the canal, Leamington Bridge and a twiddle through the backstreets of Bruntsfield, we returned to the Meadows. At barely 15 miles, this was one of the shortest rides for a while. The sunshine linked with the fact it wasn't quite as cold as earlier and it being quite early, had some riders feeling they should stay out longer. But it had been a good ride and finishing early after a shorter ride is more acceptable in January than July.


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