Carberry by a route less travelled

For today's ride, the leader promised us that whilst we would probably know the places we passed through, the route we would take would be unfamiliar to most. Following that rationale, we headed to Carberry via Musselburgh before returning to town. We were blessed with lovely weather. The sun shone down from a blue sky for the whole ride. If only the easterly breeze hadn't had a slight coolness to it, the day would have been a scorcher. It's early June, so perhaps even warmer days lie ahead. Given the weather and the promise of an unfamiliar route, we were expecting a particularly good turnout. With a couple of minutes to go we had a quite disappointing 13 riders. A last minute surge resulted in 20 starters. It was good to see new faces and returnees mixed in with the regulars There followed the customary briefing when the leader explained that just before lunch, we would split into two groups with one lot going to the pub, and the others to the chosen picnic site.

We headed away from the Meadows towards the Innocent Tunnel; but this time we swept past and into Holyrood Park. We zoomed down Queen's Drive (or is that now King's Drive?), past the Parliament, out of the park, along Meadowbank Crescent and up the stiff little climb that is Lilyhill Terrace. After a pause to catch our breath, a few left-right-left turns and we arrived at Willowbrae Road. Arriving at just the right time, we crossed it quickly and easily as we did with Northfield Broadway. We took quiet roads through Mountcastle, down Duddingston Road, past Portobello Golf Course and over the Baileyfield Bridge. More twists and turns through the backstreets of Joppa and we emerged on Milton Road. Right and left turns took us to Brunstane station. Instead of heading down the Brunstane Burn path, we took paths through the estate to emerge in Newcraighall. Across the road and we were on the path towards Musselburgh. This path has recently been upgraded and the temporary one has gone. A lovely ride followed to Musselburgh station, where we paused as Iain kindly passed round homemade cake. Suitably refuelled, we headed to The Grove and took the path to Inveresk. From there we made our way to the site of the Battle of Pinkie. Turning right on the A6094 seemed to take forever. The leader who has ridden that road numerous times, had never seen it so busy. Eventually, we all made the right turn before stopping at the left turn towards the dreaded Fa'side Hill. This is where the lunchtime split occurred. The leader took a group of seven to the Craig House pub for lunch, whilst Mike led the larger group on an extra loop taking in St Clement's Wells and the new housing development on the edge of Wallyford, before pressing on to the picnic stop in the churchyard at Inveresk. Both groups made the most of the weather to dine al fresco.

Mike and the leader had agreed to regroup at the end of the road leading up to Inveresk Church at 1330. With pinpoint accuracy, the leader and group of pub-goers arrived exactly as the clock struck 1330. A quick downhill stretch and we were at Tesco Musselburgh for a comfort break for those that had been picnicking. Over the main road bridge through the town, behind the Brunton Theatre and we were soon at Fisherrow Harbour. Another little twiddle took us Along Newhailes Avenue and Crescent to emerge on the road towards Portobello. At the bottom of Milton Road, we joined the Brunstane Burn path which via Daiches Brae took us to Brunstane station. From there, it was the familiar route back to the Meadows via the Innocent Railway with no more surprises. Once there, the leader declared the ride officially over. Everyone said how much they had enjoyed the ride. There was even a ripple of applause, much to the surprise and embarassment of the leader. A number of riders had said throughout the day that whist they knew the places they had been to, they had never been to them via today's route. They also admitted how hard they would find it to retrace the route due to the number of turns in quick succession.

Another successful ride which everyone seemed to enjoy and with lovely weather - what more can anyone wish for? Thanks to Mike for back marking and taking on the role of second leader just before lunch for the extra loop.

Leader: Glenn

Report: Glenn

Photos: Glenn

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