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 lovely way to spend an evening

In theory, it was a very warm evening. At 7pm the thermometer said 20C, but the thermometer had obviously not been told about the chilly wind that had been brewing up from the west. As it was, long-sleeved jackets and sweaters were in evidence, rather than t-shirts and shorts. But at least it stayed sunny and bright all evening, with clear blue skies all the way.

A photo op by the Usher Hall

Ten riders turned up for our summer solstice ride. It's true that the actual solstice was the day before. But Friday seemed like a better option for an evening outing, especially given that at least one other evening run had been organised for the Thursday.

After the usual briefing and safety announcement, we set off towards the Roseburn Path – but not by the usual route involving bumps and zigzags, Instead, we headed west along Lauriston Place, then weaved through to the Usher Hall and across the busy Lothian Road. After pausing for a brief photo opportunity in Festival Square, we continued through the West End, then up the hill (steep but thankfully short) by the Gallery of Modern Art, and into Ravelston Dykes. We freewheeled down Garscube Terrace, eventually joining the Roseburn Path by a short flight of steps leading down from Coltbridge.

We stayed on the path only as far as the Craigleith junction. From there, we took Craigleith Hill Avenue – aka Quiet Route 20 – down past the Police Scotland HQ and into Inverleith Park. There was a lovely view across the Edinburgh skyline from here, with the Castle standing out prominently in the evening light.

Stopping to admire the Royal Yacht

Our next leg took us round the sides of the Royal Botanic Garden and back onto the bike path at Warriston. We continued to Five Ways and then on to Lindsay Road and past the cruise liner terminal. We stopped for nibbles in Ocean Drive, from where we had a fine view of the Royal Yacht Britannia.

After a short stretch along the Leith waterfront, we headed back to town by way of the Water of Leith Path, St Mark's Park and McDonald Road. At the Leith Walk traffic lights, we waited expectantly for the bike priority light to kick in. Sure enough, the green bicycle light came on before the lights changed to green for the general traffic, but only about two and a half seconds before - better than nothing, I suppose.

A bit more weaving found us in Royal Terrace, on the northern flank of Calton Hill. I've always thought that this is a particularly attractive road, with fine houses on one side and an open outlook on the other. But some elements of our group seemed more concerned about the rough going on the cobbled surface (don't blame me; I didn't build the road). Fortunately the cobbled section was quite short, and we soon reached our next stopping point, the Stones of Scotland.

The Stones of Scotland is a circular monument, completed in 2002, which commemorates the rebirth of the Scottish parliament. There is one stone from each of Scotland's 32 local authority areas, and the whole thing is dramatically situated on high ground, looking over the parliament building and towards Arthur's Seat. If you are passing that way, it is worth a stop.

The Nelson Monument on Calton Hill

And so to the climax of the evening: the climb to the summit of Calton Hill. Actually, it's not that hard a climb. We took the relatively easy (and well-surfaced) route from Regent Road, and we all made it to the top without difficulty. We regrouped at the Nelson Monument, from where we could enjoy the superb outlook across the Firth of Forth and the Fife hills. The summit was teeming with people, including many tourists – not surprising, given the splendid weather.

For the final leg, we headed back down to Regent Road and then via the Bridges and Chambers Street, arriving back at the Meadows a little before 9.30pm. With just under 15 miles on the clock, it wasn't exactly a long ride, but it was a very sociable one in good company and with some interesting sites along the way. What better way to spend a mid-summer evening?




Leader, report and photos: Mike 
Map: Jim