Snowy January Ride

It just goes to show that you can't keep a cyclist inside on a lovely sunny January day, even if there's an inch of snow on the ground and the temperature is hovering around freezing. Nine of us turned up for today's ride (although one dropped out with brake problems early on). We changed our original intended route (out to Riccarton and Colinton) in favour of a short ride mainly on roads (which were generally snow-free) down for coffee etc. in Leith.

Snowy January ride to Leith

Andy Hunter led us down Chambers Street and down the Royal Mile, pausing in front of Canongate Kirk to view the stag's head with a cross between the antlers on top of the church. We then detoured slightly into Holyrood Park, where the Bupa Great Winter Run championship was going on (which mainly seemed to consist of an amplified keep-fit class (or perhaps keep-warm class, given the conditions) and lots of banners. We stopped outside Holyrood Abbey for a quick story (King David and the Stag) before carrying on to London Road and Easter Road to Leith Links and then to the Shore, where we found Mimi's Bakehouse (newly opened and full of very yummy cakes). The party then headed back up Leith Walk - a very short ride in total but in glorious sunshine, and leaves us with daylight still to enjoy the snow.

Today

It looks a bit snowy (and I'm in Leith, so presumably there will be more further South) but I'm just about to head up to Middle Meadow Walk. Once we've seen what the paths and roads are like we might decide to go for a ride or we might find a coffee and cake shop.

Tomorrow's ride

The weather forecast is a bit borderline for tomorrow: Metcheck for example are currently promising a nice sunny day around 0degrees, however other places are suggesting that there might be a fair amount of snow falling before then.

Mike & I aim to be at Middle Meadow Walk as normal for 10.30 tomorrow, however we may decide to cancel on the spot if the weather is bad.

So the upshot of it is... the ride isn't cancelled at the moment but if the weather's nasty then it doesn't make sense to go for a fun ride: no one wants to get hurt! The general principle of 20-milers applies, in that you are responsible for your own safety and wellbeing and if you don't feel that it's safe, then don't come.

However I really hope that the snow holds off and we all have a glorious ride tomorrow. Andy (Storybikes) is planning to take us out to Riccarton and Colinton, about 17 miles in total.

December's ride cancelled

Update - December's ride is Cancelled (unsurprisingly) because of poor weather conditions.

However we hope to add an extra ride in the New Year to make up for this. Our next regular ride is Saturday January 8th 2011.

Please keep an eye on the http://www.cycling-edinburgh.org.uk/ website for more details.

Colinton in November

Mike Lewis led today's ride - 19 people showed up which is a good turn out for November. The weather was sunny but with a bit of a South Westerly breeze headwind - which made the stretch after lunch nicer of course.
Mike decided today's route on the day, based on who showed up and our previous and next destinations. We headed South, UP Braid Avenue (a long hill) and then through the Braidburn Valley Park and along the (now opened) path which ends up at the NAAFI on the inner ring road.

View 20milers AdHoc to Colinton in a larger map
From there, we headed up through Colinton and out under the bypass towards Juniper Green, and there onto the Water of Leith. The path was quite muddy in places and we arrived back in Colinton (via Spylaw Park) ready for lunch.
After lunch we headed back into town along the Water of Leith. A few people headed back into the centre along the canal, but the rest continued through Saughton Park and beside the prison, ending up in Roseburn, where the ride formally disbanded. (I have tracked a possible route back to Middle Meadow Walk from there on the map).

Photos from the ride

Next month Andrew is leading the ride, and the current plan is to head South to Craiglockhart, then along the Water of Leith to lunch in the Stockbridge / Canonmills area, then return to the centre via Leith and Lochend. Hope to see you there!

Next rides

November: Saturday 13th - destination to be decided
December: Saturday 11th - a shorter than normal route inside the city limits. Lunch probably in the Stockbridge area but still to be confirmed.

9th October ride: over Corstorphine Hill to Davidson's Mains

Twenty three riders turned up for today's ride through the west of the city. Under Jenny's expert leadership, we set off via Leamington Terrace and Dundee Street to Murrayfield. From there we traversed the blue route through Corstorphine to Edinburgh Park, where we had a short break.

Amazingly we kept together most of the time, thanks to Ken's backmarking skills. Every now and then we gave each other the "Royal Wave" to make sure we were within sight.

Onward under the bypass to Gogar Station Road and the RBS bridge over the A8.  At Gogar Roundabout we turned left up Turnhouse Road where three of the riders took time out to calibrate their mileometers against the measured half-mile. We then headed east along Craigs Road (great views) before arriving at hazard no.1:  the crossing of Maybury Road. With no traffic lights, we had to make a run for it until one generous car driver actually stopped to let us across. Thank you. I take back what I said about inconsiderate motorists.

We continued upwards and eastwards until we finally reached Cairnmuir Road  and Corstorphine Hill Woods. Most headed on but a few wanted a breather after the climb. We traversed a pleasant path, got over hazard no. 2 - a set of steep steps - and arrived at the viewpoint over Murrayfield Golf Club. The view would have been one of Edinburgh’s best if it hadn’t been so misty. We then descended over hazard no. 3 - a narrow and rocky descent, which we managed without incident. There was then a nice shortcut down through Ravelston Woods to reach NCN 1.

Hunger and thirst pangs took hold as we headed to Davison’s Mains. Most of us took refuge in Ye Olde Inn whilst others took a picnic in the park.

After lunch, some of the group decided to return straight home. The remaining 13 of us headed for “an easy stroll” round Silverknowes Promenade. Don’t speak too soon – we were met with gale force winds that forced us inland, to Waterfront Park, Telford Path and home. In total around 23 miles.