Ride to Heriot-Watt on Saturday

This is to remind you of our ride this coming Saturday (13th April). We'll be heading to a familiar destination but by an unfamiliar - and interesting - route.

Jenny (Tizard) will be leading us on a tour of bike paths and quiet roads that involves the Granton waterfront, the River Almond walkway, the Cammo Estate and the road at the back of Edinburgh airport. We'll stop for lunch at the Heriot-Watt campus, then head back to town via the canal, Edinburgh Park and Murrayfield.

Our lunch stop will be in the university cafeteria. This is a very spacious eatery where we usually get served quickly and efficiently. There is usually at least one hot dish on offer, as well as soup, baked potatoes, sandwiches, etc. For those of us who prefer to bring a packed lunch, there is no problem in eating this inside the cafeteria.

Note that most of the cycling will be in the morning, and the lunch stop will therefore be quite late. You might want to bring a bar of chocolate or piece of fruit to keep the hunger pangs at bay during the morning.

The total distance will be 24 miles. It will be reasonably flat, with just a few moderate hills. There will also be one or two stretches of rough paths that might be muddy.

As always, we'll gather at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk in time for a 10:30 departure.

A new leader and a new route to Ratho

Today saw us head out to that old favourite, the Edinburgh International Climbing Centre at Ratho. Despite being a familiar location, today's rookie leader managed to weave in sections that were anything but familiar. The weather forecast suggested we were in for strong winds and frequent showers. Whilst it was windy, it was nothing like last month's ride which was severely curtailed as a result; and the showers came to nothing. The wind meant it was quite cool, but by way of compensation, the sun was shining for most of the ride. The Scotland v Wales rugby match at Murrayfield meant it was busy around there on the outward leg. But on the return leg, coming through just after kick off meant it was very quiet and we were able to enjoy the luxury of threading through roads closed to other traffic. Oh the joy of being on a bike when such things come together.

Despite the weather forecast, a very impressive 28 riders [including a smattering of new faces] mustered in the windy, but bright and sunny conditions for the rookie leader's comprehensive briefing. All pre-ride briefings have become more detailed of late; most of them containing the line, "just because the rider in front of you does something stupid, does not mean you have to". Let's hope that message is getting through. We left the meadows in one group and made our way to the canal at Leamington Bridge via Bruntsfield Links. After a very short stretch on the canal, we headed to Dalry Road via the bumps and the Telfer subway. From there we took Russell Road and headed towards Murrayfield. Around there we encountered heavier traffic than usual, both vehicles and pedestrians. There were also noticeably more Welsh accents to be heard than usual. Leaving the bustle of Murrayfield behind, we made our way to Gogar Station Road via the Water of Leith, Stenhouse, Saughton, Bankhead and Edinburgh Park to re-join the canal. Whilst a familiar route many of us are used to, we usually find ourselves on it heading back into, rather than away from town. The combination of a stiff head wind and several busy roads to cross resulted in the group becoming very spread out over this stretch. A regroup at Ratho Marina saw the whole group back together. Shortly after leaving the marina, the group was already stretching out again. A few of the group's wise old hands riding at the back, decided it would make sense to press on via the canal rather than follow the official route which was considerably longer. As a result, the small group at the back made it to lunch first, despite having to push/carry their bikes up the steps to get from the canal.

With everyone fed and watered we set off on our return leg. We were led through the car park and onto an unsurfaced path. This was new to most of us. The path took us alongside the M8. We re-joined the road on the edge of Ratho to make our way through Freelands, Ratho Byres and on towards Roddinglaw. Just as we thought we knew where we were, a left turn took us once again into uncharted territory before emerging onto Gogar Station Road. From there we went onto the site of the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, took the bridge over the A8, whizzed down the other side and were soon riding along the cycle path beside Glasgow Road. Past the Gogar roundabout and Edinburgh Gateway station and we were mixing it with the Saturday afternoon traffic in the Gyle car park. Leaving the traffic behind, the cycle path led us to South Gyle station and onwards through Broomhouse to Murrayfield. Skirting the stadium was easy as we were there a few minutes after kick off and most of the fans were inside; we could hear them singing. We enjoyed the luxury of riding on closed roads just before the police reopened them to traffic. At the Russell Road zig-zags, the leader declared the ride over and the group dispersed. Some headed home, whilst others headed off for the customary post-ride coffee.

Thanks to Bill for leading us somewhere we are used to, but by a less familiar route on his first outing as leader. Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride and the weather was kinder to us than expected. Another good day. Now that we have the March ride behind us, would it be too much to ask for the weather to turn a little more spring-like ?

Leader: Bill
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: David

Ratho this coming Saturday

For our ride this coming Saturday (9th), Bill will be leading us on what promises to be a pleasant run out to Ratho. We'll be heading out via Murrayfield, Balgreen and Hermiston, returning by way of Gogar and the Corstorphine railway path. The total distance will be about 24 miles, mostly on well-surfaced roads and paths but with one section that might be rough in places.

For our lunch break, we'll stop at the International Climbing Arena. There's a useful cafe there, offering splendid views of the climbing wall, as well as a large terrace with picnic tables.

We'll meet as usual at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk in time to leave at 10:30. We should be back at the Meadows around mid afternoon.

I hope to see you there.

Somewhere new to blow away the cobwebs

With the 20 Milers having been going for fifteen years, it is very easy  to think there is nowhere new left for us to visit. So it is always great when a leader manages to pull somewhere new out of the bag. That is exactly what Jim did today - leading us out to Covenanters Wood beside Dreghorn Barracks. It's a delightful little woodland with plenty of paths to explore and also has the remains of some historically significant First World War training trenches. Unfortunately the weather was not on our side. Strong winds forced a change to the planned route. The section from Covenanters Wood to Heriot Watt University (our intended lunch venue) would have been very open and exposed. In the interests of rider's safety, the decision was made to scrap that section and head to Colinton for lunch. This  resulted in a considerably shorter ride. But at least the ride went ahead safely.

Low turn outs are not uncommon in February, and  today's strong winds resulted in just eleven of us setting out from the Meadows. Via Bruntsfield Links and Whitehouse Loan we made our way to the back streets of Morningside. From there we rode through Braidburn Valley Park, skirted the edge of Colinton Mains Park and rode through the Redford estate to emerge on Redford Road. A short stretch on that busy road, which we carefully crossed and we entered Covenanters Wood. For the majority of the group, this was their first visit. The leader gave a brief talk introducing us to the wood and telling us a little about its history. Unsurfaced, but not too rough or muddy paths took us further into the woods. Another stop to look at the First World War training trenches. The old and the new were either side of the path; to our right were the training trenches, to the left a high fence topped with razor wire - beyond which lay Dreghorn Barracks. A pleasant off-road run saw us make a complete circuit of the woods. Back to the start and we set off on a second circuit. But this time we exited the woods part way round and made our way through a new housing estate. Dreghorn Loan led us to the traffic lights in Colinton village and to our lunch stop - the Colinton Inn. Another something new - a pub we had never visited before.

With the group fed and watered, we set off on our relatively short run back towards town. A ride along the busy Colinton Road, before turning off and meandering through the quiet back streets of Craiglockhart. We then joined the canal towpath which took us back to the Leamington Bridge. This stretch of the canal is so charming and delightful that it begs the question, "are we really in a city?" At the top of Leamington Terrace, the leader declared the ride officially over. Thanks to Jim for leading us to somewhere we hadn't been before, and finding a new lunch venue. It was definitely the right call to change the route to cut out that open and exposed section in the interests of safety. It did result in one of our shortest rides for quite some time. But a short, safer ride is still better than having to cancel.

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

Something different this Saturday

For our bike ride this Saturday (9th Feb), Jim has come up with something entirely new. We will be visiting the little-known Covenanters Wood in the south west of the city. I was surprised to learn that this ancient woodland is home to a rare group of giant redwood trees - something you associate more with California than Caledonia. There are also some archaeological excavations dating back to the two world wars and a couple of other sites of historical interest. Jim will no doubt be telling us the full story of these when we get there.

After that, we will continue westward on a more familiar route through Currie and Riccarton before heading back to town via Edinburgh Park and the Corstorphine railway path. The total distance will be about 21 miles. The route should be fairly easy apart from a few short climbs and a couple of rough stretches that might be a little muddy.

For lunch, we will stop at the Heriot-Watt campus. The café there serves a reasonable range of soup, baked potatoes, sandwiches and hot drinks. It also has plenty of indoor seating for those of us who prefer to bring our own food.

The meeting time and place are, as always, 10:30 at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. We should get back to the Meadows well before dark (sunset is at 17:00), but it might be wise to bring lights just in case, especially if you have some distance to travel after the ride. Needless to say, the ride is free and open to all, with no need to book.

An ice-free season opener

Today's ride saw us head out to that old favourite, Craigie's Farm. It is usually a safe bet, even when there is a lot of  ice elsewhere. That's often an important factor, as for the last few years the first 20 Milers ride of the year seems to have been associated with cold and icy condition. Not so for the season opener of 2019. We were blessed with weather that was reasonably mild, if a touch breezy at times. There was some very light drizzle as we set off after lunch, but it was barely noticeable and came to nothing.

A turnout of 27 riders was impressive given the time of year. Clearly the unseasonably good weather played a part. As ever,  it was good to see some new faces in amongst the regulars. The decision was made to have just one group. We rode away from the Meadows and via Bruntsfield Links, Whitehouse Loan and the quiet backstreets of Morningside arrived at the busy Morningside Road by the clock. It took a while to get the whole group safely across the juction and onto Belhaven Terrace. The group pulled over to let an ambulance pass on Balcarres Street. We left the road behind and made our way through the woods to Craiglockhart Pond. Up a few steps and we were on Lockharton Avenue. We then joined the busy Colinton Road before turning right into Craiglockhart Road North, helped by a considerate motorist that let the whole group across in front of them. A combination of quiet roads and paths and we were on the canal towpath. We had a tight squeeze when the group had to pass three cyclists going in the opposite direction on the Slateford Aqueduct. We stayed beside the canal for quite a distance and the group became quite stretched out. This was when the decision was made to split into two groups. Something must have gone awry as we ended up with one group of twenty and another of just seven. We finally left the canal at Gogar Station Road and made our way to the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ. Across the bridge over the A8 and we were soon speeding down the bridge onto the cycle path beside the busy road. Just before Maybury Junction, we turned left onto Turnhouse Road. We often go a reasonable way along that road before turning off on the right. This time we followed the road as far as we could to the air cargo depot for Edinburgh Airport. We headed up Lennie Muir, which gave us good views of planes coming in to land at the airport. We turned off Cammo Road and onto a muddy track through the woods to emerge at Grotto Bridge where cakes were passed round. Leaving the River Almond behind, we made our way through the Craigiehall army housing and onto the road towards our lunch stop at Craigie's Farm. Up the stiff little climb and we were there.

Following a pleasant lunch, the two groups headed down the steep hill towards the A90. The last three riders saw a car coming up the hill quite fast and decided to pull right off the road for safety. Despite the riders being well out of the way and causing no obstruction, there was a very expensive sounding "clang" as the approaching BMW made contact with the kerb. The car continued up the hill and the group continued down, along the road and joined the path beside the A90. We followed this familiar path back to Cramond Brig; for once, failing to stop on the bridge. Through Barnton and Davidson's Mains to join NCN 1 and on to Craigleith. From there, the Roseburn Path, Dalry, Fountainbridge and we were back at the Meadows and the ride was officially over.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride. There were no mishaps and the weather had been much kinder to us than we had the right to expect in mid-January. Thanks to Alan for leading such a good ride.

Leader: Alan
Report: Glenn
Photos: Glenn
Map trace: David

First 2019 ride this coming Saturday

We've got our first ride of the new year coming up on Saturday (12th). Alan will be leading us on a circuit of bike paths and quiet roads in the west of the city, with a lunch stop at one of our more popular eating places, Craigie's Farm.

The route will be about 24 miles and will include a few short stretches on rough paths that might be muddy in places. There won't be a great deal of climbing, but there will be one fairly steep hill just before lunch. Most of the cycling will be in the morning, with a quick return to the Meadows in the afternoon. The ride should finish well before dark (sunset is at 16:06), but it would be wise to bring lights in case we get delayed or if you want to go for a post-ride coffee.

Craigie's Farm has both a cafe and a picnic area. The cafe does a good range of hot dishes, salads, sandwiches and the like.

We'll meet as always at 10:30 at our usual spot on Middle Meadow Walk.

A couple of points ....

Please keep in mind that the above information is provisional. The meeting place and time are fixed, but with all our rides we reserve the right to change the route or destination at short notice, depending on conditions on the day. This doesn't happen very often, but we might need to do it, for example if some of the paths are icy or if particularly bad weather is expected later in the day.

Also, please remember to carry a spare inner tube if at all possible. We can't guarantee you won't get a puncture, but if you do, having a spare tube will make it much easier to get back on the road. If you're not sure what size or type of tube you need, ask at your local bike shop.

Remember, you don't need to reply to this post or let anyone know that you are coming. If you plan to join us, just turn up on the day.