March ride this coming Saturday

We've got our March ride coming up this Saturday (8th). I hope you'll be able to join us.

This month's ride will be similar to the route that we had to abandon in January because of ice. Now that the worst of the cold weather is over (let's hope), we should have a much better run this time. The route will take in the Currie, Hermiston and Riccarton areas. It's not a particularly hilly route, although there might be a couple of short climbs. There will also be one section of rough track which might be muddy. The total distance will be about 24 miles.

We'll meet as always at the top of Middle Meadow Walk, for a 10.30 start. The ride should end mid afternoon.

February's ride

Today we had sunshine and showers. The showers were icy cold, but luckily not too heavy at any time. About 24 people came out for today's ride - not as many as last month's massive turn out, but good considering the weather, and the Calcutta Cup scheduled for later in the day.

This month was my turn to lead, and the recce I led a few weeks earlier had showed that my "Google Satellite route planning" had resulted in quite a lot of mud, hills and steps, so we had reworked some of the worse bits via a car-recce (time being limited), so I was quite glad that all the parts worked out (I only went slightly wrong once, by a couple of metres!)

We went south, with a loose theme of "Hospitals" - better than the original theme of "mud and steps". We passed the old Royal, the Sick Kids, the Astley Ainsley, waved to the Royal Ed in the distance, passed nearby Napier uni's Craiglockhart campus (which used to be a sanatorium for war veterans with shell shock), past Firrhill school and into the grounds of the old City hospital (with lovely balconies for the invalids to take the air), and then down into the Braid burn valley. A short climb or two (avoiding the muddiest bit of Cockmylane), and then up to Brunstane took us to some lovely views of the Pentlands and East, before a whizz down the hill to lunch at Mortonhall Garden Centre (for some) or the Stable Bar (where several people toasted themselves lightly in front of the fire).

Photo - Alan Stalker

After lunch we carried on East, past the Toby Carvery ("Second lunch, anyone?") and through Gracemount, Southhouse, over the Burdiehouse valley park, through a back path in the Murrays, into Gilmerton, Moredun and Ferniehill and down to the Royal Infirmary. Using the new bus lane we went through the abandoned wasteland that was Niddrie, where the water board had kindly laid on a bike-washing fountain, then through Craigmiller and down to the Innocent Railway to head back into town and coffee etc. at Peter's Yard.

Total distance - about 18.5 miles, plus a fair amount of climb (about 1000ft overall, I believe).

View 20milers Feb-14 route in a larger map
Leader - Livia
Report - Livia too

Next Month: Alan Stalker, heading to Balerno, Currie and the Gyle (probably).

February ride this coming Saturday

Our next ride will be this coming Saturday (8th Feb). Livia will be leading us on an interesting tour round the southern outskirts of the city, with a lunch stop at the Mortonhall Garden Centre café (soup, sandwiches, baked potatoes and light meals available).

From what I've seen of the route, it should be a very pleasant run, with some fine views. Apart from just a couple of short sections on rough tracks, we'll be on good surfaces most of the time. We won't be able to avoid hills, but these will be fairly easy - certainly no killers this time. The total distance will be about 19 miles.

As always, we'll set out at 10.30 from the top of Middle Meadow Walk. You don't need to tell us in advance if you are planning to come. Just turn up on the day.

Two groups

You probably know that we're now getting very high turnouts on most of our rides. This is good, but it can cause difficulties for the ride leaders. To help keep things manageable, we now plan to split a ride into two groups whenever the leader thinks it necessary.

So, at the start of the ride, you might be asked to decide whether you want to go with the first or the second group. The first group will cycle slightly faster, perhaps with slightly shorter breaks. The second, slightly slower, group will leave about five minutes later. Note that there won't be a great difference in the speed of the two groups. The aim is simply to keep them separated.

Both groups will follow roughly the same route, and will meet up at the lunch venue. You will be free to switch groups for the afternoon leg if you wish.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this arrangement. We plan to try it on the next couple of rides (depending on the turnout), and to review the arrangements after that.

What to bring

This week's ride should end well before dark, which is currently about 5 p.m. So you probably won't need lights, although it might be prudent to bring them anyway, especially if you live some distance from the end point.

However, I do suggest that you bring a spare inner tube if at all possible. This can save a lot of time if a puncture strikes. If you're not sure what size tube fits your wheels, your local bike shop will be happy to advise. If you don't know what to do with the tube, don't worry: many members of our group have had experience in dealing with punctures (unfortunately), and will do their best to help if needed. 

That's all for now. I hope we'll be seeing you on Saturday. Meantime, happy pedalling.

A shortened ride to Craiglockhart

For today's ride, we had a beautiful sunny morning with clear blue skies, but conditions under-wheel were treacherous. The temperature had earlier fallen below zero, and there was still black ice on many of the paths and pavements. Three members of our group had falls on the way to the meeting point - one of them suffered bruises and cuts to her face.

In spite of the bad conditions, 35 cyclists turned up. We split into two groups, and set out very cautiously towards Currie, Riccarton and The Gyle. But progress was slow. We were forced to dismount for several particularly slippery stretches, and a couple more riders had falls.

By 11.30, we had only got as far as Craiglockhart. So our leader, Alan Orr, wisely decided to call it a day. Several people had already peeled off at this point. The remainder of us cycled slowly back to town along the canal towpath. At Fountainbridge, we invaded Loudens café, where we warmed ourselves on hot drinks and snacks.

It was a pity to have to abandon what promised to be a very nice ride, but it was right to put safety first. We did at least manage to cycle 6½ miles, albeit at an average speed of less than 5 mph.


View Shortened ride to Craiglockhart in a larger map

Leader: Alan Orr, assisted by Alan Stalker
Report and map: Mike

January ride this coming Saturday

We've got our first ride of 2014 coming up on Saturday (11th). I know it's a bit chilly at the moment, but an invigorating bike ride is an excellent way of getting warmed up, so do try and join us if you can.

For this month's outing, Alan Orr will be taking us on a tour of bike routes in the Currie, Hermiston and Riccarton area. It's not a particularly hilly route, although there might be a couple of short climbs. There will, however, be several sections on rough tracks, and these might be muddy in places. The total distance will be about 19 miles.

As always, please regard the above details as provisional. Depending on the weather and the conditions on the day, we might opt for a slightly shorter and drier route. We'll see nearer the time.

We'll meet at our habitual starting point at the top of Middle Meadow Walk, in time for a 10.30 departure. It's not possible to say for sure what time the ride will end, but, all being well, we should be back in the city centre by about 3 pm. Although it won't be dark until after 4 pm, it would be sensible to bring lights just in case we get delayed.

That's all for now. Despite the winter weather, we've had some excellent rides these last few months, and this month's run should be no exception.

A Merry* Christmas Ride

After a week of rain (or sleet) and wind, we had a stroke of fortune from the weather gods - although it was still a bit windy, today's ride was blessed by beautiful sunshine all the way! 22 people decided they had nothing better to do this morning, and joined the ride, led by Mike. We started off with a quick visit to the Castle Esplanade - I think it's the first time 20milers have been up there, then down the back of the Castle to the Usher Hall, and across Lothian Road to wiggle through the back paths into Rutland Square and then onto Shandwick Place (crossing the tram lines carefully) and East onto Princes Street. We had a nearly empty road (just one First Bus getting in our way) and lovely views of the Castle and the Christmas markets.
We then headed back to the Royal Mile past Waverley Station, and down to the Palace of Holyrood House for a quick look before we started our climb up Calton Hill. The route luckily was not too steep and everyone managed it and enjoyed the views from the top. Descending the north path (nearly all on foot - but there's always 1 who mountain-bikes it down (Andrew, and this time Darren as well, so actually 2!) - we then crossed London Road, made our way through some back streets, crossed Leith Walk and then headed down McDonald Road and onto the North Edinburgh Path at Powderhall / St Mark's Park. A short ride along these old railway lines took us to King George V Park, where we stopped and shared some Christmas treats - mince pies, cakes, biscuits, and there were plenty to go around.

After this break, we made our way to Stockbridge, then up the Water of Leith to Dean Village, up the hill to Palmerston Place and then to Queensferry Street where the ride officially disbanded.

Photos:


Map:

View Christmas Day ride 2013 in a larger map
Leader: Mike
Report and photos: Livia
(*Not merry in the alcohol sense though!)

Forthcoming ride : A half-day ride for Christmas morning

This is a quick reminder of our short ride next Wednesday morning (Christmas Day).

I know that many of you will have other things to do that day. But, if you happen to be at a loose end, you're very welcome to come along. As always, the ride is open to all, with no need to book in advance.

We'll leave at 10.30, from our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk. With luck, there won't be much traffic in town that day, so we'll aim to visit parts of the city centre and nearby districts where we might not otherwise venture. There will be a couple of short steep hills, but most of the route will be fairly flat. We'll stick to roads and paths with good surfaces for most of the way (apart from the occasional cobbles).

The total distance will be 10 - 12 miles, which we'll take at a slow-ish place, with a few short sight-seeing stops. Note that there will be no lunch break.

We'll aim to finish by 13.00 at the latest - but we won't necessarily end up back at the Meadows. (Last year, most people had peeled off by about 12.30, so we ended the ride at the West End.)

Our next normal monthly ride will be on 11th January. I'll post more details of that event nearer the time.