http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Coast route from South Queensferry to Bo'ness. en Tue, 19 May 2026 14:42:21 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311396 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 11:08:59 +0000 unhurt 311396@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Hardcore. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311395 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 11:08:07 +0000 I were right about that saddle 311395@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>My blood. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311391 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 11:01:31 +0000 unhurt 311391@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What did you mix it with? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311389 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 10:51:52 +0000 I were right about that saddle 311389@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@IainMcR</p> <p>Oddly I am about to finish my first bottle. Has taken some years right enough. Great stuff though. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311384 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 10:36:29 +0000 dessert rat 311384@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>TCP. Amazing stuff, a real childhood smell. Bought some a month ago, wife is horrified by the smell. </p> <p>Did anyone ever actually properly finish a bottle? I suspect not. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311377 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 08:54:49 +0000 biketrain 311377@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Yes it is quite impressive. Amazed that she soldiered on, lesser folk would have turned back. The promise of ice cream may have had some influence. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311373 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 08:44:34 +0000 gembo 311373@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>20 cm cut sounds bad </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311371 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 08:41:21 +0000 biketrain 311371@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Thanks for all the info on the route.</p> <p>Cycled it last night and had no complaints from my friend. Very enjoyable ride.</p> <p>She had many issues with her clipless pedals not releasing. Fell at entrance to Hopeton House electric gates, with results in a 20 cm cut to her calf. Spend a bit of time stopping the flow of blood. Then I backed off the springs on the pedals as much as I could. Still have trouble releasing, so I checked again and found the cleats were lose. These were new shoes and cleats provided/fitted recently by a LBS. I tightened up the cleats and this made releasing a lot easier. </p> <p>We stopped a friend's in Blackness, who cleaned out the cut and applied tcp. Bleeding had stopped.</p> <p>Then onto Bo'ness for ice cream before returning to Dalmeny without incident.</p> <p>On balance a great evening's ride. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311370 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 08:08:09 +0000 Rob 311370@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>"I've ridden S Queensferry-Blackness on 25mm slicks"</em></p> <p>Ditto. The forest section was perfectly fine, though not at full speed. Definitely better than the estate's sandy/grassy sections. At the time I classified it firmly as a "summer only" route on that bike. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311368 Thu, 25 Jul 2019 01:49:43 +0000 Tulyar 311368@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>'Rode' through on 37-633 20 years ago - tolerable - but this was a bike that I was using to ride on railway ballast (fixed wheel too) when surveying cycle routes, took it through Gaick Pass too.</p> <p>RSF would class the route then as rideable on most decent tourers. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311361 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 22:17:31 +0000 Murun Buchstansangur 311361@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've ridden S Queensferry-Blackness on 25mm slicks. The forest path from the Hopetoun estate church to Blackness is fine IMO with the following caveats:</p> <p>1) Best left after heavy rain or with leaf mulch on the ground<br /> 2) the hairpins down from the church are gravelly and I take them exceedingly gently<br /> 3) upthread it sounds like the situation might have improved, but the previous marked path through the estate with the full-height kissing gate and the grassy path was a PITA. Coming from SQ, I always continue up the estate road, exit the estate and follow the tarmac road on the outside of the estate wall (heavily potholed in places but passable) to the church. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311304 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:44:56 +0000 gembo 311304@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Bit like the cleuch in from the end of Loganlea tarmac to the top of beech avenue. Often tempts me near the end of longer rides instead of Midlothian and Fairnilehead. Tho bit gravelly and up and down so i never do that </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311300 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 15:21:11 +0000 crowriver 311300@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@gembo, the wooded section is about 3km. Pushing the bike might be quite enjoyable through the woods, if a bit slower than a road bike rider is used to. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311290 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 14:04:33 +0000 gembo 311290@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Biketrain’s pal may be able to push his road bike 28mm tyres on the woodland sections to the par court? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311288 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 14:02:12 +0000 Rosie 311288@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The coast route from Bo'ness to Blackness is a lovely cycle, by the Forth with a view of Blackness Castle.</p> <p>The link from Blackness through Hopetoun has improved now. You used to cycle across a muddy field, now it's tarmac.</p> <p>The woodland is fine on a hybrid. The surface isn't bad. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311281 Wed, 24 Jul 2019 13:35:10 +0000 crowriver 311281@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I walked this exact route with the family just the other week. There are two wooded sections where the path is forest trail instead of tarmac: one between Hopetoun and Blackness and the other closer to Bo'ness. Personally I wouldn't ride either on a road bike, even with 28mm tyres. A tourer on 32mm+ tyres, gravel bike or MTB would be no problem, however not sure how great the surface would be after heavy rain. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311235 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 21:44:45 +0000 chdot 311235@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Previouslier</p> <p><a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2788&amp;page=2#post-30330" rel="nofollow">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=2788&amp;page=2#post-30330</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311234 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 21:43:46 +0000 chdot 311234@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Previously </p> <p><a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3957" rel="nofollow">http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=3957</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311233 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 21:32:26 +0000 D-el 311233@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There is a relatively new section of tarmac between Blackness and the start of the path heading east through Hopetoun Estate. This used to be a field. A new bridge has also been installed at the bottom of the field. The coastal route from Blackness through Hopetoun Estate is a hard packed surface and I ride it regularly on a road bike with 28mm tyres. Sometimes a few muddy patches after heavy rain but normally fine. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311225 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:54:01 +0000 fimm 311225@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Coming from Bo'ness I recall; really nice cycle path, then usable path through woods to Blackness, then "please ride your bike across this field" at which point I went a different way. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311224 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 20:38:56 +0000 cb 311224@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Between Blackness and Boness there is a wonderfully smooth cycle path</em></p> <p>Most of the section in the woods (approx 1km) is not tarmac, but reasonable-ish hard-packed surface. Caused the 6 year old to moan about it when we went that way on Sunday. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311210 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 19:18:59 +0000 stiltskin 311210@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Last time I went (about 6 months ago) it was similar to the dalmeny route to Sth Queensferry. Personally I wouldn’t take a pure road bike on it but gravel bike ok. Others might be more adventurous </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311208 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 18:46:03 +0000 Frenchy 311208@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's been several years, but I have been that way on a road bike.</p> <p>My recollection is that the surface between Hopetoun and Blackness isn't great, but is passable. There was at least one spot where I got off and pushed for a short distance (going round the side of Hopetoun House).</p> <p>Someone has tagged it as "smoothness=intermediate" on Openstreetmap.</p> <p>Between Blackness and Boness there is a wonderfully smooth cycle path.</p> <p>Hopefully someone who's been there more recently/with a better memory can confirm/update. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311207 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 18:38:58 +0000 gembo 311207@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@biketrain, the path was updated from Borrowstoneness to Blackness. Not sure after that. </p> <p>Often tempted in Bo’ness to go that way to avoid the hill up through Muirhoouses but always end up staying on the road. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19745#post-311205 Tue, 23 Jul 2019 18:32:15 +0000 biketrain 311205@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What it the surface like on the route via Hopeton House and Blackness? Asking for a friend with road bike. </p>