CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » General Edinburgh

WoL experience...

(16 posts)

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  1. Dave
    Member

    Had an epic commute this morning down the WoL - or at least, as much of the WoL as isn't closed due to myriad diversions.

    Now that I've got the bike set up for fast rolling over aggressive "surfaces" it felt a little like being at Glentress, but with worse signage and more overgrown.

    I had to resort to riding in circles while using my mobile for mapping at multiple points!

    Hardly any other riders in sight despite another amazing morning. Perhaps they are all too smart to try and stick to WoL as it seemed to be closed more often than it was open, what with trams, bridges shut, flood prevention, paths that ended in barriers (!) and so on...

    Took twice as long as my normal commute but a sweet trip nonetheless.

    http://app.strava.com/activities/58097917

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. DaveC
    Member

    Dave, you know you can come off before the canal and then head down to come out between the Pub and the old Landrover dearership. There is a pedestrian/cycle crossing and then you can pick up th path at the boardwalk where you came down the steps.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. Dave
    Member

    drat, missed a bit then!

    I also cut off early to the office as I ran out of time, instead of following the WoL to the salty main.

    I've only ridden up WoL once before and I'm sure I remember lots of excellent fun metal walkway with steps to hop up and down and general challenge. I didn't see any of that today, so I may have diverged from the route somewhere else, or it's on one of the closed sections?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. lionfish
    Member

    minimoth and I took our lives in our hands the other evening and sat on the bench in the DANGER IMMINENT LANDSLIDE fenced off area for 30 or 40 minutes! It was very nice too :D

    (ssh, don't tell the WoL/Council/consultants)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Dave
    Member

    Incidentally, after driving down Lanark Rd for the last couple of weeks, the the WoL has qualified as a suitable cycle route for SWMBO (for now), so congrats to the team who scraped off all the crud.

    I suspect the mud will soon return and thus perhaps the car too, but am buying her wider, faster "WoL tyres" in an attempt to pre-empt this :-)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. Dave
    Member

    Thanks to you both, I just had another excellent adventure commute!

    First, the fun metal boardwalk I remembered is on the landslip section, which I rode without incident.

    Then I was amazed to discover the access opposite the viaduct which holds the promise of stopping me having to ride out the main road then turn right across 4 lanes to get onto WoL on the canal flyover when I have the trailer.

    Alas, I couldn't find level access this way- I turned right at the first fork where a rider was coming steeply up towards me, but that path turned to steps which is tough on the trailer!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. steveo
    Member

    The Dell side, the route that comes down beside the tickled trout what ever it is now called, isn't ideal for bikes and no use for trailers. You'd need to come off earlier and come across the bridge; down to the canal or rejoin Lanark Road for a few hundred metres to the WOL visitors centre and swing left.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    Dave if heading in to town with trailer go over the Lanark road footbridge and follow the spiral down. Don't go left onto the canal towpath, veer right down under the railway line and take the path through the longstone park coming out at the new sainsburys then up on to Lanark road using the slip road for bikes buses and taxis then back onto path at WoL visitor centre?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. Dave
    Member

    Good tip. I've never experimented on that side of the footbridge at all (other than joining the canal!).

    On the way in I think the best thing might be just to join Lanark Rd after the bridge - the issue is more the right turn across four lanes when riding home (to get onto the footbridge over Lanark Rd from Lanark Rd heading out of town, if that makes sense).

    I've done it a few times now and it is OK, but I can't really gun the trailer uphill and over that many lanes of rush hour traffic too easily, hence the attraction of a nice right turn option.

    I thought about going onto Redhall Bank Rd but it turns out that you can either ride over the WoL path or under it, but not onto it (AFAIK).

    Other options like Redhall House Dr don't seem attractive vertically (or perhaps at all - maps not clear).

    Never mind, it's all a learning experience.

    Today I crushed my commute home and feel a hundred miles tall. :D

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    "I thought about going onto Redhall Bank Rd but it turns out that you can either ride over the WoL path or under it, but not onto it (AFAIK)."

    Seems to be a link missing from OSM/CS.

    Sharp right after Gowan's houses and more modern one.

    Not sure about trailer though...

    http://goo.gl/maps/Xgya9

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. allebong
    Member

    You could also turn right past the visitor center and onto Inglis Green road, then go left at the new Sainsburys and through Redhall park back to the canal bridge - basically the reverse of what gembo suggested. The right turn onto Inglis Green road isn't too arduous - I'd get into the primary in the right lane as soon as you pass the crossing at the visitor center.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. Dave
    Member

    Good spot chdot, that is quite the hidden staircase!

    I have been thinking about getting bigger tyres for the trailer so that I can tow it down stairs, but it's probably not a sensible idea..!

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    @allebong, I was going to say that, strangely I will go down that way but on way up just brave the traffic, I am maybe a bit later getting home these days and have no trailer but the traffic is not always so heavy at night cf. in the morning. The traffic lights make the right turn a good bit easier of course.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "Good spot chdot, that is quite the hidden staircase!"

    Last time I looked it was a steep narrow ramp.

    Steps now?

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. Dave
    Member

    Not sure, I'll try to check tomorrow - in my mind's eye it's steps.

    I ran in today but went through the dell instead.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. AKen
    Member

    A word of warning if using Gembo's suggested route through Longstone Park. Redhall Drive was closed for roadworks where you would come out opposite the new Sainsburys (last time I passed). I think they're possibly upgrading the junction in preparation for more traffic when it opens. Possible to get past but won't be easy until they're done.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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