C2C > F2F New route & ride in early Sept 2013

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C2C > F2F New route & ride in early Sept 2013

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Started 11 years ago by DaveC
Latest reply from fimm

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DaveC
Member

Hi folks,

I read about a new proposed Coast to Coast from the Solway Firth to the Firth of Forth in the Spokes Worker (17th Aug 13). A couple of riders are riding from Annan on the Solway Firth to South Queensferry over 2 days, 2rd and 4th Sept. I'm hoping to join them, and wondered if anyone else on here fancies a few days off work 2nd - 4th Sept, to join in? All the details are on the Spokes Worker if you are interested.

I'll be contacting Kappers about what I may have missed in my short cycle camping trip packing list, at my earliest opportunity.

Dave C

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Oddly enough I'm scheduled to be in the vicinity of Biggar and Innerleithen on the 3rd, riding a DIY 200 audax. If I spot you folks I'll give you a wave!

Posted 11 years ago #
gembo
Member

Could have been

Stranraer to Dunbar

As part of rhyming C2C

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

I heard back from the organiser. They are asking for £100 for the ride, negotiable, but this does include cost of campsites, breakfast both days, and the support of a support van & driver and the trailer.

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

Well I'm back, from a 365km long tour from Coast 2 Coast 2 Coast. After failing to get a bike reservation on the train (can't book less than 24hours in advance!!) I cycled down to Annan to meet the others for the Coast 2 Coast. Breezy over the FRB but fine until I got to a closed road heading for Kirknewton. From Kirknewton to Carnwarth was hell! Busy with lorries, into the wind (Monday ~22mph) and all uphill along thr Langwang, I was averaging ~13kph. Food at Carwrath then then down to Abington, easier, before an easy ride to Annan, via Lockerbie. A74 = Boring!

In Annan I got some food in Tesco and found the camping feild just off the site of the old Solway Firth railway viaduct. The Farm we stayed at is ~10m from the Solway Firth and the morning was lovely. Tuesday we set off at ~8am before coming to a halt in Annan for Press pics and food! Finally on our way again, we rode up the Route 11 on nice quiet roads to Johnstonebridge. From there we rode up the A74 for a few km to cross the motorway and upto Moffat. Lunch in Moffat as we rode up the Devils Beeftub, on a deadend far road and then up track to the top of the tub. At the point we were buzzed by a Herculese (sp?) as it just kissed the hill to the east of the Beeftub and then headed down the valley. Up to Crook Inn for more Photos (the Orgs want it to be opened as a potential halfway point for the F2F). Then on to Stobo Castle where the orgs had blagged a place for us to camp at and use of the showers and pool!! (I forgot my trunks!) We spent the evening in Peebles at the Upper Tweed Valley talk about the proposed opening of paths to Bigger and Tweedsmuir to open the area up for walkers and cyclists - safe routes. Weds saw us set off from Stobo, along the Stobo straight to pick up the railway line over the Viaduct, over the tweed and then through the Niedspath Tunnel (stoney!) and into Peebles. From Peebles we took the new pathnetwork to innerleithen and over the new bridge I've seen pictures of. Lovely route!! Then up towards Gorebridge from Innerleithen, but following Route 1 through tp Dalkeith for Lunch. Then met by Tony a Sustrans Ranger, we headed through Dalkeith Park (a must see!) and onto Route 1 again through Edinburgh to Cramond Brid were we took a detour through the Dalmeny Estate, to finish at Hawes Inn. In total 160 + 104 + 114km its been a long week sofar, and I haven't mentioned I rode a 200km Audax on Friday at the end of August!

Got to meet and ride with John Grimshaw, Sustrans Founder!

Posted 11 years ago #
amir
Member

Sounds fun. With those distances, you'll be ready for one of the big audaxes.

Posted 11 years ago #
Snowy
Member

whew - respect Dave; sounds like a cracking few days!

Posted 11 years ago #
gembo
Member

Whatbbike did you use on this Epic?

Posted 11 years ago #
crowriver
Member

Sounds a good run, DaveC!

Posted 11 years ago #
DrAfternoon
Member

Great going, and sounds like lots of fun too. Were you carrying the camping gear?

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

I used my Dawes Galaxy for the ride, with 35mm Schwable Marathon plus, as the organisor said we would be riding on the old tweed valley railway route for some of it. I carried everything down (and was thankful for my triple chainrings up front) but on the actual organised ride there was a minibus as support and we were able to stow tent and panniers on it. I took my Caradice for the day stuff, though the speeds were so slow that you could easily carry everything for a 2 day trip from Annan to South Queensferry.

At the evening Upper Tweed Valley railway evening meeting in Peebles on Tuesday evening, John Grimshaw was updating locals on how their survey and proposals were going. There are something like 35 different land owners of the old trackbed between Biggar, Symington, Peebles and Tweedsmuir, and getting permission to use all the trackbed is never going to happen. Instead they propose to link up existing quiet roads and tracks where possible, to lessen the use of busy sections of road, as timber lorries roll up and down all day. In some places the old trackbed dows not need to be used as a small strip of land adjacent to a road would be as good, once leveled and surfaced. Some land owners don't want any tarmac at all, but opn the whole there was a positive vibe from the meeting. John said it would be ~5 years before all the routes would be up and running, with work carried out annually by volunteer working parties.

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

Ged fro Edin Bike Coop was at the Forth Bridge to meet us, and has published a small blog here

Posted 11 years ago #
Instography
Member

It would be nice if the dualling of the A9 was proposed to be carried out by volunteer work parties.

Posted 11 years ago #
Dave
Member

There are something like 35 different land owners of the old trackbed

Simple solution: compulsory purchase and tarmac it with a proper road crew, NEPN-style. A prime opportunity for the government to show it's serious about cycle provision?

It would be laughable if the Waverley line re-opening had depended on getting permission from every Tom Dick and Harry who'd bought a bit of the trackbed, AND was then built by amateurs...

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

You guys crack me up!! :O)

These work gangs are only going to operate for around a week or two a year, which explains why it will take around 5 years to complete. I'm guessing this method is being used by TIE right? with all the cash going to large consultancy companies?

Posted 11 years ago #
cb
Member

http://www.bikehub.co.uk/news/family-cycling/creators-of-english-c2c-design-a-scottish-sea-to-sea-route/

According to the article it's already signposted (south to north) and a map will be available soon.

"
“This ride links the Solway Firth to the Firth of Forth by way of three river valleys, the Annan, the Tweed, and the Esk, and the Southern Upland and Moorfoot Hills in between. It uses an extensive length of former railway west of Peebles, combined with the Scottish Borders Council opening the 11km Railway Greenway route from Peebles to Innerleithen in 2013, and Edinburgh City Council’s resolve to open up a continuous coastal promenade route from Joppa to Granton. Whilst these works will take a number of years to complete, sufficient is in place to make this wonderful ride possible in 2014.”
"

It's not sending people through the Peebles tunnel now is it? That seem ambitious.
And good luck on the Joppa to Granton stretch.

Will be interesting to see how this develops.

Posted 10 years ago #
kaputnik
Moderator

And good luck on the Joppa to Granton stretch.

Target completion date was 2029 or something mad like that wasn't it?

Posted 10 years ago #
cb
Member

Far enough off to not bother doing anything about it for a few more years.

Posted 10 years ago #
PS
Member

Looks like a nice day trip for the audaxers. :)

The route comprises a mix of country lanes, moorland roads, cycle paths and seaside promenades, and like, the English C2C has two stiff climbs, one over the Devils Beef Tub – a border reiver cattle hideout back in the bad old days – and a long ascent through the Moorfoot Hills.

The A701 is a country lane now?

Ah:
He added: “The ride is only signed south to north at present because from the Devil’s Beef Tub to Lyne the current route must follow the main road down the Tweed valley. Eventually we hope that the proposed routes shown on this map will be opened to bypass all this main road, but at this early stage we are still in negotiation with a number of landowners.”

Anyone know what that proposed by-pass is?

Posted 10 years ago #
steveo
Member

On the English CTC it wasn't the "two stiff climbs" that got me it was the wee sharp ones once in the Pennines proper. Done me and my riding buddy in.

Posted 10 years ago #
PS
Member

Falling off was what did for me :D, but the 20%er out of Garrigill was a bit of a shock too.

Posted 10 years ago #
DaveC
Member

The assent up the Devil's Beef Tub does not use the main road. Instead it goes into the glen itself and through the farm at the end. Then up a steep hill through fields and the like following a rough farm track. It finally arrives at the original road up the tub, still a rough track before assending further to bring you out at the road a km before the viewing point/layby at the summit. At least that is the route we took!

Yes we did ride through the Niedspath tunnel. On the approaches its grassed over ballast having had the original rails and sleepers removed (by BR or farmers?) but through the tunnel its ballast the whole way and quite rough.

I'd love to do it again! Anyone fancy it?

Posted 10 years ago #
PS
Member

Thanks for the info, Dave.

Just thinking about that gave me a flashback to the Summit County rec paths in Colorado - imagine if this off-road path was tarmaced, highway quality asphalt, then extended along to link up to the old railway line at Tweedsmuir. What an cyclo-tourist attraction that would be: an off-road route to Peebles; challenge route over Talla, perhaps an off-road path past the Grey Mare's Tail... What a feather in the Borders' tourist cap that would be.

Posted 10 years ago #
cb
Member

DaveC, I assume you crossed the main road here using the tracks either side?:

http://goo.gl/maps/68lWb

Were they in any way cycleable?

"Eventually we hope that the proposed routes shown on this map will be opened to bypass all this main road"

I'd love to see the map. I can't see how the main road can be bypassed without either building a huge amount of new path or taking some crazy route over the hills (there is a path) from Ericstane to Fruid.

Posted 10 years ago #
steveo
Member

If its anything like the C2C then torturous detours and crazy routes are de rigeur

Posted 10 years ago #
DaveC
Member

@cb That is exactly where we came out as we crossed the road and waited in the entrance while everyone caught up before setting off up the road. The planned route (I think) goes round the other side of the hill at the top of the road, round the back of the woods. Apparently there is a track which rights of way are being explored:

http://goo.gl/maps/wLMrM

Dave C

Looking at Bing maps, on OS maps, go north from Moffat, not on the A701 but in the Glen. At Ericstane/Newton a track goes up NE and then north past two settlements. From there is goes over Chalk Rig Edge at Sprout Craig and then heads down to Fruid Reservoir. Now don't quote me on this, as this is purely from memory, and it may not come to anything.

Back on the A701 the route would continue next to the road, on the field side to the Crook Inn where it is hoped a small campsite could be found. Then continuing along the line of the A701 to B712 and then north of the Tweed into the back of Stobo Castle before continuing along the Stobo Straight, again on the field side on a constructed track (away from the busy fast stretch of road). At Sheriff Muir cottages, we joined the disused trackbed where the road runs south from Lynesmill Bridge. Its a semi muddy over grown grassy stretch on the embankment to the bridge just before the Neidspath Tunnel.

I'm digressing.....

Posted 10 years ago #
cb
Member

Thanks DaveC. That would be the route I described as "crazy" on my post! But would be fun despite the steep climb and 530m summit.

Posted 10 years ago #
PS
Member

Ah, The Crook Inn as a base for cycling hols... This is all taking shape ;-)

What state is that path in, Dave? Is it basically a gravel-based farm track?

Posted 10 years ago #
cb
Member

Aha, here are the maps along with lots of route description:

http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/1311-route-plan-C2C-F2F.pdf

Posted 10 years ago #
slowcoach
Member

Or, about 1km north of the Crook there's the Albert Watson Memorial Hut?

Posted 10 years ago #

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