Very brief snow in EH1 just now.
Leith Links was frosty this morning. Puddles on the NEPN had a very thin skin of frozen atop them north of Telford Drive.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
"Severe weather warning"
(7379 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
-
Posted 8 years ago #
-
Quite a high tide at Porty combined with the right sort of wind meant a fair bit of spray spraying over several bits of the prom. The water was quite warm, though.
Posted 8 years ago # -
With opportunity and enthusiasm for a bike ride this afternoon, I considered taking out my frivolous slick-tyred mid-life crisis bike, but thought better of it. Instead I mounted the plodding flat-barred commuter (with its studded tyres and dynamo) and took it for a circuit of the A70 to Balerno, Cockburnhill Road and Mansfield Road then home via Harlaw Road, Torduff Reservoir and Colinton. The weather out in the sticks was quite extreme, with blizzards and several inches of wet snow. I plodded cheerfully round and arrived back in Colinton with every near-vertical front-facing surface on me and my bike plastered with snow. Didn't see any other bikes on the road, although there were some mountain bike tracks around Torduff Reservoir
...actually maybe this should go in the 'lovely ride today' thread.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Fietsclub Balerno was heading to Gullane today to take advantage of two tailwinds but I could not find my toolkit and this delayed my departure and I Missed them. So IW enkt to Currie where the grand depart had been scheduled then Carnwath. The ice on a70 was bad even on the main rod but after tarbrax it was fine and after apple pie it was super fine. Sun, snow clad peaks. Just two head winds, but not too bad
Posted 8 years ago # -
Swimming won over cycling this morning. 4.3 degrees in the water at Porty this AM, plus waves - hurrah! Though I may have briefly coveted the wetsuits some folk had on, and a wave over the head = ice cream headache. (Much more fun that it sounds, but my feet have only now warmed up.)
Posted 8 years ago # -
Respect is due, I feel, to both @Greenroofer and @unhurt. I've just been for a run in the hills, but didn't leave the sofa yesterday. As for swimming in the actual sea....
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati, a Toronto-based cyclist commuter, is considering whether to cycle through the coming winter. It is “only” -5C, she says, but temperatures can plummet to -25C and snow ploughs clear the roads for months.
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
@IWRATS No respect needed (eta: for me; you can of course continue to respect Greenroofer), just consider it part of a subtle recruiting drive!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Snow on the ground at Beecraigs and the loch had some ice today.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Inverleith Park pond had an island of ice thick enough to let the (black-headed) gulls stand about on it this afternoon.
Posted 8 years ago # -
unhurt - I have snorkelled at porty last year with cheap decathlon suit on and it was very cold to start with - later you get use to it and the water in sept - oct was clear and it felt really good. my gf and I went as far out as the triangle sign. so I am very impressed with that -im itching to get back in but I am too scared of the feeling of near death heart attack cold feeling.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@unhurt
I've snorkeled at North Berwick in September with my trusty shorty wetsuit from Lidl, which was exhilarating. For context, I've worn that in the Mediterranean in September and off the Canary Isles in May. I am not suited to cold water. I'm barely suited to warm water.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@mercury1and2 - The gasping feeling does go away with regular immersion (though definitely a good idea to stay in your depth until you're comfortable)! (Actually I think early September is the warmest sea temps we get, as the sea warms up all summer and takes a while to cool. February coldest all year!)
@IWRATS - One of the Orkney swimmers is a wee twig, and she wears a wetsuit autumn through spring; meanwhile her husband is a very lanky rock-climber/cyclist type and after a couple of shots swimming one July also decided that he was "not suited to water" (...I think he used less polite wording though!)
@both: I did some snorkelling up north (in a borrowed "drysuit" that leaked enough that it was really a very ungainly wetsuit) and it was fantastic - what are the good places for spying on wee seabeasties at Porty/NB? Really want to do it some more...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I used Aldi shorty wetsuit to swim off crystal clear waters of Ardtoe in ardnamurchan in July. Bracing. Woman came out her caravan and did the same rock hopping route I had taken but she was in an old speedo costume and was a tough nut.
No problem swimming in shorts down in Norfolk/ Suffolk in the summer but onlookers have questioned this. Anyone know the temp difference between Atlantic Ardtoe and North Sea Norfolk/Suffolk in July?
Posted 8 years ago # -
@gembo- would have thought it wouldn't be much- any benefit from warmer air temperature in Norfolk, would be at least offset in IMO by gulf stream. Certainly have no problem swimming in Donegal and Islay in summer months. Likewise beaches in East Lothian, if you can walk out far enough to get waist deep...
February is another matter entirely, and kudos to those who go out in that...
Posted 8 years ago # -
@paddyirish
About three degrees on average, six degrees in range
So south wold lowest of 14 is same as isle of Lewis highest of 14
And
Southwold highest of 17 whereas Lewis lowest 11.5
All roughly, but website sea temperature.org
I pushed Ardtoe north as they don't measure there and went to south Suffolk near the nuclear power station. None of the other people in my party could get in the water due to being shandy drinking southerners without wetsuits. I recommend Ardtoe as a beach and wild pétanque course. A guy begged some suntan cream from us which was Clinique due to allergies and this impressed him so much he gave us an apple which was nice.
Posted 8 years ago # -
While I took a bus this morning given that I'm recovering from being ill, I'm intrigued to know what kind of state the canal towpath was in (especially the 'S' bend area!) so I can make a sensible decision about routing tomorrow.
Given how light the traffic was in town I'm assuming that the schools must be off which tempts me to try an on-road route into work if there is much of a risk of towpath ice.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@jdp this morning the S-bend was hard smooth ice. This evening it was slushy and rutted. If it freezes tonight then it will be quite tricky tomorrow morning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Probably will freeze tonight. Puddles around KG5 park off Eyre Place were starting to crispen up on my way home; the air elsewher was all nice and still and fridgey.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Canal itself a little frozen though someone had taken a boat through. There is absolutely no doubt the towpath will be frozen
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thanks all. I'll probably experiment with the road tomorrow if I have the energy...
Posted 8 years ago # -
outside. Right now.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Family walk down to the riccarton inn for lunch was a bit snell as my old man would have said. Nice warm fires in the pub lovely lunch. Return leg however in lashing rain and storm force winds was so ludicrous that never really heard the complaints.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Very quiet bike wise on MMW around 5.
Yesterday evening I was number 1000 at 6.30pm. Temp at 2.
Today might be less bike traffic. Was considering walking but it's so slow.Posted 8 years ago # -
FRB closed to bikes. Minibus brought us over.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I saw the storm forecast earlier and decided not to cycle again today which I'm glad about since my energy suddenly declined an hour ago. Hopefully getting a lift home soon.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Got a tailwind so powerful going up Biggar Road that it reminded me of Turbo mode on the Urban Arrow's electric assist.
I thought to myself "This is brilliant, but I'll pay for it on the way home."
So I did.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Nice enough ride home today. At least my fingers weren't quite as cold as yesterday
Posted 8 years ago # -
Are the roads cycleable? Need to decide if I train it or cycle out (road bike) to south queensferry before 8'ish...
Posted 8 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
