CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Getting to the Royal Highland Centre

(32 posts)

12

  1. fimm
    Member

    I think this might have been done before but anyway: tips for getting to the Royal Highland Centre that don't involve cycling on a footpath (allegedly shared use) or sprinting across the A8 with a bicycle and wearing cleated shoes, please...

    And yes, I'm going there to take part in a women's cycling training day. And while I don't particularly expect the Royal Highland Centre to provide cycle instructions, (though when the revolution comes they will...) you might have thought that someone organising a cycling day might think that some people might, you know, actually cycle to the place...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  2. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    The path is truly grim: blind corners, potholes, leaves and slippy green slime. I came down on it and gashed my leg. The link roads are horrible as well, both at the city bypass end and from the airport slip-road. But it's been a few years since I last rode out there so perhaps someone knows of a new alternative.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  3. Roibeard
    Member

    I had a course out there once (in my pre-CCE days) and opted to take the bus. I felt the need to don high viz to walk across the dual carriageway...

    Now I might just pretend to be a car, fill the left hand lane of the dual carriageway and pray.

    I might still wear the high viz though, and I wouldn't be taking the kids.

    Robert

    Posted 10 years ago #

  4. DaveC
    Member

    Have you called them to ask?

    I have commuted past a couple of times but not on my road bike. I found the path to be fine, but this was in the summer time. One route could be to cycle along the canal to outside the bypass. Then join the road heading north towards Gogar Station road. Then head along Gogarbank (past St Columba's Hospice) to Roddinglaw Road, and where it comes out at the A8, take the path a short distance to join the exit sliproad and turn towards the airport. Then at roundabout with the Hilton turn leftv to Fairview Road and onto the showground.

    Thus avoiding most of the path and the rediculous crossing of the A720 at the most western end!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  5. cb
    Member

    A few route suggestions in the following thread although I don't think any of them meet all your requirements.

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=9742

    Posted 10 years ago #

  6. fimm
    Member

    Dave C that looks pretty good, actually (though I'll stick to Calder Road as it is my road bike I'm taking and I don't like cycling on the towpath on it). Thank you.

    I might have a word with the organiser!

    (I've been to the airport a few times on the Brompton to get a hire car and the A8 may be only a 40 mph speed limit but I don't cycle on it...)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  7. DaveC
    Member

    Calder Road!?!? Past Sighthill on THAT dual carrageway!! and over THAT bypass juntion!! You're braver than I Miss!!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  8. fimm
    Member

    I've done it before... this will be fairly early on Saturday morning when it shouldn't be too busy... (I once ended up on Calder Road in rush hour when there was a diversion off my usual route - now that was terrifying...)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  9. kaputnik
    Moderator

    this will be fairly early on Saturday morning
    Depending on how early it is, I'd be tempted to plow straight along the A8. That's what I did when I used to help out at the Crits when they did them on weekends.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  10. fimm
    Member

    And Calder Road and its bypass roundabout is more dangerous/less pleasant than the A8 and the MASSIVE end-of-bypass roundabout how, exactly? There's probably not a lot in it, but I'll take the tiger I know over the one I don't...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  11. wingpig
    Member

    Getting onto the A8 at the Gogar roundabout to go towards the airport from the Gyle direction is easier than doing so from the St John's Road direction, where you have to try and maintain speed and position going uphill after the underpass when you then end up in the right-hand lane after bypass-traffic merges in from the left. Calder Road roundabouts are at least smaller and it's therefore slightly easier to see what's going on.

    I'd probably nip through EP then under the bypass through the wee culvert thing, past the hogweed then get to Gogar Station Road to avoid the bypass, though if you didn't want to go on the towpath you probably don't want to go on the path between the bypass-underpass and the next nearest bit of tarmac.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    than the A8 and the MASSIVE end-of-bypass roundabout how, exactly?

    Cycle along St. Johns Road then Glasgow Road as far as Maybury. Take signalled junction to airport cargo road. Turn onto the pavement path at the box factory and follow along to the north of the Roundabout / south of Tram depot as far as RBS. Take the bendy bridge across the A8. Cycle through RBS, to come out at the signalled junction onto the A8 westbound at the west end of the RBS site.

    All roundabouts avoided. Sorted.

    If it's very quiet, just go straight through the A8 underpass at Gogar. Good fun if you've got the road to yourself!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  13. Colin
    Member

    I used the route outlined by DaveC last night again, and the tow path surface is now fine for road bike tyres, so that way would get my recommendation. At the roundabout on the north side of the A8 though, jump onto the path and proceed west. Turning right at the next junction brings you to the entrance of the RHC.

    Cheers
    Colin

    Posted 10 years ago #

  14. Arellcat
    Moderator

    So that just about covers getting to the RHC. What about actually parking your bike there?

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=10555&page=4#post-150198

    Posted 10 years ago #

  15. DaveC
    Member

    "I'd probably nip through EP then under the bypass through the wee culvert thing, past the hogweed then get to Gogar Station Road to avoid the bypass"

    I didn't mention this route on purpose as the path south from the underpass to Gogar Station Road is a gravel track.

    Colin is right, its hard standing all the way out to Hermiston/Herriot Watt.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  16. steveo
    Member

    What about actually parking your bike there?

    women's cycling training day

    ;)

    Posted 10 years ago #

  17. Arellcat
    Moderator

    One doesn't imply the other.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  18. steveo
    Member

    I took it to be riding the bike on the closed road there.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  19. fimm
    Member

    Correct, I will be using my bike once I get there :) and I'd ignored anything that looked like cycling on something other than tarmac because I don't do off-road on my road bike...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  20. calmac
    Member

    On the Travel page for the Royal Highland Show, there's no mention of cycling at all, which really sucks.

    Anybody want to come up with an ideal route/ parking area and I'll pitch it to them? If they're wanting to support their outdoorsy image (or avoid cyclists slagging it) they might go for it.

    It would need to be able to cope with reasonable numbers of people and keep them away from traffic. I'm thinking north side of Gogar roundabout, alongside the A8, use the traffic crossings on the north side of the airport roundabout and carry on the gate on the south-east corner of the side, where they could provide parking.

    Incidentally, parking at the RHS is very expensive - some folk coming from a distance may prefer to park further away and cycle the last leg.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  21. twinspark
    Member

    I attended an event at one of the Pavillions (MacRobert?). I asked where the bike parking was and was told I'd just need to use a wooden fence. Fortunately I found metal railings that I was able to lock up to... of course at a cycle event I imagine there will be more than 1 bike there!

    In terms of route, I just used the shared path to the South of the A8 and went down via the airport - actual signage is very poor and you end up on the road at points anyway. One tip is that if you cut through RBS grounds (depending on where you're coming from) then the lights that lead on to the A8 / Shared path don't recognise a bike so you'll either need to wait on a motorised vehicle or hop off and be a pedestrian for a few yards.

    Overall I think the phrases that came to my mind were "This is Edinburgh" and "Model Cycling City (not)"

    Posted 10 years ago #

  22. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    calmac: "Anybody want to come up with an ideal route/ parking area and I'll pitch it to them?"

    I think kaputnik's route sounded good or at least a lot better than the way I used to go.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  23. fimm
    Member

    Well I did Dave C's route (starting from Calder Road) and it was fine. In fact there's a slip road from Roddinglaw Road as far as the airport junction on the A8, so I didn't even have to use the footpath. Forgot to mention it to the organiser, though!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  24. gembo
    Member

    Yes fimm, the slip road down to the airport from the A8 just at the roddinglaw junction is route taxi from Balerno will take to airport. Used to have to go all the way back to south gyle on return, or sneak through norton house hotel grounds (taxi not usually up for that) but the RBS road before gogarburn is the way now.

    It is quite interesting that routes that some would assume were only really do able by car are fine by bike if a little local knowledge can be called upon.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  25. chdot
    Admin

    "
    TRAM bosses will deploy extra staff at the stop closest to the Royal Highland Show to advise visitors on the safest walking route to the venue.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/extra-tram-staff-for-royal-highland-show-1-3452303

    Guided walks??

    Posted 10 years ago #

  26. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Royal Highland Show (@ScotlandRHShow)
    21/06/2014 12:05
    #RHStravel Hi folks there is a bit of congestion coming out of Eastfield Road and it's busy at the Dumbells. It's also a bit busy coming...

    "

    Posted 10 years ago #

  27. Tulyar
    Member

    Interesting that there was a Lothian Buses marshall at Haymarket regulating the numbers allowed on the 98 (special RHS service) which seemed to be doing a better trade than the tram, which he cheerfully advised me was a 15 minute walk from the RHS entrance.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  28. crowriver
    Member

    Er, that's because the RHS specificallky warned visitors NOT to use the tram.....aye, 15 minutes walk will cripple the average Scot, eh? Not.

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=8710&page=35

    Posted 10 years ago #

  29. Arellcat
    Moderator

    15 minutes walk will cripple the average Scot, eh?

    If it's the morning after doing 90 minutes with Karen Howie, walking anywhere is quite hard work!

    Posted 10 years ago #

  30. Tulyar
    Member

    Recommended for getting the abs back into the shape they should be then?

    I'm tempted.

    Posted 10 years ago #

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