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After a week of being rained on, I took advantage of yesterday's blue skies to extend my commute into the Bathgate Alps - new territory for me.
I chose a simple route to remember as I didn't have any mapping, but it's obvious there are a *lot* of awesome climbs in there.
I went up "Beecraigs Restaurant climb" and back over "Wairdlaw" (segment names, they might have real names :-)
Does anyone have any recommended routes?
Cairnpapple hill is great from the north. Go up from Linlithgow towards beecraigs as you have done. There are three ways at least to go up, my favourite is through the middle which goes past the beecraigs flying fox. Possibly where you turned left to head back east, turn right and follow the road down a bit, there is then a vicious left to take you up to the ascent of cairnpapple. At the top you can pull up and go and have a look at the view from the fake chambered cairn. You can see quite far west and north across fife and down to North Berwick law. No wonder it was the burial site of the kings of the lothians. Descent down to Bathgate is great. Rewind to Linlithgow. If you don't take the route through beecraigs forest but stay on road that is furthest west you can have another nice climb past the Korean War memorial, strange but true. There is a car park after the memorial that gives a good view of central Scotland. Rewind again. Instead of climbing after the memorial you can go to torphicen which is nice village with historic church. From there beyond Westfielld and avonbridge d there is a climb over to Blackridge From Blackridge you can cycle to harthill and from harthill over fala hill to fauldhouse and from there headless cross and on to Climpy, Carnwath and back but that is only home commute on 21.06.14, or working days thereabouts.
There are all sorts of good routes in the Alps, Dave. It's a case of joining up the climbs.
We usually go left at Winchburgh, then up the spine through Faucheldean, right then left once you get to the main road, then the Alps are your oyster.
Good climbs are:
Kingscavil
Beecraigs
Linlithgow Preston Road to Cairnpapple (long old climb)
A couple of steep little digs run north-south through Beecraigs
Cairnpapple from either side
Both roads east out of Torphichen
North out of Dechmont
And there's a great fast straight descent from West Binny heading east, which, with a quick right then left turn gets you on a fast, prevailing wind backed ride back towards Winchburgh through the bings.
Cairnpapple from Bathgate side is hard either via Marjorybanks St, and turn right at end and up North Bridge St is so steep at some sections.
Other entrance from Torphichen Road is long, and constantly hard, the only time I ever hit 55mph on a bike was coming down that hill.
As others have said, coming in from Dechmont is nice, as is the two entrances from Linlithgow.
A nice ride is to combine a round the forth, so go over bridge from Edinburgh side, head west along the north side of the forth, when you get back onto south side of the round the forth, once you get tot the top of that horrible climb in Bo'ness, turn right at the cross, and punish yourself some more, once you crest the hill, there is a lovely decent into Linlithgow, where you can enter the Alps from 2 entrances. I think the entrance nearest the canal is harder, and quieter, but the other entrance from Preston road is lovely, but busier with cars.
I miss the Alps.
I cannot for the life of me remember who posted that link first, but credit goes to them. -edit- Plainly it was Phil.
My cousin and I are doing the Tour o'the Borders this year; he's a recovering MTBer and is doing well; bought a road bike, getting more miles in his legs, hasn't done anything gnarly since he moved to Linlithgow.
That's our playground, anyway.
@uberuce. Maybe MrSRD could go with you sometime?
Cousin's on his ship at the minute, but will be on five week's leave soon, which is when we plan to get him up to the 55 miles of the TotB, so yep, that ought to work.
Uberuce - thanks for the link. I definitely only scratched the surface :)
Unfortunately I am clearly going to need some spare legs!
So whats the best way to get out to these climbs from Edinburgh Park area, Don't say the train!
I need to find some where that isn't just up the Lang Whang.
Key to it from there is getting to Newbridge or Kirkliston.
If you mean from within Edinburgh Park itself, I'd favour the underpass under the bypass near the vehicle barriers (do you know it? Bit stony but doable on a road bike), right on GSR, left onto Gogar Bank (? not 100% sure of name), on to Ratho past either Gogarburn or Ratho Pk GCs, up & down Baird Rd to Newbridge. From there, either quick right off A89 to Kirkliston or bit further to Peniel Place Rd before Glenmorangie bottling plant.
PS's routes above are good.
Train to uphall station is not a bad shout. But if you want to cycle all the way then as stated newbridge would be your starting point.
From newbridge you can go to kirkliston then take the B road to Linlithgow. From that road take a left at winchburgh
However, you are more direct to stay on the a89 out of newbridge heading to Broxburn, can be busy. Take right turn before Broxburn and head for niddry castle. At the castle (a renovation ongoing for twenty years? Still in ruins. Tak left and head west, you are looking for beecraigs country park and ultimately cairnpapple hill. The spokes map of west Lothian is very good for all the wee c class roads that intersect between Broxburn and Linlithgow. Note few of these wee roads will get gritted. Enjoy
Ah thats the bit I'm missing. Might be easier to approach GSR from the Canal at Cultins Road?
I really wanted to avoid Glasgow Road and the way I was thinking was over Drum Brae and along from Queensferry road but this looks a bit more sensible.
@steveo depends where your starting point is...
@steveo
I do in reverse, so best bet is to try to reverse my descent. Follow A8 Cyclepath to Newbridge, take bridge over the Motorway and carry on A89 Cycle path until it splits to become the A899 into Broxburn. Turn right at the traffic lights onto the B8020 and as it has a sharp right to continue onto Winchburgh, you take the sharp left to Wyndford and then a wee dogle across the next main road and on to West Binny. The latter part is a long slow drag (a beautiful descent going the other way). At West Binny take your pick- you need to go to South Mains and can go right then left to spend less time on main road or left then right to get more hills in... Then you really are in the Alps.
Alternatively you can take the canal to Linlithgow, exit on Preston St and take your pain from there...
@murunbuchstansang - crabbies green ginger wine is made in kirkliston and the glenmorangie bottling plant is in Livingston? I have come back from the Bathgate Alps through Livingston if pushed for time but would normally now go via Blackburn, addiewell and west Calder.
Onto canal at Cultins Road
Off canal at Gogar Station Road
Take left after Daltons and head straight toward Ratho.
Take right towards Ratho just past the cottages.
At Ratho main Street give way left towards Wilkieston and keep on till give way at Cliftonhall Road
Turn right down the hill (woo hoo) towards Newbridge.
Don't follow the cars all the way to the bottom that are queuing to get to roundabout instead turn off towards HSS at industrial estate then right again towards Newbridge village.
Left onto A89 for about a mile I think
Turn right just after aqueduct to penniel place.
Under the railway bridge then th over the two bridges over the canal.
At the give way just past the farm turn right down into Winchburgh
At the bottom of the hill just after the pinch point turn left, this will take you through Fauchledean
Keep on this road till the give way turn right the first left and you should be heading towards kingscavil and Beecraigs.
Explore and enjoy from there
From the southside of Beecraigs there's oatridge and the llama farm to recommend.
@steveo, paddyirish has given you same route as me with bit more detail.
But you are really seeking a quiet route to newbridge? You can take the canal all the way to Broxburn should you have the time.?
Ecclesmachan now has the Scottish bonsai collection since moved from malleny gardens if you are into wee trees?
Of if that's too long a trip, just look at some ordinary trees from far away.
@gembo used to be Glenmorangie but Google tells me it moved to Livi in 2010? Not sure who, if anyone, has the Broxburn building & warehouses now?
Glenmorangie, made in Tain but bottled in west Lothian.
Sill tastes nice. Doubtless owned by diaggio or similar. Also explains why Mckenzie's saw mill has so many whisky barrel staves to sell me for my stove. Burns slowly, stacks neatly.
I'd favour the underpass under the bypass near the vehicle barriers (do you know it? Bit stony but doable on a road bike), right on GSR, left onto Gogar Bank" I think this quicker than the canal, I use the stony road bit often
@steveo Going up Peniel Place (up the side of the old Glenmorangie plant) might be an option if you can get to Newbridge and along the segregated path next to he A89?
I've not used that road but have wondered about its suitability from the train. It brings you out at the entrance to the bings just south of Winchburgh from where you can either go flat and west towards the West Binnie climb or up Faucheldean.
Jeezo, took me 30 mins to get round to writing that reply, by which points I've been gazumped by everyone!
Thanks guys I'll plug these options into some maps and try and work out what works for me.
@gembo I've taken the canal out that way before, got very bored then my chain snapped on the A89 as I was heading out to Livi to meet my wife.
@gembo LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) own Glenmorangie. Glenmorangie own Ardbeg, which is where my interest mainly lies.
Canal is a slog, the under the bypass and gogar station then Ratho back roads down to newbridge and cut through to the a89 will make very great sense when you plug it into the spokes west Lothian map which is great for showing you clearly where the wee roads are for the route from the under pass and the entire Alps and further towards the slammanan plateau
When we go over the top from Balerno to fauldhouse then harthill over to avonbridge and torphicen we sometimes take the ridge road all the way back from torphicen to uphall staton where there is something called a Handcraft shop (either misspelling of handicraft or a Masonic regalia retailer or both)
The ridge is a very lovely route
@murun, aha, then you might like the jerseys the Falkirk based thecyclejersey company does. Lovely ardbeg ones and also I think bruccladich, should your interest waiver
Crabbies is made (I think) under sub-contract somewhere Broxburn, it's owned by a Merseyside-based drinks distributor called "Halewood International" (yes, I'd never heard of them either).
It was sold by it's previous owners, The Glenmorangie Company, in 2007 who until fairly recently also had their bottling plant in Leith, off Salamander Street (it's the honking big gap site behind the Links). John Crabbie & Co. were on Great Junction Street, most of the plant of which is now converted into flats.
The Glenmorangie Company was known, until 1996, as Macdonald & Muir; Leith-based spirits bottlers and blenders, who owned the controlling interest in the Glenmorangie Distillery.
The Glemorangie Company itself was bought by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy in 2004, who still own the brand and distillery. Glenmorangie is now bottled in a plant at the western edge of Livingston.
The place at the east of Broxburn is now an independent whisky and spirits bottler called Broxburn Bottlers Ltd., over the years it's been owned by quite a few players in the whisky industry (including Glenmorangie and for a time Drambuie who were wrapped up in that ownership).
Broxburn Bottlers is joint owned by the independent distillers J & G Grant (Glenfarclas) and Ian Macleod (Glengoyne, Tamdhu plus others).
J & G Grant are not the same Grants that produce Grants blended whiskies, that's William Grants...
Simples?
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