@Gembo - yes it's actually doing ok. They have reinforced some of the drainage and have some ditches either side that are helping to keep the path from washing away. Still quite dull though. You have to try and keep your eyes right or left to avid the monotony
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread
(2697 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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@Bill
paths again along River Almond once in Mid Calder.
I think that's what I did this time, not sure. map reading never my strong point.
Posted 4 years ago # -
map reading never my strong point
Cut yourself some cartographic slack, Big Man. Let the landscape be your guide.
Posted 4 years ago # -
map reading never my strong point
i put it down to not really bothering to try.
'finger in the air' yes, this is probably west-ish.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Have you recently been degaussed? This can be disorienting.
Posted 4 years ago # -
i do see a Reiki practitioner every other day to eliminate unwanted magnetic fields. It is ruinously expensive, but I am assured its worth it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I took the Elephant Bike on a tour of local supermarkets this evening, and by visiting Waitrose (lots of milk but no eggs) and Tesco in Colinton (lots of eggs but no milk) managed to get everything we needed.
It was a lovely ride: a calm, crisp evening with the stars out. The roads were quiet (I suppose they normally are at 8pm) and the bike was as pleasant and relaxing to ride as it always is. I do love the way that you can load it with stuff and it just pootles along a 6mph with surprisingly little effort.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I cycled out to the office in Livingston and back to empty my desk drawer of all the food I left when I took my laptop home on the basis that I would be back in next week, really. It was lovely and sunny when I left Edinburgh, and there we a nice sunset.
Tired at the end, though, it has been a while since I cycled that far without a break!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Did the Colinton to Balerno to Harlaw then through Pentlands down to Bonaly, the Reservoir Run.
Lovely to get out on a cycle. The paths very busy with cyclists and walkers and dogs.
Lines of cars along the Harlaw road in the Pentlands. I've never seen so many. I suppose people are getting exercise instead of shopping on a Saturday. It turned the road into a single-track.
The road from Cubbiedean down to Bonaly has been freshly tarmnacked. Last time I was there it was there were slender rivulets of tarmac in a delta of rough stuff.
I was with a friend and we would normally have finished with a pub or a cafe visit. Alas no more.
Streets were very quiet, more like a Sunday than a Saturday.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Rosie - yes where you have walkers you have lots of cars. With reduced public transport coming then that will be new normal I fear.
Our nearest park is Holyrood - @carfreeholyrood has been trying to get HS to keep roads closed while this goes on.
Been walking round the hill a few times a week and get stressed on behalf of cyclists getting tailgate.Due to that I headed out to Gifford today up via Tranent. Lanterne Rouge open for carry outs. Colin R and partner there with tandem and confirmed that staying away from Gullane a good idea as rammed with traffic.
I came back round by the 'lost' (to me) village of Morham. Then over hill to East Fortune. Drem, Myrton, Aberlady and back with quite heavy traffic heading back to city.
Had a near disaster rounding corner at Motor Museum. Couple of women on horses turing off across the bend. There is a mirror so they shouted as I irresponsibly didn't expect horses there (being motor museum).
Stopped and spoke with them and the horses settled down. All friendly as I like horses and said I hoped I hadn't traumatised them too much. Very skilled riders in my view. With current situation alternative scenarios would have been a good reason to ban cycling (or horse riding but they need to exercise)Last leg I came across a couple if all black roadies with good bikes and style. On their wheel until they pulled over. Then was aware they were in rear view along via Prestonpans. Think they wanted to close gap. Got to roadworks at Musselburgh where their wax queue with a group of 'roadies'. Rather than get in way I went round line although maybe considered 'aggressive'. Did say 'on your right' but think that's only ok if you are on 'normal' bike ;-)
Queuing traffic at roundabout so just went right again and slotted into a space and scooted round roundabout. Mean to to be keeping 2m from each other anyway so that's my excuse!
Miles 55.9 Av speed 15.9 Runtime 3.30Posted 4 years ago # -
Last day of my holidays yesterday so I went out on the summer bike to Stow. The roads were quiet. The A7 was for minutes at a time completely empty. Quite eerie. Stow was deserted. No children playing in the sun. Just an occasional juggernaut heading north. I got a thumbs-up from a van driver. No idea why.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Took out the MTB this morning on a ride. The only goal was to be out for
9060 minutes strict maximum and to go ways that I hadn't been before. No pre-planned route or direction of travel since it wasn't a commute nor was I going anywhere specific.Great sense of freedom, what cycling is all about. Discovered loads of great single track routes through woods, up and down hills, along the coast etc, which I wouldn't have known about otherwise. All very quiet, hardly a dog walker in sight (no offence to dog walkers intended). It was bloody fantastic.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I have a dogwalking neighbour who is ‘complying with instructions’ and only going out once a day.
There are plenty places to ‘get away from people’
Some people abusing their privilege.
By email -
“
Down the Rochheid. Nice to see the river, but path full of idiots with no idea what 2 metres looks like.
Guy just pushed past me less than a metre away, jogging & heavy breathing.
“
Posted 4 years ago # -
Great sense of freedom, what cycling is all about.
No, it's all about having the correct shoes.
Posted 4 years ago # -
No, it's all about having the correct shoes.
Well for the avoidance of any doubt, I can proudly confirm to CCEers that I did in fact have my own shoes on.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Posted 4 years ago #
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@CocoShepherd
But were they outdoor mountain biking shoes? Some people have been doing mountain bike in gravel shoes.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ok you've got me. They were regular TRAINERS. Hanging head in shame.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I have recently discovered that there exist INDOOR cycling shoes and life will never be the same again.
Posted 4 years ago # -
For sub-discipline specific use I presume
Posted 4 years ago # -
Rode out to Kirknewton (slowly, into headwind and rain shower) for State Approved Exercise this morning. The windsock on Kirknewton airfield was stiff like a drainpipe!
Rode back along the A70 at Ludicrous Speed in the sunshine. That was fun.
Found my rack had unscrewed itself when I got home. Can't find the locktite. Curses.
Posted 4 years ago # -
popped out for a 30 min spin at the end of the day on my MTB. Just headed up along some trails and tracks to kirk brae and back along the WOL. concentrated on just having a bit of fun being on the bike rather than actually trying to go anywhere or do a specific route and it was glorious. I also wore big can headphones and blasted early 2000's pop punk. I made sure to be extra alert to anyone around me, but it was pretty quiet out there apart from a few cycling families on blinkbonny and WOL doing roughly the reverse of the loop I did.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I was running on Craigmillar Hill and got stuck behind a guy on a road hybrid leading his daughter on an MTB along a totally unrideable trail.
It was glorious. There are folk getting their eyes opened wide by this thing.
@ARobComp
Mindful cross-country bicycling could become a thing could it not?
Posted 4 years ago # -
@robcomp WoL not too busy? I've been avoiding it, assuming it would be.
I took the Brompton down Princes Street, down the Cowgate, past the Parliament and all the way up the Royal Mile yesterday. It was fun, but cycling uphill on cobbles on a Brompton was a mistake...
Posted 4 years ago # -
@fimm WoL is busy at my end
Posted 4 years ago # -
@fimm I think it depends on what time you choose. I head out when I can - was just out there for 30 mins at lunchtime and everywhere was quiet. Think morning busy due to oldies and kids getting out the house, and end of day is busy as parents finish working at home and taking kids out. Lunch was quiet as today. Tea time (last night) quiet.
Also I would suggest that the ranker the weather the better the opportunity for non-2m-encroaching cycling/running.
My ride today was accompanied by a list of folk songs and sea shanties that I'm trying to learn. Similarly enjoyable as yesterday but route included heading up Kirk Brae and through to Cubbiedean and the golf course. They've removed gates at Bonaly Country Park to minimise contamination I assume. Joyous cycle despite spots of rain.
Posted 4 years ago # -
first day back on the bike following covid tour of duty
fife > cramond hotel > fife road circular
leisurely 23kmph average, absolutely thrilled to be back out there
the few drivers about actually obeying speed limits and deferring to active travellers in scandinavian style
could get used to this, 10/10 will return daily
Posted 4 years ago # -
Bax, glad to hear this compadre.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Such a day as this would normally be 30 miles through West Lothian on various paths.
However I am staying within walking distance of my home and using the streets so it was Merchiston/Grange/back through the Meadows. People maintaining the correct distance in the Meadows.
Then down Lothian Road, as I could, turning into the Western Approach road, as I could, and then back home via the West End.
Birds sang, nary a car on the streets, trees budding, daffodils.
A chunk of this was my normal commute, and a pleasure to do it without traffic.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Wrong thread, sorry.
Posted 4 years ago #
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