@LaidBack a few cyclists out, not that many..
@HankChief yes I’m not sure I have the mettle for something that arduous. I think I’d struggle with the mental aspect of it.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread
(2697 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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Moffat via Musselburgh and Innerleithen again.
Raining up the granites, baltic going down. Couldn't feel toes by time got to Innerleithen. The one shop/cafe open allowed me to stand in a remote corner with a coffee and get slightly warm / less cold.
Sun came out as I left Innerleithen and it was glorious to Moffat.
A rare wind from the north(ish) meant generally wind assisted most of the way, resulted in being 34mins quicker than last weekend.
Think can make the loop slight longer next weekend by going via the Buddhists @ Samye Ling, should be about a 100-miler.
socially distanced, outdoor shower in Moffat still needs work, involved a hosepipe, 3 g-clamps and a ladder.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Did Talla Wall today. Abut 100 miles from Balerno
Broughton Shop coffee (everyone in broughton has massive 4x4) more cars than the last time we did it which was weekday) Gordon Arms shut loads of cyclists out that way.
Nashys coffee shop in Cadrona open. Meldons campsites all raving
Bit gubbed as strong sou’westerly but grand day out
Posted 4 years ago # -
Did you see Bill - she was tackling the wall today
Posted 4 years ago # -
Don’t think so
@Bill we went up the sharp side about 11 a.m.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Sharp side is the best direction. The part after the wall is my most favouritist part of road anywhere.
Suspect Bill was there 8ish
Posted 4 years ago # -
Agreed, I find lot of Cumbrian climbs are great but descent too sharp regardless of which way up I go. Whereas Talla descent heading south is usually fab. Had some motorbikes middle of road at bridge where poor guy died. But you cannot have everything all at once or indeed separately. Granites also good and I commend west side of Tinto Hill from Rigside to Wiston. East side from Carmichael also special.
I would also find coming up from st Mary’s loch a bit of a slog for sharp descent, hence the fellow coming the other way getting so frustrated with the driver in middle of road, he had to brake and roll down rather than hit 50mph
Posted 4 years ago # -
@gembo & @bill
Massive Talla massif ride. Well done - I'm jealous. That hill on a recliner is like a static trainer to me.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Looks like at least 4 of us were down talla yesterday
Posted 4 years ago # -
Must have been great. Having never done Talla the sharp way, I have a bit of a fear thing.
Instead yesterday I went over Witchie Knowe. Only one other cyclist seen there.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@amir, fear not. The sharp way is 20% but it is not that long and no shame in pushing (you would not need to do that)
I got off and pushed at Honnister as I could not cope with the bused coming at me. Talla midweek is deserted but saturday was a little busier yes.
4of this forum on Talla Wall I meant. Probably 100 over the day??
Posted 4 years ago # -
Having never done Talla the sharp way
The sharp way is the only I have ever done it. Seems such a waste of height to go down such a steep hill.
Today's trip to Moffat was extremely slow, constant headwind just meant I didn't really try too hard. Can never beat the wind, so no point in flogging myself trying. My knees wouldn't forgive me for weeks.
Also narrowly avoided a horrific molton lead burn.
Posted 4 years ago # -
What is a horrific Molton Lead Burn?
Is it a. Rain at the village of Leadburn b. Some kind of molten lead burning you. `c. Unpleasant dismantle-able bicycle?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Delectable crystalline osmium caress.
Posted 4 years ago # -
*molten
result of a large disposable BBQ placed on top of a lead covered box my parents decided would be an ideal place to site a bbq. The wood underneath the lead (i didn't know it was lead covered or had wood underneath) had clearly caught fire so we lifted the box&bbq away from the covered area as rather smokey.
Resulted in surprisingly rapid flow of molten lead heading towards my hand. Not sure how it actually managed to miss me before my hand was clear. Suspect it would have stung a little.
- not Molton Brown, BA's beauty products of choice.
- not Leadburn with the demolished pub following an out of control blue Vauxhall Cavalier in 2005.bit of the devilish stuff
Posted 4 years ago # -
1) Keep that - it's highly sculptural.
2) Sell this as a script idea to the BBC for Casualty. Nobody's seeing that coming.Posted 4 years ago # -
@Iain McR that could have been very nasty.
Saturday I had a lovely bike-run-bike exercise on Saturday: cycled up to Buteland, ran up the track past Listonshiels and then took the track shown on the map (which is rather faint on the ground) up to the high point not quite at East Cairn Hill. Back down via the Bore Stane and the good track to Listonshiels and the bike.
I don't go to that end of the Pentlands very often and the views back to the bigger hills and down to the coast were very fine.
I was just unlocking the bike when some man in a thing like a golf buggy told me I was "trusting" leaving it there "it was locked" I said - was I foolish? You would have needed a saw or an angle grinder to steal it - I think bike thieves either go to where they know there are bikes or are opportunists spotting a badly locked one. I don't suppose bikes get left there very often...
Returned via a socially distanced visit to some friends.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@fimm
That track is one of those marked on the Landranger map but oddly absent from the Explorer.....
Posted 4 years ago # -
@fimm - no thieves there the golfer was just shooting the breeze waiting for the fairway ahead to clear. You need to go to West Cairns Farm for abandoned dodgems and brother-in law buried in shallow grave
@Iainmcr I see it was B. Pretty necklace?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Pretty necklace for someone you don't like?
Posted 4 years ago # -
@amir - oh because of the lead poisoning, yes that is a bit of a draw back
Posted 4 years ago # -
had visions of 'selfish cyclist breaks 5 mile rule only to burden D&G health service' headlines.
Posted 4 years ago # -
EDIT: Sorry, it ended up being a long post
As mentioned above I was at Talla on Saturday as well but about 6am, so much earlier than the others.
I was keen to do a 400k ride and I was playing with the route ideas over the past week. I knew that food and water stops would be probably a bit more tricky, so had to plan it a bit better than I would normally do.
I set off at 2am from home and headed south. It was still dark and quite damp as most mornings last week. From Penicuik I took the single-track road to West Linton. On that road I saw the last human (in a car) that I would see (I couldn't see them to be precise but they flashed at me from a passing place, so I assume there were there) for the next several hours.
I was in West Linton some time before 4am. I have only been through West Linton on A702 so I was surprised that it's more than just several houses.
From West Linton I headed over to Rommanobridge, as I recalled @gembo mentioning it several times. From there I went through Broughton to Tweedsmuir, where I turned into Talla. @IainMcR suggested doing that route west to east. Initially I thought I would give it a bash to cycle up but didn't get the gears right and stopped almost right away. I went to push, had another go with lower gears and gave up again. While pushing the bike up I was overtaken by a motorbike. Once at the top I rolled along Megget where there were several tents at the shore.
From Cappercleuch I turned towards Gray Mare's Tail and towards Moffat. I was greeted by flashing signs "Dumfries and Galloway closed to visitors during Covid-19", so I felt a bit like a criminal.
Made it to Moffat a bit before 8am, got some water from co-op and had a little picnic under the two eucalypts in the Station Park.
I was quite keen to include Eskdalemuir as I have very fond memories of it, so from Moffat I went over to Boreland and then into Eskdalemuir, which was even more quiet than normal. In Crosslee i turned towards Gordon Arms and that's were the cycling traffic started. Almost everyone going in the opposite direction. Then up to Innerleithen -- even more cycling traffic and quite a lot of cars as well.
I went over to Peebles along the main road. This was busy with cars and bikes alike. From there I went via Drummelzier and Broughton to Bigggar. At this point the westerly wind had picked up and it was a bit of a slog. A bit after 2 pm I stopped for lunch at my Audax pal's in Biggar. He treated me to delicious sandwiches, coffee, water and chocolate. He also pumped up my tyres a bit. While sitting down I could feel my eyes closing, so it was time to move on at about 3pm.
I headed to Carnwath (Apple Pie was already shut) and then Livingston via Harburn. I was flying with the strong westerly tailwind along the Lang Whang. I used my workplace as a final refill and pit stop.
From Livingston I headed over to Falkirk via Bathgate and almost to Stirling. Before coming back home along the coast I went to almost Bailrnigone, then back to Kincardine, Culross and the bridges. In Culross I had my final snack stop. So that was about 350km in and my sitting was definitely tired by this stage. Once at the bridges the sky turned lovely pink and orange.
My initial route was suppose to take me through Kirliston, Ratho and home but I lost a couple of miles earlier around St Mary's Loch, when the route I was planning turned out to be a gravel track. So 7km short I went up to East Calder first and then back through Ratho and home.
Made it home just after midnight. Nearly 20h in the saddle, 22h door-to-door. Star and finish in the dark. Mr Bill made us delicious steak dinner and I was in bed at 1.30 -- 24h after I got up.
Definitely fun. A bit of pain later on. Weather lovely. Views lovely. A lot more relaxed than Audax rides without anyone around, stopping whenever I felt like, not worried about being left behind and (mostly) no need to hide for a pee. Also slower in pace but that's fine.
I carried all my food with me expect for lunch at pal's in Biggar, water in Moffat and at work.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Superb!
Posted 4 years ago # -
awesome. I am knackered just reading that.
Posted 4 years ago # -
:@bill, no shame in pushing up Talla - you do need to get in lowest possible gear and grind. Even the super fast boy who came past us at the Dam head was not accelerating away from us until the top.
We were also at Biggar and Broughton and Gordon Arms just not at time you were.
After Gordon Arms if you are doing this again next weekend, up Mount Benger then back down and head to Traquair instead of Inners and at Cadrona there is nice coffee shop found during Covid19 called Nashys in the old station hut. Tons of cyclists.
Amazing effort
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Iain McR it's not a very concise write-up I am afraid. Once again thanks very much for your Moffat routes and shops info, definitely helped me to plan the route!
Posted 4 years ago # -
@gembo did you go around the Pentlands or just one side both ways?
I don't think I will be doing this again next week. But I was planning a 600k for this year as well, so that may happen soon-ish. I wonder if 400k will feel easy then. Up to now, no matter whether it's a total 200km, 300km or 400km, the final 50km feels just as hard.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Gembo - once at Nashys how do you get back to Ed without the 701 or 703 ?
Posted 4 years ago # -
@BILL
After Peebles we slogged up towards Carnwath but quickly turned right up the glorious Meldons with a corona crushing Rave at every campsite, then 3-d map of Scotland Built by your man General Macjek when he was running the hotel at Eddleston. Then a very swift mile on main road then up Shiplaw. At top of Shiplaw I have previously gone round the Pentlands but on Saturday we went back via Auchendinny then fairnilehead.
I shall fly the flag for the little valley after Romano Bridge that takes you down the Lyne Valley towards The Peebles road. Gorgeous 5 miles. Did not do it saturday but will this summer.
Coming back into Edinburgh tired after maybe 95 miles of little traffic is always risky and indeed my comrade nearly bought it at that bad roundabout at Morrison’s above Oxgangs. He was to blame as he should have waited but I was behind him and I was also convinced the second car would go left and follow the first but I think it indicated late and went right, oooh could have ended poorly but my comrade jinked well
Posted 4 years ago #
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