CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

The "I had a lovely ride today, thankyou" thread

(2685 posts)

  1. gembo
    Member

    @amir, sounds great, might have been a headwind back if you went out Saturday?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  2. amir
    Member

    Bits of headwind here and there. The Moorfoots roads always twist the prevailing wind to a headwind. Must leave a sacrifice at the Piper's Grave

    Posted 3 years ago #
  3. bill
    Member

    Sounds really nice @amir! Good work. You weren't tempted to pop down to Eskdalemuir?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  4. amir
    Member

    "Pop"!
    I wanted to get back to go for a walk with my OH but hopefully back to Eskdalemuir for the LDToS in October.

    It's good to find new roads to travel. Next target is the back roads near Culter.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  5. gembo
    Member

    Yes granites is a wind funnel, I have struggled to descend it and then expected a tailwind back up that failed to materialize

    My passion for James Hogg means I always want to get to the Ettrick Valley.

    So far away but the Ken Laidlaw Goes up it.

    Alice Munro the great Canadian short story writer had great fun tracing her ancestors b6 means of the Post bus.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  6. nobrakes
    Member

    The Ettrick valley is one of my favourites. I have friends live down the far end near the Tushielaw, always good to pop in for a cup of tea and let the legs get cold and stiff before climbing Berrybush.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  7. Arellcat
    Moderator

    [the] house beyond the end of the road

    I think that's the unfinished third book in the Secret Seven horror trilogy by Pamela Butchart.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  8. Frenchy
    Member

    I think it's an Explosions in the Sky B-side.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  9. amir
    Member

    Other delightful dead end roads in that area include the Manor Valley near Peebles and Glenholm near Broughton

    Posted 3 years ago #
  10. gembo
    Member

    @amir I often look at the Kirkton Manor Road when heading for the succor of the Meldons.

    I imagine if I lived in Peebles I would go up there on a day out.

    Big Keith of the Peebles CC only goes to Duns and back, But he does so most days and yet remains a giant of a man

    Posted 3 years ago #
  11. Greenroofer
    Member

    Wot no entries for today? Seriously??

    I'll start. Leaving at 0845. Quick trip up the WoL path to Balerno, round the back of Balerno via Cockburnhill Road and then past all the reservoirs to Torduff and home through Colinton. 20 miles. Taking it easy on the 'gravel bike'. Calm, crisp, sunny, clear. Spectacular views. My only regret is that I wasn't going further: what a beautiful day to be out on a bike.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  12. nobrakes
    Member

    Round the Innerleithen loop from Stow. Fabulous weather - cold and crisp. In that way that you only seem to find in Scotland.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  13. gembo
    Member

    Legs not strong today after yesterday’s trip to innerleithen, my pal on strava saying we did the descent 12 mins quicker than ever before. Was tough on way home.

    Was up blackford hill This morning, beautiful and no wind

    Posted 3 years ago #
  14. Murun Buchstansangur
    Member

    Drove to Aberfoyle in freezing fog. Was wondering if game was a bogey or at least requiring of second breakfast when it began to break. On with all the layers, Duke’s Pass, outskirts of Callander, over to Fintry, down/up/down Crow Road, Tak Ma Doon, back thru Fintry then Drymen & back road to Aberfoyle (a NCN route & ‘walking & cycling friendly road’, which it certainly wasn’t today, but it couldn’t take the gloss off). Glorious.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  15. wishicouldgofaster
    Member

    Out to Prestonpans and back - 33 miles. A lovely day for it :)

    Posted 3 years ago #
  16. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Spent the weekend riding the valleys of the rivers Tarf, Foyers, Farrigaig and Nairn on a road bike borrowed from @gembo.

    Went with some locals;

    3) Quite old guy who is not a 'cyclist' but has a lovely e-bike.
    c) Slightly older guy who has a Trek road bike he inherited from a friend. It is under-geared for the terrain bur he uses it a lot.

    Saturday across all the river valleys and over Carn an-t Suidhe down into Fort Augustus. This is a place with many memories for me, some now turning to unreasonable regret. How could I have known?

    Friend c) on the under-geared bike phoned his partner to collect him after a lovely lunch by the canal from the Lock Inn (top tip). E-biker was instructed not to sit on my wheel chatting on the climb back on pain of death. The Suidhe is an unrelenting three-parter. It comprises shooting locations for two otherwise unconnected films: 633 Squadron and Local Hero. Also it has an associated cycle path but it is a confusing affair of mad-steep crushed rock. I know not who would or could use it. Bright and mild, slight headwind for the climb, lovely. Rumble home hot bath cold beer.

    Sunday morning very cold. Birches dreamlike on account of that frosting. Shorter loop around the minor lochs of Strathnairn. Friend c) lost the wee plastic cap off one brifter on a rugged minor road. Autumn colours beginning, bright sunshine, not a breath of wind. Many red kites. Three layers, but still shorts, man. Winter is not come.

    Another hot bath, another cold beer. I enjoyed that road bicycling and will do it again if the Lord spare me.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  17. bill
    Member

    @IWARTS that sounds rather lovely!

    Yesterday morning also saw me three top layers and shorts -- I refuse to acknowledge that it's winter temperatures. I imagine it was even cooler for you up north.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  18. fimm
    Member

    On Sunday I cycled out to the western side of Beecraigs Country Park - I'd never been that way before. Enjoyed the new roads and the views to the west and north. Stopped at the Korean War Memorial which I think I've seen mentioned on here - had a little wander and then sat in the sun for a bit before heading on.

    Beecraigs car park was busy, not surprisingly. Lots of people out enjoying the sun. Went down a loooooooooooooong descent (chapeau to the chap cycling up it) and then up a climb with lots of brambles available in the hedge. Back into Edinburgh via Cammo Walk which was quiet (but I did get to use the pedestrian crossing over Maybury Road, woohoo).

    Posted 3 years ago #
  19. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @bill

    On the way home on Saturday we were passed by your local lookalike on a grey gravel bike. They missed a turn (sat nav slow?) turned back, took the turn just ahead of us and cruised away from the old boys again.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  20. acsimpson
    Member

    I've had a selection of rides in the past week or so. Last Saturday I took a long ride down to Carnwath for my first visit to the Apple Pie. After taking up Gembo's recommendation of a rhubarb pie I wound my way back up via Carluke.

    Friday night I was meant to be taking part in the cancelled Foxlake Night Tri so instead I had the good idea of running and cycling round a hilly field in the Dark on Friday night.

    This Saturday I followed a friend up past Dollar to Fishcross where we parted company and I came home via Gartmorn Dam. I've never been before but hope sometime to be back there with the family. It was looking stunning in the late morning Sun.

    Finally this morning I headed up to Kirkcaldy with no aim other than some miles and a few Veloviewer squares. I think it's time to give my legs a few days off.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  21. gembo
    Member

    September has been good for the cycling weather kind and leave to use up

    The west Dunfermline train path to clackmannan afforded great views of the ochils at the end of the line a fortnight back

    Posted 3 years ago #
  22. bill
    Member

    @IWARTS How do you know it wasn't me?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  23. Arellcat
    Moderator

    west Dunfermline train path to clackmannan

    It's a nice route, too. I did it a good while ago (er, nine years! :-( ) in the freezing cold, but it made for good photos.


    Period fittings

    Posted 3 years ago #
  24. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @bill

    Excellent question. She wasn't too friendly and had white wireless earphones in. In my mind you ride listening to nothing but your own heartbeat and the wind.

    Also the lady in question's socks did not look intolerably uncomfortable.

    Was it you?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  25. minus six
    Member

    lovely day out and that's me passed 6000km for the year to date which isn't too shabby as i took March off due to the rona

    i'll settle for around 8000km by xmas

    Posted 3 years ago #
  26. bill
    Member

    In my mind you ride listening to nothing but your own heartbeat and the wind.

    @IWARTS Your mind is correct! So it wasn't me then.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  27. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @IWARTS Your mind is correct!

    I'll tell my psychiatrist. She has been arguing the contrary position for some years now.

    Posted 3 years ago #
  28. Roibeard
    Member

    IwratS - Jennifer Melfi?

    I can picture that scene!

    Robert

    Posted 3 years ago #
  29. gembo
    Member

    @arellcat, yes we went past the signal box

    Three people and a dog at either end, no one in the middle also nice shelter from prevailing westerlies

    Lovely descent down from Clackmannan to Kincardine Bridge.

    We then moseyed down to the Kelpies, sat outside eating ice cream. No cones due to the Covid and my raspberry ripple had no raspberry or ripple and was basically vanilla but mustn’t grumble

    Winds behind on way home. The Fellow with 7s kept wondering when we would go back over the Forth bridge. No sense of direction.

    @bill are both legs Pink Grapefruit?

    Posted 3 years ago #
  30. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @Roibeard

    You have no idea (I hope) how upset actual psychiatrists were by the Jennifer Melfi character. I have a couple of shrinks in my family and they considered asking for a sit down and even, with regret, clipping the character if they couldn't work nothing out.

    Posted 3 years ago #

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