Hello,
We were wondering if anyone could let us know of any potential obstacles/difficult areas when cycling sustrans route 754 from Clydebank to Edinburgh with a kids bike trailer (it is a peapod duo if anyone has direct experience!).
Many thanks
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
754 kid trailer suitability
(7 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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I've cycled this in reverse, but without a trailer.
The route can be very muddy in places (unsealed towpath), depending on the weather, and there are a few narrowings with cobbles (including aquaducts). You may wish to walk these.
There are definitely some chicanes in Edinburgh that will require some manhandling of the trailer - I can't speak for the rest of the route regarding chicanes as it's been a while.
Oh, and you'll need lights as there is a very long tunnel, which may have no or inadequate lighting, but I'm sure any kids will love that!
I'm sure another CCE bod will be along shortly with an update!
Robert
Posted 7 years ago # -
I've seen someone get across the Almond aqueduct with a double trailer. It's possibly slightly wider and definitely shorter than the Longstone one. The Falkirk tunnel will be tight in places - take plenty of lights (mostly to aid oncoming people stepping around it, but also to alert oncomers to your width) and send someone ahead to wait in the wider bits to try and get oncoming people to wait. The chicanes between Hermiston Gait and Broxburn might need you to disconnect the trailer and shuffle it through - they're mostly of the stupid deep gate variety, and the circumventions round the back are mostly narrow and bumpy.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Can be super muddy after Kirkintilloch, unless the Tarmac has gone further? Slightly drier after Falkirk. I think there is a wee cobbled run-off nerd the almond viaduct. It is bumpy. The longstone viaduct is long but sometimes people are more tolerant than others. Waited for a guy cycling one bike and pushing another tonight. Thought he might have let me by at the other end but he was in hurry. Some slight wobbles. I kept well back. Hope he he not pinched them, I don't think so but he was rushing.
Are you au faith with the maryhill stretch? I think you have to come off at one bridge, cross the road and go back up. But that might be heading up from cowcaddens to maryhill so coming in from Clydebank Bowling end you maybe miss that But from Clydebank, the maryhill lock and stuff will need negotiated
Posted 7 years ago # -
Hi, thank you all for your replies. We did it over the last weekend (&a bit). It was all surfaced that we travelled on (the bit after kirkintilloch quite recently we suspect as it was in really good nick), we cut one full day short as we'd been wet 2 days in a row and didn't want to get the kids (6, 4 & 2) wet again! So missed a sizeable chunk from the Avon aqueduct (which we walked across) to ratho so can't say if that is surfaced but as the rest of the union canal is? There are a few funny gates and we had to lift the trailer or go round a bit but on the whole a fab family ride and we all loved it! Thanks to all those offers of help when we got our 2 punctures (& actually cut the tyre - tiny piece of glass), we only had one person who didn't want to listen as we were walking across an aqueduct near Edinburgh who eventually stopped before crashing into the trailer or the canal, despite us warning her about it! Everyone else we met was fab.
Posted 7 years ago # -
The bit you skipped is then I think the last bit without Tarmac. What was surface like after you came out the tunnel at Falkirk? Did you go on road to Ratho?
Posted 7 years ago # -
After the tunnel (which the kids thought was ace) it was surfaced but well used and quite leafy with a few cobbly sections, it is quite narrow but wide enough for trailer and for someone to pass. We had our camper with us (Kirk did double each day or left early to go back for it!) So we drove to Ratho (via Bo'ness train museum!).
Posted 7 years ago #
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