Full photo album for the day:
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
Tweedbank to Portobello CCE Outing
(130 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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A truly great day out. Thanks to chrisfl and Iain McR for excellent navigation - featuring charmingly matched GSPs. Two fab cafe stops (The Spotty Dog, Lauder and Lanterne Rouge, Gifford) - highly recommended. Really good weather, beautiful varied scenery, excellent chat and a memorable sign warning that bracken would be sprayed from a very low flying helicopter (not to worry though, they "would aim to minimise inconvenience", although it wasn't quite clear for who).
Also, thanks to wingpig and Iain McR for supplies from their bags of tricks to help clean myself up after a slight tumble.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Looks like great fun.
I think I'd probably walk that route rather than ride it... :-)
Posted 4 years ago # -
None of the gradients were beyond 30*27 on 700 wheels gearing-wise but I ran out of tyre-grip several times. Some of the descents would have benefited from suspension or fatter tyres; I was quite surprised how round my wheels stayed and that my bar bag, pannier and lights remained firmly-attached.
Posted 4 years ago # -
That looks great fun. I'm even more disappointed to have been busy now.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I somewhat regret not dragging myself out of bed given that I did happen to wake up at ten past five on Saturday.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Looks great! Well done, Capital Boyz!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Something weird must have happened to the navigators' GPS units on the approach to Gifford. On the left is the track from the route plan. On the right is the actual trace. That bit through the woods did have a sort of semicircular feel to it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Great day out! Nice
Posted 4 years ago # -
wingpig - yes.
The extra semi-circle in Gifford was down to me following the .gpx from last time I did it with a chap from Haddington who said 'this is a better way'.
I was having to switch between 3 different gps tracks as we went, hence numerous small variations from the one posted. Quite sure I won't be doing that part when we first left the glorious tarmac again. Dragged our average speed down to about 5kph and never really recovered.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Please do it again next year when I hope to be (a) fitter and (b) not to have arived back from a 3 day conference at 9pm the night before with a cumulative hangover (archaeologists & climate researchers know how to party)?
Great pics, though was hoping for one of @Morningsider airborne...
Posted 4 years ago # -
Contemplating this again (Tweedbank -> Porty) on Saturday if anyone wants to come along and get muddy/wet/cold.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Ooooooh. Were I fitter, had I a bike with distinct gears....
Posted 4 years ago # -
fitness optional.
suitable bike ... i am sure there are many available either in BS or via the seasonal generosity of CCE.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I imagine the burn crossings will be cold and wet(?)
Posted 4 years ago # -
@bill
When are they ever not? Scottish water never seems to change temperature much to me. Always refreshing.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I'm definitely interested if we can get a few of us.
This time I'll take the mountain bike though!
Posted 4 years ago # -
well I guess current weather is taking away some of the decision making about what clothing to wear.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Wear all the clothing.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Anyone interested in doing the "other half" of the Capital Trail sometime?
i.e. Tweedbank -> Peebles -> Carlops -> Currie -> Cramond
Maybe once the winter is "broken" e.g. late March?
Not sure how it compares challenge-wise versus the Tweedbank to Portobello route over the Lammermuirs???
Posted 4 years ago # -
@neddie - single or multiple days?
I'd definitely be interested in a single day long ride, multi-day less so (but not a hard "no" either!)
Posted 4 years ago # -
Not sure how it compares challenge-wise versus the Tweedbank to Portobello route over the Lammermuirs???
Bits of it are not rideable by the likes of me, put it that way. But a very satisfying way can be made over the Three Bretheren, the Cloich Hills and the Pentlands with discretion and imagination.
All of it is harder going than the Lauder Hills section both in riding and navigation.
Posted 4 years ago # -
not really. That Day 2 just seemed relentlessly up for no good reason. Wasn't enjoyable.
Day 3 looked better, so I'd try that.
Always keen to do Day 1 again anytime. Prob cant this month as travelling too much, but both days on both of the middle weekends in Feb currently free, so would be delighted to pick one.
I dont think the weather would make Day 1 un-doable.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Oops. Yeah, good point IainMcR. The section from Tweedbank to Peebles looks tough. I guess I was thinking about starting from Peebles. Could either get the bus there, or cycle along NCN1 from Tweedbank, which shouldn't be so tough...
Posted 4 years ago # -
@neddie
Mr Stitz's route is Not For The Likes Of Us in parts but I can show you the way to dodge the Dun Rig bit which is purely for show. Good running, but no fun to be had up there on a bicycle.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@IWRATS
I was thinking of doing the Peebles to Portobello section, via Romano Bridge and West Linton...
Posted 4 years ago # -
Eminently doable. Lovely day out in fact. Are you assembling a squadron?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Hmmm...what kind of bike would be needed for this? Suspension, knobbly tyres?
Posted 4 years ago # -
I rode a lot of that a couple of years ago on my CDF with fairly knobbly tyres. The area near Romano Bridge is pretty grassy and thus gets fairly muddy.
It can be a bit steep in places so I found the 1:1 lowest gear a bit high but I was doing it in reverse.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Suspension, knobbly tyres?
Suspension is nice but I don't think it's ever necessary. Tyre grip essential on the grassy/muddy sections. As Steveo says, bits of this are quite steep so a winch gear is, as ever, the real key to progress.
Posted 4 years ago #
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