CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
looking for a better way to get back to Edi when coming over the Granites.
Currently I go through Bonnyrigg and the down/up through Lasswade. Last Sunday that section was particularly horrible until I got under the bypass.
there's gotta be a better way - any tried and tested suggestions ?
What's wrong with Sustrans National Cycle Route 1 which runs from Bonnyrigg to your front door?
hmmm I was following NCR1, but it does turn off right in Bonnyrigg before the grim bit starts. I shall try that.
If Musselburgh is on the safe route from Bonnyrigg to town despair is in order.
South Edinburgh - the land that cycling forgot.
Go via Eskbank instead.
There's a shared use pavement from Gilmerton to Melville Gate Road. A few options for getting from Eskbank to Bonnyrigg: NCN 1 is my preference, but there's also the wonderfully named Bonnyrigg Distributor Road. The Distibutor has a shared use pavement as well (maybe not for its whole length yet, but the council is working on it).
Take care at Eskbank Toll roundabout.
The down/up through Lasswade is horrible by any mode of transport. I jumped out of my skin the other week when walking over the bridge as a hooching great lorry came barrelling through from behind me like Niki Lauda going through Casino Square. I dread to think how close his nearside mirror might have come to my head. First time in a long time that I've been close-passed by a motor vehicle while pedestrianising on the footway. 20mph limit you say? Yeah, right...
I do think that some thought ought to be given to opening up the Lasswade Viaduct to provide a much more pleasant active travel route across the river there. If they opened up the tunnel under Broomieknowe as well then it could connect to the Penicuik to Musselburgh cycle route at Bonnyrigg.
Where the route could go once the north bank of the river was achieved is another matter, though.
All in all I reckon Frenchy's suggestion of going via Eskbank and using the shared use pavements past Dobbies and over the bypass is the best option out of what currently exists. Once beyond the bypass you can turn off on to the new bit of the Loanhead railway path if you need to be further east or west than Gilmerton Road. In fact you might want to abandon Gilmerton Road anyway at that point: both Google and OSM indicate that the shared use path stops just north of the Gilmerton Station Road roundabout (I haven't been along that stretch Between Gilmerton Station Road and the Supperbowl crossroads recently, but Google Streetview does seem to bear that out - though admittedly the online sources may be equally as out of date as I am). I think I'd be inclined to nip along the railway path to pick up the shared use pavement on Lasswade Road if I wanted to continue northwards with the least traffic hassle.
In fact you might want to abandon Gilmerton Road anyway at that point: both Google and OSM indicate that the shared use path stops just north of the Gilmerton Station Road roundabout (I haven't been along that stretch Between Gilmerton Station Road and the Supperbowl crossroads recently, but Google Streetview does seem to bear that out - though admittedly the online sources may be equally as out of date as I am).
Correct. I think the shared use technically ends at the Gilmerton Station roundabout, but it's easiest to return to the carriageway at the entrance to the Drum estate.
I prefer Lasswade Road to Gilmerton Road (northbound, anyway), but there's not much in it.
As ejstubbs says, the new Loanhead path might help: at Carrington turn left and left again past Parduvine, then right and endure the down up at Roslin instead. Pick up the end of the new path via the back road past the chapel, over the viaduct and I think you can now leave the path to join the back road up the hill and down past Gracemount School. That road will take you all the way to Newington.
I dream of the day when automobilists are swapping complex back-road routes from Bonnyrigg to Edinburgh on-line with improvised river crossings and stuff.
I often just use the A7. It's flatter and has a hard shoulder. Often the traffic is stationary anyway
Fundamentally the problem is the Esk, because the only ways across it are Auchendinny* (steep), Roslin Glen (steep and narrow), Polton Bank (steep, narrow and many blind corners) and Lasswade (not so steep but long and busy), and the three crossings by Eskbank/Dalkeith (not so steep, a bit busy). And ultimately, you have to cross the city bypass at Lothianburn (ok), Straiton (ok but busy) or Gilmerton Road†. Which route you go for depends whether you're heading to east of Princes St or west.
From the Granites, my route would be to blast along the A7, and turn left at Dobbies and use the shared path as far as GSR. Then you can drop down to Cameron Toll, etc.
The quieter route is Carrington to Bonnyrigg, NCN196/1 to Eskbank Toll and Melville Road to Dobbies and onwards. I use Melville Road (&c.) when trundling home from Dalkeith Country Park on my Elephant Bike.
To be honest, if I were heading for west Edinburgh, I would either stomach the climbing to Penicuik, and go A701, A703, A702, which is mostly flat; or bang it along to Cameron Toll and turn west to Blackford.
* I didn't mention Penicuik, because from Temple you're climbing pretty much all the way.
† Using the Bilston viaduct and crossing under the bypass is also pointless because you've just had to use a load of energy after crossing the Esk anyway.
I tend to use the A7/A772 pavement as well. You get the width of the big road plus the flat profile versus the fact you just don't belong there.
The speed mis-match using any of the steeper and narrower Esk crossings just makes me fearful.
As Arellcat details there is no safe and direct way of doing this. Why would there be?
“Why would there be?”
Well yes but.
Part of the problem is due to the loss of the flat route removed (and not replaced) by the building of the Borders Railways.
This is why I always prefer my commute via Dalkeith Country path (or Whitecraig cycle route) and Innocent over the more direct route.
I shall try the NCR1 way this Sunday.
thanks to call.
You must log in to post.
Cycling in Edinburgh Flickr group
Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin
posts