They're now resurfacing the section just west of Woodhall Millbrae. You can currently get round the bit they've closed as its the bit where the path splits in two but once they move to the next bit I suspect it'll require a diversion up to the road.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
WoL Path Resurfacing
(105 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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I went up on Tuesday, got diverted into spylaw Park in typical Edinburgh fashion though the sign directed you onto the park and left you to own deductions as to how to proceed.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Came up tonight, nice gravel ride but not Ultitrec, big chuckies
The whin dust bedding in a bit because so dry.
Posted 2 years ago # -
We rode our mountain bikes up as far as West Mill Road on Saturday. The new fine surface extends as far as Spylaw Park and then the last bit to the road is gravel, which is a bit odd.
Mr fimm cycled all the way up the WoL to Balerno on his mountain bike on Sunday and reports that there is some kind of gravel all the way up (I assume in bits that were just mud before). He said he would not take a road bike along it (which is fine, you don't want the Mr fimms of this world taking their road bikes along there...)
It will be interesting to see what the rain does to it all.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Came up it tonight in the rain.
The best but is the proper Ultitrec section.
Before that there is a lot of sand
Washed down the poet’s Glen
Before that a mixture of sand and gravel and chuckies.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hope you were on your electric mountain bike…
Posted 2 years ago # -
No just normal commuter but has the excellent schwalbe land cruiser tyres.
Posted 2 years ago # -
“
Went back to look at a C&C document & the Dells are down for repair. My colleague @edjthornley did a motion 2 Cttee asking for update 4 priority 1&2 so we shd have something back by the end of the yr
“
https://mobile.twitter.com/halosler/status/1565314959889911810
Posted 2 years ago # -
Today might be the last day to cycle on the cinder track the6 have made It is very good and includes some made drainage wells with wee walls just east of Juni Green. It is quite enjoyable on a wider tyre. Prolonged rain will presumably turn it all to slush or wash it all away?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I was wondering about that - its almost like they've just poured dry cement on it - you can see a cloud of dust behind the cyclists and I'm not sure its doing my dog's paws much good. Do you think its "finished" ?
Posted 2 years ago # -
Again bringing up my not-so unpopular opinion that unless it's passable on a pair of 25mm Conti GP5000's it's not fit for purpose :-)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@redmist: Having just ridden that way myself today, I don't think it's cement - it looks too dark. I think it's whin dust which I don't believe is harmful by contact (inhalation might be a different issue, though).
@mcairney: Someone passed me this afternoon on a road bike (looked too spindly to be a gravel bike) with what looked like ~28mm tyres - though with a fairly chunky-looking tread on them.
@gembo: "Prolonged rain will presumably turn it all to slush or wash it all away?" Looks like we'll have a chance to find out this weekend and into next week...
I noticed that, on top of fencing off the desire line at Woodhall Millbrae, 'they' appear to have ploughed up the surface and scattered uncomfortably large chunks of rock across it. Someone really doesn't want people to ride that way. (Almost predictably, while following the official path I had to brake and swerve to avoid a runner coming the other way who had chosen to cut the corner right at its blind apex.)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I recently got my new winter road bike (Giant Defy Advanced Pro) after my previous one was stolen from my local bike store. Took a while to get delivery and insurance all sorted but got there in the end.
It came with tubeless 32mm tyres out the box and will take up to 35mm according to the spec sheet so it'll likely make short work of these sorts of surfaces. I'm off to put a set of mudguards on in advance of tomorrow morning.Posted 2 years ago # -
Thread with photos
Posted 2 years ago # -
A similar, but slightly older, path in the Braids has seen its top layer washed away in places. This leaves a pretty rough stony surface. The Braids might be more prone to this, as the paths are generally steeper than along the WoL - but I reckon it is only a matter of time before it degrades pretty badly as well. I'm not talking years here, just a few severe downpours.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Came up path tonight, pretty good, some rivulets, some bits washed away. But distinctly better than after it ended until the actual Ultitrec.
Posted 2 years ago # -
“
I understand the Council is now considering KBI Flexipave as the new surface for the Water of Leith Walkway.
Flexipave is a 50/50 mix of tyre rubber, & natural stone aggregate.
Details: http://kbiuk.co.uk/flexipave
“
https://twitter.com/cllrscottarthur/status/1572942121837162496
Posted 2 years ago # -
Is this instead of what they have just done, or elsewhere?
Posted 2 years ago # -
The current dust is holding out except in two places where tree routes or some other ingress have washed it away. But I doubt it will survive a wet winter.
It stops just west of Juni Green
So they could try the Flexi Pave from Balerno to the Ultitrec at Waulkmill then from Currie to the dust.
Used it four times this week and it has been enjoyable but on gravel bike.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I used the WoL walkway for the first time in a while last week (WoL/NEPN is ideal for my infrequent visits to the Craigleith shopping centre). The surface between the canal and West Mill Road seemed in good nick. I didn't go any further upstream.
I did encounter some fairly significant stretches of degraded surface on the short stretch between Ford's Road and Gorgie Road. It looked like parts of the walkway had been eroded away by flowing water. I presume this was caused by the recent heavy rain. I couldn't see any signs of the river having risen to cover the path, and I'd be pretty surprised if it even managed to do that there (edit: but see below), so I assume it was caused by the local drainage failing to cope with sudden large quantities of rainwater. That stretch isn't well illuminated so if I hadn't been using a decent light (reference the discussion on this thread) then I could easily not have seen the eroded runoff channels clearly and been spat off my bike.
The stretch from Gorgie Road to the WoL Visitor Centre was not as bad, but still had some signs of water erosion, and mud and debris washed on to the path from the surrounding areas.
EDITED TO ADD: I note that the WoL Conservation Trust did report flooding on 30th December. No mention of the issues I encountered last week but it's worth noting that the bridge upstream from Belford bridge, by the Britannia Hotel, has been damaged and is currently closed. From the description of the damage it sounds like the bridge won't be re-opening in a hurry, which pretty much rules out the stretch of the walkway between Belford Bridge and Roseburn* for cycling, unless you enjoy humping your bike up or down long flights of steep steps (at Magdala Crescent, the Gallery of Modern Art, or from the Roseburn Path viaduct).
* Again, that end of the walkway having only re-opened for bike access last year after the issue with the railings alongside hotel was finally resolved.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The stretch from Gorgie Road to the WoL Visitor Centre was not as bad, but still had some signs of water erosion, and mud and debris washed on to the path from the surrounding areas.
I probably didn't have my light high enough on that section, the corners were a lot more exciting than previously with the fairly narrow tyres on the cdf. I think a layer of what felt like silt and was a bit loose on the corners.
Unrelated the farm track between cubbidean and Kirkgate was a running burn and the loose wet pebbles that seem to be all that's left of the track in places was great fun on skinny tyres.
Posted 1 year ago # -
@ejstubbs - the Water of Leith Trust have been doing some clean ups of the path since the flooding and also started work to resurface the Fords Rd section.
More details in their twitter
https://twitter.com/WOLCT/status/1612084273766359041?t=fvQDK-QhUZlZddC_u074wg&s=19
Posted 1 year ago # -
Closed just now just before Currie if heading west, at the old Kinleith Mill that is now hundreds of houses. Ditches are mostly in and the chuckies are going down.
In what I thought rude comment a horse rider had allowed their beast to you know what. Such that the workie will have to shovel it before they can resume the path improvements.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Anyone know if the path upgrade is finished?
Posted 1 year ago # -
If you can’t tell, it probably is.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Just back from Ilkley
Will take Road into town and Suss. path on way back
Posted 1 year ago # -
Still all fenced off some stretches though of very fancy surface going down
Posted 1 year ago # -
I was reduced to quite a bit of effing and blinding on the WoL Walkway today. As @gembo says, quite a bit is fenced off (currently between Spylaw and the bypass). Further west the surface is loose Type 1 and is pretty hard going if you're heading uphill on it.
It's incredibly frustrating, as the closures aren't signed in advance, so you have to retrace your route to get off the path to get round them. The diversions you need to take also aren't signed.
It's the kind of thing that's familiar on bike routes, but wouldn't be tolerated for cars.
Posted 1 year ago # -
New surface is quite bumpy tbh - not quite corrugated but certainly not flat. Not unpleasant to ride on...
A friend is rather concerned about the fact that when it starts to degrade it'll likely just start sending crumbling chunks of plastic into the WOL. I expect it to be ice rink in the winter. Closures are VERY frustrating.
Posted 1 year ago # -
WoLPath fully open again from canal to Balerno
A variety of surfaces.
Very good from canal to bypass
Mostly Ultitrec bouncy tarmac. Some sections not yet done.
Original path until Kinauld when the big chuckies come into play. Some have had dust on top but washed away a little.
Best to come off at Juni green, come back on at Currie for the original Ultitrec
At Balerno end the newmills steps are being repaired
Pretty good apart from the big chuckies.
Posted 1 year ago #
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