Job change (again) looms in March 2012. New commute will see me starting from Silverknowes and finishing at the Royal Infirmary at Little France (reverse trip in the evening).
The Cycle Streets route planner has some suggestions, but while my current commute is almost as long as the new one will be (7 versus 8 miles) the new one will, I think, have more hills... so anyone got advice on where the big hills will be and how to avoid/minimise them..?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Best route for new commute
(20 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
-
Easiest way to gradualise hills is to go at them as trains did, except when that would involve duplication. Instinctively, using the Roseburn feels wrong... along the coast to Seafield, gradually up through Craigentinny/Northfield then Willowbrae/Duddingston? Craigmillar Castle Road will always be in the way but the alternatives are either the Wisp (unpleasant at commute-time) or Old Dalkeith Road (still upsy but more gradual)...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Wingpig: That route is, coincidentally, more-or-less what my missus suggested. The Roseburn path is indicated by Cycle Streets (and being an old railway line it is fairly flat of course) but the rest of that route is pretty convoluted as it weaves through the centre of town.
Posted 12 years ago # -
You could take the Roseburn path to Russell Road (temporarily messed up by the trams), through Murieston. Up to Dundee Street using either Ardmillan Terrace or the Telfer Subway urban assault course. From there go along past Fountainpark cinema, turn right up Gilmore Park, across Leamington Lift Bridge, it would then be pretty flat rolling along Melville Drive to reach Old Dalkeith Road.
Old Dalkeith Road has red lanes that are double yellow no parking zones I think? So isn't too bad winching your way up it (although I don't do it in rush hour ever, so I could be totally wrong, it might be rubbish for cycling)
Danger point on that route is the terrible Cameron Toll roundabout. To avoid that you could take the Innocent to Duddingston Road West, join onto Craigmillar Castle Road and grind up the hill to Little France that way.
My advice re hills - from personal experience of them - is that you can avoid them or go around them or whatever but the only way you'll ever get any happier going up them is just going up them. Lots. Sure it's hard the first 100 times but eventually you realise that you don't know what you were worrying about all that time ago... Anyway, the longer you try and avoid the hill by staying on the flat or going around it, the steeper it will seem when you eventually come to climb it. Or something.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Have to agree Kaputnik
I remember when I returned to cycling and even the slope up to the innocent tunnel was a struggle
you just need to keep going at them ,for them to get easier
Don't kill yourself on the ommute but maybe leave one hillin the route to mark your progressPosted 12 years ago # -
Only thing to add is that with that journey you don't need to come back the same way as you go. You can return on the hypotenuse or the other two sides of the square/ parallelogram / rhombus
Posted 12 years ago # -
You could take the Roseburn path to Russell Road (temporarily messed up by the trams), through Murieston. Up to Dundee Street using either Ardmillan Terrace or the Telfer Subway urban assault course.
From there go along past Fountainpark cinema, turn right up Gilmore Park, across Leamington Lift Bridge, it would then be pretty flat rolling along Melville Drive to reach Old Dalkeith Road.OR, from there, turn right onto harrison rd, then Polwarth terrace to Grays load and Myreside, and pick up the route of the 38 bus along Balcarres, which will take you past Kings Buildings, etc. This is more direct, but certainly does not avoid hills.Posted 12 years ago # -
Danger point on that route is the terrible Cameron Toll roundabout. To avoid that you could take the Innocent to Duddingston Road West, join onto Craigmillar Castle Road and grind up the hill to Little France that way.
You can nip across from the Innocent Railway to Old Dalkeith Road, via Industrial Estate and past the cemetery:
http://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net/journey/1425124/
OK south bound, but northbound requires a right turn, through a chicane, to join the path - not nice in rush hour!
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
Lots of decent routes there.
Regarding the final section, I would rather negotiate cameron toll than craigmillar castle road - should be ok, but a very bad (for cyclists) corner past castle overlooking hospital, many speeders.
Posted 12 years ago # -
yeah I wouldnt want to go on the casle road.
you can come off the innocent and up through Pefferemill Industrial esatate and then cut through the park at the side of the high rise flats
comes out just up from Cameron Toll.
I don't know if theres another path to come any higherPosted 12 years ago # -
You don't need to use Craigmillar Castle Road, there is a path from Craigmillar Castle Park to the Infirmary.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Thanks for the suggestions (including the geographical, geometrical, psychological and philosophical expositions! - what a well-informed bunch subscribe to CCE, eh?).
Sounds like trial-and-error will eventually define the best route for me, which may take time but could be fun.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Min, is your route the one roibeard and custard mention, as it might be useful (not for me, but for a friend) if there is a non mtb one from craigmillar castle direct to infirmary?
cheers
Posted 12 years ago # -
"Myreside, and pick up the route of the 38 bus along Balcarres, which will take you past Kings Buildings, etc."
From Morningside Station to Cameron Toll I prefer to go West Saville Terrace rather than Blackford Av. Then I zigzag through to Newington Road.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@Nelly - I think Min's route is the path that runs from about Craigmillar Castle down to the Infirmary, discussed at:
http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=293
This avoids possibly the worst part of that road, although the hill down to Craigmillar remains on the road.
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
Roibeard, ta that makes sense now, didnt know there was another at that point.
I was brought up in gilmerton, so know the area well - but there was nothing except dirt bike tracks there in the 70s/80s.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"This avoids possibly the worst part of that road, although the hill down to Craigmillar remains on the road."
It avoids the entire road. There is even an on-pavement cycle lane through the estate from the crossroads with Peffermill road which I use on the way up as I'm goign slowly but not on the way down.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Nelly - I think the route Custard and Roibeard mention means pretty much doubling back on yourself so you can ride up Old Dalkeith Road which is rather nasty due to several parked car/traffic island juxtapositions. It seems a bit silly to do that just so you can avoid a short stretch of Duddingston Road before hopping on the above-mentioned pavement bike lane which takes you off road to the infirmary.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I would get to the end of Roseburn path, Murieston Road, turn left, then first right on path past back of Lidl, Fountainview, turn right onto Leamington road, turn left after lift bridge, onto Lower Gilmore Place and then left again into Gilmore Place, (this avoids going up Leamington Tce I might add at this point it is also a one-way not in your favour), which is a hard, long slog of a climb) turn right at the Kings theatre up Leven Street, left onto Whitehouse Loan, past the bike co-op, cross over lights at Strathern road, take 3rd left onto Whitehouse tce, follow it onto Grange Loan past the Carlton cricket club, turn right into St Thomas' road, go right to the end turn left into Relugas road, right onto Mayfield road, immediate left into Mentone tce and right onto Mayfield Gdns.
(You could also at this point you could have gone straight on down Grange Loan, to the end (where I think there are lights, right onto Ratcliffe tce and left onto West Mayfield, where there at also lights at the end, turn left into Mayfield gdns/Craigmillar road, through the lights over Lady Road onto Liberton Road, turn left into the Gilmerton Road (mind the lumps, bumps drain covers) go straight on past the Inch housing scheme on your left, until the lights at Kingston Avenue, take a left, all the way down to the bottom, and turn right onto the Old Dalkeith Road.
Or go left 2nd left onto Walter Scott Avenue and follow the road until the end and turn right onto the Old Dalkeith Road. Alternatively turn 1st left (after the entrance to Inch park), into Glenallan Drive and 2nd right onto Durward Grove, up to the top, left at Dinmont Drive, follow it round the bend then left and then right onto the ODR, although it can be a bit slow getting out here you will have avoided Cameron toll roundabout altogether.
Minto St/Mayfield Gdns/Craigmillar Park although very busy are at least two lanes wide and have a bus lane. Also the ODR is not too bad either now that they have double yellows all the way up it. I would recommend using a road that has lights at the end to turn right onto Minto St/Mayfield Gdns/Craigmillar Park or you might take a great deal of time getting out.
Hope this helps.
Posted 12 years ago # -
On the way back you could go through the Inch off the Old Dalkeith Road either Walter Scott Ave, Dinmont Drive/Glenallan Drive, cross the Gilmerton Road, into Double Hedges, turn right onto Kirk Brae, take the straight ahead up Mayfield Road, past the Kings Buildings (this is a fairly short but stiff climb) left into West Mains Road, past the observatory, Blackford Ave changes into Grange Loan, right onto Whitehouse Loan and then through Bruntsfield Links, down Leamington Tce, cross Gilmore Place and you're on the canal towpath. Alternatively follow Blackford Ave where it changes to Charterhall/Cluny cross Morningside/Comiston onto Balcarres Street and the rest is in SRD's link.
Posted 12 years ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
