CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
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Right, here we go, I've broken this down into 7 segments which I'll give a bit more detail on, with sights on the way, as well as possible shortcuts to shorten the route.
Hang on on commenting till all the segments are up!
Overview by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
1-10 miles
10 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Going loopy
Drop down to King Stables Road is through the wee Castle Terrace multi-storey.
Around Mile 4 though is the cool multi-storey for St James' Place, circular climb, always wanted to ride up, the view from the top is cracking.
Innocent Path as far as Duddingston Road West, take to the road to skirt past Duddingston House (worth a look).
Shortcuts options all over to link back up with the zig-zag, including the Innocent Path/Duddingston House detour, just stick on the Innocent Path and wait further along it.
10-17 miles
17 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
Innocent Path, then through countryside (on an off-road path) and a back road to Musselburgh, wee gander at the harbour, then along to Porty and onto the Prom.
Back inland into my back yard, the Figgate Park!
Highlight of this section, however, are the Craigentinny Marbles. If you haven't seen them before be prepared to be stunned (as much by the random location as anything else).
Shortcut available by turning left after crossing the railway line and cutting out the loop to Musselburgh. Shortens by about 2.5 miles.
17-26 miles
26 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay
Art and modernity, taking in the Gormley by Ocean Terminal (and a spin to the multi-storey roof if you want), then out to 'Platinum Point' and what I think Kaputnik once described as one of his favourite places. A dilapidated building at the end. Cormorants around here.
Then back inland on the North Edinburgh Path Network, through Scotland Street Tunnel, then back and down through the Trinity Tunnel and back to the shoreline.
Shortcut would obviously be to avoid the Scotland Street loop, cutting out about 2.5 miles.
26-30 miles
30 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Straightforward, more or less along the coast, checking out the weird, non-finished new housing places, with marked cycleways that are fenced off, but also the Granton Gasometer.
Possible Great Crested Grebes offshore.
Shortcut could cut out the Granton Gasometer, and stay on the flat to the Silverknowes Prom.
30-36 miles
36 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Heading back inland, as flat as possible, but also taking the road skirting Cammo cos, well, it's nice.
Then out on the Turnhouse Road cos I really want to get a pic of people on their bikes as a plane flies over...
Big shortcut by cutting out the Turnhouse Loop and carrying on Maybury Road to wait at the Deco Maybury Casino.
36-44 miles
44 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Kaimes. Road.
I don't actually know if the lane at the top connects with the lane on the other side of Corstorphine Hill, but worth a look.
Then simply Water of Leith and Canal.
Shortcut would involve not going up Kaimes Road.
44-50 miles
50 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
A Morningside detour when the canal hits Harrison Park, for a snippet of the Wild West (if it still exists). Hadn't known about this till today...
Then simply park/Parliament/and finish with a view up Calton Hill
Going down Clerk Street instead of into the Park would mean cutting out the climb back up...
Turning right at the top of Kaimes and the Roseburn/Balgreen/Saughton section of WoL : you're taking the X, then?
Wee tyres will handle it but I'll bring something to wipe my shins down with and hoick the muck out from my brakes.
As I've said all along. This is the route I'll be doing, folk are more than welcome to join in!
Start point is PY, I reckon I'll get there about 8.30 for coffee and a cake, then a 9am start.
Lunch would seem to coincide with around Cramond. Maybe. Depends on pace, but at a relaxed ride rate to stop for pics and so on... That could work out well.
I might take the X, but to be honest, I've had the Kaff down worse (and the cobbled sections are probably as bad!).
Can you post a link to a GPX track, Anth? I'm registered with RideWithGPS but not MapMyRide.
awesome!
Would be good to ride some of it, but I have one day relatives.
Presume someone will be tweeting progress - #anthsride
Cool, I get a hashtag! Yeah, was planning on tweeting on the move...
Arellcat, I just created the route in MapMyRide, not sure if it exports to GPX - I'll have a check.
"not sure if it exports to GPX"
Yes - Urban_50_miles.gpx (just register with MMR and sign in)
Doh, I can't copy and paste the images into a paper version because you've got all rights reserved anth. Never mind lol, I'm bringing my trusty spokes map in case I get totally lost or wuss out.
My options are 23c single speed (creaking) my 23c racer with dubious chainset stability (carbon forks) or 2.3 inch tractor... Might need the racer to keep up so i'll bring the correct allen key and skip the off road bits. Done it once not fun.
I think the only actual 'off road' bits are a 50-60 yard section before Duddingston House (which is hard packed); the bit from the top of Kaimes Road (which I think is mainly a tarmac lane route?); and the bit by the WoL from Murrayfield (which again is hard packed).
I've not got 'guards for the X, so likely Kaff-ing it.
Going to keep a watching brief on the weather. As DaveC said this morning - if the weather is like this tomorrow... At present it's looking cloudy, but dry. The route ain't going anywhere though, so can be tucked away of we ditch.
Ah, if only you'd known I was going up Kaimes Road yesterday, I could have recce'd that path. I've been in those woods on wee blue floofy and had to use fourth gear* in quite a few places, but I was going to the monument at the top, not just over to the road. It's quite possible I wasn't even on the path we'll use, I can't remember.
*pick it up and carry.
Of course there IS an option to ride Kaimes... Then back down. Doesn't really affect the distance.
Its been many many years since i've been up there and I can't remember any metalled paths but since I'll be on the racer with its slightly high gear ratios I'll probably be in 19th (pushing) with in a few hundred yards any way.
It's probably more rideable (wider and distinctly less puddlysplodgy) than the Saughton chunk of the WoL but the odd bit of tree-detritus might pose a puncture risk to inferior tyres.
My wheels are straighter than they were yesterday but I'll try and get a fresh pair of brake inserts in this evening. Hopefully the insert-retaining bolts on my current holders have not yet welded themselves into place.
You don't seem to have listed the cafes?
Assuming I make it, I'll be on my trekking machine, with some fairly rugged tyres. Nice bit of practice before a couple of weekends touring.
Cafes are a fluid notion... ;) Can stop as and when, plenty of choice! Porty Prom, the Shore/Leith, Cramond, Morningside, Canal, WoL visitor centre. Loads of stop points.
I'm bringing the >X< (differenciated from anth's by the extra '>' and '<'). Also its orange not black.
chdot, is that the iPhone's MMR app screen shot? I ask as mine is different.
[Ignore the route, that is a wee ride I'm doing on Saturday]
Also I'd love an app which I can load a GPX file in and use like a garmin as mine died and needs a refurb from Garmin.
After several attempts, MapMyRide.com finally let me download an actual .GPX file rather than a 108-byte export failure. OpenGPSTracker and rMaps quite happy to open/import and display the route. MapMyRide.com turns out to have a "send to phone" option which appears to be the only way to get the application to open the route for the purposes of following it.
"City streets set to empty as Cup final kicks off"
"is that the iPhone's MMR app screen shot? I ask as mine is different"
It's the http://www.everytrail.com app (available all platforms - free. Upgrade version available but I've never bothered).
I downloaded anth's gpx file (I already had an MMR a/c) to my computer and uploaded to http://www.everytrail.com/create_trip.php (marked as private as it's not mine!) and then available for immediate download to 'phone app.
Where do we get ther gpx from Anth/chdot please? Searching for Anth on MMR draws a blank.
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