Probably too late for you now but a halfway house is to turn right after Water of Leith Visitor Centre, go thru longstone to big roundabout at Prison Officer's Social Club, take left then cycle past entrance to Hailes Quarry, take left again up to Polis Station then parallel to Canal until next left takes you up slight incline past vets to the Baberton roundabout take left again and another slight hill and you are on Juniper Green Lanark Road Gillespies Xroads, which of course you would then come off and go all the way back down to Long Dalmahoy at Currie - it is a bit convoluted but involves less climb than the Slateford to Gillespie Xroads hill with good descent to Long Dalmahoy and saves GillespiesX to Slateford for coming home.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Sport
Etape Caledonia
(39 posts)-
Posted 14 years ago #
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Looks like the Etape Caley want a longer route bringing in climbing Ben Lawers from Bridge of Balgie. Surprise surprise the locals aren't happy.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I think the one correct point in this is that the main beneficiaries are businesses in Pitlochry.
The idea that this is peak season for highland Scotland is a joke. When I did the sabotaged Etape in 2009 it was in biblongs and long sleeved thermals, it was Bally freezing.
IMG promote the Etape. Wow. We did our own 100\120 miler following most of the route and encountered very little traffic. I much preferred that to the sabotaged Etape which I felt had too many mamils, then too many angry mamils.
However, I do think closed road events are good. Essentially because they point out to people who think they own the roads that they do not own the roads. This is what I think the mad article in the courier is about.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Highland SNP Councillor Mike Williamson said there was “great concern about the plan” as he questioned the proposals put forward.
You'd think a Director of the Bike Station would understand that cycling can be a boon to rural business if it's done well.
Posted 7 years ago # -
they point out to people who think they own the roads that they do not own the roads
Also shows just how few roads there are in Scotland. Look at a map of a similarly hilly bit of France and it is criss-crossed. Mostly because they had the good sense to execute and expropriate their aristocracy.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Why not make the Ben Lawers route open roads (or at least the main road bit)?
If you can ride 100miles you can cope with a bit of Sunday morning traffic...
Posted 7 years ago # -
You'd think a Director of the Bike Station would understand that cycling can be a boon to rural business if it's done well.
Is it just me that found it confusing that Perth and Kinross Council has a ward with the same name as a neighbouring council.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Pedal Scotland does this. The shorter Glasgow Edinburgh route closed. Or partially closed? The longer 100 miler completely open. But that one is never that busy.
@Iwrats, with the toffs gone the boys from the Blackstuff could move on to public land? Is that what you are saying? Maybe. However, the toffs had already cleared the highlands before 1789, so no one lived there to connect via roads? Whereas rural France was and indeed might still be more densely populated though hamlets now mostly old folks.1789 date of revolution, roughly of clearances and birth of Mr Macadam, OK, give or take some decades.
Secondly, rural south Lanarkshire and parts of west Lothian full of roads, they are a bit short and not such pretty scenery. This landscape was I think much more industrial and shale oil meant roads were built that now there is no industry I cycle on. Little traffic.
Posted 7 years ago # -
However, the toffs had already cleared the highlands before 1789
Highland clearances usually reckoned 1760 to 1860? Communications determined by pattern of land ownership? Why is there no road from Braemar to Feshie Bridge?
Posted 7 years ago #
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