From 24th the section of the Whang between the turn off to kirknewton and the turn off to west Calder is closed for 28 days. Sometimes this gives us some Sunday cycling on car free Whang, looks like little chunks of resurfacing and potholes and painting the word Slow ten metres from the word Slow. Alternately you may have to detour via A71 which is not so nice
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Lang Whang closure
(24 posts)-
Posted 13 years ago #
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did a recce beyond kirknewton turn off of the a
A70 (lang Whang) this morning. Early on still frosty, road closed but possible just to cycle round these signs.Driveways are having white bollards either side of the the road where they join the Whang and short sections of the road are having a white dusting of chips, something like whindust but white. Later on when I was coming home and stopped to chat to the boys from the black stuff (or in this instance white stuff) they are much in favour of this product.
I took the west Calder turn and failed to break the speed limit at woolfords where there is a sign your can activate.
Heading back to Edinburgh the first time since spring the wind was actually a tail wind. After the west Calder turn the road was properly closed for 50 metres. I dismounted and pushed through talking to the tarmacadamistas as I went. They were happy to let me and extolled the virtues of the white stuff, a fraction of which adhered to my tyres but did not penetrate the rubber. Alas they were not willing to let the car through that had overtaken me just before the road closure. This driver was not a happy bunny. Curiously at the other end I was chatting to a driver who was 500. Yards short of his house and was about to have to start a ten mile detour. He was quite cheerful in the circumstances. A group of five cyclists had arrived and the tarmacadamistas thought this was taking the piss. There are many many road closed signs. However they overheard me advising the group that if they were nice to them they would be let through and this is what happened.
From this spot, Colzuium, until the Kirknewton turn off I was only overtaken by two cars. Actually from this kirknewton turn off
Posted 13 years ago # -
did a recce beyond kirknewton turn off of the a
A70 (lang Whang) this morning. Early on still frosty, road closed but possible just to cycle round these signs.Driveways are having white bollards either side of the the road where they join the Whang and short sections of the road are having a white dusting of chips, something like whindust but white. Later on when I was coming home and stopped to chat to the boys from the black stuff (or in this instance white stuff) they are much in favour of this product.
I took the west Calder turn and failed to break the speed limit at woolfords where there is a sign your can activate.
Heading back to Edinburgh the first time since spring the wind was actually a tail wind. After the west Calder turn the road was properly closed for 50 metres. I dismounted and pushed through talking to the tarmacadamistas as I went. They were happy to let me and extolled the virtues of the white stuff, a fraction of which adhered to my tyres but did not penetrate the rubber. Alas they were not willing to let the car through that had overtaken me just before the road closure. This driver was not a happy bunny. Curiously at the other end I was chatting to a driver who was 500. Yards short of his house and was about to have to start a ten mile detour. He was quite cheerful in the circumstances. A group of five cyclists had arrived and the tarmacadamistas thought this was taking the piss. There are many many road closed signs. However they overheard me advising the group that if they were nice to them they would be let through and this is what happened.
From this spot, Colzuium, until the Kirknewton turn off I was only overtaken by two cars. Actually from the kirknewton turn off until Balerno I was only overtaken by five cars.
If tarmacadamistas get tough it will probably be possible just to lift bike over fence and take detour along the fields until beyond the road repairs, they are very short repairs. I noticed the same white stuff just outside Balerno is beginning to wear.
Posted 13 years ago # -
White stuff? My long commute is up through Balerno and right at the Kirknewton airfield... I noticed white stuff on the road last week and thought it was quite random.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Fimm - just after you left the last houses in Balerno and on a slightly twisting descent? Beyond the kirknewton turn they are layingnitnon bends with descents but also on little strips innwhatndoes appear to be random method
Posted 13 years ago # -
gembo - just after you left the last houses in Balerno and on a slightly twisting descent?
That sounds about right, though I would not swear to it. Given the weather I might well go that way tomorrow and will have another look - should I take my camera?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"should I take my camera"
One should carry a camera at all times...
Pref 3MP or better.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Why should one always carry a camera? Accident/incident recording? Or just in case there's something to photograph?
Posted 13 years ago # -
"Why should one always carry a camera?"
Personal choice and all that.
There used to be a well known phrase 'I wish I'd had a camera'.
But since most mobile phones have cameras that produce useable images it's less of an issue.
OK so I'm a camera person/photographer so I'm biased and think everyone should have one (or more) - like bicycles...
Now I probably take as many photos on my phone as on my 'proper' camera. The main difference is that has a long zoom.
I used to use film - you actually had to consider the cost of taking photos.
It's a while since I actually printed any onto paper!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Is this the Lang Wang??
Posted 13 years ago # -
Nope, A70 from Kirknewton turnoff until the top at Tarbrax. (are my start and end points correct?)
Posted 13 years ago # -
@DaveC no, the Lang Wang is the A70 - and to me the expression implies the bit outside of Edinburgh. I wouldn't say I was taking the Lang Wang to Balerno!
@Baldcyclist I think it is the whole road. My authority being chiefly my mother who grew up in Lanark and seems to use Lang Wang for the whole thing, from what I recall.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"@Baldcyclist I think it is the whole road."
Ah, when I lived in Livi I often used to cycle that road on an anti clockwise loop, so Livi > WestCalder > Woolfords > Carnwath > Kirknewton > Livi.Weird thing is I never knew what it was called until after I moved away and stopped cycling it, used to pop into Pedal Power for a chat, and they would talk about the 'Lang whang' when I said I was headed over to Carnwath. I used to do that nod my head and smile thing, rather than say, erm where's that?
Used to like that road, hmm, would make for a nice (and probably challenging) 'extended' round the Forth route....
Posted 13 years ago # -
It is a lovely road, especially if you are returning from Carnwath with the wind behind you... :-)
Posted 13 years ago # -
I was out along there yesterday afternoon as far as Harperrig, and there were several vehicles passing me (having bypassed the road closed signs) who I subsequently saw coming back the other way...
Posted 13 years ago # -
Lang whang = Balerno to Carnwath in my book
(I claim authority having grown up in Currie ;-))Posted 13 years ago # -
@paolobr - yes just beyond the west end of harperig the workmen closed the road. They didn't start til 9am, when I went past them on the way out they had big pair of binoculars.
There is a sign west of Tarbrax which says Lang Whang on it and suggests the Carnwath to Balerno section. However others claim it is Ayr to Edinburgh? Wiki going as far as to specify ardmillan terrace to holmston road. Both streets I know well.
There is also some dispute over the word Whang, which can mean bootlace, strip of dried eel skin used as a hinge for a flail, penis, whiplash or a long stretch of narrow road, partic the lang Whang, the old Lanark to Edinburgh road esp. Balerno to Carnwath (sourceChambers Concise Scots Dictionary).
wiki also has the Tarbrax alien abduction story which was definitely not just an excuse for being late homenfromnthebpub
Posted 13 years ago # -
Thank you, gembo, I was going to ask my Mum to look up whang in their Scots Dictionary...
I brought my camera with me this morning but didn't spot the white stuff. I'll have another look this evening. I did take some photos of the sunrise. (Not very good ones.) It was quite cold - I was glad to get into the shower at work to warm up! I'll have another look for white stuff this evening.
Posted 13 years ago # -
It isn't very white now, more oatmeal, also on descent on twisty bend so I do not think safe to take picture, Tulyar of this parish knowledgeable on road surfaces,
Posted 13 years ago # -
It was b b b b b baltic this morning! I find in winter I cycle a fine line between freezing and boiling. I'm glad our showers were hot this morning. My chest was particularly cold.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I totally forgot to even look for white (or not) stuff yeaterday evening. My photos (of sunrise and sunset) are not up to much either. Oh well. It was a nice cycle anyway.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Lang Whang set to close for 8 weeks from 22/02/26 from the turn ing down to Kirknewton right out to B7008 West Calder turn.13 years after my original post the same road is being resurfaced agin. bit of a headache when i start back commuting to Ayr. I can cut down to Bellsquarry and out to Dog Trust road and auchengray. Shame as I had mastered the route over the Clyde etc Might still double back a little from the road west of Carnwath [Ryeflatts] and go via State Hospital as the section from Carstairs to Hyndford is pants. I think Hyndford Bridge area also has many road works at the Moment [as does all. Of. SW Edinburgh on my main commute]. Fimm would not have been happy,
Posted 12 hours ago # -
I thought Lang Whang was a skijumping performance enhancement scandal
(Sorrynotsorry)
Posted 11 hours ago # -
@bakky it is [go to the start of this thread for Scottish Dictionary definition]
Posted 7 hours ago #
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