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Balerno by 'donkey track'

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  1. Dave
    Member

    Separately to the WoL discussion...

    I tried a different simulated commute tonight, this time cutting straight from the canal to Currie on something called the donkey track, or similar.

    Despite being half a mile longer and spending about five minutes repeatedly getting my phone out and doubling back on myself in Currie (you can see I eventually gave up and just went on the A70, which was extremely busy), it was a few minutes quicker than riding up the WoL.

    Overall it's a much, much better surface, for all that about fifty feet of the actual donkey track has been massively erroded by a watercourse (I just rode over the verge - benefits of big tyres!) and is certainly a contender.

    There's one set of lights between the canal and donkey track and it feels like a shifty bit of town, driver-wise, but soon left behind. Obviously the canal is extremely rapid in comparison with WoL.

    Strangely you don't seem to spend much time going up on this route, although it has the same start and end point. One quick climb on road and then the donkey track is generally upward too, but fine on my 2 speed.

    I then rode back using the "Lymphoy road" and woodhall/blinkbonny path

    Lymphoy rd was relatively rapid (compared with the WoL) until the end which has obviously recently been remade - that will need some heavy traffic to pack it down before it will be pleasant even on 40mm tyres. With a head-mounted light of greater power it would have been a bit faster.

    Path to woodhall was surprisingly good apart from one short section where it turns uphill and has been gutted by another watercourse - I had to dismount as it was too steep for my gearing with the depth of the trenches.

    Then suddenly you pop out on a super smooth road, carve past the bypass and you're in Colinton. I wasted a lot of time finding the cut-throughs I wanted to get back towards Blackford. Overall not a fast route by any means (40 mins for 8.5 miles, life might be too short for that).

    All that's really left is to ride up there and back on the main road at rush hour, just to see. So far I'm not convinced as a place we'd want to rear a family, although it must be said that links from where you live to town are not absolutely everything. ;-)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. Kenny
    Member

    The path going north from Muir Wood Road was called Donkey Lane 30 years ago. The surface of the lane back then wasn't capable of sustaining a commuting bike without falling off repeatedly, so I can only assume they have massively improved it.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    "

    A path called Donkey Lane continues alongside Baberton Golf. Course and goes over the hill to Currie

    "

    http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/461/text

    "
    564 "Spokes", the Lothians cycle campaign, are organising two working weekends to upgrade the footpath known as Donkey Lane, Currie.

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. Nelly
    Member

    .........or stay where you are if its nice/good schools (did you say you were in south 20mph zone which would be Sciennes?) - less upheaval etc.

    Maybe thats my laziness showing

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. DaveC
    Member

    I have cycled up Blinkbonny rd and cont to Balerno rugby club many times. From your description it sounded like your route but Strava says otherwise. I know you used to cross the FRB in the past but schools in Fife are good and you could follow the forth edge (virtually) the whole way - if they do put that ferry back at Cramond.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. AKen
    Member

    The path going north from Muir Wood Road was called Donkey Lane 30 years ago. The surface of the lane back then wasn't capable of sustaining a commuting bike without falling off repeatedly, so I can only assume they have massively improved it

    Donkey Lane is part of my usual daily commute. With the exception of a couple of patches that turn into muddy puddles after prolonged rain it was perfectly fine until last year. It's crossed by a watercourse a one point that usually dries up for months during the summer but the weather has been so wet that it was more or less permanent in 2102 and the field run-off from a couple of heavy downpours last year tore the surface of the path up. It's now eroded a channel (as Dave says above) in the middle of the path that's about 30cm deep in places - dropping into it could be a nasty surprise if you weren't paying attention when coming downhill. The erosion has exposed piping under the path that was obviously meant to carry the water course under the surface but this seems to have become overwhelmed or blocked.

    Despite it's shortcomings this is my prefered route to Currie as the road that connects to it is almost entirely traffic free, the unsurfaced section is not too long, the climbs are sheltered from the prevailing South-west winds. The other nearby alternatives are Riccarton Mains Road (narrow, unlit, busy with fast traffic) or cutting through via Baberton and the path next to Juniper Green primary school (too busy with kids/parents/buggies/dogs at school time and, for some reason, what seems like a lot of steep climbing up from Baberton).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. Dave
    Member

    I did this (the shifty driving bit I referred to), but I realise now I could have done this instead - slower, but it would miss out the two sets of lights and traverse across the main road.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. SRD
    Moderator

    We cycled Riccarton Mains road as a route from canal to Currie on New Year's day around 11 in the morning, and it was unpleasant. Can't imagine what it would be like on a 'normal' day. (is there a day in the year with less road traffic than NY?)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. AKen
    Member

    I did this (the shifty driving bit I referred to), but I realise now I could have done this instead - slower, but it would miss out the two sets of lights and traverse across the main road.

    Your second route there involves quite a double-back and the footbridge it goes over has a very tight barrier that will bring you to a stop to get round it.

    My usual route (which I can't get Cyclestreets to display) avoids the main road and the two sets of lights by going along the canal, under the bridge at Wester Hailes Road, immediately right after the bridge to go up a switchback ramp that takes you over the canal (Cycylestreets doesn't show the canal linnking to this ramp but it does) and then following a footpath round to link up with the street called Morvenside - that then takes you onto Westburn Avenue.

    Marginally longer than going on the road but almost always quicker as it avoids the lights.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. Dave
    Member

    Cunning tip - thanks! :)

    It looked to me like there would always be a significant delay at the lights, because Wester Hailes Rd goes red before the Murrayburn Rd light let you out. This is much better.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. Charterhall
    Member

    Many of the tracks mentioned above, and also the WoL thread, form part of my regular night-time commuting routes - Donkey Lane, the Blinkbonny path to Woodhall Farm, Lymphoy Lane, the tracks past Threipmuir/Harlaw and Clubbiedean/Torduff reservoirs, all very rideable on a touring bike even in pitch darkness. With the aid of a helmet mounted Joystick I've seen a badger, a barn owl, numerous deer and tawny owls. Highly recommended :-)
    NB The Blinkbonny path is currently partially blocked by a large fallen tree but there was just enough room to push the bike around the side.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. Kenny
    Member

    I lived on Riccarton Mains Road 40 years ago and it was a death trap. It's not massively improved, although it's no longer a 60mph road after someone was killed on it, probably around 35 years ago now. The dangerous part is midway between the university and Weavers Knowe Crescent. I would never recommend a cyclist use that stretch of road, even in daylight, because it narrows dangerously.

    Donkey Lane is part of my usual daily commute

    Out of interest, is the surface still extremely stoney, or has it been flattened in some way? I assume the surface is radically different these days if people are using it to commute.

    cutting through via Baberton and the path next to Juniper Green primary school

    There's another way to go through Baberton up to Juniper Green that doesn't go beside the school, although if you are heading to Currie, it's not exactly ideal. The wife introduced me to it many years ago, as she lived in Baberton. The path goes from Baberton Mains Loan up to Baberton Crescent. The Crescent is somewhat bizarrely actually part of Juniper Green in terms of how you access it (although the residents might suggest otherwise, much like the residents of Cherry Tree who still claim to this day that they live in Balerno despite quite clearly being part of Currie). However, as I say, this path doesn't make efficient progress towards Currie, as you do head away from it for a bit. Quite a bit, actually.

    Personally, I'd consider taking a venture through the University grounds. I remember being repeatedly chased by the wardens when I was a child on my bike using it as a short-cut, since I clearly shouldn't have been there, but I doubt adults would get chased in the same scenario. That way, you can make your way up Curriehill Road, and head along the deadly quiet Currievale Drive if you are heading further west.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. gembo
    Member

    @mkns - surface still extremely stoney, just some extreme commuting going on. Like you not a fan of riccarton mains rd, another pedestrain killed about five years back on bad bend. Quite often take Curriehill Rd up to beyond the modern school what was riccarton but is now Currie since they merged) turn right and pootle through Currie using roads and paths to the Cherry Tree No Mans Land Between Currie and Balerno. Certainly catchment for Currie but some of Cherry Tree comes up after the Balerno signpost

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. AKen
    Member

    With the exception of the recently-eroded middle section, I wouldn't describe Donkey Lane as 'extremely stony'. A bit muddy in parts, but perfectly cycleable on my hybrid bike with no semi-slick tyres.

    I shall investigate your suggested alternative route from Baberton to Juniper Green, mkns. Event if it's a bit longer, it's always nice to have a different route soley for the sake of variety.

    I've taken the route through Heriot-Watt plenty of times and it's certainly a pleasant alternative to Riccarton Mains Road. The only problems are the access road out to Curriehill Road (which has a surface akin to the Somme c.1916)and the climb up from Curriehill Station, which tires me out far more than it should.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. gembo
    Member

    More than slightly stoney surely?

    THere are two roads out of Heriot Watt of course, neither brilliant but the muddier one to the north is actually my preferred route in the summer. The pot holed festooned tarmac one to the south has seen a lot of action from the new halls of residence being built, and wasn't exactly great before that.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. cb
    Member

    Some Donkey Lane pics on Geograph:

    http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1065698

    http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1065700

    http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2296577

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. gembo
    Member

    Good shots, less stoney than "extremely" stoney for sure

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. cb
    Member

    ..although the first two were taken four years ago.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. Kenny
    Member

    Some Donkey Lane pics on Geograph

    Ah, that is a *vast* improvement over what it was like 40 years ago! Not ideal, certainly, but I can see how it could be used during a commute.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. Smudge
    Member

    Pics look much like I remember it from 20+ years ago. Very handy cut through, much nicer than many alternatives.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. Smudge
    Member

    @DaveC, it's actually Currie Rugby club even though it is in Balerno(!)
    My old man was one of the founder members when they started it, meeting in the Weavers Knowe iirc and training at Currie High School, eventually they raised the funds to buy the (then waterlogged, unuseable and stony bog) ground up there and dug, drained and cleared it to build the rugby pitches you see there today, they then raised funds to build changing rooms and later a clubhouse. A monumental effort from a small group of volunteers. The local authority then made a compulsory purchase order on them to get the pitches for the school. nice... (not!)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. Charterhall
    Member

    THere are two roads out of Heriot Watt of course, neither brilliant but the muddier one to the north is actually my preferred route in the summer.

    Was somewhat miffed tonight to discover that the west end of the northern track, ie where it meets the road, has been blocked off, a large concrete block has been placed across the pedestrian access. Dismounting there was just enough room to squeeze through. Very annoying. I wonder if this is a prelude to further construction work ?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. gembo
    Member

    Charterhall, good to know. More Halls of residence?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. steveo
    Member

    I don't know if it was mentioned but I stumbled across a little path between Juniper Green and Baberton Mains at Juniper Green Primary. With only a one anti wheelchair/tandem/trailer barrier puts you on the canal and cuts out some of the traffic up to Gillespie Crossroads and cuts out the dodgy bits of road off said junction.

    The path isn't really suitable for cycling (imo) but it only takes a moment to walk.

    Ooops, just missed this bit... cutting through via Baberton and the path next to Juniper Green primary school

    Never mind, as you were

    Posted 10 years ago #

  25. Kenny
    Member

    There's another way to get from Juniper Green to Baberton, on a path called locally, AFAIK, as "the muddies". It starts at Woodhall Millbrae and comes out at Baberton Mains Loan. Not brilliant in the dark, tbh, but another option nonetheless.

    The one at the primary school is much more frequently used.

    [ later ]

    I've just spotted that I posted this same information a year ago in this very thread. Must be getting old...

    Posted 10 years ago #

  26. steveo
    Member

    I had some insider knowledge on that one and was advised it wasn't really suitable for a road bike.

    Posted 10 years ago #

  27. wingpig
    Member

    Narrower than I was expecting.

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Player

    Posted 9 years ago #

  28. Dave
    Member

    I can't say I've been down that way for a few months now. When we want to get to any of the stuff on the far side of Donkey Lane (Tesco, B&Q, the Lidl on the plaza, blah blah) we take the car.

    The novelty of mountain biking whenever you want to just hop on the bike for a short journey wore off pretty fast.

    We have been doing a lot more actual MTB in the Pentlands. Irony?

    Posted 9 years ago #

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