Next Spokes Ride

Sunday 3rd July 2022. Meet at 10:00 outside the Usher Hall, Lothian Rd.

Destination to be decided on Wednesday. Distance will be around 70km (42 miles). Lunch in a café.
 
Please check your bike before the ride, i.e. tyre pressure, chain and brakes. Bring some money for emergencies and café stops and/or post ride refreshments. Don't forget snacks to keep your energy levels up and a drink to consume en-route.
 
Don't forget to bring a small toolkit to fit your bike and a spare inner tube in case you get a puncture. It is much easier to replace the tube than to repair a tube, especially if you have a slow puncture.
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The Traveller

"Bicycling is a healthy and manly pursuit with much to recommend it, and, unlike other foolish crazes, it has not died out." ~ The Daily Telegraph (1877)

The September Spokes Ride was a wonderful ride to Aberdour in Fife. Thirty Four people turned up, although 2 went to Hopetoun House!! I am pleased that I can rely on assistance from those of you who come on Spokes Rides on a regular basis when there are lots of cyclists. Thank You for the assistance. Most of the rides I lead also have escape routes, enabling those people who are interested in the destination to stay a while longer to explore, or those who feel the morning ride was too much for them to get the train home. I am pleased to say that I later found out most people cycled home. The Aberdour ride is quite short. It is only the perception of cycling from Edinburgh to Fife, that it must be a long way.

Healthy Travelling, and an Experience

A mechanical incident at the start, the front V-brake; show how important it is to ensure you bike works before the ride. It is worth remembering that this sort of problem is covered by the guarantee on your bicycle, and that it is covered by the Sale Of Good Act. the brake must be 'fit for purpose', so it a free fix.

As it was a nice day, we took a slow pace. It was a bit breezy, but not too cool, and no hills of any substance to speak of. It is important to understand we are not in a hurry. There is time to think and chat. And if you are slow, you needn't worry, we won't leave you behind. We wait for slower riders. What hills there are can seem arduous when you are not used to them, but with a little practice, you can zoom up them. Look after yourself :-)

We took the usual route out to Dalmeny by following NCN Route 1 through Barnton and Cramond Brid to New Burnshot. the first incident involved a man, a dog and once cyclist (rucksack strap catching the handle bar). Man very surprised to find himself on the front wheel of the bike, cyclist surprised to find herself off the bike, dog just very bemused by the whole thing. Then another incident in S. Queensferry involving a touch of wheels after an old lady moved across the path. This caused cyclists to slow down and change direction resulted in another cyclist parting company from their bike. Fortunately a graze to the arm can be easily fixed with an antiseptic wipe.

Once over the bridge, which was heavy with traffic, the sun shines from the sky and the sea as we make our escape from motorised vehicles. Our route is quiet. Silence broken by the sound of waves on the shore, the click-click of the freewheel mechanism, and tyres rolling on tarmac. There are clouds, but they miss the sun. We have lovely views over the Forth to Edinburgh. Where the pth is higher up, we are wind assisted. Slightly worried when I see some parts of the coastal path have arrows. Other bits are taped off, and large water barrels test the strength of pasting tables.

In Aberdour it is Holiday

In Aberdour it was festival time. As we arrived, loads of people started running away. Not because of the hoard of cyclists, but because they were participating in the 7 mile run, along the same route to Dalgety Bay that we had just cycled. The Festival seemed pretty busy, so we continued down to the beach, well the grassy area above the beach, to have lunch. A lovely and quiet spot to eat, talk. Those without lunch found a mobile refreshments van offering burgers and drinks. There are rumours that the beach side cafe is to return.

After lunch, several people decide to get the train home (although most cycled back in the end), giving them a chance to explore Aberdour. The rest of us cycled back in glorious sunshine, joyed by the fact the wind had dropped. This part of the coastline is fairly sheltered, even with a south west wind the cycling is fairly easy. We followed the same route back, but this didn't stop 6 people getting slightly lost. You have to be wary of some of the cycle path signs as you could end up going back to Aberdour!!! We waited at the wee jetty, which has excellent views of the two Forth Bridges, the coastal woodland of the Dalmeny estate, and eastward to Leith.

Eventually we were together agian, and continued along the coast. It wasn't long before we were heading back across the bridge, the road traffic was still quite heavy. To get away from the noise, we took the railway path from the centre of South Queensferry to Standingstane Rd at Dalmeny. Up the hill you come out of the trees, and then fly down as though you are landing at Edinburgh airport. On the Kirkliston road, we carry on flying, wind assisted, back to Cramond Brig. In no time at all, we had reached Cramond, and the end of the Spokes Ride.

Warm Regards,
Explore, Dream, Discover

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." ~ Lin Yutang

Ride Statistics

Distance:       72.1km (44.8 miles)
Average Speed:  18.2km/h (11.3 mph) Max 45 km/h
Total Climbing: 650m (2132ft) Max 75m
Time:           3 hours 58 minutes
Max. Temp.:     19 deg C (66 deg F)

Route Description

Start:  Usher Hall
Out:    Roseburn, Silverknowes, Barnton, Cramond, S. Queensferry, Forth Road Bridge, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, Aberdour
Return: Aberdour, Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing, S. Queensferry, Cramond, Barnton, Silverknowes, Roseburn
End:    Dalry Road

Interactive Route Map

The map below shows the route that we took on the August 2008 Spokes Ride.

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