Back on the trucker

Despite an ominous weather forecast, Saturday dawned quite mild with low cloud and best of all, no wind. I made an effort and dragged the Long Haul Trucker from it's gathering cobwebs.

It's over a month since I last went for a longer cycle and it was great to get back into the steady rhythm of pushing the pedals. I headed east past Torness and on to Cockburnspath.

As ever, Cockburnspath seemed asleep so I turned down the cliff track to Cove harbour.

The tunnel leads through the cliffs and on to the little beach.

I parked the bike and went for a wander around the little harbour and tried my best to compose a few photos in the poor light.

The shelter of the cliffs is usually the ideal coffee stop but I have broken another flask. I don't know what I manage to do to these stainless flasks, but I can't keep them for long.

From The Cove I cycled back past Dunbar and on to East Linton. I saw quite a few other cyclists on the road. Several had the hard grinding look of folk who have taken up a keep fit campaign for the new year. Hopefully they will keep it up and will still be pedalling by the end of the month.

On my way past Beltonford I found a dead otter at the side of the road. It's injuries suggest it had been hit by a car. I have heard of otters on the Tyne along by the Knowes, and in the Biel Estate but it's sad to find one killed by traffic.

Back through Belhaven and the effects of the recent storms and the high tide could be seen with the dump road well under water. I just took my time and half pedaled slowly through the flood. It was fine, the only danger being if I strayed from where I thought the path was and went off the edge into the river.

The salt marsh was flooded and the dunes and Spikey were an island again.
A relatively easy 50km without too many aches. I had been a bit worried that I would suffer after so long away from the LHT but it all turned out fine, although I will have to address the coffee carrying issue.

Autumn Ramble

I've acquired a new camera. Well it's new to me; it's a very little used Canon that was at a price I couldn't refuse. It may be two year old technology to the enthusiast but it's cutting edge for me. 

Saturday morning was a bit cold with a blustery westerly wind, but it kept the clouds moving and there were welcome periods of sunshine. I set off on the LHT with a flask of coffee and vague plan to go wherever looked sunny.

I also planned to stop for anything interesting, like this Grey Heron.

Or just to appreciate the colours on an autumn day.

Tantallon Castle, The Bass Rock and the Isle of May on the horizon, I don't know how many times I have seen this view but it's always worth another photo.

I carried on towards North Berwick where I cycled down to the harbour to see a boat that Coastkid had posted a picture of last week. It is indeed a Nordic Folkboat. I think it would have been built post 1966 as it has a carvel hull and it's obviously not one of the modern GRP ones.

The places where the paint had been ground back showed nice tight caulking but the rudder gudgeons look like they need immediate attention.

If it was mine, I would also be wondering about the keel bolts as there was a lot of filler around the keel hull joint and that is a worrying dent in the leading edge.

If you want to read more about these classic little boats, search for Lt Col Blondie Hassler and his adventures on his Folkboat 'Jester'.

Then it was back on the bike and past a cold looking east beach.

Then off to the glen where I stopped for a break in the shelter and had a good brew of coffee from my flask (and a fudge doughnut).

On by Becky's Strip and then to the John Muir Way.

Whose tyre prints could these be?

I cut back onto the road and could have headed back by Whitekirk, but as I was enjoying myself I went along by Janesfield and up the climb over to East Linton.

And after every climb comes the descent.

Over the bridge at the Linn and then back to Dunbar.

I had only headed out with the vaguest of notions where I was going but ended up being out for far longer than planned. I may have also passed a couple of fellow bloggers running along the beach and cycling along the road near Leuchie? A great pedal and all the better for not being planned.

A couple of hours of sunshine

The forecast for this weekend was pretty bleak with freezing temperatures and driving rain. It looked as if there might be a break in the rain clouds just after lunchtime on Sunday and when it came I grabbed the chance for a cycle around the local villages.

There has been a bridge at East Linton for a long long time. Records tell of the troublesome English crossing the bridge when they were invading in 1547. Two years later they were running home and were a little upset to find that the French had given a hand to the Scots and blown up the bridge to hamper the retreat.

When James the VI was heading south in 1603 to be crowned James I of England it was noted that the bridge was near collapse. Tolls were raised and the bridge was rebuilt. In 1763 it was widened and strengthened to what is today. The improvements are commemorated on a keystone on one of the arches.

This lovely house is quite normal, I somehow manage to mess up the horizontals in this pic.

Back on the LHT and on through East Linton. No sign of the buds on the trees opening yet.

 It might look as if I've made a mess of the verticals in this pic but the trees show its just a squint old mill.

Squeak!

The mill wasn't running today so the race was diverted past the wheel. I went back onto the road and pedaled along to Tyninghame as the cloud rolled back in.

It looked like rain so I started for home but I was enjoying myself too much and went for a loop around Dunbar.

It was a slow easy cycle today. The LHT is going great, but when I was cleaning it I noticed a wee wobble in the back wheel. I remember hitting something on the way home from work on Thursday so I'll get the clothes pegs out and try to true it up. The front brake blocks could do with being replaced soon too. I'm still more than happy with it.

On an entirely different subject,
Good news, the Kittiwakes arrived back on the 15th, a day later than last year. There have been a few individuals since the 3rd but by Saturday there were over 100 birds and they are still arriving; shouting their hellos to old friends.