Cycling, woods, horses, surf, breakfast.

 A wintery sun was doing it's best to provide some watery light on my cycle this morning; it wasn't, however, having much effect on the temperature. There was the occasional patch of frost and for the first time this year I felt the need for proper gloves. Unfortunately I couldn't find them, so I made do with my short fingered ones and worked a bit harder.

The woods provided a sheltered cycle with loads of birdlife and everchanging colours. The single track is great too, with fast sweeping bends through the trees.

  

 

Once I'd had enough fun linking up all the tracks in the shelter of the woods, I looped back around town to Eweford. There was new Heras fencing along the track and it looks as though that tree line of old Scots pine will soon be replaced by a new housing development. It's a shame, but so far the developments have probably resulted in more paths and cycle routes than were there previously so I can't complain too much.

Along by the farm and the horses came across to say their good morning.

 

I scratched their noses then pedaled back down to the coast to have a look at the sea that I had heard crashing in during the night.

It was all quiet at the Biel Burn, but just offshore the surf was up.

 Which of course brings surfers and..

 kayakers and..

 ...happy dogs!

 Then back home for breakfast.

Sunday morning cycle

It's been a busy old week. Saturday was spent sailing and there will be a post mid-week once I put it all together. Meanwhile I've bought another car as I need a diesel as my weekly commute could soon be increasing dramatically.

I finally found a car that was suitable, bought it and by chance a work colleague was able to give me a lift to pick it up. I drove the new car home on Friday night which left the old car lying at work. So on Sunday morning I was off on a cycle to Haddington in the rain to collect it.

It was a dull damp start on the Long Haul Trucker. I just stuck a bottle of water in the rack and didn't bother with the waterproofs as I was only going 12 miles or so. I would regret that omission.

The first mile along by the Winterfield was just damp with a Scottish smirr. But as I headed out along the straight to East Linton the mist became thicker and a cold rain started. For the first time since April I began to think about long fingered gloves.

The leaves are beginning to change to their various shades of brown and the sky was most definitely grey. Then the rain really started so I just had to get the head down on plod up over Pencraig and on to work where the poor Berlingo has been sitting neglected since Friday.

My journey time was quite quick (for me) at 48 mins, and I thought again that I should commute by bike, but the comfort of the car with it's heater and a 15min journey home kind of reinforced that I cycle for pleasure. It wasn't the most interesting of routes, nor the most pleasant of weather but I still enjoyed it, the 'trucker was impecibly behaved as ever and breakfast, when I got home, tasted that much better.

Easy harvest cycling.

 Saturday morning was bright and breezy and time for a pedal before breakfast. I'm still trying to get out on shorter cycles and I now have some exercises from a physiotherapist to loosen off my sore achilles. It seems to be working, albeit slowly.

 I always take a camera with me when I'm on the bike and usually take a few pictures but I haven't got around to posting much as the views all seem so familiar to me. But that doesn't mean that they won't be of interest to someone else, so here is a bit of my morning with the first views over Belhaven Bay.
 

Then it was along the dump road past the pond and a gentle climb as I headed inland.

 The harvest is in full swing and there are little hints of Autumn in the hedgerows.

The brambles not quite ripe yet but if the weather stays warm for the next week I'll be out picking and trying some cunning jam making plans.

An easy going ten miles and I didn't feel sore at the time, and more importantly I wasn't limping the next morning although it was definitely a bit tender.

I'll just keep taking it easy and try to post a bit more.

Edinburgh to Dunbar Cycle

I've been on my summer holidays for the last two weeks, so apologies for the lack of posts, but it's maybe not a bad thing to leave the blog alone for a short while. I've still been out and about and there are plenty of stories to tell. 

I'll start with a simple old fashioned cycle from Tuesday the 15th July. The weather was looking good, so I booked a train ticket for me and the LHT to Edinburgh and set out for an easy tourist trail of 35 miles or so home.

The Edinburgh Festival doesn't start until around the second week of August but the city was still too busy for me. It was full of energy and faces and voices from all over the world and much as I love this sense of worldliness, and indeed take pride in a city I know so well being appreciated by others, I find myself overwhelmed and eventually sense prevailed and I pushed the bike up from the station rather than cycle out onto the chaos of Princes Street and it's unfathomable new tram network. I'm sure that bus and taxi drivers know whats going on. However, I am willing to accept that times have changed, and I'm now a country bumpkin. 

Edinburgh being the city it is, it was only minutes before I was back on the trucker and pedalling up to Calton Hill. The city nearly has as many hills as Rome, and at times has made it's claim to be the "Athens of the North", yes I know there is a ancient Greek/Rome issue here, but its a fine situation for the Scots when your capital city has acres of parkland.

The ancient Greek theme continues on Calton Hill where the National Monument of Scotland stands like a half built copy of the Parthenon in Athens. Unfortunately that's exactly what it is as it was started in the 1820s as a monument for the soldiers and sailors who gave their lives in the Napoleonic wars. Like most Scottish ideas, the inspiration was strong but the financial practicalities weren't so easy and it was never completed. I guess we'll be considering this question again in September.....

Politics aside, it was a beautiful morning and I was the lone cyclist who had peched up the hill amongst the tourist coaches to take in the views.

The tower in the above picture is the Nelson monument to commemorate the battle of Trafalgar. It did have, and may still have, a ball that was raised on the flag staff and the dropped at 1pm every day as a signal for shipping at Leith to set their chronometers. The one o'clock gun fired at the castle as an audible signal too. I know the ball was damaged in a storm a few years ago but I don't know if it was ever repaired. As obsolete as it is, I hope it is back in operation.

And if I'm talking about shipping, the furthest white towers gleaming in the sun are at the port at Leith.
" While the Chief, puts sunshine on Leith
I'll thank Him for His work
And your birth and my birth."
The Proclaimers 1988 ( dodgy Hibees, but never mind, its still a great song)

Below Calton Hill is St Andrews House, this is where the real centre of Scottish Governing happens. The building wouldn't look out of place in 1940s Berlin.

Back to the cycling and I was soon out of the city and along the coast to Fisherrow with forlorn looking yachts waited for the tide, and then down to Longniddry Bents for a break and plenty of fluid in the heat despite the gathering cloud.

After putting my feet up on that very comfortable bench I eventually got back on the trucker and headed inland. I crossed the railway line that I had travelled along a couple of hours previously.

I also marvelled at how wrong Scotrail can get their signs, unless someone can correct me? Bruce do you know about the sign at Longniddry station?

Then on through the still air and humidity of the old railway line towards Haddington. The day was getting really warm and even the birds were quiet, just the buzz of insects and the distant sound of farm machinery.

This is the closest I get to gravel grinding. The occasional "tink" of gravel on the bottom bracket and lovely smooth, car free cycling.

The last 6 miles and I stopped at the top of Pencraig hill where the crops are days away from harvest.

Down hill and then the flat road home. A really enjoyable day out, just over three hours of cycling but five hours in total. It is a mystery to me how long I can spend looking at things and talking to people I meet on the way. I'm not complaining.

Long Haul Trucker and the first hints of Spring

I've just edited this post following a comment that I won't publish. I was up early on Sunday morning, before sunrise, but there's not a lot of point in taking pictures in the dark so off I went home for a Sunday breakfast and to get the energy and motivation for a pedal on the Long Haul Trucker.

Once the sun had been so decent as to get high enough above the horizon to provide some pictures I headed  west with the morning light to catch the Winterfield Golf Club whilst the first dark banks of heavy cloud started to gather to the west.

The LHT with sun picking out Belhaven Bay. This photo has come out noisy and over saturated but that's kind of what the light looked like this morning so I've left it in for you to make your own judgment.

Down to West Barns with the most minimal of effort on the pedals and I was so lucky to catch this pick of a Little Egret. These bird are normally only seen on in the south of England during the winter and are rare in these climes. I had heard it was about over the last year and MTB Stravaiger Barry had caught a pic in his blog recently. I was still well chuffed to get this pic as it hunted little fish.

Then on by East Links and there was the first real signs of spring, Knock kneed lambs making their pathetic Meh.mumm calls.

You can still see this little ones withered umbilicus. He's only seen a couple of days and was full of the excitement being young.

Ginger ears, stiff legs and wrinkly skin. Ahh...

Then as the sky grew more overcast, I pedaled on and found some shelter from the wind. Although I've been experimenting with cold brew during the week, It was a simple hot flask of  freshly pressed coffee for breakfast.

Sitting the long grass, sheltered, happy.

No cycling, just rain...

It's been a tough old time again this past festive period. I've managed to get the head down and keep going with the aim of a weeks annual leave at the end of January. Quelle surprise! It's raining...

Saturday was barely recognisable as a day. The dank cloud never broke and the winter sun failed to peek through the rain. I gave up the idea of a cycle and made plans for Sunday.

Unfortunately, when my alarm went peep-peep at 07:00 this morning, I could also hear a lashing, and very cold, rain beating against the bedroom window. Sunday cycling was cancelled too.

I'll paraphrase Herman Melville, but there is something wonderful waking up in a warm bed on a cold morning. Unfortunately there comes a time when I have to give up the soporific comfort of bed and tend to the gentle hints of Fly and her collie ways. Queequeg has nothing on her. 

It was a morning of getting soaked when walking the dog, then returning home to a malted loaf I had put on to bake earlier. Fresh coffee too, then out to shift a boat engine for Stuart. A couple of beers in good company in the sailing club with the gas heater hissing away and the rain splashing off the gutters. I put a primer layer on the Heron's rudder and I will try hard to get out for some sort of cycle this week if the weather takes a wee break.

Scottish Rain.

Aye, Scottish Rain.