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.

Mid Week Cycle 25 July

This Wednesday evening was almost like summer! The sun was shining so I had a leisurely couple of hours cycling little back roads and lanes. I stopped at Preston Mill because its too fine a place pass by on a summer evening. There weren't any ducks on the mill pond but lots of Swifts shrieking and diving between the buildings.

The Mill in the was built in the 1700s although there has been a mill on the site for at least a hunderd years before that. It was still grinding oatmeal for the morning porridge in 1959!

I think that is an 'undershot' wheel which is not very efficient but relatively easy to build.

This is the mill pond which is fed from the river Tyne. No sign of any drowned Ophelias. There are usually ducks but the recent rains and high water have probably driven them to safer nesting sites.

This sluice controls the level of the water in the mill pond which then flows either back to the river, or can be diverted into the mill race to turn the wheel. 

The wheel then turns all these cogs, pulleys and shafts with wonderful creaks and groans. It all still works.

After the mill I cycled up to Lawhead and then down to Tyninghame beach. I took a photo of the Falcon outside one of the old farm buildings. There are few of these buildings used for farming now. Most seem to be converted to homes that are well beyond the pockets of anyone who works on the land.

Lovely couple of hours, 18 miles, 18 degrees ?F1 E.