thats what my friends who i used to ride motorcycles with who dont own a motorbike this now say im doing...today i went out for a spin instead of going cycling,the roads are salt free after all the rain a few days ago,i didnt bother about winter riding and salt damage and used to kill bikes,brand new bikes ridden into the ground after 4-5 years hard use on and offroad,i cant afford a new motorbike every few years anymore so this one has to last (why i bought a bike with a yamaha XT600 motor)..
today i went a ride and filmed up the road from garvald village into the lammermuir hills to the whiteadder reservoir,the biggest reservoir that supplys east lothian,proberly my favourite road on the motorbike and ideal on a trailbike,
the road climbs and dips passing the old and new monastries,you used to see the monks driving there farm tractors in there robes!,guess health and saftey wont allow that now...
past the iron age hillfort at white castle with an outstanding view north across the county including traprain law,north berwick law and the bass rock,my camera dosnt do the view justice...
a layby with information sign gives access to the hill fort...
also to the west is a good view of the pentland hills south of edinburgh...
the climb from garvald village up to here and over the top of is a test for any cyclist...,ive climed it on the pugsley!,and was well out of puff at the top...
over the top of the side of an unnamed hill but marked at 1131ft the road starts to descend above the whiteadder water,this bit of road is great to cycle as the dips give you momentum to ride up the otherside...the film i made dosnt show angles very well but hopefully this pic explains...
looking north from garvald...
and south towards the whiteadder reservoir...
the only hillfarm on the road is johnscleugh (cleugh means summer pasture)
along from the farm acess road is an old railway goods wagon minus its undercarrage once used for a feed store for sheep...
below the wagon the view up the vally to johnscleugh farm...
joining the main road from gifford to duns you roll over a cattlegrid and down over the resevoir on either side on a armco railed causeway...
the resevoir is stocked with trout and theres boat hire too so you can fish on the shore or on the water...
theres loads more to see and do around here,lots of biking with the herring road-a 20 mile fish cadgers route from dunbar on the coast over the lammermuirs to lauder in the borders,then theres all the shooting tracks,sheperds quad tracks etc...,just have to watch at times of year where you go,sheep and grouse moors being the biggest income on the hills i stay off april,may,august,sept,october,
gets a bit wet in winter but ideal on the pugsley,ive ridden all day up here and hardly seen a soul..,saw no cars today on the hillroad!!,busier sundays,
heading home i went the main (gifford) road to see across to the expanding windfarm over to the east of the lammermuirs at crystal rig,theres still turbines going up,need to get up there soon and have a look around...
heres the film i made now on youtube...
Wonderful riding country and so very barren. I used to have an XT400 that was a lot of fun on the road unless the speeds got too high. Love the torque of a big single pulling out of slow corners, especially uphill.
ReplyDeleteI've recently sold my beloved Moto-Guzzi Le Mans and the dream has died after motorcycling my whole adult life. With three kids I didn't have the money to keep it on the road and never had time to ride it.
Thanks for the pictures.
antoine,shame you dont still have your motorbike,at least with your pugsley you can enjoy cycling with your children,i cant really afford to have a motorbike but i scrape and save to do so..,the new bathroom etc,will have to wait this now!
ReplyDeleteI admire your prioritizing ;^)
ReplyDelete