Tuesday 11 May 2010

Midweek trailride...


fields like this signal spring turning to early summer here but it has still been cold with some biting cold winds from the north and east...
and this morning dawned a hard frost and look at the local lammermuir hills!, yep a sprinkling of snow in mid may!...

didnt expect to see that cycling to work this morning...a few weeks yet wearing the under helmet skull cap and BBB winter gloves!
but at least its light to 9pm now..great for daylight cycling in the evenings...i always like to get out on the local trails in spring that by summer get overgrowen with stinging nettles and thistles...
monday night i went a ride on the 29er...

into a cold northerly breeze at least meant a tailwind home...5 miles by road took me to luffness estate at the coast...

and some of the trails there...bickertons trail & the postmans trail meet at the ruin monastry...



posted this before but love the tomb here in the ruins of sir david de-lindsey, a crusader knight...


i did a helmetcam film... watch for the roe deer at 4m.50secs...


east lothian mtb, luffness woods (helmetcam) from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


onto the coast road and over the wooden bridge at the nature reserve...

a lovely distant rain cloud out at sea cast rays of sun on the water...

followed the trail out past the marol loch to the links of gullane hill...

always good clarity in may...the pentland hills and arthurs seat in edinburgh can be seen clearly...

down to the coast and along to the cliffs and some big showers were heading down the firth of forth...



with its 2.5 tyres the 29er is perfect for these easy trails that are sandy in places...

again some helmetcam film...



from the cliff top WW2 anti-tank blocks its a short but steep climb up onto the top of gullane hill...

the millenium cairn here is sited on top of a filled in royal observitory core post from the cold war...

and the small corner house pictured is famous locally as it held the first gullane golf club committe meeting...

then a nice descent down into gullane and headed for the old railwayline trail...

again caught on camera...



then through woods into the old WW2 airfield of RAF Drem...a short cut home for me -as the crow flys...

still lots of stuff to see here...alot of air raid shelters and defence machine gun pill boxes...




on a small hill overlooking the airfield is a concrete square...

it is a command bunker,bombproof roof with a sighting gap...






time to head for home 4 miles by road with that nice tailwind as a threatning looking black cloud headed inland in my direction...


a nice 2 hour ride from home with lots to see...a monday evening micro adventure!...

5 comments:

  1. Gorgeous photo's on this one mate.........

    ReplyDelete
  2. RAF Drem isn't too far from RAF Greenlaw where the famous Battle of Britain fighter pilot Richard Hilary was killed Bruce. If you like your military history his book The Last Enemy is well worth a read.

    Love the vids though... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Simply gorgeous, as always.

    I've decided to follow your lead and fit an Alfine hub to the 29er. Since knackering my knees single speeding i've realised that for long hilly rides I need gears.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Amazing photos, I'd love to see more castles and ruins! Everytime I read one of your posts, it makes me desperately want to get over to Scotland. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
  5. alistair; more local historical sights!

    clive; i will take a drive over the lammermuir hills into berwickshire and cycle round RAF greenlaw sometime soon...will look up that book too, thanks,

    redbike; think i will just go for the 8 spd alfine aswell for my KM 29er as the 11 isnt out till later this year and its pricy...

    stout; thanks....lots more ruins to visit for the blog over the summer!...

    ReplyDelete