Gullane Beachride...

Not been the best week weather wise to have taken Holidays but still plenty to do,
It was heavy rain at Glentress on Sunday but the 7 of us that went had good fun,but it was just too wet to consider taking the camera,Then after yesterdays downpour the regular trails are saturated, but theres still the coastline.
Today i spent a couple of hours cycling about the Gullane coastline.
Been a while since i have been out to the WW2 midget Subs in Aberlady bay.
Since the last visit there has been a lot of movement of sand banks,now the East side of the better of the 2 subs is submerged...

I hope to make a film about these subs and there history soon...




The more Easterly Sub is starting to break up now...

Not often the sand bank where they lie is really smooth,must have been the recent strong winds,make cycling nice and smooth and its lovely to just cruise along.
Here is a wee bit film passing `DAS Boots`...

Different times of year bring different shells ashore,this now quite a few large Welks...

And the moving sands have made this WW2 coastal defence anti glider pole reappear,one of 2 here complete on the Reserve,should dig a hole to let the base fall in and upright it!...

The Rocks along the coastline here are every shade of brown...


Continuing along and underneath the Cliffs known as `Maggies Loup` and over more rocks,here is a wee bit film...

And dropping down i slipped into a pool of water on the greasy rocks, the soles of my new KEEN boots dont grip as good as Five Ten boots but they are definitly waterproof!, then i slipped again and dropped the pugsley-rider error this time...

The 2 huge parts of an old pier have been here a couple of years now, right in the way for riding down `Murder Hill` dune...


You can see lovely markings on the sandstone cliff here...

And the green slimy stuff i just slipped on is almost luminous in colour...

Heading down Gullane Bay,the main beach,and a wee wheelie...


A friend asked if riding Beaches i dont miss the climbs and descents of regular mountainbiking, but there is some nice technical riding in places like here between Gullane Bay and Freshwater Haven above the shore line...

Apart from re-discovering cycling getting this bike ive also had to hone new skills riding it,took a while to learn to ride a fully ridged bike with suspension in the tyres but once you get the hang of it and how much power to put through the pedals to prevent wheel spin this bike really amazes and rewards...if you can clean this trail on a regular bike your way better a rider than me!,
Here is a wee film riding here...

From Freshwater Haven i returned west along a cracking bit of sandy singletrack between a fence and Sea Buckthorn-the bake Bean plant!,
I love this trail,several trails lead off it down to the beach,at its end is a natural spring which often floods the trail as it was today due to all the recent heavy rainfall, still no mud though!
Here is the last film from today...

The Council have been clearing large areas of the encroaching Sea Buckthorn over the winter above Gullane Bay and it is reopening a maze of criss crossed sandy trails

I spent a while riding some up and down-it just keeps getting better owning this bike as you find more and more places to ride like here where old trails are getting reinstated.And there ridable all year round whatever the weather.
I came across something i havent seen here before, a`Dragons Tooth` pyramid shaped WW2 Anti tank deterrent,dug up by one of the 360 diggers it is now sitting upside down...

I have only just seen the regular blocks around here before like these nearby...

Then i came across this,previously hidden by the Sea Buckthorn...

A demolished Army building with concrete floor and brick walls...


I know there was a Firing Range here during WW2 and also Beach Landing Training took place as part of the training for the 1944 D Day Normandy Landings.
Maybe it was an Observation Building for this?.Need to do some research as it could be an interesting post for the new blog.