FatBike Tours...

For 3 years i cycled the East Lothian coast on my own on my Surly Pugsley,  wondering if one day i would meet another Pugsley coming the other way, I never imagined there would be so much interest by people in these  bikes!...                                                                

      

Then  after an arranged meet i met and rode our coast with  Tommy  from the Netherlands and then Gary from Edinburgh and then i also met Davie  from Dunbar. Coastal riding really took off with a big interest in fat bikes - as the collective term for these bikes have since become to be known.

East Lothian has become a kind of UK fat bike hub central for its beach riding and around 15 fat bikes are now homed here...

And so its seems natural to progress to the next level of sharing the delights of cycling our amazing coastline on this blog in words, pictures and film, and to offer guided rides on Fat Bikes to visitors to the East Lothian coast...

Starting soon i am guiding for FatBike Tours  operating out of the seaside town of North Berwick, here in East Lothian. What we aim to offer may be the first year round FatBike guided beach riding experience here in the UK,  if not world wide. 

We are offering guided rides on fat bikes along our amazing coastline where you will see and experience  the East Lothian coast, from it`s Victorian  Seaside resorts and harbours surrounded by big wide white sand beaches, to secluded  coves and amazing geology, from sandstone cliffs, pebble beaches, and volcanic rock exposed at low tides, wildlife, beach combing, and visit the Medieval Castles and coastal defences of WW2 which can still be explored today.
And yes we will be doing a tour to our WW2 midget submarine wrecks so often featured here...

The FatBike Tours Website will be live soon with the first taster dates and tours of our coastline. you can subscribe to email updates.

You can also have a look at our Facebook page and click on `Like` to receive update notifications .

Interest has been  great and we will be doing our first booked rides on the fleet of bikes in the next week...

The bikes we will be using is the tried and tested  Surly Pugsley, for it`s proven reliable and comfy steel frame set, and it`s confident inspiring  slack `snow` geometry which is great as they are so forgiving on soft sand and crossing slimy rocks and loose pebble shorelines...

Second delivery of fat loveliness that we built up on Monday evening-:) ...

Pugsley Pyramid -:) ...

After a busy evening spannering we added these ones to the fleet...

After some prep and nationalisation -:)...

The North Berwick Surly tree is bearing big fat fruit, nearly ripe for picking, just the pedals to flower...

We are not sure where this will go but we do know we are going to have a lot of fun and meet some nice people in the coming months.
It is going to be a busy summer with working two jobs but luckily for myself fat bikes are such a big part of my social life, and i will be giving this 100% to pursue my passion and what would be my dream lifestyle...
I hope to share what you have seen on this blog in pictures and film what our coast has to offer with it`s stunning scenery.

Coastrider blog will still remain the same old blog of my postings of my interests and ride reports either alone  or with friends and it will be business as usual.

Off to the `UK Fat Bike Gathering 2` this weekend at the Lake District,  to meet friends old and new and share our love of these bicycles and have a good time...

10 Abandoned Places Explained

Keep on Truckin...

 Been a busy week with some miserable weather. Not had a lot of time to blog stuff  hence i always have pre draft posts of music or films etc. It has been typical April weather -cold easterly winds and heavy showers but between that stuff  i  still got in some nice rides on the coast. 

Weekend and better weather and a big swell rolls into the East Lothian coast from out in the North sea... 

Friday...

An evening goofing around on rocks at the east beach at North Berwick...

Dusk, and amazing light out to sea...

Saturday...
Out again with friend Jason and rode from Gullane to NB along an incoming tide. Those easterly winds have brought in a big swell and the surf was roaring, amazing background noise to cycle to...

Time to get out on the Moonlander again -:)..

Jason know`s he need`s one of these!...

Goofing around on rocks...nice pics taken by Jason -:)...

Big surf at Fidra...

360 view...

Looks like a bird of prey sitting on the rock?...

Nice beach art by someone...

Coffee then an ice cream at North Berwick and then warmed sitting in the afternoon sun as the sky cleared...

Sunday...
Again nice weather despite a cool easterly breeze and an afternoon ride. Again i rode from Gullane to North Berwick with friends Andy on his Mukluk and Dave on his pugsley.
More techy rock riding with a chorus of roaring surf...

We saw these guys near Marine Villa, Paddle boards!...

Dave had fun riding the Moonie up and down the pebble bank here... another to be drawn to the dark side of the moon...

This 1/4 mile of rocks to below Marine Villa changes  constantly as rocks and sand is moved about on top of the bedrock. This now it is all ride able and as always a rewarding challenge to get a `clean` dab free ride through...

Into North Berwick Town and again more coffee and then ice cream while sitting in the sun in the town high street people watching, chatting and chilling...

Its a hard life but someone has to do it...            -:)

Music is Math - Boards of Canada

Cool fan made BOC film i found on youtube.

Video sampled from "The Big Bounce" "20,000 leagues Under the Sea" and amateur film footage from 1939 New York World`s Fair...

Visit Scotland Parody

 `Our welcome is warm, very warm...`
Class! -:)

Pembleton Roadtrip; Isle of Bute

A half day from work on Friday and i am zooming up to Edinburgh by train with a small pack of lightweight camping gear, a one piece motorcycle suit, Genuine WW2 flying hat and MX goggles, yep time to get out in Toms Pembleton kit car again for a roadtrip, this time across to the west coast to the Isle of Bute to visit a good friend of ours, John now lives at Rothesay on the Island and it would be a great drive across there.
The 2CV engine originally used in Tom`s car was tuned up for more power, then Tom fancied even more power. He spent many hours in his man cave over the winter and now `Snotamog` is powered by this Italian beast - A 50 HP Moto Guzzi Strada small block V twin...

The power increase is very noticeable and the wee car zoomed along the winding  roads from Glasgow and Loch Lomand  via the `Rest and be Thank full` and along Glen Douglas...

And it was Glen Douglas which Tom took me to show me the MOD base there. Dozens of Silos can be seen behind a large perimeter fence. we could see two police cars patrolling inside. The base is linked by rail to Faslane, home to the UK Trident Submarines...

Past the base and some fun down to Arrochar...

Onto the short ferry crossing.  There is something magical about the Islands on the Scottish west coast,  compared to our East coast it is quite different, everything is a lot greener as it rains a lot more, there is moss and lichen on rocks and wall, and there is a lot of Ancient history to see, from Castles and ruins, to Standing Stones and stone circles...

Down to Rothesay, coffee at Johns then its up to Canada Heights and the campsite via the suitable named climb called `The Serpentine`...

Here it is on Google Earth...

I had put away the camera so did not film it. However there was a cycle race on the hill last year that i found on youtube...



Tents pitched we headed down into town for a bar meal and a few drinks...

-:)

Nice view across the bay...

It all got a bit blurry later on lol...

Outside was a fresh night, something about a seaside town lit up at night with its lights glowing across the water...

Sleep came easy after the long walk up the steps beside the Serpentine climb.
I just got a new 1 kg wee tent, a Force 10 Vando Helium 100 , 2nd hand from friend Andy who has upgraded to a tent which is a bit longer... nice wee tent and  seems well made...

Tom`s new Hilliberg is rather nice!,

Down the Serpentine and my Go Pro would not switch on to film!, maybe cold having lay in the tent all night?, typical it worked fine once at the bottom!, oh well, next time...

A lovely day as we dragged John up for toast and coffee which outside was turning into a lovely morning  with a clear blue sky and little fluffy clouds...

Into an old fashioned cafe and given friendly quick service for bacon rolls and coffee, nice old beetle outside...

Rothesay was once `The Holiday` destination of the Victorians of Glasgow and Ayrshire. Many generations went `Doon the water` by paddle steamer here and in it`s day it must have been stunning with its architecture, trams, theatres, shops, pubs and amusements. My mum came here from Irvine in 1960 for here holidays and said it was beautiful then.  Today it still attracts tourists, but like many Victorian resorts is sadly starting to look a bit shabby. It is similar to Dunbar here in East Lothian, and like Dunbar today walking along the sea front it is a lovely insight into a once grand  resort which must have so many happy memories for thousands of people who came here....

John and Tom, and an old Ford Zephyr!...

Classic art deco at the Pavilion...

West coast here has warmer winters so palm trees can survive...

I walked along to Port Bannatyne while Tom gave John a lift to where Johns Yacht is at the boat yard...

The Pembleton get lots of beeps from motorists and waves from people, like a Surly Pugsley people grin and wave and when stopped it also draws a crowd of interested folk...

John wanted to show me this small memorial at the side of the Boat Yard, to the crews of the WW2 X Class midget Submarines who were trained in these very waters here...

The XT submarine wrecks in Aberlady Bay which we so often visit would have been sailed here training crews. I have some pics of the subs here...

Johns yacht. It is getting an electric motor fitted soon...

I liked this one too!...

Next stop for lunch a cafe at Ettrick Bay on the west side of the Island, again i walked while Tom gave John a lift  first...

And at Ettrick Bay we were rewarded with a fantastic view across to the Island of Arran...

Time to head for the ferry and home. Itwas  great to see John and we will pop back over soon for his invite to go sailing on the yacht...

Here is a great insight of The Town of Rothesay and images of it in its element i found on youtube. embedding is disabled but click on the link if you wish to watch;  STV Rothesay


Bombing along loch side roads in the wee car is fantastic. The sense of speed and  freedom an insight to early motoring in Scotland...

Still some snow on the mountains...

Home all to soon in Edinburgh and home by train at 7 pm sitting drinking a coffee thinking of that view of Arran on the other side of Scotland only 5 hours earlier...

Film of some of the drive up there...

Music is `Ride of the Valkyries` by Wagner

and `Captain Coulls Parrot`  by Peatbog Faeries