Mid Week Cycle; Monkey Mischief, Garlic singletrack, Signs, And a burning...

Been cycling daily again this week, daily to work on the road bike and evenings on the trails and coast.
I just do one mid week ride now with a camera to try and capture the ride to blog.
Rest of the week i am out i just ride - crank the pedals and spin the wheels and enjoy the ride for myself and my thoughts and enjoy the `me time`

`Me Time`

`me time` is something we all need.
Sadly i find it hard to relax at home in the evenings. This is due to too many people who have been turning up at my house with out a phone call or text to say `hey are you busy? like a visit?`.
But no... they just turn up, usually when i am just in from work and need to wind down, or about to eat, or about to go cycling, or about to have a long relaxing soak in the bath, or sit down and read a book or watch a film on the TV...
You get the picture right?, well imagine if you had 10 unexpected visits in the last week?, most of who are folk you are not really friends with anyway!, they just turn up and hang about while you make it clear you are busy and have things to do etc...
Firstly it is just rude. Secondly It is not much  i have but it is my home, and my place, my space and i like to enjoy it....
I have had to move twice because of nightmare neighbours, and i moved here for peace and quiet.
Yet since moving to my new house i have just been plagued by certain people who i now just do not want turning up.
I live alone and enjoy my own time.  In fact i just do not have enough free time to do all i want to do...

Sunday evening was the final straw, i was in bed asleep at around 10.15pm (i get up at 4.45am) when someone knocked my door, then banged the living room window!

FFS!

I was raging and to be frank no one is welcome at my house now...

I posted this on facebook, and now post about it on here. I still do not know who it was but one thing is for certain, they are now no friend of mine..

I now just want to sell my house and move again. Ideally to a flat in North Berwick Town. Just big enough for 4 bikes,  and NO ONE will be getting the address!, it has really pissed me off and actually upset me a bit to be honest...

Sad this has ruined what is my home... it now does not feel like my home...

So if your reading this and wonder why i don`t answer the door when you turn up unannounced now you know why!

It is making me thinking about quitting facebook, blogging and the Internet entirely...sorry everyone but intrusion of your own privacy does that... i just want to dissapear and not be pestered. I will see if i get peace at home or not now from posting this...

Anyway for now rant over, i took the camera on Tuesday evening ride on the SURLY Karate Monkey...

A bridge and a tunnel and we leave the noise of the rush hour traffic on the busy A1...

And ride inland to greener places...

The smell of Wild Garlic in woodland...

At Biel i see on the skyline an enormous wind turbine, its huge!, and i cannot help but think `War of the Worlds` -:)

This evening i am heading to ride around a woodland trail i used to ride a lot when i lived previously at Dunbar for 6 years... a time i enjoyed the peace and quiet and a lovely small flat and private garden, with few visitors, and a woodland behind that led to the Hill foots - what we call here in East Lothian the line of small villages and farms that line the foot of our Lammermuir Hills. Linked by minor country roads, often lined with ancient Hawthorn hedgerows these old roads have an amazing set of old cast metal roadsigns, many have disappeared, but a few remain, restored and now repainted to preserve them...

Pitcox Farm Junction sign above, and the farm sign...

Not many unrestored farm cottages these days in East Lothian...

A lot of oilseed rape fields south of Dunbar this year...

And into the woods i used to ride through when i stayed down here. Bluebells...

Wild Garlic about to flower...

And loads of Wild Garlic in flower and the smell is amazing...

Here the remains of a dam for a reservoir that was destroyed in a flood just after WW2...

The stream that was once the reservoir here...

The Hill foots are full of ancient Oak trees, as is here on the skyline...

The trail leaves the valley floor and climbs up...

All ride able it dips down some wooden steps - ok to ride in the dry...

Back to the meandering burn...

Then switch backs up again...

Back on a county road again...

So where is this woodland trail your asking?, well i`m not saying on line for several reasons.
Last time i published a Woodland Trust walk area there was a large MTB group ride that published pics of it on facebook, and that's not on... these places are designated areas of protective and maintained woodlands - originally set out as woodland walks they have legally become accessible to cyclists to ride (responsibly), but to race around them in a large group where in a place people are out walking enjoying the countryside in such a small confined space will of course cause problems by cyclists riding at speed.
Local Dunbar people who read this will no doubt appreciate my reasons to keep it quiet. Those who really wish to go explore will find it, that's fair enough, i ride here a few times a year and always enjoy it...

I planned to ride to Spott Village then down to Dunbar harbour which was at a high tide, but the weather was hazy and  not be that good for those magical evening reflection pictures you get in our harbours, so still rode on to Spott village...

Wrong doers and village idiots were once chained to that iron ring outside the church at Spott.
But a lot worse things were carried out in East Lothian a long time ago...

A stone west of the village marks the spot of the burning of a young lady accused of witchcraft and far worst doings...

Riding west and under another of many old Oak trees, this big old ancient tree would have been here at the time of the Birley Court trials and if it could speak would tell the story of what happened here many years ago, prob of the screams of an innocent young woman put to death by politically obsessed individuals hell bent on using a public concern a reason to self gain power and status, something sadly happening in our country here in Scotland today as we near the pointless vote of independance, though no one has been burned yet!...

More Oaks as we skirt the Hill foots...

An old cast iron sign points up into the Lammermuir Hills and the start of the ancient Packhorse road to the borders known as the Herring Road - which pack horses once carried salted Herring from Dunbar to the Borders Market Towns...

That's for another ride, i had decided to go see up close that huge wind turbine that was somewhere near the Hill foots village of Stenton...
Climbing was rewarded with a nice long descent...

There it is again! -:) ...

The old well at Stenton Village...

If your American reading this check out the date -:)  old eh?...

These were for weighing Sheep wool...

West of Stenton village we leave the amazing old houses - i do not feel it is right to publish pictures of peoples houses, Stenton is full of amazing old houses so guess you just need to go visit to see for your self...
and climbing the hill is the views across to Pressminnon Woods, another place i will visit again soon...

Descending down past Ruchlaw and somewhere here is that huge wind turbine...

There it is!...

It really is massive!...

Check the size of the building below...

On we go and downhill...

Another old sign and a choice of country roads...

Heading for a famous landmark...

An old Hawthorn hedged byway passes west of Traprain Law...

Climbers were on the south face...

On we go, over the rise and a nice descent...

Past an old ruin of a former farm house...

To Hailes Castle...

And down to follow the river Tyne along a favourite single track trail to East Linton village...

Teezels...

Creeping Buttercup...

And a bloody brilliant trail...

The SURLY Karate Monkey is a great bike, so much fun on my local trails. But its not for sale...

Why do all these local rides end in 18/19 mile or 28/30 mile rides?... -:)

See you next time...