Saturday Big Sky Ride...

Late summer in East Lothian, mornings are getting cooler and by Friday evening the temperature dropped noticeably, nice to get the fire on again...

With all the daily cycling lately i planned on a weekend off the bikes and some needed rest as always feeling tired when out cycling lately.
Weekend on at work too so never organised to ride with anyone also.
Up at 4am, mowing greens by 4.14am in pitch dark with the lights on, love night mowing!, clear sky full of stars and cold as it was under 10 degrees. bunkers raked and home 7.30am, it was warming up nicely despite the cool breeze that had got up and the sky was clear with wisps of thin cloud drifting over.

Day off the bike?, with a sky like this?, Aye right!


Down to North Berwick on the John Muir Way with the Surly Pugsley...

New tarmac!, real smooth, Surly Nate tyres were a buzzing...

Living the fatbike dream... well my ideal day out is days like this...

Rowan trees are ripe with berries this year...

Down to North Berwick...

East Beach...

Urban sandy single track...

Amazing sky today!... -:)

JMW into Yellowcraig...

Bug village...

Up to Dirleton village...

There is an archaeological dig going on until Tuesday...

A member of Gullane and Dirleton History society came over and showed me around...

They think this may be a site of a church as it lies east/west, smooth bit is a boundary wall...

I will pop along after work on Tuesday and see what was all discovered once they dig through to where the floor of the building once was...

Time to move on under the big sky...

Down the coastguard road to the coast...

And a loop around the miles of sandy single track trails through the grassed over dunes between the coast and Muirfield...

Down to the pine woods...

No wood trolls!, but they will be back... -:)

Down the crater, and along Gullane beach...

A quick push up over the dune and a slow climb on the granny ring up hill and into Gullane Village...

Ice Cream time!, only 11am but been up since 4am so feels like early afternoon...

Fruit Sundae and Caramel... -:)

Refreshed it is onwards, and upwards up Whim road to the top of Gullane Hill...

Amazing views today!...

Down `the first trail` so far then a steep side track...

And drop into the big dune known as Murder hill, pity the base is still washed out, so a slow descent...

East along Gullane beach...

Non stop along the single track and rock sections and drop into Freshwaterhaven...

Chasing clouds...

Along the rocks at Marine Villa and a `clean` with no dabs and even cleaned the step up onto the platform rock we often stop at!...

Take five as roasting hot, This may be the last real hot Saturday of the summer, glad i went out!...

This may not play on mobile devices, here is a pan of the view uploaded onto Flickr

Fantastic light today...

Along past Yellowcraig...

Down the big empty sands of Broadsands...

And the small beaches below the West Links...

And back to North Berwick...

Just in time to see the naming ceremony for the new North Berwick lifeboat, D-758, named `Evelyn M`

It replaces D-619 `Blue Peter III` after 8 years of service and over 90 emergency call outs

The new life boat has already been called out, more details Here

Time to go see dad for an hour at the nursing home, of course the good thing about seeing dad is also the tea and munchies!, always appreciated when out in the saddle.

Been a tough year dealing with my dad having to go into a nursing home, something i wouldn't wish on anyone.
I deal with it by cycling, and blogging and showing dad what i have been up to.
Sometimes i near explode at people on Internet forums when they quote about beach riding being boring, that turns a knife in me when i am so passionate about cycling on the coast here in East Lothian, because i came to love our coastline because of my youth spent out with my dad when he was the ranger.
My dad has taught me everything i know about the coast, the history, weather patterns, wildlife, tides, local history from people he used to meet out walking, and people here on holiday who were here during WW2 and for other reasons, all this i have took in and now i am older appreciate every time i am out walking or cycling in East Lothian on our coast...

Dad has seemed to have just accepted that he needs care and that has blown all of us away to be honest after his life of living and working outdoors under the big skies for most of his life.
I guess it is one of the things that having a stroke can do - it can change you sometimes in the opposite way to what you used to do...

But it been hardest on my mum, so i am there for both of them this now.
That is more important than my hobbies, passions and interests.
I am just glad dad is in a Nursing home that has a good reputation, and it does, the staff are brilliant, it cannot be an easy job to do, you realise this once you visit a nursing home regularly, and the staff  are always great... esp with the tea and cake for hungry cyclists -:)

I went through these pics so far with dad, Dad loves to see the coast he spent over 20 years walking as East Lothian, and Scotland's first Countryside Ranger - East Lothian was the first Ranger service in Scotland (Outside of Forestry Commission). Dad always likes the updates and pictures of our coast...

Time to head home on the John Muir Way again...

A combine out making the most of the dry conditions...

Last pic of the old Windmill, and an amazing day out under East Lothian`s big sky...