Monday 28 November 2016

Chasing the Bullet...

I have not had a motorbike for 5 or so years now.
With anything retro being cool these days-post soon on my new commuter bike, the itch to save and buy a British motorcycle has returned,
Having escaped death over 20 years of riding motorbikes i`m happy these days to look at a bike to plod along country lanes.
Although i used to ride rip snorting 600cc Enduro motorcycles on the road (and off) i always fancied a Bullet in pre65 trials trim for said plodding along lanes.
Maybe some 25+ years after they went on sale in the UK i may buy one once i save the pennies.
In the meantime here is a cool film on the Motorbike that originally launched as an offroad trials bike won more competitions than any other British Motorcycle...




More soon...

Saturday 26 November 2016

Ride to Lammerlaw....


Saturday and i met Craig, Jason and Donald in Haddington for a ride up into the Lammermuir hills via Gifford and Hopes Resovior...


We rode via the old Right of Way from Bolton to Gifford...

Craig did not feel well so split for home at Yester and we carried on to the Hopes and on up the big climb up onto the hills...

Plenty of ice up here...





Red Grouse were all around and this one was happy to pose for a pic!...


Check the ice here!...

Along the old ancient track across the shoulder of Lammerlaw and we turned up to the summit with trig point and cairn...


Views from the summit and although overcast were great...








M&Ms....






Some film to here,
Song is `Wider than the sky` by Quantic...


East Coast Fatbikes; Lammerlaw Nov 16 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


More soon...

Monday 21 November 2016

Autumn gold in Binning Woods...


Two days of hard frosts has seen the last of the chestnut leaves dropping, but  Autumn colour is not over yet, Oak and Beech are still golden and some sunshine was needed to show them off today as i went for a cycle on the winterised old Surly Pugsley.


 Planning to ride Binning Woods the Nate tyres and full lenght mudguards would be ideal. Riding the John Muir Way (JMW) through Craig Wood the sky was overcast and the light poor.  I stuck the old Go Pro and chest cam mount in the frame bag so stuck it on and filmed some of the trail, poor light and same old same old trail but nice to ride a carpet of frozen leaves that crunched under the tyres...

Song is `The Great Ceildh Swindle`(edited shorter) by Peatbog Faeries...

Surly Pugsley; Autumn in Craig Wood... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


From Balgone it was east to Becky`s Strip Byway and down to Binning Wood, like magic the mist broke up and sun streamed through the trees bringing the autumn gold of the beech trees to life...





Bruce`s Circle...

At Bruce`s circle i said hello to Dad, at the Red Beech tree here where we spread some of Dads ashes. Dad loved the Beech trees in Autumn.The Circle Clearing with tree as shown on the map is not named as you would imagine after Robert The Bruce, but named after a favourite chauffeur of the last Lady of Tyninghame...

Stunning...

Some film here in the woods...
Song is `Garden` (edited shorter) by Phontaine...


Surly Pugsley; Autumn Woods, Nov 16 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

Nothing lasts forever, and after a hour or so of magic light the cloud rolled in again and i headed home happy to have a couple of hours cycling and also get home when still daylight to do some firewood in the garden..
This now i leave for work and return in darkness during the week, but this will only be for 4 weeks or so...

Great having a Fatbike set up like this for winter, home and  the bike and myself were still clean!,
No need to wash it, just re lube the chain with Squirt Dry lube and jobs done...

Sunday 20 November 2016

Saturday Cycle; Berwickshire trails...


Saturday and i planned a ride over the County Border in Berwickshire. Friend Craig said he was interested in riding somewhere new (to him) and loading his bike on my car we drove the short distance to Cove car park near Cockburnspath. It`s surprising how the coastline can change in under 10 miles from Tyninghame and John Muir Park to the rugged cliff top scenery of Berwickshire and it`s Geology made famous in the 1700`s around Siccar Point by the Scottish Geologist James Hutton, his findings from studying the rocks here on the Berwickshire coastline gave him the name of `The Father of Modern Geology` of how the earths crust was formed by `Deep Time`.
And you can see all along the coast here some amazing rock formations like here at Cove...



Pic by Craig...

Not ideal trail to cycle with gates and steps but it beats tarmac!...



Craig was feeling a bit under the weather so i changed the original ride plan and we rode a short loop which turned out a good idea as riding the signed coastal trail east from Pease Bay proved not to be ideal for cycling, however it did make for a visit to a previously unvisted ruin of a church,
St Helen`s church at Old Cambus is worth a visit to see the 1700 grave stones beside the ruin...





2 Pics by Craig...


Onward and a climb to the road to Redheugh Farm and the zig zag track that descends to the old Salmond Farm past Siccar Point...



I was busy watching the seals in the water and did not look ahead until i nearly cycled into a seal pup with an angry mother!...

I had not planned on the seals being there lying in the winter sun with their protective mothers...

We met a local man who walks here daily and and had an interesting chat about the area before we quietly retreated to climb back up to the farm...

4 pics by Craig...




Craig will need to wait to another visit to see the ruins of the Salmond farm...

2 pics by Craig...



Riding west and over the bridge at Pease Dean and a look around the 15th Century ruin of Cockburnspath Tower (see film)...
3 pics by Craig...



Back to Cove and down to the amazing scenic harbour...



5 pics by Craig...






Some film from the ride,
Song is `In the Key of Blue` by Quantic...


East Coast Fatbikes; Cove to Redheugh; Nov 16 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

More soon...