Forth Fat 2017...

Another April and another FORTH FAT Gathering...
This years weekend saw a lot of the regulars not able to make it due to other events and commitments, though numbers were made up with new faces and it was great to meet other folk who travelled from near and afar to enjoy the coast, the banter and most i think left with a smile on their face :)
FORTH FAT this year was a longer than usual weekend as i had and are still on a weeks holiday and still riding daily with friends.

Thursday;
Thursday 4pm and it`s party time!, and folk had already began arriving, i cycled into town on the Pashley and bumped into Jeff and John who had just arrived from Wales who headed to sort out there accommodation. Phil had already arrived and gave me a lovely pressie of a framed Ariel pic of the westerly WW2 sub wreck in Aberlady Bay.
Down to the Ship Inn and Lars and Tommy along with Ken and Jason enjoyed a couple of pints and banter...

The Welsh are here!...

Friday; Brewery Tour...
Good friend Mike arrived on Friday to stop over at my house for a weeks riding,
As usual he brought some Cider made by Lilleys Cider... along with a load of different bikes for the week...

Check out this Hydro coat Tomac frame he is building soon, Alien meets engines...

We rode to the meeting points each day so got in some trails and with the lights on going home made for more laughs...

We met at the Cross at 2pm for a short ride to Archerfield Estate for a guided tour of Knops Brewery
Keith gave us a very imformative  tour and the process of brewing and it was real interesting the work that goes into make a pint of beer. A couple of pints after hit the spot before we rode back via some nice sandy single track as the high tide lapped below us...

The end product...

More folk arrived Friday evening, and for those that were thirsty there was plenty options of ale in The Ship Inn...

Saturday;  Subs pilgrimage...
9.30am and a load of riders left the Cross, new faces and old regulars for the ride to the sub wrecks out in Aberlady Bay...
The count at the subs was 53 riders as we were joined along the way and a few late arrivals ...
Photos done and we returned east with a detour this year to the Walled Garden in Archerfield Estate again for food and a pint if anyone wanted at the Canteen Street Food Market where we lay about in the sun eating and drinking listening to the groovy tunes by the resident DJ, out of the cool easterly breeze and it was quiet an effort to get rolling again!...
I never shot much film on the return leg as i honked on back to NB along the coast with a load of great riders and it`s fun watching folk who are riding what i ride weekly with only a year old memory or for some riding blind for the first time, good riders all of them...
Back to NB and the usual half hour and regroup seat on the harbour wall...

The high street roll out...

Some film, 30 odd riders, to be joined by more along the route...

FORTH FAT 2017 Street ride by... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

Across the the Field on the JMW to Yellowcraig and this year shoulder high through Oil Seed Rape, so i rode ahead to film the procession ride through...


FORTH FAT 2017; The Field Crossing... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

Re grouped on Gullane hill then down hill and out across the sands to the sub wrecks...

Ace!  :)

Pics done and time to get rolling east...

Refreshments at Canteen...

Heading back to NB and it was a crew of Surly bikes that i joined leaving Archerfield for the coast...
3 Surly Ice Cream Trucks and 3 Surly Wednesday`s we rolled down at a good pace,
Short film on the West Road...

FF 17; West Road... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.



Next up was `Scorpion` across the rocks below Marine Villa, i hooked up and hence the sections name-i got stung!


FF 17; West Road... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


Last bit unedited film was across the Xylophone rocks, the name from the noise from the black rocks as you cycle across...

FF 17; Xylophone trail from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


Riding back to NB alongside Phil most of the way...

Saturday evening and food and drink at the Ship Inn before a torch lit night ride back home...

Sunday;
This year we rode from the Cross to Seacliff and the coast before returning back via the JMW...

A fleet of Trucks (ICT`s)... there was 3 more but they had split before i got them rounded up for a pic...

And that was a wrap, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways...
The week was just starting for myself with another 7 days holidays- first hols for over a year and a half after the previous nightmare summer at Whitekirk, i came home with another T shirt for the collection, stickers and that ace picture made by Phil...

3 days into 3 minutes film...
Song is `Club Foot` by Kasabian...


FORTH FAT 2017 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.


More pics from the weekend here on my Flickr FORTH FAT 2017 Album album...

See you all who make it next year...


More soon...