coastrider: Lammermuir Hills Gravel track loop via Lammerlaw...

Out again on the local Lammermuir Hill tracks and today we rode the Gifford-Hopes-Lammerlaw-Gifford loop. a fun 14 miles or so with around 1500 feet of climbing rewarded by great views and a downhill descent finish, to earn those views and descents you have a killer steep hill to first of all get up.

Your legs will be warmed up for that though by the time you ride through Yester Woods and onto the minor road up then down into the Hopes...

Onto gravel tracks and today we were on 29+ wheels, I still argue the best wheel size and tyre choice for roll ,grip, comfort, having used drop bars off-road and experienced the bone shaking hand jarring ride riding on the hoods with little control on loose rocks and of thinner harder pressure tyres I would not thank you for a `Gravel bike`...

The track gently climb up around the Hopes Reservoir with splendid views under the bike sky and we were warming up now as it was around 8C in Gifford but the temperature was dropping as we climbed up into the hills...

Jackets off for now as more climbing was about to get err a bit steeper...

And there it was - the hill of Dread, the climb of justice!, this is a real stinker of a climb and you want some real low gearing for it...

With a sore hip G was not even going to attempt to try climb it today and was happy to push, stopping for a breather every 20 steps or so...

You really want a 2 x gear system to get up this, the means 2 front chainrings, you will see our bikes have. 1 x gears systems - 10 speed with 30 teeth front chainring and 11-46 teeth rear, you will get up on this gearing but it will give you a beating and you will have a sweat on guaranteed...

Just before it starts to get real steep I stopped to remove my windbreaker jacket and deploy the secret weapon...

Both our bikes have a sneaky hidden in front 22 tooth chainring

With the `Stealth Granny Ring` deployed (G`s bike has the same). you now have a 22t front/46t tooth rear 1st gear!

The Surly Wednesday is a great climbing bike with 29+ wheels, better than any KramPug I have built - that's a big statement for me to say being the biggest Pugsley fan but it climbs like a rat up a drainpipe, before I used a 40t rear cassette but now with a 46t rear on the stealth granny ring its even better!

G was soon up the hill and as we cooled down soaking up the view we soon had the jackets back on as it was a real cold Northerly wind....

On the roof of the Lammermuirs now and we soaked up the views under a big sky of broken cloud as we cycled across to the old track that crossed the hills from Longyester to Carfraemill...

This ancient route has been documented to have been in existence since the Stone Age and like the Herring Road across these hills to the was from Dunbar to Lauder is full of history...

As coastal views appeared on the shoulder of Lammerlaw we crossed the heather on a track as the summit of Lammerlaw came into view...

Stunning views across to Edinburgh, Fife and beyond to snow topped hills...

It was freezing though in the cold wind!, 4C on the Garmin with 0C windchill!, we soon ate our cheese nannies and drunk most of our flasks before heading for the long descent off the hill...