coastrider: September 2011

My friend and fellow blogger Al, author of crivens jings and help ma blog has thrown down the gauntlet and nominated 'coastrider' to complete a challenge. Nominated blogs have to create a list of the following:

What's your most beautiful post.
What's been your most popular post.
What's been your most controversial post.
What's been your most helpful post.
Which posts success has surprised you most.
Which of your posts do you feel didn't get the attention it deserved.
Which post are you proudest of.

I also have to select five other blogs to take the challenge too, so I nominate the following five blogs to take part if they feel they would like to:

Friend and local Mike; mikeworld
Who writes it as it is, he swears far to much online but it kinda suits him so we will let him off with that!, Aswell as making ace wee films on his Go Pro he blogs about Motorbikes, cycling off road, food and drink, and behaving like a tit, in a nice way -:) he also has my old pugsley frameset and has seen the light and turned to the `fatside`.

My big Brother; Breathe in and out. Now repeat for as long as possible ,
The detail in his blog on wildlife is fascinating, i also like his posts on wild food, and like myself he likes signs,

Harri from Sweden; Obnoxiously yours,
His photos are amazing, look through his winter pics he has taken when out on his pugsley, breathtaking photography,

Doug from Duluth, Minnesota; MnBicycleCommuter ,
One of the first blogs i followed and one of the early pugsley owners,
Doug commutes by bicycle nearly every day, that includes through the severe winter conditions of Minnesota, his blog has won awards for its writing of his daily commute which never gets repetitive or boring to read, he also posts up summer camping trips, and reviews products,
Dougs blog is always an interesting read and he sets the standard on bike preparation,

Colin from Edinburgh; ScotRoutes
This is a new blog so Colin you wont have many stats yet, but Colin has written bike journeys around Scotland and beyond for a number of years on forums like STW, great writing, good pics and always interesting routes, if your interested in road touring then his blog is right up your street/ er route...

My List...
So here is my lot, Al says i can post a film or post on each answer,

What's your most beautiful post.
Tough call, i would have to go with a film i made this time last year, an amazing Autumn sunset, geese overhead, stunning evening...

What's been your most popular post.
According to the stats this post got 2,297 views; Cheviot Hills; MTBscotland forum ride it was linked to a STW featured epic route which we added a massive climb in/descent back from the Scotland side so maybe that created the interest, it was the first time i saw a `Red Squirrel crossing sign`, and the only time i have broke a chain in 24 years of riding mountainbikes!...

What's been your most controversial post.
I have never tried to be controversial, but i did say once how i like windfarms, and got a few negative replies, 3 years later from that post and i too see the non return in them as well as the ruination of a historic route in our local Lammermuir hills- part of The Herring Road, once a regular cycle for myself...
But i will post a thread on the pugsley, as i mentioned all the negative responses i got about the bike when i got it and tried to explain to people what i wanted it for,
so the controversy was aimed at me - if only its a small paragraph!;
Purple Haze

What's been your most helpful post.
A post i wrote which was also posted on the fatbike forum has received many thanks from folk inquiring about riding bikes on the coast and exposing them to the salt water conditions, i proved it can be done!,
Fatbike Preparation for Beach Riding...

Which posts success has surprised you most.
A film titled `Surly Pugsley` which was a compilation of previous films, it was featured in the Methow Vally Film fest in the USA, and a 3 min edited version was runner up in the first Tweed Love film fest in Scotland, it has had 16,244 views and 53 comments, 110 likes and 0 dislikes!...

Which of your posts do you feel didn't get the attention it deserved.
WW2 stuff about here in East Lothian often does not get a lot of comments,
War is a subject a lot of people do not want to read about,
It is a subject of great interest to myself, esp what went on in East Lothian,
I often wonder how many people drive, cycle or walk past a war memorial and ever stop and read the names of the people on them, people from our community who payed the ultimate sacrifice so we can be here today, living our lives in freedom...
If i had a time machine i would go back to June 1940 and watch the Spitfires based at RAF Drem fly around the county, Drem was on the front line of the Firth of Forth to intercept incoming German bomber raids from occupied Norway on Rosyth Docks and Glasgow, many of the pilots of the squadrons that passed through RAF Drem (on active R&R from the south coast) were battle of Britain pilots, many would not see the end of the war in 1945, many more were horrifically burned and mentally scarred for life, a huge price were paid by so few...
I spent a long time researching RAF Drem and its short but important history,
I have collected a lot of photos and even recordings of pilots who served there,
There are 20 war graves in Dirleton cemetery of airmen who were killed in tragic accidents while serving at Drem, but there are no memorials or information signs about the Fighter Station and its small community who served there at the now Fenton Barnes retail village,
You can read a post i wrote here; RAF Drem

Or skip and watch the film,
i used real pics and Battle of Britain survivours voice recordings, mixed with Historians and real BoB footage, the gun camera footage gives an insight of the intense air combat fighting of these young men, and the airfield pictures of them show just how young they were, just kids really, the film at Dirleton Cemetery at the end shows the young age of these pilots and that they came from all around the world to here to fight for us...
massive respect...

Which post are you proudest of.
I think this years summer holiday Roadtrip when i rode out to Faraid Head,
The biggest Sand dunes in the UK, it was 9pm when i arrived, no one was out there except myself on the penulsia, clear skys, big sun setting, it was howling a gale and sand was blowing off the top of the huge dunes, it was amazing, One dune took over a minute to reach the shoreline,
To date the best beachride yet, which is what i started the blog for, adventures on my Surly Pugsley...
Faraid Head...

.

Yeah i know ive posted a ride from Sunday before Saturday...
I dunno why, i just have!, anyway, weekend at home, and car free as being doing too much driving lately and was it just good to ride from the back door,
1st bike i always seem to reach for is the pugsley, it is just so much fun, so i always end up at the coast, this now i can ride various loops from home and stay offroad using grass field boundrys, stubble fields, woods and trails to the coast,
After last weekends big wide smooth beaches of Northumberland i fancied some techy riding so headed to Seacliff, and the rock fest to the east from there along to Peffersands.

Heading to the coast on varied terrain, from the all weather surface of a section of the John Muir Way trail...

To farm tracks...

An ancient Byway which was once a stage coach road with an Inn..

Passing Horse Chestnuts, always the first trees to turn in Autumn, Oak are often the last...

Along grass field boundrys, soft in places but easy to ride on the pugsley...

Past a small lean - 2/gang hut/summer house in a small wood...

The mesh above the swing must be to stop pine cones falling on your head when on the swing!...

Then it was 3 stubble fields east to the ruins of Tantallon Castle, pearched on the cliffs...

If you want to read more information then have a look at my friend Gavin`s Blog... If your interested in historical stuff in East Lothian you will find it of interest, it is well presented and does not get the views it deserves so go check it out...

Near the castle is an old track cut into the cliffs which descends down to the beach...

Dont go flying down this as landslides have peppered the track with large stones that lie in the long grass, an off could be a bit nasty with the drop over the side...

A view on film of the coast here...

I wonder where the other one has ended up?...

Across the small bay is mostly rideable then once through the narrow gap in the rock again there is a line through...

This bit too, and then you have to walk it through...

Some film, just the noise of the sea and seabirds...

Back onto easier and grippy rock to ride across to the Gegan, the name of the rock here and the harbour, cut into the rock, there was no one around, it was only about 9am, the harbour is owned by the Dale family who run a creel boat from here as well as one from North Berwick, the harbour is reputed to be the smallest commercial harbour in the world...