Weekend which was dry between the showers!...

Friday seen a lovely day as i mowed Becky`s Strip for the SERC Seacliff Horse Endurance ride...

last year i helped my partner Francis with a lot of the course marking and doing other mowing and strimming jobs, this year more helpers meant i had less to do so i offered to man a gate early Saturday morning then i hung around the venue drinking coffee, walking the dogs and helped out with a few things,
This weekend F was Vetting both days, last year she rode, and won the 160km ride on a very long Saturday, You can read about that weekend Here...


Friday evening i cycled home for an early bed as a busy weekend ahead, catching this sunset...

Saturday dawned as forecast with horrendous weather!, cold heavy rain of the North Sea seen temperatures drop in the easterly sea breeze, and it was cold standing at a gate from 6.30am to 8am, cycling back to the venue it was torrential rain!. I was at least still dry in my waterproofs and goretex boots!...

Many folk were soaked at the venue, but they still headed out to do their distances during the morning...

I never took any more pics on Saturday as i was busy helping out doing stuff, but the rain cleared by mid afternoon and heading home for another early night after a busy day the sky cleared and as forecast it looked like going to be a cracking Sunday, so i decided to get to bed early and get up real early and go for a decent bike ride before helping out again...


Sunday;
5am early enough?!!!
I woke early and it was real bright so i got up, got some breakfast and headed out on the 29+  Surly KramPug via the John Muir Way for North Berwick to ride west above the beach...

It`s now the Edinburgh trades fortnight summer holidays and look at the John Muir Way!, this is East Lothians blue ribbon trail!.  How are families and prams etc supposed to enjoy this?
This is why i was so against the proposed surfacing of Becky`s Strip Byway at Whitekirk, and ELC would never maintain it afterwards, If a local greenkeeper did not mow it then it would be like this for over a mile!...

7am and a deserted High street in NB...

But turn a corner onto the West Links Golf Club and it was all go!.  Final Qualifying day for the Scottish Open Golf Championships this week along at Gullane...

Glad i was not involved in all the prep and blazer types going about, happy to be off this weekend and out soaking up the scenery and enjoying cycling my bikes...

Yellowcraigs...

Riding up through the woods to Dirleton village and a clunk as i braked- that will be a front brake pad separated from it`s backing... yep!...

Stopped at the village it was a quick pad swap with the spares and soon on my way again...

Coastguard road at Archiefield...

Down past The Renaissance Golf Course to the grass trails through the dunes between here and Muirfield...

Flat calm i could see something out in the Firth of Forth-a shoal of fish?...

After Saturday mornings heavy downpour of rain the Bake Bean trail was quite firm and easy enough on the 29+ 3" Fatbike wheels...

Gullane Bents, just a few dog walkers out...

Then cycle up to the main street and turn a corner...

If you live and commute in Gullane then you would probably be best to get out of Dodge as it`s going to be hoaching with folk here this week!...

Great views from the top of Gullane Hill...

Again loads of greenkeepers and organisers real busy...

Again out in the estuary there is that shoal of fish or something else hatched , nearby by it were loads of seabirds...

I bombed down the `First Trail` to `Maggies Loup`  cliffs and down onto the Reserve...

And a water refill at the old Iron Ore mines, been this spring running here as long as i can remember...

Not down onto the sand today on the good 29+ Pugsley, but inland on more trails...

Leaving the golf courses behind for the day it was along to Aberlady and Luffness woods and more trails to the former RAF Drem Airfield...

I picked up the route marking for yesterdays orange route and would follow them back to the Event Venue...

Quiet here today,  back in July 1940 this airfield was buzzing with activity as on the front line for the defence of Edinburgh and it`s naval docks at Roysth from Norway based German bombing raids...

Former Spitfire  Dispersal pens...

Officially it was July 11th that the air battle begun, after the famous speech by Winston Churchill on June 18th after the retreat at Dunkirk...

Perimeter track...

What a hand full of young pilots backed by ground crews, radar, and the country working around the clock managed to achieve in the summer of 1940, esp those that never returned -1 in 6 pilots, will always remembered...

Here is a film i made of  a few years ago...



More info and wartime pics of Drem can be found by following back 4 blog links to Drem Here...


On along country lanes, once old roads...

Fenton Tower...

I met the first of the days Endurance riders and headed for the estate to keep out their way and headed back to the venue for some food and a coffee!...

Rest of the day was spent helping out again, a fun weekend and nice to help out folk, rather than just think about yourself all the time...


More soon...