I have cycled this Maintenance road for the Pylons that traverse the Lammermuirs as the leave the coast at Torness Nuclear Power Station and inland many times but every time always remember that day in January 2010 during the Arctic blast of that winter which saw the coldest temperatures in 50 years, that and having a fatbike allowed me to ride up here in the frozen conditions and cycle through what was a frozen wasteland of temperatures that dropped below -20 Celsius...
Now if you from the USA then this does not sound that cold, however bring in the moisture level here in the UK and those temperatures were not far off from becoming dangerous, get to -30 here in the UK and Central heating systems, cars, and the elderly would start to get in trouble...
Here is a 3 days/3 films edited into one that i made at the time from that first day where i crossed the pylon road, the later edits in the film after Lammer Law are from the 2nd day when i cycled from Garvald Village to the Whiteadder Reservoir
Song is by Jakatta...
You see me ride down the hill and skid to a halt here in the film...
So heading up here solo was kind of a bit of a Micro Adventure, and when i met a snow plough driver clearing the road on top of Redstone Rig he could not believe i had cycled 15 miles up to here!, then took a double take at the size of my tyres on the Pugsley!, and when asked and i said where i planned to ride next to get to Lammerlaw and descend off the hills to Gifford village!
It was -25 C on the front of his snow plough...
He did ask me if anyone knew i was up here, if i had a mobile, and survival kit (answer to all that was err no) but i said yes and pushed on...
That day was a real eye opener to winter cycling as i left the ploughed public road and crossed the snow bound Pylon road and although rode in places in tracks left by farmers checking sheep would see no one up there...
8 years later...
Roll on 8 years and same me, same bike (well triggers broom but same Surly Pugsley frame set) and this time i drove up to park and ride a few miles in and back on the Pylon road,
And a lot has changed up here since that first Fatbike ride here,
A Wind farm has sprung up and loads of side tracks leave the original road up to access turbines.
A substation feeds all this generated power onto the old Pylon line, and even there is now signs for the ancient `Herring Road` route that is documented to once be used by 20,000 people a year who transported the salted `whitey`s` from the harbour of Dunbar to the Border market town of Lauder and beyond using pack horses that have left there mark to this day with v shape gouges across the hill sides here, and then there was also the Cadgers and trades people who would use the route,
All this history, and recent modern developments yet again as 8 years ago i saw no one as i left my footprint across the hills...
A lot of change, and not a lot of change, as i can still escape and have some `me time` for a few hours...
Filming all done i headed back to the van, warm and safe and music home i drove back as the afternoon brought out sledgers and walkers cars parked up at Redstone Rig...
Here is a wee film i made at a more balmy -2 Celsius than -22 Celsius!...
Song is `Organ Inc` by Phontaine...
Pylon Road Winter cycle; Jan 2018 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.
More soon...
