Continuing the Jeep drive with friend Spider we drove over Sled Hill stopping at the Royal Observer Corps Monitoring post, or I should say the decaying remains of it as having been left unlocked since it's closure in the early 1990`s it was the only one of three posts left unlocked the other two at Cockburnspath and North Berwick are locked or welded shut, and this bunker as everything is these days left open to public has been sadly vandalised as people seem to not be able to leave things alone these days...
The road would probably been closed to traffic as motor cars became more popular as this hairpin bend in quite tight to negotiate one way without the problems of meeting another car here...
Most people are unaware of these posts, some 1600 were built between 1955 and 1964 across the UK and manned by volunteers...
Here is probably one of the shortest easiest to watch YouTube films explaining the role of the ROC and a filmed in a preserved Post;
What a day to be out in the Jeep! screen down and just cruising along quiet country roads home...
We film of the visit, Song is `Only The Dead Dreams Of The Cold War Kid` by Hawklords
As time goes on and more folk are now venturing out and about around the Towns a short cycle of a few miles into the countryside usually means we get away from folk and stay safe, so were tending to do that now, means less time offroad if were cycling a bit on the roads but its safer!,
We cycled up to Garvald village again to go visit the Royal Observor Corps Post, one of 3 local surviving Monitering Posts in East Lothian,
To visit the site a lovely old road leads through woods and farm fields where the Bunker site was built away from the Public...
Friend Craig has been wanting to get in a good ride on my Surly Krampus 29+ for a while now so i suggested we head up into the Lammermuir Hills for the day.
I have been wanting to do some exploring west of Lammer Law on the western fringes towards the A60 road for a while, also i wanted to revisit a Cold War bunker so worked out a rough loop on the map and we would use the Hopes reservoir to get up into the hills, starting in Gifford...
Pic by Craig...
Yester trails...
Pic by Craig...
Famous sign at Longyester...
Along the road we road up into the hills via the Hopes estate...
Gravel grinding...
Today's ride should be ideal for the plus bikes, We would be mostly riding gravel for varying smoothness,
I was riding my new Pugsley with the KramPug wheels...
Low cloud up on top...
Pic by Craig...
The rough stones came from the famous Calton Jail in Edinburgh when it was demolished to help build the dam...
This was fun riding along above the Aqua duct...
Need to follow it another time and see where it goes...
We rode SW and up into the clouds...
Steepest climb of the day...
Into the cloud...
Lunch! pic by Craig...
Up through the clouds and around Crib Law... Pic by Craig...
Through a shooting club firing range around Hog Hill...
Kelphope hill and down to the wind farm...
B17 must be west of the A68! pic by Craig...
And today's destination near the A68, see it on the horizon?
A relic from the Cold War, Clandestine activities of the Royal Observer Corps...
In my bag i brought something we may need to get in but did not need as open, was locked last time i visited around 10 years ago, this is a Scottish T Key... pic by Craig...
Pic by Craig...
`Down the hatch`... pic by Craig...
A great find!!!, a Tommy`s Cooker...
`USED BY EXPLORERS, BIG GAME HUNTERS AND BY THE MOUNT EVEREST TEAM`...
Pic by Craig...
Pic by Craig...
A nice explore,
Here is a good 6 min film on the history of the ROC during the Cold War and a restored post...
Back out side and time to get rolling back to Gifford...
Last big climb of the day over the shoulder of `Widows Knowe`...
Then the long descent to Stobshiel farm and tarmac...
And back to Gifford, 7 hours out, 38km with some serious climbing-ace descending, great banter and company from Craig
I shot some Go Pro footage, not having the chest straps on the chest mount tight to let the lungs breathe on the climbs meant for some shaky footage on the long fast descents so had to edit most of the best fast stuff out...
I live in East Lothian, S.E. Scotland.
I fill my time with my hobbies, interests and passions. Often cycling along the coast here. I ride steel bikes with big wheels, I like to enjoy all interests of the coast, Its scenery, wildlife, local history, with my other interests in art and music when out and about...
I was diagnosed with Relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis in August 2018, it`s early days but i plan to continue to live my life as i have and show that having a medical condition like MS does not mean you need to stop enjoying your life,
Please excuse the bad grammar, i am working on it!
