Mid Lothian MTB Exploring...

Not done any regular Mountain biking for a while, just been riding on the coast.
So when friend Andy invited me on a group ride for an explore around a new area previously not ridden by us lot i jumped at the chance.
Andy has a very good skill of leading group rides exploring places, not an easy thing to do while keeping everyone happy, but that is also done by the company he keeps, all fun and friendly folk, hence it is often invited rides.
The pace then suits everyone, not to fast but not too slow, something very hard to get with 10 riders.
Andy also kept an eye on everyone and  cut the ride to suit every ones energy levels as the day went on.
He also makes amazing coffee -:) .
A fun day out on some lovely new trails, a bit greasy this now, they will be superb later in the year...

Edinburgh,Cycling,scenery, exploring...

With a weeks holidays there`s plenty to do around here...
Monday i headed up to Edinburgh to see friends at The Bike Chain shop to order new tyres for winter for the surly Pugsley...
Its funny being a tourist in your own nearest town...
I could write another Blog just on Edinburgh alone with all its history,buildings and culture..there is so much...but what i have done is a photo Album on Flickr which i can add to in the future, titled; Edinburgh,Cycling,Exploring...
for fun i cycled into Edinburgh from the suburbs at Musselburgh on the Pugsley...
It was a lovely clear morning as i rode round the Queens Park below Arthur's Seat Hill and Salisbury Crag...



cycling up the Medieval Old towns Royal Mile here`s a quick Pugsley tour of some of the famous buildings on the Mile long ridge left after the Ice Age which Edinburgh grew along from an ancient hilltop fortification which would become the Capitals Castle with a fortified wall, the town was originally built on-and below this ridge...
The new Scottish Parliament Building...bit controversial this one...

Hollyrood House-the Royal Palace...

looking up the Royal Mile,here was originally outside the old city walls...

lots of side streets and narrow close`s (an alley) leads to small squares...
here White Close, once an Inn it housed Jacobite troops during the 1745 uprising...

The newer Tollbooth-Town jail... lots of history about this place...and the end of the line for many folk...


start of the Tenements...many more levels behind as the ridge slopes away...


a very famous Public House...

John Knox House...

a side street-Cockburn Street...

This Shop was once Borthwick Cycles in the 1950s...

Its where my 1953 Raleigh was bought!

Adam smith...

and St Giles Cathedral...

nearby is the Heart of Mid Lothian...

a cobbled heart which is spat on as you pass- yes really!, it marks the site of the original tollbooth...the heart is meant to represent the many beating hearts of prisoners here before being executed...grim stuff indeed!
and below the present city is the Old City...built over as the city expanded and because of the fortified wall a cramped and overpopulation brought disease and poverty which forced for better living conditions...
One of the famous storys is Mary Queens close reputedly haunted by past residents...
And also Burke and Hare- the body snatchers who robbed graves and recently desceased bodys to sell to Edinburgh Universitys for medical science research...
there are tours today...

Statue of the Duke of Buccleuch...with carved battle scenes below-a work of art...

the famous St Marys Close...

Whiskey shop!...

and plenty of Tartan for sale...

also a Whiskey heritage Centre as the road narrows up to the Castle...

and finally the Castle esplanade...

great views south over the city with the Pentland Hills behind...


it was packed with visitors so i headed off down the Castle steps on the Pugsley!...

and cut through to another famous view, the verranda above Victoria Street which leads to the Grass Market...


along Kings Bridge and behind the same named pub is Greyfriers, the church and graveyard is most famous for the true story of the a dog called Bobby which slept on its desceased masters grave for 13 years until its death,it too is buried here...

its a great graveyard to have a look around...



good example of a Mortsafe...


Edinburgh has some great open green spaces like here at The Meadows...

which has cycle lanes which took me to the Edinburgh Bike co-op for a look around...

time for some cycling again and i cut back through the Meadows and across to the Bridges for a long descent to Princess Street and then up to Calton Hill for some good views...up top is the famous `disgrace of Edinburgh`...

from which are good views...across to the Castle...

west and North to the New Town and the Firth of Forth...



south to the Pentland Hills...

South East to Salisbury Crag and Arthur`s Seat..

below to the south you can see the rear gardens of the Tenements on the royal Mile...

and Hollyrood House...

and East along the coast to back home in East Lothian...

all downhill now the pugsley thundered down Past the Playhouse keeping traffic at bay and i stopped for a pic at the statue i have wanted to get since i got the Pugsley...
Bigfoot meets Bigfoot!...-:)

then down Broughton Street into the New town to friend Marks shop...

friend Shane aka `Sharki` was there so after we went for a cycle down alongside the water of lieth to Lieth Docks for a ride about and get some pics...
i love Docks...from the modern redevelopment for housing to the old disused areas...
like here how old is mixed with new...




we rode around to a disused loading quey...
playing around...


this looks like a former Customs House or Official Port Office...

and this like a Railway building,tracks come on to the queyside...


just so much here to photo!...





Lieth Port is of couse still a working Harbour on its eastern side...
some Tugs were moored here in the Port of Lieths western end...

work was going on across from us...thats a big bit of steel...





This old pier has a statue at its end...


Cormorants...

nearby the Britannia is berthed...

fenced off we rode around here to the other side and a lovely old lighthouse...

then along a stone block built sea wall past new flats to the find of the day...

a derelict Lighthouse...


good timing as the forcasted rain came on...we went inside for a look around..
remains of old diesel Lister engines and a steam boiler which would have once powered the light and the fog horn...




the staircase up into the light tower was gone but sharki managed to pull himself up...i went out and around to find another way up...


and there was...wire fencing up against an outbuilding so i clambered up...


the roof was solid as it is a thick concrete plyth...



inside was another big Steam boiler...

and the fog horn is still there...


someone else enjoyed an explore here...

good views up here dispite the rain on...





then we got the Pug onto the roof for a giggle...




maybe Danny Macaskill would...

what a great wee place to explore...

leaving and passing a remminder your in an Urban Enviroment...

2 pugsleys...


what a great wee day out around Edinburgh..good to see alot of our history again and do some biking with Sharki...we rode to Portobello where we split under heavier rain...and it would rain alot the next day too...as i found out when i went to Oban for a Daytrip with friend Tom in his opentop 3 wheeler Pembleton car!...