Winter Sunset beachride...

There has been a severe lack of sunset pics on the blog in the last few months due to the weather and then no cycling through November,
Sunday affys beachride should make up for it, a loop around Gosford Bay,


along the high tide line to Fernyness then ride North through the low tide surf towards the Crab Isle and Green Craig Island at Shell bay then return around the coast to Gosford Bay, a short ride of around an hour plus stops for pics, i like this ride with its views across to Edinburgh, and tonight the Pentland hills were white from snow showers, winter has arrived...


Pugsley has a new front rack, a bargain tastic Coyote Canti brake mounting mini rack for only £15 from Amazon, ideal for a sleeping bag for bivvy trips next year...




And a new Stewart `young pretender` tartan seat....




From Fernyness it was back down and out across the rocks exposed at the low tide...


Not long to sunset...


Out on the rocks here are some remains of man made concrete blocks that must have some link to the Bay during WW2 where there was out here a live firing range for Coastal Command Aircraft...




Off again over the rocks to cross Gosford Bay along the tide line...




Amazing light...








If you are a new reader to the blog then do not freak out at this wee film,
yes i am cycling through the sea...
Do not worry my bike is prepped to do this and i do it all the time -:)
I have been doing this for 4 years now with no problems...
I do it because i enjoy it...




Sploosh! -:) ...




Ahead is the crab isle rocks (semi submerged) and Green Craig Island...


Cold and very windy but stunning sunset...




Wild sky over the snow topped Pentland Hills at Edinburgh...


Sunshine on a Tanker moored offshore in the Firth of Forth Estuary,
Behind there is snow on the Fife hills...


Look behind, back towards Fernyness...


Just enough room behind Green Craig Island and the tide to ride around into Shell bay...




View North from the Headland on Kilspindie Golf Course out across Aberlady Bay...


And SW across Shell Bay...


Why the Bay is called `Shell Bay`...










Last light of the day...


Sun has set, getting cold and time for home...

Saturday,Seacliff, sea and sand...

Good to get riding on the beach again after a frenzy of spannering in the man cave lately.
Jason came along to my house and we did my local beachride loop which i take for granted but Jason commented on is a very varied riding of mixed terrain which you would not want to ride on any other bike but a fatbike.
It was blowing a hooly with clear skys and clouds flying by with the odd shower once we rode the John Muir Way and some grassy field boundrys to Seacliff- this area has to be the most scenic part of coast in East Lothian with the views over to Tantallon Castle, The bass Rock Island and further out the May Isle and across tthe firth of Forth to Fife,
looking across this view from work daily i feel very lucky...






And the Harbour below,
claimed to be the smallest commercial harbour in the world,
Seacliff Estate is owned by the Dale family, Jack Dale was sleeping in his pick up awaiting the retreating high tide to allow him to drive out with his mornings catch of lobsters from the creels...


Already i had noticed how much lighter (if you can say that about a pugsley) my bike was with the mech gears back on, well balanced and we had already noted that Jasons 1st gear on the 32t -24t Alfine 8 speed was the same as my 3rd gear, which was what i was looking forward to again for real soft sand riding, picking our way through the rock pools and carrying the bikes over large rocks in the retreating tide we got to the harbour...


Thrift...




You can see the wind whipping up the sea in the rock pools as Jack drove back to the beach...


Around the sea side of the rock there was a bit of a swell with that wind...


With the tide lower after just a half hour here we headed east along the beach...




No filming today,just enjoying the ride with a few pics, we were looking though for ideal spots to film in the future to try and show just what these bikes can ride over and as well as around the harbour and very soft sand on the beach below the car park are the rocks along the coast to the East, there are some excellent tricky sections which are rewarding to `clean` feet up...


Steeper than it looks...




Using a tripod does not seem to capture the terrain so hand held camera filming by a 2nd person should be better, and quicker!.
Hard spotting the rocks under water though...




Pick your way through this lot!...




Onto the sand again at Peffersands, it was like a sandstorm in the wind,whipped up sand pinging on the frames...




A lot of sand has moved with the past few weeks windy weather and the washed out base of the dunes are filled in again...




Yee haa!...


Up above the coastline and around the singletrack trails of Tyninghame woods...


Then along the secret trail and through Tyninghame woods to Tyninghame village cafe,Yum...


Then more variety as we rode along the River Tyne path to Smeaton Mill and from there fieldside trails home...


Maybe i did not get all the variety of terrain on camera but maybe the whole route could be put on film shooting over a number of days and edited into a longer 15 minute film...good to be out on the pugsley again...