grounded for weekend?....

dosnt look like im flying out to holland to see hanneke this weekend...at least i should get a refund and can re-book for next month...

maybe go camping this weekend instead and try out the hennessy hammock...

with 2000 miles now clocked up on the pugsley i made a film from some unused film clips and some favourite clips from happy rides...



i posted the film on a new website; pugsley riders UK
started by friend gary who has just built scotlands 2nd pugsley..yep 2 pugs here now and a third on the way...gary started the site for UK owners to swap build details and help interested folk with whats needed to build a pugsley and what specific parts are needed and what makes of parts are available here in the UK and the EU...
also is posts of rides,adventures,owners bike specs,lists of shops that have built pugsleys etc... it is early days yet but the info is building up...
nice to help out folk interested in building a fatbike and its great now having a website to direct them too for most of the normally asked questions... so thanks gary!

some other good links...

on facebook is the amazing surly pugsley group
also on facebook someone started an east lothian coast group which has some lovely pics of our countys coast...

and the flickr surly pugsley group with lots of pug pics...

plenty bikeporn there for you to look at...

dry the rain... wet..muddy..happy..

after a warm sunny day on dry and dusty trails at glentress i looked forward to sunday and a planned big ride on the 29er...
however steady drizzle fell all morning so i went a ride around some local woods and trails that will soon be overgrown with nettles and other nasty jaggy stuff...it was steady rain at midday so i apologise for the quality of pictures as i used a tachyon xc sports camera being waterproof...it has a setting for timelapse that takes a picture every 2 seconds so you can get stills...
offroad all the way from a half mile from home...first ride in the rain for a few weeks...

i cut through some woods and had a bit of a wee play...quite slippy roots being wet..



im too fat to fit through here...hobbits maybe?...

on to ride along some of the river tyne...


the rain eased off a bit so i filmed for a bit along the riverside...its a bit shakey as no suspension mind!, music...snow patrol...

riverside singletrack... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

from here it was 2 more trails and some road work when the camera batterys died...and no spares- doh!

then into an old estate near here for a look around...

where i discovered some lovely wooded hills with some deer tracks and a couple of (dogwalkers?) paths which i will be returning to ride again with the camera rolling...10 years ago you would be stopped by an estate employee or the owner for entering a place like this and asked to leave...30 years ago you would proberly have had some lead shot fired over your head...nowadays we have the right to roam free in scotland on the land and water...and what a great right it is to exercise!...

Ash sunset....

So again today all flights from th UK are grounded from the iceland volcanic ash drifting over here...again i went the same ride last night (thursday) as on mondays post to get in another beachride on the pugsley as it will be a fortnight until its picked up the from the hub bikeshop at glentress...save you more of the same bike pics and straight to the sunset...

well maybe just one of pugsley then!...

midweek sunset beachride....

first evening beachride since the clocks changed on monday evening...headed out 5 pm and was out for 4 hours and around 40 miles,about 30 off that offroad from home to north berwick then along the coast at low tide (7.30pm) to reach the WW2 submarine wrecks for sunset around 8.15pm...
also be the last pugsley ride of this month after thursday evening as its off down to the hub bike shop at glentress on saturday to have the alfine hub laced up and fitted...at approx 2000 miles now done on the original cassette and chainrings the 3rd chain still isnt slipping...but i want it done for summer...pick it up end of month when i come back from holland...cant wait to ride it derailier free through long grass and undergrowth...
anyway on with tonights pics...

low tide...lovely weather...tail wind...few people about...gonna be perfect evening ride...

cruising the beach at broadsands (yellowcraig)...the sand was firm and fast rolling..notice the view? no one else!..in this weather!...


riding the rocks below marine villa...dury`s out riding this stuff clipped in...but i see now that time pedals have brought out a oneside cleat/flat pedal like shimano do so maybe that would be ideal for pugsley biking...flat pedals are great for this stuff esp when its slippy but clipped in makes a differance when like tonight out for 4 hours- with more than 3 hours of that time riding including an 8 mile road ride home into a stiff breeze...

onto the flat sand exposed at the low tide between eyebroughty island and some lovely rocks before reaching freshwaterhaven...usually i ride along the tideline here which is a bit technical with rocks,driftwood and soft sand for a mile or so...so this was a relaxing change...





passing some nice driftwood and alot that would make good firewood...



then along onto gullane beach...


now onto the nature reserve and near gullane point another complete WW2 coastal defence anti-glider pole has appeared here...exposed after the big storm...like the one at tyninghams peffer sands i have never seen this one ever...

didnt quite get to the old submarine wrecks before sunset...



what a lovely evening...time to head home with the lights on...


heres some film of tonights ride...


sunset beachride,east lothian,april 2010 from coastkid71 on Vimeo.

scotch mist...

one of the traits of scottish east coast weather is a mist we call sea harr...
when cold sea air meets warmer air on the coast sometimes a mist blows in along the coast...a bit like cloud in mountains...it can be really thick sometimes with visability down to 10-20 yards ...while it can be like this on the coast 20-30 miles inland is blue skys and a warm day...but i love it when we get sea harr...the cool fresh air in your lungs is great for cycling and in thick mist a mile of beach feels like several...
sunday morning dawned glorious and clear so i went a walk with hanneke but by 10am a harr began to drift in and out on the coast down at tyningham...the pictures dont show it too well but i did a film where you can see it...alot of driftwood is gone along the tideline after the recent storm...as is some of the coast itself...




the rocks of st baldreds cradle looked a bit earie in the mist...





up above the coastline we walked along the secret trail...well its not really secret more hidden and often missed to visitors esp once the leaves are on the trees...






there are 2 ruins of WW2 coastal defences nearby...a machine gun pillbox and lookout station...


once up above the cliffs at ravensheugh the harr broke up within 5 minutes to a lovely warm clear day...





here`s some film from today...

scotch mist... from coastkid71 on Vimeo.