All week the weather has been bitter cold and snow showers have swept down the east coast of the UK. here in East Lothian we have missed it mostly except the eastern edge of our local Lammermuir Hills about 8 miles inland... The bitter N-NW wind and the last 2 days a perma frost around here...but snow is forcasted for tonight and Saturday/Sunday... there was 14" in Northumberland (NE England) 50 miles down the coast so if need be i will be heading down there over the weekend to do some Snowbiking... Are we in for another `proper winter` then?..weather experts are predicting so it seems... Here's one who is hoping...the Pugsley is prepped and ready...
Its usually the month of rain,dark,dull,grey sky's and well a bit rotten really... and this month it has lived up to its reputation!, certainly its been wet and also windy...but it has its moments
I filmed this a year ago in November 09 but never used it, November is the month we start to see big swell`s and storms come in from out in the North Sea... Time for me to spend weekends mostly beachriding now and riding local xc nightrides through the week with friends...despite alot of areas very wet now there is still alot of places ok to ride without causing unnecessary damage here in East Lothian, This weekends 2 days beachriding didn't go to plan...due again to the foul weather... It has poured down since Friday evening and has hardly let up now on Sunday evening.. Saturday was mostly spent in the man cave tinkering with bikes and i fitted a new framebag to the Pugsley which arrived from America on Friday... Its a JannDD frame bag and what i have been looking for...i had seen some on Pugsleys over the water on forums and blogs and i was looking for a cheapish smaller frame bag big enough for a pump,tools and spare tube and at $39 & P&P payable by paypal its ideal. Quality seems good and i only had to cut a small gap for a fastener strap on my camera `gas tank` bag to fit. With pugsley in the kitchen ready to go i put off going out in the sideways rain and instead opted to relax in front of a roaring fire and some cider Saturday affy... I awoke to rain on the window Sunday morning and lay wondering if you can do a 2-3 hour bike ride and stay bone dry and warm underneath all the layers? well you can if you dress right for the occasion... I headed along to my local coastline via the woods ready for the weather, no helmet I'm afraid-instead a pitcap under the hooded North Face paclite,under that was a sleeveless and long sleeve merino wool tops,lowers were Altura long trousers with Montane paclite over trousers, these are only showerproof but as i have found body heat keeps legs warm and dryish...hands and feet were kept warm and dry with Scott Adventure gloves and my trusty Viking dry boots with thick Bridgedale wool socks... excuse the picture quality as due to the rain i used the Tachyon XC camera for pics... headed along to the coast via Binning Woods... glad to see some nice new fencing and gates... time for some swamp biking and it was fun ploughing through flooded forester tracks though here i got a bit over excited and out my depth... it was pouring down as i rode through the woods and quite a noise on the tree canopy above aswell as on the beech leaf covered ground...i went for a bit off piste riding through the woods for a bit,always good fun... a couple of miles of this and crossing the road and into Tyningham Estate and soon i was at the coast... it was very wet and only a a few folk braving the weather-excellent! quite a swell out to sea as can be seen by the froth washed in... here you can see how the Pugsley`s tracks leave less imprint than a Human... heres some film hand holding the Tachyon camera along the coast...
up at St Baldrads cradle i enjoyed the view of a big sea...
Along the secret trail then home again through Binning Woods...i was still dry despite the weather an again enjoyed the woodland trails...
The new frame bag has been fine,and it was dry inside after nearly 3 hours out in the rain...so was i and part in thanks to my trusty Viking Dry Boots...ideal for weather like this... A hot bath then a Whiskey in front of a roaring open fire nicely rounding off another Sunday...
if you search `Scotland` on youtube here is one of the first films you will get on the search...and it is a great song for a good slideshow of some of what Scotland has to offer...all roads seem to lead back home...enjoy...
After his Youtube sensation cycling film Edinburgh trials rider Danny is back on Youtube with his new film... this time riding stuff from Edinburgh to his Home village of Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye...but if you watch he heads east first from `The Burgh`to East Lothian and North Berwick Harbour! get ready for this one...amazing skill...enjoy...
After a week off work ill with a horrid cold and no biking i was back out today for a short ride...i still have a bad cough but had to get out biking again!. So i headed North 6 miles by road to Yellowcraig... a place i visited alot as a kid on school holidays with my dad when he was the county ranger... i rode down one of the trails i am leading a group of friends around tomorrow and despite a weeks heavy rain is bone dry... thanks to the sandy loam free draining soil- the area is a raised beach,and was once sea... from the trail to the east is one of my dream houses... A former WW2 RAF building which was part of the coastal defence...what a house...it has alot of windows to clean!,it has a North and South conservatory for sunrise and sunset... At the car park are good information signs about the area... I love it down here,links with pine woods,a big wide beach,and its show piece Fidra Island and its lighthouse... and the area is famous as being the haunt of one of Scotland's most famous author`s Robert Lewis Stevenson who spent many holidays in the local town of North Berwick,played golf and walked the beaches here... and he based one of the most famous children's books here using Fidra island... I did a loop of the woods on the clean dry trails,some covered in crispy dry leaves that crunched under the tyres... Leaving the bike i walked up Yellowcraig hill, a low hill but gives a good coastal view...east across to the Bass Rock Island and the North Sea behind and to its right North Berwick Law... to the North Fidra in the Firth of Forth Estuary and behind the coastline of Fife,the Estuary is around 14 miles at its widest-near here at North Berwick... and of course a great view of the Lighthouse...it has a narrow gauge railway track on it down to its loading pier... you can see its route here on a RCHMS website photo... back on the pugsley and down onto the beach... the new Larry tyres are amazing and have transformed the bike,no more strange steering on the road or bobbing up and down when peddleing hard like before, here is the new tread pattern to look out for if your down this way!... Due to the shape of the Island Fidra looks quite differant depending if you are looking straight on or from the left or right,here straight on you dont see its sea arch... there was a real cold wind on the near deserted beach...just a couple of dog walkers,this is the weather i love on the coast and the whole place nearly to yourself...this is a view!...
The recent strong winds have created tounges of soft sand up above the tideline... and here they expose small stones and shells which sit up above the surrounding sand... i love watch sand blowing like this,see here in a short bit of film...
There were a few washed up creels, ripped from there anchor points during the storms of last week... Overhead a dark cloud threatend to rain but it never came...
time to zoom down the beach and enjoy the strong tailwind... theres more of a buzz noise from the new Surly Larry tyres esp on tarmac but i like it!...
at the far end of the beach i stopped beside the coastal erosion from the big storms of last spring... nearby some noisy Oyster Catchers were busy feeding... Returning along the beach i headed for home as been out long enough while still not 100%... came across this Sea Urchin Shell,it must of split while washed ashore,shame but there will be another sometime... even got a bit sunshine... what a lovely half days ride on the pugsley...love this bike...and have missed cycling on the coast....
My camera finally died on Saturday...ive ordered another Canon as impressed with the quality for the price... so no pics from a big mud riding session in the woods on the Pugsley with the new Larry tyres...there amazing compare to the old endomorphs...esp up front,gone is the weird steering at 8 PSI..maybe the stiffer 120 TPI sidewalls or the tread,also alot better on off camber muddy 4x4 tracks- its Achilles heal in the past.. strangely my camera seems to still take video though! offcamber slick ruts like this are easily ridable now,easier than my 29er...
i spent a couple of hours cruising around Binning woods,its silent once in the centre of the woods with no wind...and this now there is a bit of a Blair witch Progect air about them...
This must be the ultimate offroader... Russian built Vityaz CTV... just tie the Pugsley on the roof and off you go..anywhere you want!
The Bikechain phoned today to say my new tyres had arrived for the Pugsley... drove into Edinburgh and picked them up...also a new saddle for the pug, finished in `the young pretender` Stewart tartan... the new Larry tyres have been out a while but i hadn't worn out the Endomorphs yet...designed as a front folk have been using them front and rear and there deeper dart shape treads are supposed to be way better in mud... they look the biz...its pouring with rain tonight so will try them out tomorrow... and the seat adds a Scottish feel to things...
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!
