A Grand Day Out...

Thursday dawned with clear skys and not a breath of wind...
At last a lovely clear day so i made the most of it deciding to ride to the western End of the Countys coastline.
Some of this i haven't ridden yet on the pugsley so would be fun...
Cutting down 16 miles road cycling round trip from home i drove to Longniddry then cycled to Prestonpans where i would follow the coast then return on the tide line where possible.
At Prestonpans a great view across to Edinburgh,check out that blue sky!...


The Town of Prestonpans has put its History on its walls in murals...


It has a 32ft totem pole decorated in its industries...


And nearby Preston Grange has a Heritage Museum...










You can read more about the town and its Industrial Heritage and its Mural`s over here on my other blog; No Through Road...

Moving on,here is a coal mine shaft cap...


At the lagoons coal ash from Cockenzie Power Station is dumped and slowly land is being reclaimed.I went for a ride about on it and the pug didn't sink in,
our own wee ash desert!...






There is a bmx track here to if your feeling pumped...


Great views over the River Esk Estuary to Edinburgh...


Over a bridge and around the coastline at the Town of Musselburgh,here were on the John Muir Way path,and this nice bit of Art work...


Looking back East over an Hour and a half until low tide and the retreating tide was revealing a big area,was going to be fun returning...


At Fisherrow Harbour the tide wasnt quite out beyond the Harbour entrance.I didnt know it did go as far out here until friend Gavin did a film and pics out here on his regular MTB so i knew it would be ok on the pug...




Fisherrow is also the starting point for the John Muir Way...


With over an hour to low tide i decided to keep riding west.it was either into the Town or the beach so along i went,sadly some amount of litter alone the tideline...


Off the beach and over the county border and into the City of Edinburgh.
A short pavement ride took me to the start of the beach along to Portobello...


Riding above the coast there were some rocks that looked hard to ride over but from above there looked like some lines through in places.Then i came to Portobello Beach with its Promonade...


So i thought i may as well see how far along i can get so set off along the beach,soft at the top the pugs floated over the sand then down onto the firmer wet sand and alongside the sea. Wooden `spits` to stop sand moving...


At the west end of the beach i came to the sea wall at Seafield and up top was a great view east,I had come quite a long way...



Westwards the seawall goes along to Lieth Docks,the concrete path below the wall was green and slippy but see the one at the bottom of the slopes above the rocks?, it was covered in small barnicles and grippy so i rode along...


At its end there was only a few hundred yards to the shoreline but the gap could be bypassed by going up onto the track above to a road...


Thats for another daytrip,time to head back.
Back onto the beach and it was a nice cruise with a slight tailwind breeze...


Over those rocks below the suitably named `Rockville` Hotel,i had to walk most of them and the green slime was a bit slippy.
Someone`s old bike...rust in peace...


Onto some good sand before Fisherrow and over the County boundary line and back into East Lothian.I think the steel marker offshore is a boundary line indicator...




Then some small pebbles which the pug just floated over...


With the tide just on the turn i timed it perfectly, you can see here how low the water was from the Harbour Entrance at Fisherrow...


Took quite a while to ride across here to the River Esk Estuary in low gears,must be a mile or two.
A view you wont see in any cycle touring book!


I couldnt see the depth in the murky river water although rusting shopping trollys across the estuary were good depth indicators so decided to err on caution and ride around the River Esk on the John Muir Way up on the coastline to the Lagoon`s and its seawall pathway...


From here to Prestonpans i followed the JMW passing the old Harbour `Morisons Haven` at Preston Grange...




The shoreline here is mostly rocks and small pebble beaches which seem to have as many old bricks worn smooth by the sea as pebbles. The JMW continued along the concrete coastal path at Prestonpans towards one of East Lothians industrial landmarks at Cockenzie. Its a bit slippy along here so smooth peddling and steering...


Onto a firm shell filled beach towards the power station...


Twin chimney`s pierce the skyline...


Great View and quite a few miles travelled...


The sea was very calm with little wind...




Cockenzie Power Station was built on mostly reclamed land.some of the infill used were WW2 coastal Defence Anti Tank Blocks lifted from Aberlady bay...




These blocks were lifted from lines that ran East of Aberlady then at a right angle across the Peffer Burn and across the Nature Reserve.
Here is an Ariel picture from 1942 of some of the blocks that were removed and used...


The small harbour at Cockenzie...






And nearby is the Monument of a grinding ring from the Power Station, used to crush the coal...


The JMW continues along above the rocky shore line at Port Seaton to its Harbour...


The water was like a mill pond with no breeze...








Along the promonade at Port Seaton above the coastline...


Then down the steps and through the rocks on the home stretch down to Longniddry...


It was after 2 pm and the light and colour under the blue sky combined with the flat sea were amazing...


Days with weather like this you have to make the most of,
Today was a big day out, around 30-40 miles but so worth it.
This bike is ace and i love the fun it brings...

Another Day on the Coast and another new friend...

Headed down to John Muir Park Today, so many ways to ride around here so today went out across the grassy covered lagoon that partly fills at high tides...

The soft wet ground here is where the pugsley is perfect for minimal impact-less than the Horse hoofs and footprints left by other users...

After my friend Alan's recent finds of WW2 bullet shells i slowly had a good look about but nothing turned up,out to the remains of the Churchill Tank,used as target practice during the war...

further out is the remains of a Machine Gun Pill Box...

Riding out to the point on Spikey Island i saw coming towards me something i knew i would see one day...a pugsley coming the other way!,
And it wasn't friend Gary from Mid Lothian but a White Pugsley from the nearby Town of Dunbar!,But i already knew who it was...

A friend of my friend Ped is Davie who recently got his pugsley.
Its the complete model that only recently became available.I knew Gary or i would meet Davie eventually, Davie`s pugsley is still quite new but he is loving it,
we chatted a bit about them and there ability's, and the low impact footprint left...

We then rode across Hedderwick sand and round to beside the River Tyne where it enters the Bay beside the Buist Bank...

I think the complete build looks great and for the money its instant big grins without the hassle of sourcing the needed parts and the bewildered looks by most wheel builders etc...
so what you all waiting for folks? get one ordered! -:)

We rode back around Hedderwick sands and around Spikey Island and down into Belhaven Bay...

Over the `Bridge to nowhere` which crosses the Biel Burn...


And around the clifftop trail to stop in at the local Bike Shop where Davie got his Pugsley at Belhaven Bikes.
And riding home an hour later here is why the Bridge is named so...

Nice to meet up with Davie and no doubt along with Gary we will do some group rides,
Davie has started a blog too so go over and have a look, He Surfs and also has a stand up paddle board,goes Spear fishing and is a lifeboat volunteer so unlike myself being a land lubber he knows a lot about the sea so have a read of his life on the East coast...
Check out Davie`s blog; flowrider

Gullane Beachride...

Not been the best week weather wise to have taken Holidays but still plenty to do,
It was heavy rain at Glentress on Sunday but the 7 of us that went had good fun,but it was just too wet to consider taking the camera,Then after yesterdays downpour the regular trails are saturated, but theres still the coastline.
Today i spent a couple of hours cycling about the Gullane coastline.
Been a while since i have been out to the WW2 midget Subs in Aberlady bay.
Since the last visit there has been a lot of movement of sand banks,now the East side of the better of the 2 subs is submerged...

I hope to make a film about these subs and there history soon...




The more Easterly Sub is starting to break up now...

Not often the sand bank where they lie is really smooth,must have been the recent strong winds,make cycling nice and smooth and its lovely to just cruise along.
Here is a wee bit film passing `DAS Boots`...

Different times of year bring different shells ashore,this now quite a few large Welks...

And the moving sands have made this WW2 coastal defence anti glider pole reappear,one of 2 here complete on the Reserve,should dig a hole to let the base fall in and upright it!...

The Rocks along the coastline here are every shade of brown...


Continuing along and underneath the Cliffs known as `Maggies Loup` and over more rocks,here is a wee bit film...

And dropping down i slipped into a pool of water on the greasy rocks, the soles of my new KEEN boots dont grip as good as Five Ten boots but they are definitly waterproof!, then i slipped again and dropped the pugsley-rider error this time...

The 2 huge parts of an old pier have been here a couple of years now, right in the way for riding down `Murder Hill` dune...


You can see lovely markings on the sandstone cliff here...

And the green slimy stuff i just slipped on is almost luminous in colour...

Heading down Gullane Bay,the main beach,and a wee wheelie...


A friend asked if riding Beaches i dont miss the climbs and descents of regular mountainbiking, but there is some nice technical riding in places like here between Gullane Bay and Freshwater Haven above the shore line...

Apart from re-discovering cycling getting this bike ive also had to hone new skills riding it,took a while to learn to ride a fully ridged bike with suspension in the tyres but once you get the hang of it and how much power to put through the pedals to prevent wheel spin this bike really amazes and rewards...if you can clean this trail on a regular bike your way better a rider than me!,
Here is a wee film riding here...

From Freshwater Haven i returned west along a cracking bit of sandy singletrack between a fence and Sea Buckthorn-the bake Bean plant!,
I love this trail,several trails lead off it down to the beach,at its end is a natural spring which often floods the trail as it was today due to all the recent heavy rainfall, still no mud though!
Here is the last film from today...

The Council have been clearing large areas of the encroaching Sea Buckthorn over the winter above Gullane Bay and it is reopening a maze of criss crossed sandy trails

I spent a while riding some up and down-it just keeps getting better owning this bike as you find more and more places to ride like here where old trails are getting reinstated.And there ridable all year round whatever the weather.
I came across something i havent seen here before, a`Dragons Tooth` pyramid shaped WW2 Anti tank deterrent,dug up by one of the 360 diggers it is now sitting upside down...

I have only just seen the regular blocks around here before like these nearby...

Then i came across this,previously hidden by the Sea Buckthorn...

A demolished Army building with concrete floor and brick walls...


I know there was a Firing Range here during WW2 and also Beach Landing Training took place as part of the training for the 1944 D Day Normandy Landings.
Maybe it was an Observation Building for this?.Need to do some research as it could be an interesting post for the new blog.