by Paul Watson
This informal annual cycle ride starting at Bitts Park and arriving at Cramond Beach, Edinburgh, in time to view the sunrise takes place every year on the closest Saturday / Sunday to the longest day. With a couple of tweaks to the direct route it’s 100 miles exactly on mainly quiet bike friendly roads.
Having only progressed from an ebike to a 100% manpower road bike in April, upping the fitness was going to be a steep curve, but progressing from my first targeted training of 50 miles along the military road, then a 60 mile jaunt around the Caldbeck fells then a couple of 70 miles trips with night riding practice I feel pretty well prepared.
Having made my way to Bitts Park, My daughter Alice is already waiting to see me off, and kindly furnishes me with an ice cream for sustenance.
Estimating that I could manage a 10mph average with stops, I had decided on a 4:30 start which would allow 2 hours for contingencies, and an early enough arrival to grab a bacon butty and cuppa before the sunrise at 4:30 the next morning. I set forth with a small group including Tricha and Trina, a mother and daughter team from Durham. If you recognise Tricha (left) she is a keen fellrunner and a regular at the OMM.
The first section of the route takes the A7 across Junction 44 to Longtown then swings left to Gretna, a small diversion to make up the 100 miles. Next, across the border and through Gretna Green onto the peaceful old A74 road, followed by 30 or so miles of a very modest gradual climb to Moffat, home of “The Best Pizza and Kebab House”. Of course all the standard Scottish chip shop delights are on offer and I plump for haggis and chips.
The Johnstones aka “The Devils” were notorious 16th Century Reivers who specialised in cattle rustling. They used a deep corrie just north of these parts to stash their quarry and thus the moniker “Devil’s Beef Tub”, which also gives its name to the section of the A701 that runs along western flank and round the rim of the corrie. Being a collectable cycle climb I added it to my collection (See below). It’s not steep, but does go on, 10km at an almost unerring 3% rising 300m, and my hill climbing antics of the last couple of years (both ebike and manpower bike) serves me well. We are also treated to the stunning vista of the shadows cast by the slanting sun on the fells opposite.
he top is the midpoint, and almost the highest point, of the trip. It’s just past 9:30, so I am making decent time. We are greeted here by a piper, so a short break. Next a further very gradual climb before a nice relaxing gradual downhill 10 mile section on smooth roads leading to the Wee Crook, a former inn and now a teahouse serving up beverages and flapjack. There is also a disco set up and a man dressed as a banana distributing said fruit.
No time for discos so off I go in a small group. Soon though the group becomes dispersed and one reason is something of which I really must take issue with the organisers, who describe the next section as “lovely undulating roads”. Undulating they are, which is fine, but lovely they are not. They are incredibly rough, especially for those on 90psi 25mm road tyres. I find a definite need to temper the speeds offered by the gradual downhill sections for fear of my lovely new bike shaking to bits. It’s dark now, and the amount of illumination available makes it hard to pick out smooth bits, so the middle of the road is the best bet. The street lit and Vodafone covered village of Blyth Bridge offers a chance to make the promised check-in before midnight. With an instruction to not check-in again at my 2:30 ETA, and it’s off again on thankfully improved roads.
The final stretch now and my navigation device comes to the fore, guiding me through Penicuik and on to and through Edinburgh. I spot an all night garage with several bikes parked up just and decide there is plenty of time for a coffee stop. The ride through the city sees me being overtaken by increasingly velocitous pelotons of club riders, but no need to hurry, the last 3 miles to Cramond Beach are all downhill. A few hundred meters short of the beach , a sign guides us to the Cramond Kirk Hall and the breakfast goodies supplied by Fresh Start, a local Edinburgh charity that helps homeless people settle into their new homes. It’s 2:30am … spot on. No sign of the ladies though, so I hope they made it.
It is a gorgeous morning in the twilight and by 4:00 most people are fed and watered and are gathering on the grassy knoll at the beach expectant of a glorious sunrise, and I don’t think anyone could be disappointed.
This was an excellent experience, and thoroughly recommended to anyone with a bike, and to the others, “get a bike!”
Links and Plugs.
The Devil’s Beeftub part of the ride was Cycling Climb 58 on my quest to complete 70 before I am 70 (next May). https://pauls70projects.blog/
This is part of a project to do 70 of 7 things and the hardest. Testing 70 Whiskies the easiest 😄. Follow here. Sorry but my blogs are not very up to date.
If you don’t fancy reading the blogs, you can still contribute to my fundraisers via the links below. These are inspired by relatives and friends who sadly never made it to 70. Please choose one.
British Heart Foundation In memory of my mother Maragret Watson (69)
Pancreatic Cancer In memory of my lifetime friend Carol Pritchard (69)
Cancer Research In memory of my lifetime friend Steve Wiseall (51)
Mind In memory of my friend Kat Lyle (25)
The “70 project” endeavour was partly inspired by BL member Natalie Hawkrigg who did a similar thing in her 50th year.
Ride to the sun link
Border Liners Orienteering Club 