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Evening Ride 09 of 2017 - Sosltice

Page history last edited by Jim cameron 3 years, 1 month ago

Solstice ride to the Waterfront

Thursday, June 22, 2017 6:27 PM BST
Distance: 12.8 miles
Duration: 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 9 seconds
Minimum Elevation: 160 feet
Maximum Elevation: 466 feet
Total climb: 1277 feet
Total descent: 1249 feet

Link to Map https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bNPW5vLMfPW-fWIUIpcm0o8IScs&usp=sharing

17deg v.overcast not much wind (it felt warmish)

FrontPage

A dull evening. The forecast was for intermittent sun, but what we got was unremitting dark cloud. Nonetheless 15 of Edinburgh's most redoubtable cyclists set forth from All bar One on an impromtu Soltice ride.

I say impromptu because we usually repeat the same ride year on year & no-one complains ;-) but a number of circumstances forced changes, including the closure of Canongate.

Anyway this year we took the back exit to the West End (forsaking the canal) and Bells Brae to WOL path. Out at Stockbridge and down some steps to the Colonies. Out to Cannonmills and on to Eyre Place (the meetup for the 2016 evening rides, incidentally); then down the Tesco Tunnel and onto the North Edinburgh paths - Goldenacre and Hawthornvale, leading to Leith. There we rode along the Waterfrom to Granton and took the Access path South to the Red Bridge. It was then a simple matter to spin back to Russel Rd, then the Canal and on to the Meadows.

This was intended to be the first loop of a long ride celebrating the Solstice and the glorious longest day. But d'you know it wasn't all that nice; and a bit of gloom was sinking into the group. It didn't rain, and it wasn't cold, but with all that cloud it was much darker, much earlier than we'd bargained for, and I think it got to us a bit. Instead of a first loop, that was all we did.

To be sure, with a straw poll, two were for carrying on, but most were for closing the ride there and then, and thus was it closed. Nearby Cloisters provided a nice range of ales, and was busy at first but the effects of turnover soon got us sat down and quaffing them. A satisfatory end to the evening, where to put it short and sweet, the Scottish climate had once again driven us to drink.

Cheers!

Lead: Jim Photos: Michael Trace: Jim Text: Jim