30 September 2015 – Across the Lammermuirs (twice)

The weather at the end of September gave a brief glimpse of what summer should have been like – warm, blue skies and barely a breath of wind. We weren’t going to waste it by not cycling, but the question was where? Coincidentally, I had been playing around with a new mapping app and discovered a new mountain bike route, the Capital Trail. Part of this trail runs across the Lammermuirs so we decided to check it out, starting from Gifford.

So we drove to Gifford and unpacked the bikes: Colette’s hybrid and also her mountain bike, which I built up for her but she didn’t like, so I am now using it instead. The sky was blue but it was still a bit chilly and positively cold as we passed through the shade of the trees.

Moo!!!

Moo!!!

We headed up to Longyester junction, where we took the road signed as a dead end. It ran up towards the hills, with fields on either side. It was getting a little steep, so when Colette said she wanted to stop for a photo, I wasn’t complaining. She was trying to persuade a bull to look her way for a picture, but all of her coaxing only attracted the attention of bulls in the opposite field, who came our way, bellowing. Then the bulls on our side started calling back. Pretty soon the previously quiet contryside was resounding to a shouting competition between maybe a dozen bulls. With that, it was time to go, before we caused any more aggro!

The tarmac soon disappeared, to be replaced by rough gravel. A fell runner who had parked next to the gate at the end of the public road and was getting ready, kindly opened the gate to let us through. We continued but very slowly up the steep and rough landrover track. It wasn’t long before the runner (who looked to be mid-60s or maybe 70) overtook us and disappeared into the distance. After cycling as far as I could before stopping, I then had to join Colette in pushing the bike up the path, as it was pretty much impossible to get started again. The track kept going up and up, and our progress was very slow but we didn’t mind. It gave us a great opportunity to enjoy the scenery, as we made our way past Lammer Law in the warm sunshine.

Sometimes pushing is the best option. Sometime it's the ONLY option!

Sometimes pushing is the best option. Sometime it’s the ONLY option!

Finally, we were able to get on our bikes once more, riding along a flatter plateau section with the whole expanse of the Lammermuirs opened up around us. We even picked up a bit of speed on some downhill parts, but it was important not to get carried away, as some of the bumps and deep gravel patches could have been tricky at high speed!

The reward...

The reward…

Soon, the trail took us away from the main track onto a minor one that ran away to the left. That took us downhill, then suddenly dipped very steeply with a couple of hairpin bends taking us into a little hidden glen. A small cabin has been built in this delightful and remote spot – a wonderful place to get away from it all. To progress through the glen, we had to ford the same stream twice, then push up a really steep hill on the other side. I didn’t even bother attempting to cycle up it!

The hidden glen

The hidden glen

Fording fun! Select a low gear, pedal like hell and don't stop!

Fording fun! Select a low gear, pedal like hell and don’t stop!

Once at the top, the track became an easier, slight downhill slope so we finally started to cover the ground at a decent speed. After a while, we took a right turn, following the line of pylons leading away from the windfarm. This was fast and fun and straight, apart from a wee wiggle with a short, sharp climb lying in wait to take us by surprise.

After that, we took a left onto a lesser track. Pretty soon we arrived at a steep, loose drop, which we took very carefully, then there was a meander through dense fernage leading to another new-looking cabin. I stopped to take a look, and it was a bothy: Bunny’s Bothy to be precise. It was an ideal place to sit down and eat our sandwiches.

Following our brief break, we continued, following a muddy path down a valley through sheep farming contry. Lots of mud and puddles and sheep poo were ridden through, making me very mud-splattered. Colette was much less so, due to having mudguards (that reminds me, I’ve not washed those bikes yet!).

Finally we reached civilisation (i.e. some farmhouses) and were met by proper tarmac once more. We followed it for a mile or so, eventually reaching the A697 at a place called Cleekhimin. There we turned right (parting company with the Capital Trail) and cycled for a few minutes along the road till we reached the Carfraemill hotel. We sat outside at the hotel to enjoy some well-earned tea and scones. I also washed the mud off my water bottles and got a refill with iced water – great!

Now we needed to go back over the hills to return to Gifford. So to start, we followed the single track road running north from the hotel. This was easy going for a mile or two, running mostly along the valley floor, but our route suddenly went from flat to very steep, up the hill to the farmhouse at Tollishill. Luckily the road was still paved for this climb, so I was able to slowly amble my way up at minimum speed. The iced water from the hotel was still cool by the time we reached the top and at that point was very welcome indeed!

From the farmhouse onwards, the road continued as a landrover track but mercifully the gradient was much easier. After a while, we met up with the Capital Trail again, coming from the other direction this time. We stayed on the same path for maybe a mile before taking a right leading towards Hopes Reservoir.

Easy does it, it's a long way down...

Easy does it, it’s a long way down…

Before reaching the reservoir, we had a long, steep downhill section to negotiate. It was slightly scary, but I managed to get myself down without the brakes giving up on me before the bottom. They were red hot at the end of it though!

The rest of the ride to the reservoir and past it to the proper road on the other side was much easier. I was still enjoying every minute and had a blast on the final downhill to the cattle grid.

From there, it was tarmac all the way to Gifford, and somehow odd to be going at “proper” cycling speed for once. So it took very little time to complete our journey, returning to the car in the late afternoon sun. Then just a short car journey lay between us and much needed showers, giving us time to reflect on a fantastic day out.

 

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