We met up with eight other of the Lothian Cyclists at South Queensferry for a group ride, heading off into the West Lothian countryside on a bright sunny morning. The route was chosen by Fiona, who knows someting about volcanoes as she is a geography teacher.
As we set off, I found my bike was playing up, with gears skipping at the back. This was a bit of a disappointment because I’d spent some time the day before trying to fine tune the gears. While I had been making adjustments, I noticed my chain was worn, so I went off and bought a new one and fitted it in time for the ride. The chain seemed to work perfectly, but I didn’t take it for a test ride. As it turned out, my lowest 4 gears were unusable, and the others only worked if I didn’t pedal hard. I suppose I could have called it a day there and then, but I decided to persevere and treat it as a challenge – and I could always get off and push if necessary.
We started out along the B800, then turned right into Dundas estate. As we turned, I could see lots of blue flashing lights on the B800 ahead, and it wasn’t until we got home after the ride that we learned it was for a 78 year-old cyclist who had tragically been knocked off and killed.
After the estate, we came out near Duntarvie Castle, which is a familiar landmark for travellers on the M9, and which has been festooned in scaffolding for what seems like decades. It was fascinating to finally see it from another angle.
Under the motorway we went, and through Winchburgh where we crossed over the Union canal. We then came to a place called Faucheldean, with a steep-sided bing, and where the road suddenly got steeper too. I stopped briefly when my gears failed me, then got back on in the lowest functional gear and pedalled as gently as possible to prevent skipping. It was like slow-motion pedalling, and I got left behind for a while till the road flattened off again.
Binny Crag (aka Binny Craig)
Another steady climb took us up to a vantage point where we could look over to Binny Crag – a volcanic outcrop, shaped by glaciers. After a short break, we got back on our bikes for a brief downhill interlude, followed by more climbing as we passed close to Cairnpapple Hill, the second of the day’s volcanic features. Then it was downhill all the way to Torphichen, where our line of bikes held up quite a queue of cars. They were all well behaved, but I do think we should split up into two groups on occasions like that, so the cars can overtake easier.
Avonbridge Viaduct
The route then took us past Avonbridge, where we paused to admire the Avonbridge Viaduct. After that, we weren’t far from our intended lunch stop – the Bridge 49 Cafe & Bistro at Muiravonside. We had stopped there on the previous week’s outing and were so impressed that we came back again this time! The cafe has a newly-constructed look to it, and has a fantastic location right next to the canal. On the previous outing, we had arrived during a deluge of rain, but this time there was bright sunshine, and it was almost good enough to contemplate eating outside. That would have been a bad idea, as it clouded over and started raining while we were eating our lunch. But luckily the rain ceased just as we were getting ready to leave.
The return leg took us past another impressive viaduct on our way to Linlithgow. From there, we took a route that led under the M9 once more and through the quiet hamlet of Abercorn. We then went through the Hopetoun estate, bringing us out onto a small road running right alongside the Forth estuary. This road took us past the new Forth crossing, still in its early stages of construction, and into South Queensferry, where our cars were waiting.
I thoroughly enjoyed the outing, despite the mechanical issues. It’s amazing that I managed to get round with half of my gears “missing”, but it isn’t to be recommended! Moral of the story: always do a test ride if you fiddle with your bike before a long run.