During our FRT in The Merrick last week and after much vacillated discussion, we decided to have another cycle run. We would return to the canal at Linlithgow and cycle eastward towards Edinburgh this time. During the intervening week’s sobriety nothing changed. So, today, eight of us gathered at Woodcockdale car park near Linlithgow with a variety of machines hanging on cycle racks or stuffed inside motors.
The weather of the last couple of days has been gloriously spring-like and warm. Would it be too much to ask for this to continue? We would wait and see but the morning was fair enough.
Johnny exhibited his impatience to be off by cycling annoyingly round the car park while the rest were trying to get ready. He would regret his impatience later, but for now he was raring to go. We were all fairly keen to go for there was barely a puff in the air and the sun, though gone for the moment, promised to return anytime. Yet the air was cool, too cool to hang about much in shorts. (Yes, most wore shorts today, confident that there would be no heather to sprachle through.) We set off westwards along the canal towpath towards Linlithgow.
Our first halt came at the two mile mark, at the canal basin in Linlithgow. One of those for whom this was new territory, spotted Linlithgow Palace and was for a better view. So we halted.
But the halt didn’t last long, just long enough for a picture, and we were awheel again. Davie led us off along the towpath again. One drawback of canal cycling is that the towpath regularly narrows and Indian file is the order of the day. This makes conversation difficult, especially with the person two bikes away and it was a rather quiet group that covered the next mile or so through the yellowing rape fields of West Lothian with the leader unaware of the tail-ender. But Davie set a good pace and the group stayed together.
We halted again at Park Farm Bistro for, despite the shortness of the run so far, it was some time since breakfast and coffee was called. It was taken on the picnic area on the other bank of the canal and was most welcome. At least now a group conversation could be had. But there are those who would rather move on, so move on we did.
The weather of the last couple of days has been gloriously spring-like and warm. Would it be too much to ask for this to continue? We would wait and see but the morning was fair enough.
Johnny exhibited his impatience to be off by cycling annoyingly round the car park while the rest were trying to get ready. He would regret his impatience later, but for now he was raring to go. We were all fairly keen to go for there was barely a puff in the air and the sun, though gone for the moment, promised to return anytime. Yet the air was cool, too cool to hang about much in shorts. (Yes, most wore shorts today, confident that there would be no heather to sprachle through.) We set off westwards along the canal towpath towards Linlithgow.
Our first halt came at the two mile mark, at the canal basin in Linlithgow. One of those for whom this was new territory, spotted Linlithgow Palace and was for a better view. So we halted.
But the halt didn’t last long, just long enough for a picture, and we were awheel again. Davie led us off along the towpath again. One drawback of canal cycling is that the towpath regularly narrows and Indian file is the order of the day. This makes conversation difficult, especially with the person two bikes away and it was a rather quiet group that covered the next mile or so through the yellowing rape fields of West Lothian with the leader unaware of the tail-ender. But Davie set a good pace and the group stayed together.
We halted again at Park Farm Bistro for, despite the shortness of the run so far, it was some time since breakfast and coffee was called. It was taken on the picnic area on the other bank of the canal and was most welcome. At least now a group conversation could be had. But there are those who would rather move on, so move on we did.
A second drawback of the towpath was the constant dismounting to negotiate barriers at access points. While we could see a reason for these but it was a bit of a scunner having to stop, queue to get through, start up and find the pedalling rhythm again. At one of these dismounts Jimmy and Ronnie were delayed and dropped off the pace. They worked hard to catch us up with Jimmy moving through to the middle of the pack and Ronnie happy to remain at the tail. We entered a pleasant narrow wooded valley and were strung out along the path again. A sharp crack like a shot and a shout from the middle of the line had us dismounted, looking for punctures. It was only then we discovered Ronnie was missing. He’d tailed off the back and nobody noticed.
The search party found Ronnie dismounted, examining the nether parts of his machine. Sure enough, it was mechanical bother. Not the result of the gunshot-like noise but serious nevertheless. His triple chain ring had come asunder and three of the five retaining screws were missing. No time or tools for a complete refurbishment but a sufficient repair was made to enable him to complete the run, albeit with some care.
While all this was happening, those not mechanically minded enjoyed standing in the wood watching the light in the spring foliage and dappling the ground. Masses of wild onions clothed the bank where we stood and, across the canal, bluebells began to show colour. And chaffinch and song thrush sang in the trees. Ronnie couldn’t have picked a better place to break down.
The enforced rest gave us the oomph to continue the run. Leaving the wee wood behind, we ran into open countryside, through more fields of rape and past the red oil-shale bings of Broxburn. The scent of the rape was in the air; thankfully the sulphurous stench of the shale bings wasn’t and the air remained fresh.
The experts lent advice to the punctured Ian. Ian punctured a back wheel. Fortunately we were approaching a slipway with a wide area of hard standing and we pulled up here and allowed Ian to push his disabled machine to join us. Ian attended to his leaking tyre. The non-mechanical were entertained by a man/ poor soul/ eejit in joggers and tee-shirt practising Tai Chi while the experts stood round offering Ian advice. No matter how he solved the problem, it wasn’t the way we would have done it. The end result was the same, though and we were soon awheel again.
Davie, who was the one amongst us to have done this cycle, suggested we run only as far as the motorway where we would find tables for lunch. This was generally agreed. Davie lies. When we got to the motorway there were no picnic tables; no tables of any kind; no stones to act as tables; no flat grassy area on which to put tables. In fact there was no place for lunch. Anyway, as Rex said above the noise of the traffic, the planes on the flight path to Edinburgh airport, the train just passing on the railway and the tractor in the field, it was a wee tad noisy. We ran on yet. Just as Davie was on the point of panic about the distance we would have to return, the seekers of the lunch place, Paul and Rex, stopped. We would go no further but return to the canal basin we passed a few miles back. This we did, and lunch was finally taken leaning against the walls of the basin building.
The return journey was faster than the outward. Davie led as off again. He was enjoying himself today and kept the pace easy. Past Tai Chi slipway we ran. (No gesticulating eejit this time) Rex hailed us from the rear. He too was having mechanical problems with a soft rear tyre. Suspecting a puncture, he had us stopped while he checked it out. But there didn’t seem to be a leak and some extra air seemed to do the trick. We were off again.
Somehow, Jimmy and Paul had got to the front and settled into a steady rhythm of elevens or twelves and covered the next two mile or so at this speed. The rest kept up though. Then Johnny, who was beginning to suffer for his long lie-off, shouted from the middle for the infirm and those with bike problems to be in front. We suspect he really wanted the pace eased for himself but wouldn’t admit it. Did he get a slower run? Did he heck! Ronnie, he of the major mechanical problem, went out first and was joined by Allan. The pace was kept up only slowing momentarily to duck under the many bridges that crossed the path then upped again.
Back through the wee wood with no slowing, back past the site of the chain wheel disaster and back past the morning’s coffee stop. And yet the pace was kept up. Johnny was really suffering now. Davie took pity on the poor soul and called a halt at Linlithgow basin. Johnny was glad of the rest, once he managed to sit down on a proper seat.
A group of primary school children were getting canoeing lessons in the basin and kept us amused as we sat in the afternoon sun. Knew how difficult it is to control these things. The breeze caught the boats and sent them westward, despite the efforts of the children to manoeuvre them elsewhere. At one point it looked as though three wee lassies were Edinburgh bound and disappeared under a bridge. It took a fair effort from the instructor to lasso them and tow them back. We could smile at their antics for we left such things behind us when we left the classroom.
Allan, Rex and Jimmy led away from the basin. We though the pace was fast enough but obviously Jimmy didn’t. With a mile to go he accelerated way and raised the speed to around eighteens. The only one who went with him was Rex and the two raced it out to Woodcockdale. The rest came in as their speed allowed. Poor Johnny trailed in last.
A distance of around twenty-seven miles was sufficient for our first cycle since Rothesay back in September.
Distance (return) 41.6 km
report by Jimmy
photos by Johnnie
video by Rex
3D map by Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment