Monday 3rd September 2018
Day one of my Fife tour with Jim started off wet, on both the English and Scottish legs. The plan to ride out to North Berwick was abandoned due to the wind and rain.
We got as far as Longniddry before heading back. The spare time gained was usefully spent in cafes slowly drinking tea. The digs at Murrayfield were great.
Tuesday 4th September 2018
Today was sunny, and after a bit of fun finding a route out of Edinburgh, we let on the Union Canal which took us all the way to the Falkirk Wheel – around 30 miles with no hills or traffic, but the ever-present fear of drowning kept the adrenalin flowing, especially in the tunnels and over the aqueducts.
Today’s highlights were seeing the Falkirk Wheel, the Kelpies up close and the ice cream after climbing up to Stirling Castle. Overnight at Alloa.
Wednesday 5th September 2018
Day three in central Scotland and I quickly forgot the chilly start (~6°C) when I began to climb to Sherrifmuir, the site of a battle 303 years ago. Often reaching 25%, the hills here are far steeper than anything I saw in the Alps, although thankfully not as long. My legs certainly knew that I was carrying 6kg of luggage! (Note to self: ditch the coffee machine and evening suit on future trips)
We had a coffee and cake at a lovely café in Braco before continuing with more climbs over to Crieff where Jim had to be talked out of investing £15 in a life-size shop mannequin in a recycle shop. If it were the last day, he would certainly have lashed it onto the back of his bike and I would have insisted he covered it with a spare cycling vest for modesty’s sake.
With a tail wind and fewer hills, the final leg across to Perth was covered quickly and we stopped for a sandwich in Perth city centre before checking into our lodgings at 2.30.
We then went for a short ride round the district with no luggage before tea (because we could) and found yet more hills which have more than made up for yesterday’s canal trip.
The venue for our evening meal has yet to be decided, but being just a 10 minute walk to the centre of Perth, there’ll be plenty of choice.
Thursday 6th September 2018
Breakfast in sunny Perth and late lunch in rainy St Andrews. Actually, the rain only happened while we were eating which made us decide not to take an additional ride round the coast, but walk round St Andrews instead. As soon as we began to walk the sun came out again!
The cycling from Perth was great – tailwind all the way along the flatlands beside the Tay. We bypassed Dundee, preferring instead to hug the coast which was good because we got to cycle beneath the infamous Tay rail bridge.
The Tay road bridge was a revelation. Who knew it climbed 20-odd metres from North to South? The other issue was that the lift was broken to get to the cycle track and we had to use the stairs! (They clearly had never heard of ramps)
St Andrews is synonymous with golf and everything in the North part of town relates to that game (I can’t bring myself to call it a sport). I have to admit that the greens were so beautifully kept they looked unreal. I was also very impressed that people like me were allowed to wander round and across the course unimpeded!
The rest of the town quickly became one of my favourite towns. There was so much to see, including the university, cathedral, castle and port, although the latter wouldn’t cut it in Cornwall.
As I write, the sun has come out on a beautiful evening.
Friday 7th September 2018
The final leg of the Fife tour started from St Andrews on a dry morning, even though rain had been forecast all week. One thing I should have learned by now is that when you stay in a seaside resort, the first ride of the day is uphill. Today it was uphill for about a dozen miles. Into the wind. With luggage. But it stayed dry, which was good.
Once we reached the coast again, I imagined a flat cruise to the Forth bridge and tail wind into Edinburgh. Not so. There were lots of hills to challenge us on the road to Queensferry, and quite a tricky bit of map-reading too.
We ate the second part of our Tesco-sourced breakfast by the sea at East Wemyss after following a bridlepath along the coast which boasted many steps! Not sure how any horses would have managed.
Lunch was the bargain of the week at what best resembled a transport cafe within sight of the Forth bridge. We had chilli con carne with chips and rice including a huge pot of tea, all for just £7.00 for both. I feel sure that we were undercharged, but I didn’t like to argue with the lady.
The original 1964 road bridge is now closed to all but buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians, but in addition, today the East lane was shut completely, meaning that bikes and luggage had to be hauled beneath the bridge to the West side. Jim is becoming very skilled at riding on steps.
One of the things I wanted to see this week was the view of the Forth bridges from the South side, so we went in search of the viewpoint. Significantly, this is not marked on any map. Once the photo was in the bag, we continued on NCR 76 through the Dalmeny estate counting down (and occasionally up) the miles remaining to Edinburgh. (Someone in the quality team of the street sign department wants re-educating since the remaining distance on every sign we passed appeared to be at odds with the previous one.)
We cycled up Calton Hill to take in the views of Edinburgh before catching a train back to Preston, in total travelling a total of 282 miles with no punctures or breakdowns. That’s assuming Jim arrived home safely.
