2026 - Our Rides in Words, Photos, Maps and Videos

[DaveMatthews]

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After many days of abysmal weather I spotted an opportunity to get out today, I was almost certainly going to get wet but I decided to chance it! I couldn't get any wetter than last Sunday so why not just go for it? I headed down my usual amazing back roads to Yieldshields and took the back road up to Braehead! During my downtime I purchased a full new set of much needed brake rotors and pads and treated the bike to some new brakes, what a difference I must say!

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I was looking forward to the awesome descent from Braehead to Carnwath and it didn't disappoint! I stopped for some photos looking SE before flying down the big hill at high speed, to the south there were big squalls of rain so I wasn't going any further south today! It looked like the Pentland hills were just missing it, I would be heading for said hills soon so I was sure hoping so....

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I just love this descent!

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The final descent into Carnwath is pretty special also, amazingly Tinto Hill looked clear today!

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SE was still looking grim...

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I arrived in Carnwath where it was time to head north to avoid the rain, thankfully the awesome A70 was open again, the sky was looking better over Carnwath!

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Time for the A70!

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Still looking nasty to the south!

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The start of the Pentlands!

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Looking much better to the north!

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Then I discovered why the A70 had been closed for a while, they had been laying the awful surface dressing for a few miles...its basically loose gravel! Back in my motorcycling days it was so dangerous and I truly detested it! Thank you for ruining a perfect road, West Lothian Council...

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Still dry over the Pentlands!

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It was time to leave the A70 and turn NW towards Harburn and West Calder, another really nice rollercoaster road and thankfully no surface dressing! Its quite a climb to Harburn and then a really fun descent into West Calder! I continued NW to Blackburn where I turned west for Whitburn and joined the cycle path up to Armadale! The wind was from the SW and around 20-25mph, it was great when I was on the A70 but now I was battling the headwind! From Armadale I took the back road to Blackridge, but decided to take the cycle path to the village this time and I reckon it has been a good 20 years since I used this path!

The road is a cracker so it wasn't an easy decision to leave it....

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The cycle path starts at the railway bridge at the bottom of the hill! It used to be a really rough path but since they updated the railway line a while back it received some much needed new tarmac!

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After a mile or so I did come across some parts that hadn't been resurfaced and there was some deepish puddles but it was short lived and I was getting good shelter from the wind! I will probably stick to the road next time... From Blackridge I decided to head north again and headed up the big climb over Heights, it was wind assisted so an easy choice for me!

Its a great road and the weather was still looking good to the north and still not a drop of rain after 55 miles!

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The view at the top of the climb!

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Then it was a cracking descent before another big climb and then came this descent, I was gutted to meet a car part way down!

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Then its another big climb followed by yet another big descent, on that one I met a truck... It was carrying horses so it was going very slowly...

Speaking of horses, I stopped for some photos at the end of the road!

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Then it was time to turn SW for home, directly into the wind and it was looking pretty ominous out my way!

It was nice at the Black Loch though!

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Amazingly I made it home bone dry, what a bonus! There were dark clouds all around my home town but not a single drop of rain, I guess I was due a break after Sundays drenching...what a fantastic day on the bike!

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Car?
Car?!!???
I didn't see no steenkin' car mate... nah...

 

[RabH]

Car?
Car?!!???
I didn't see no steenkin' car mate... nah...

You didn't see the truck either...

 

[DaveMatthews]

You didn't see the truck either...

Oh now you're just pulling my leg mate.
Ha. I'm on to you...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

You can track my KLM KL0661 flight AMS - IAH from 9:55 CET on FlightRadar24

 

[RunForTheHills]

Lol! Have a safe flight.

 

[JGcycle]

A few pics from this morning's 23km ride:

 

[Rás Cnoic]

View attachment 210966

After many days of abysmal weather I spotted an opportunity to get out today, I was almost certainly going to get wet but I decided to chance it! I couldn't get any wetter than last Sunday so why not just go for it? I headed down my usual amazing back roads to Yieldshields and took the back road up to Braehead! During my downtime I purchased a full new set of much needed brake rotors and pads and treated the bike to some new brakes, what a difference I must say!

View attachment 210967
I was looking forward to the awesome descent from Braehead to Carnwath and it didn't disappoint! I stopped for some photos looking SE before flying down the big hill at high speed, to the south there were big squalls of rain so I wasn't going any further south today! It looked like the Pentland hills were just missing it, I would be heading for said hills soon so I was sure hoping so....

View attachment 210968
View attachment 210969
View attachment 210970
I just love this descent!

View attachment 210971
The final descent into Carnwath is pretty special also, amazingly Tinto Hill looked clear today!

View attachment 210972
SE was still looking grim...

View attachment 210974
I arrived in Carnwath where it was time to head north to avoid the rain, thankfully the awesome A70 was open again, the sky was looking better over Carnwath!

View attachment 210975
Time for the A70!

View attachment 210976
View attachment 210977
Still looking nasty to the south!

View attachment 210978
The start of the Pentlands!

View attachment 210979
Looking much better to the north!

View attachment 210980
Then I discovered why the A70 had been closed for a while, they had been laying the awful surface dressing for a few miles...its basically loose gravel! Back in my motorcycling days it was so dangerous and I truly detested it! Thank you for ruining a perfect road, West Lothian Council...

View attachment 210981
Still dry over the Pentlands!

View attachment 210982
It was time to leave the A70 and turn NW towards Harburn and West Calder, another really nice rollercoaster road and thankfully no surface dressing! Its quite a climb to Harburn and then a really fun descent into West Calder! I continued NW to Blackburn where I turned west for Whitburn and joined the cycle path up to Armadale! The wind was from the SW and around 20-25mph, it was great when I was on the A70 but now I was battling the headwind! From Armadale I took the back road to Blackridge, but decided to take the cycle path to the village this time and I reckon it has been a good 20 years since I used this path!

The road is a cracker so it wasn't an easy decision to leave it....

View attachment 210985
The cycle path starts at the railway bridge at the bottom of the hill! It used to be a really rough path but since they updated the railway line a while back it received some much needed new tarmac!

View attachment 210986
After a mile or so I did come across some parts that hadn't been resurfaced and there was some deepish puddles but it was short lived and I was getting good shelter from the wind! I will probably stick to the road next time... From Blackridge I decided to head north again and headed up the big climb over Heights, it was wind assisted so an easy choice for me!

Its a great road and the weather was still looking good to the north and still not a drop of rain after 55 miles!

View attachment 210989
The view at the top of the climb!

View attachment 210990
View attachment 210991
Then it was a cracking descent before another big climb and then came this descent, I was gutted to meet a car part way down!

View attachment 210993
Then its another big climb followed by yet another big descent, on that one I met a truck... It was carrying horses so it was going very slowly...

Speaking of horses, I stopped for some photos at the end of the road!

View attachment 210994
View attachment 210995
View attachment 210996
View attachment 210997
Then it was time to turn SW for home, directly into the wind and it was looking pretty ominous out my way!

It was nice at the Black Loch though!

View attachment 210998
Amazingly I made it home bone dry, what a bonus! There were dark clouds all around my home town but not a single drop of rain, I guess I was due a break after Sundays drenching...what a fantastic day on the bike!

View attachment 210999
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Your photography has got so good. New longer lens? The compression on the hills and those roads curling and snaking into distance is great. Really shows them off well.

 

[Chargeride]

Sorry for the size, I got carried away

The Open at Southport is nearly ready

On the fatbike this time

The Linear gopro lens really shows hill steepness, the superview completely flattens things out

On the train to Liverpool, theres a great joke about the Bootle stops.

I'll tell you it
Vihann has moved to Bootle and gets a letter from his little village near bombay that his uncle has died.
He goes to the train station
A ticket to bombay please.
Sorry mate I can get you to London, you'll have to ask from there
He gets to London
A ticket to Bombay please
The best we can do is Paris, youre on youre own after that
In Paris
A ticket to Bombay please
He works his way across Europe and Asia, buying ticket after ticket.

Finally reaches his village and attends the funeral and then goes to the tiny shack ticket office next to railway line.

A ticket to Bootle please
Is that Bwootle new Strand or Bwootle Oriel Road?

That joke was written or adapted with great respect for Indians ability to compile obscure information and treat it with great reverence no matter how unlikely it was to be required.

The Tobacco warehouse still coming on, I should get a picture of the no smoking sign in the lobby.

Match day parking sign, that could lock up Chatgpt

This is where the Confederate Navy was run from during the civil war

Midday on a Friday is quiet, its like a rock concert in the evening

Church street heavily bomber solots of new buildings

This Chinese guy was singing Yestahday with very few Rs

Party mode warming up

You dont seemany Stag dosaround here, I think hes lost

That scowl gives me community service litter picking vibes

Thats the only homeless guy I saw all day

Backstreet clubs, main roads too crowded

Clearly genuine German establishment

St Peter Patron saint of pints

Seedy but compelling

The entire city runs around drinking, its the Irish heritage

Student area

Posh area

Just row after row of this, you can imagine poor emigrants trudging across Europe to sail for America and landing here, they must have thought they had already made it.

You get completely lost in mazes of beautiful houses

Ironically this is the Somalian district and all the accusations in the US of corruption kinda makes you think

The Protestant Cathederal is massive, a 100 years to build

Rather conspiracy theory crypt

The stark constrast of dreadful 70s architecture and the Vines pub

this used to be a record shop run by the lead singer form that 'you spin me right round baby' one hit wonder

Matthew street just keeps getting bigger

This is also rammed all weekend..that is clearly an American tourist

 

[RabH]

Your photography has got so good. New longer lens? The compression on the hills and those roads curling and snaking into distance is great. Really shows them off well.

Cheers Rás, I can't take credit for this...all down to my awesome Galaxy S25FE! Yes a smartphone can produce amazing photos, my Galaxy S23 was good but the S25 is next level!