RabH
Well-Known Member
After 8 days off the bike due to weather I was itching to get back out, I was tempted yesterday but the winds were insane at times with huge gusts so with a 25mph SW wind today I just had to get out! I had a 4 hour weather window as I set off just after 7am, at that time it was looking very nice but it was a chilly 8C (46F) which is cold for July! Very different to the brutal heatwave further south! I was trying to use the back roads as much as possible, as always enjoying the cracking back road to Yieldshields! It didn't take long for the clouds to roll in, at least the hills were still visible...
I just love this road, you very seldom see traffic other than farm machinery!
Most of Tinto Hill was visible, other than the peak!
The Pentland Hills were mostly clear at this point!
Some of the cloud formations looked amazing!
Its been a while since I cycled this back road in this direction, it sure beats climbing it!
I soon had a big climb of course and passed these horses near the top!
Now I had this very nice descent that leads to the awesome A70 between Carnwath and Edinburgh, I was really looking forward to this today with a lovely 25mph tailwind at my back!
Another view of Tinto Hill from the A70!
The Pentlands again!
The road just keeps getting better and better, especially since all the annoying surface dressing they laid recently has gone! Seems so pointless to me....
I had to climb this one today!
I left the A70 to take the road north towards Harburn and West Calder, another amazing road that starts with a big climb!
After cresting the climb the road has many fast downhills and I was absolutely loving it!
After arriving in West Calder I turned north towards Blackburn and on to Bathgate where I joined the awesome back road to Torphicen, stopping for some photos on the way! The weather was holding out but there were lots of threatening clouds out to the west and soon I would be heading towards them...The view north from Torphicen with the Ochil Hills in the background!
I was looking forward to the big descent from here but it goes straight into a big climb, I was nudging 40mph which helped my momentum up the climb!
At the end of the road it was time to turn west towards Westfield but I really didn't like the look of the sky and decided to head north again and took the road through the Avon Gorge, a big descent followed by a huge climb! The downside is the traffic is nearly always busy with lots of trucks, thankfully they gave me lots of space and I had zero issues! I was now heading NW towards Maddiston and came across countless roadworks, I couldn't complain as this was the first of the day after 53 miles...
From Maddiston I continued NW through Rumford and Brightons and it was time to turn west towards Shieldhill, its a huge climb and I had a 25mph headwind to contend with so level 3 assist had to come into play! I was sure glad I had an almost full second battery at this point! On my way up I stopped for this photo of the Ochils at Reddingmuirhead!
From Shieldhill I turned south through the village of California, more climbing but I was avoiding the rain out to the west! I stopped part way up the first climb for this photo of the Firth of Forth with the old oil refinery at Grangemouth (which was decommissioned just over a year ago) in the foreground, I'm not sure when all the towers will be demolished but I think it will be over many years as the site is still in use for fuel storage!
I was going to take the back road to Slamannan from here but I could see a huge squall passing over so decided to continue south and head up the big climb over Heights, I made it to the top when the rain started to fall...64 miles in the dry though so it had to happen! I couldn't believe my luck though as I shot down the descent into Blackridge the rain stopped and the roads were bone dry, from here I had no choice but to turn west but amazingly the rain clouds had all pushed to the NE and the final 9 miles home were completely dry! I went way over my 4 hour weather window, I was just enjoying it so much I didn't want to stop!
What a brilliant day it turned out to be, I sure got lucky but there some skill involved also...
I only need 18 miles to reach 48000 miles now, Sunday should see that milestone well and truly passed as its looking like a very nice day before the rain returns...
