Perfect summer weather, and a gang of 12 riders emerge from Longniddry railway station heading for the coast for a 70km tour of the best of East Lothian. A back entrance to the grounds of Gosford House allowed us to avoid no-cycling signs for a brief traverse of the prohibition zone, dutifully walking wherever we saw other humans, to emerge at the warden-protected entrance where the no cycling signs were.
At the Aberlady Bay footbridge we briefly merged with a gang of alternative Carnethy runners heading for the dunes, but had to rush off with a long way to go.
A hot and sandy traverse along the coast, with a fixed rope-assisted retreat from the beach, took us to a very busy North Berwick for a brief lunch stop searching for coffee and food queues. The climbing started on the steep gorsey east ridge of North Berwick Law.
We retreated 90m below the summit down the NE face through the quarries to join the John Muir Way, continuing fast and south to the curling ponds of Balgone, with a brief water stop with Janet and Jim Darby, fondly remembered by the old lags in the group. A devious traverse via Whitekirk Hill took us back to the coast at Ravensheugh sands. One member thought he saw an uncharted peak, in the manner of Sir Francis Younghusband, but it was just another confusing elevation of North Berwick Law as we gyrated vaguely south eastward. On arrival back at the coast at Ravensheugh beach, the usual bold member was immersed in the sunny foaming waves to celebrate the arrival of summer.
A traverse around St Baldred’s headland took us to our turn westward for the return leg. “Are we nearly there yet” became the cry as we passed the halfway point. Tyninghame Wood led to Binning Wood and a riot of rhododendrons. Old Newbyth House led back to the John Muir Way for an ascent of Drylaw Hill, then Markle fish ponds, Pencraig Hill and the long ridge-ascent to the Garleton Hills.
After struggling over locked gates and double barbed wire fences, someone wearily asked whether this circuit had ever been done in a day. The reply that “the purpose of the day was to see if it were possible” produced a weary sigh. The “no more significant ascents” announcement was greeted with scepticism, but proved to be true, with a relaxing glide seaward again via the old Haddington railway branch line to arrive at platform 2, the only wheels to arrive that day at a station locked down for the day by a rail strike, defeating the carbon-reducing purpose of meeting here in the first place. No mechanicals, no punctures, three declared falls. Not bad.
Around 70km and 700m of ascent. About 8hrs including stops.
Richard W, Andy S, Gio, Jon W, Mark J, Kathy H, Stephen C, Gordon E, Julia, Craig, Adam, Keith.
Keith Burns