Edinburgh - Aberdeen Winter Bike Adventure

 

 If all goes well I may be able to do this before Christmas 2021, but it may have to wait until new year. Hope to call into Shand Cycles. Four days cycling then train from Aberdeen to Inverness. It will be my first winter adventure, the route should be reasonable though.

Hope to go up to Waverley using LNER, that would be day one.

Day 2 Livingston - Kirkcaldy 82km

Day 3 Kirkcaldy - Dundee 71km

Day 4 Dundee - Montrose 50km

Day 5 Montrose - Aberdeen 75km then train to Inverness 

Day 6-8 Inverness

Day 9 Back to London on the Caledonian Sleeper

Dunwich Dynamo

I'm planning to participate in the 2018 Dunwich Dynamo. It's about 180km which is a long way for me. I have cycled that kind of distance before but not lately. Just wondering if I'm up for it. I like riding through the night, it has a special quality.
I'm planning to use my Surly LHT. I've done 3000 km without a puncture so I'm thinking of changing tyres and tubes. At the last service I got the cassette and chain changed. The transmission now needs some tweeking. I usually use Brixton Cycles but I'm wondering if I should try C+N in Redhill which is handier.

Also I need to invest in some gps setup.

Carlisle to Edinburgh Ride to the Sun RttS

http://www.ridetothesun.co.uk/

The Route

Saturday 18th June 2016

A fun event inspired by the Dunwich Dynamo. Not a Sportive or Audax just riding bikes through the night for fun. Drive to Carlisle - nap - ride bike to Edinburgh - nap on train back to Carlisle - drive home!

Upper Warlingham - Whyteleafe - Caterham on the Hill - Home

Getting some training in for Junes big rides. Quite a tough little ride, the weather was very wet with the temperature getting down to 6 degrees C on the top of the Downs. I was quite pleased with the pull up from Whyteleafe to Caterham on the Hill.

The sharp downhill section known as Whitehill was quite scary as it was very steep, narrow, busy and wet which meant the brakes needed careful handling.

I took NCN21 round the back of Bletchingley, this route is a real off road mud-fest in the rain.

The Surly is holding up well. Wiped the drive off when I got back and re-oiled. Fridays nights pedal in the pouring rain gave the chain a rusty patina.

Thank goodness for bus shelters.

East Croydon to Oxted via Old Farleigh Rd

This trip is a little different. The weather forecast was for an extended period of rain over lunch so I thought this would be a good opportunity to try out my wet weather strategy. Basically that's what I normally wear but with over-trousers and my Endura hi-vis jacket. Maybe surprisingly my Surly has hardly got wet since I bought it over 1333 km ago.


So standard bike with Ortlieb panniers. As another experiment I tried NUUN tablets in my water bottle. NUUN is just electrolytes – it is not a source of sugar or carbs. Tastes good and doesn't cloy like some energy drinks. Don't know if I really need them but it's good to try things out before a mission critical outing.

I started out with just my jacket as the rain was very light. Soon I put on the over trousers as its really started to come down. They were 'ok' certainly 'good enough' but not great. I may look for some Goretex trousers  with a more friendly lining. A zip leg like athletes trousers would be good too.

Ortlieb panniers performed faultlessy - excellent.

The main difference you notice in the wet is the bikes braking ability which isn't good. The last drop down Chalk Pit Lane was quite tricky.

There is a handy French Style coffee van at the Botley Hill Farmhouse which seems to be a bit of  a stopover point for cyclists

Didcot to Reading via Stoke Row

The lower approaches to the Chilterns a few miles from Stoke Row. The fields had Red Kites that were so close you could see every detail. Loads of Red Kites actually - it made me wonder if their re-introduction has been too much of a success.

The Thames Valley and the Chilterns is a fine cycling area I need to explore more. The Chilterns always involves some significant hills. Once you get off the main thoroughfares the countryside is wonderful.

I stopped over at the Black Horse Checkendon. A pub thats usually described as a 'hidden treasure'.

Open Source Pic

Cambridge to London Bridge

I caught the 6:54 from Oxted to Victoria then pedalled across to Kings Cross and then caught the fast train to Cambridge. The fast train takes  45-50 minutes which is pretty good. Cambridge Station was heaving with people. I've never seen it so busy.

I used a route prepared by Hackney Audax. It's a very direct route but once you get to Ware its pretty urban I think next time I would go via the Lea Valley route.

Weather was great not too hot but a trifle windy over the Cambridgeshire 'flatlands'.