To South Queensferry

Eskdalemuir to South Queensferry (71 miles)

The day dawns bright and sunny and manages to keep this up all day. After packing our things and saying goodbye we stroll down the drive with the tandem ready to enjoy our first full day in Scotland.

The next thirty or so miles of cycling are superb. The sunshine helps, but the scenery is splendid in its own right. The Borders hills are rounded and rolling. They are impressive without being rugged. The sky is clear blue above rich green hillsides. There are larks overhead and lambs and curlews in the fields together with the occasional inland oystercatcher. The B709 from Eskdalemuir is virtually traffic free as we pedal along without effort enjoying the views and following the River Esk until it divides and then continuing along the White Esk to its source. From here we cross the watershed and descend to Ettrick. Along this thirty-mile stretch to Traquair we make four climbs and descents exchanging small rivers or streams at each watershed crossing. It is almost perfect cycling. The climbs are not difficult to achieve in the middle ring and the descents are similarly evenly graded allowing almost ideal long descents at 30 to 35mph with minimal braking required.

Not long after leaving the Esk we pass a sign proclaiming “Scottish Borders”. We stop for a photo. It seems slightly odd that the Borders are not the first county after the border but the second?

At the crossroads with the A708 we stop at the Gordon Arms Hotel. I take a photo of Sheila and then a motorcyclist who is tinkering with his machine nearby offers to take a photo of the two of us in the sunshine beside the inn. In our photo I include a sign on the wall that informs us that it was “At this Inn in the autumn of 1830 Sir Walter Scott and the Ettrick Shepherd met and parted for the last time”. Unfortunately neither of us is particularly well read when it comes to the WS canon and so the full significance of this important historic event is lost on us. But, more importantly, we head inside to find out if coffee is on offer. It is. It turns out that the couple who own the Gordon Arms have only just taken it over (three weeks ago) and have moved from a pub in Edinburgh. They chat to us about their plans to make improvements and to build up the business. It sounds as if the previous landlord was not too customer minded. The Inn has a bunkhouse that they intend to refurbish and we talk about getting the place listed with organisations like the Ramblers and CTC and give them contact addresses. It is only some time after we return from the journey that I read in an article that the Gordon Arms is a notable landmark on the four yearly AUK London-Edinburgh-London 1400km randonnée with weary cyclists feeding or grabbing an hour of sleep in the bunkhouse. We also admire the collection of photos of prize rams on the wall over the fireplace. Hill sheep farming may be in a parlous state but the prices that these beasts were sold for are quite astronomical (£30,000 is a recent sale price achieved for one specimen). Eventually, good as the coffee and conversation are the length of the journey ahead and the lure of the sunshine prize us outside again to head up the next streamside.

After Traquair we turn onto the B7062 and in a short distance turn westwards beside the River Tweed. On the way we pass some quite large areas of new housing development that do not appear to be in any logical way related to existing settlements. The riverside run brings us to Peebles. This charming town makes good use of its riverside with a well laid out area of open space. The town is in bank holiday mood and is preparing for its “Beltane” fair. There is a splendid pedestrian suspension bridge across the river. I take a couple of photos of the bridge before we walk across and into the town centre. Although it is Sunday there are quite a few people wandering about in the sunshine. After a bit of general gazing we ask directions for the old town and set off to try to locate the CAB office. Peebles CAB has been under threat of closure due to their funding being withdrawn. While we were corresponding with them about a possible link up they did not even know if they would still be in existence when we arrived. Having found the road, I stop to ask someone if they know where the CAB office is and promptly spot the sign for myself at the end of the road. We are pleased to read a notice in the window explaining that they have secured funding and it is business as usual. We take a photo of the bureau and tandem and fill out the mileage certificate. Sheila posts this together with a note from us through the letterbox.

Our thoughts turn to lunch so we head back into town, and propping the tandem against its window, we go into a baker’s shop to buy provisions. While we are inside I observe a couple in full leathers and with motorbike helmets looking intently at the window. I assume wrongly that they are trying to look between and around the tandem in order to see what is on offer in the shop window. When we step back outside, however, it is in fact the bike they are looking at. It turns out that they are seriously considering buying a tandem and their home is not that far from Bridgwater (SJS Cycles). We have a chat about bikes (pedal variety) and tandems. Armed with food we return to a bench in the riverside park for lunch.

Back into the town centre once again where the main street leads out and northwards onto the A703. This is a busier and more main road than those we have travelled on so far today but is unavoidable. In fact although there is quite a lot of traffic (We have seen virtually no cars all morning) it is not too bad and also although the road climbs up and down it is quite a fast road and we are making good time. On the way we stop at the “Welcome to Midlothian” sign for a photo.

We had intended to turn off the main road before Penicuik and arrive via the A6094 and then a steep (arrows here) minor road back into town. When we arrive at the roundabout, however, we decide instead to stay on the high ground and make a fairly fast, level and shorter link into Penicuik along the A701. We arrive into the town centre and pull into a lay by in order to get out the map of the town. But before we stop I spot a finger-post sign pointing to the CAB. We hop off and walk about 50 metres into a pedestrianised street to arrive at the Bureau front door almost spot on for our estimated rendezvous time. We phone the CAB people and Peter. Unfortunately we have had a misunderstanding with Peter about our intended earliest arrival time at Penicuik and he is sightseeing many miles away in another part of Scotland. I suppose it had to happen one day, and it is not easy for us always to be that sure of how fast we will get along by tandem with variables of weather, punctures, hills, road surface and how the legs are feeling. It would take too long for him to reach us so we scrub the idea of collecting the publicity material. I feel sorry for Penicuik. It must be fated because in the original publicity material I misspelled the town name as Penicuick and had to redo their sponsorship forms and make a new town sign. And now the second correctly spelled town sign is not to be used in a photo because it is miles away in the back of our car!

Anyway, Charlie, the Chairman, and Sue, the Manager, arrive and are very friendly having turned out in the middle of Sunday afternoon to come into town and greet us. We take a group photo with the tandem CAB sign prominent but sans banner and other material. They have made good use of our material (some is displayed in the Bureau window) and they give us a copy of the Midlothian Advertiser that contains an article about our trip and the Penicuik CAB. They even give us a donation! As well as chatting about the CAB, I talk to the Chairman about our intended route into Edinburgh before we bid them goodbye and set off again.

It is not many miles before we arrive at the Edinburgh ring road, which we cross on a slightly fearsome double roundabout and flyover combination. Although quite a long way the run into the city centre is quite straight forward both in terms of traffic and navigation. As we get close to the centre we make a couple of stops so that I can check the map and get my bearings. At one point of complicated junction and one-way system we take to our feet and then pedal along a pedestrian link – it is Sunday and there are no pedestrians in sight. Once we reach the turn east to the Grassmarket I am on remembered territory from days spent at the Festival in previous years. We head on towards Holyrood under the George IV Bridge and South Bridge, plump for the cobbles of St Mary Street to turn left and then at its end here we are slap in the middle of the Royal Mile in the High Street. What a contrast to the solitude of the upper reaches of the River Esk this morning.

We switch into full tourist mode and mooch along the Royal Mile wheeling the tandem and gazing at the sights. After taking a few photos in the High Street and beside the cathedral, our thoughts turn to afternoon tea. We find a promising looking establishment down a side passage, wander down, park the tandem against the wall and sit at a table outside in the sunshine (memories of cafés, coffee and the south of France). All is very relaxing and I am looking forward to tea when there is a loud crash and other customers and I jump out of our skins. Someone leaving the café has managed to knock the tandem over on his way past. I pick it up, check that nothing appears to be badly bent and lean it back against the wall. After tea we wander on our way up to the castle mound and look out across the city.

Deciding that it is time to find our way out to South Queensferry we retrace our way from the Castle and freewheel down past the National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy to Princes Street. We use the “Spokes” map to navigate our way round to Haymarket Terrace with a few stops to check junctions as we go. From here we ride along a part of National Cycle Route 1 on a cyclepath following a former railway line. The route is well used by cyclists and walkers and provides easy navigation (with bridges over and under all roads) for quite a few miles on the way out of the city until it ends in a supermarket car park. This is strewn with broken glass so we rather gingerly wheel the bike across, before continuing on the cycle route through a park. After a time the surface of the track becomes too rough and so we find our way through the park back to the Queensferry Road. We follow this out of town and over the River Almond until we are approaching the rather complicated junction and flyover we intend to use to divert from the A90, which is about to become a dual carriageway heading out of town for the Forth road bridge. We use a pelican crossing to walk across the A90 and then a cyclepath beside the road to cycle “the wrong way” up the junction slip road in order to cross back over the A90 on a bridge leading to our minor road.

From here it is a rural ride for a bit as we head west close to Edinburgh airport, under a railway and then turn north back under the same railway, and finally once again cross the A90, this time by means of an underpass. This brings us to Dalmeny. On the way down to the coast before Dalmeny Station we stop to take a photo of the Firth of Forth Railway Bridge in the evening sunlight. From here the final two miles take us under the railway bridge, through South Queensferry, under the road bridge and then past the marina before turning up a short hill into the small housing development that includes our B&B. The B&B is a very smart newish house with its living accommodation on the first floor. The reason for this is immediately apparent, as there is a fine view of the Firth and both bridges.

We enjoy a cup of tea and then take a quick shower in their brand new swish bathroom and change clothes before heading back into Edinburgh (by car). Due to navigational indecision we follow the road signs and end up going around the ring road on an incredibly long journey to get back to the city centre. We are trying to drop Peter off at the catholic cathedral, and I impress myself by remembering enough of the city to navigate to its door with time to spare. We park the car and head off to see the sights and to find some dinner. This includes a stroll around the New Town before returning via Queen Street Gardens and the steps to the Castle and then down again into the Grassmarket. We wander up and down trying to select where to eat. There is nothing like having lots of choice to engender total indecision. In the end we plump for the Petit Paris Restaurant that is small but cheerful and promises “Scottish food cooked the French Way”, which we feel is better than the other way round. The menu on the board promises “Le respect de la tradition Française”. It is a good choice and we have an enjoyable and unhurried dinner that includes time for me to write up my diary over a glass of Ricard to help get into the right mood. We then complete the evening by strolling down to Holyrood Palace gates, inspecting the construction site for the new parliament building on the way, admiring the floodlit monuments on Calton Hill and returning along Cannongate before driving back out to the B&B.

South Queensferry to Blairgowrie