Ainsley Harriott Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 I have gotten into cycling this year during lockdown and wondered if anyone could suggest good routes round Edinburgh and the Lothian. Not too keen to busy roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) Check out https://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net/ and https://www.plotaroute.com/routes/all/popular/1?Locality=Edinburgh&CCode=GB Edited December 10, 2020 by Ray Gin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ainsley Harriott Posted December 10, 2020 Author Share Posted December 10, 2020 40 minutes ago, Ray Gin said: Check out https://edinburgh.cyclestreets.net/ and https://www.plotaroute.com/routes/all/popular/1?Locality=Edinburgh&CCode=GB Nice one will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The jj era Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Depends where you are mate, I live in North Edinburgh and my 20 mile route is hopping on the cycle path down to leith/newhaven, back along seafront to Cramond then up and round Dalmeny estate and back. I normally use https://gb.mapometer.com/ to map out my cycles before I go, or a lot of my pals use Strava and log routes/times on there. The cycle paths in Edinburgh are great but I must admit I'm hibernating a bit... cycling in cold rain/wind is not for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld Reekin' Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Good routes to the west of Edinburgh include: Water of Leith path to Balerno. Canal to Ratho and beyond (and out to Linlithgow / Falkirk if you want). Cycle path alongside tramway past Edinburgh Park station and bypass and then onwards to Ratho / points west. Cycle path beside A90 to Dalmeny and back through the Dalmeny Estate (or vice-versa), or back through Dalmeny village and minor roads or old railway line to Kirkliston and back alongside A8 (on pavements / cycle-track / minor-roads). From Balerno, there are options for alternative routes back on minor roads / farm tracks. From either there or Ratho, it's possible to cycle out to Kirknewton and back along Long Dalmahoy Road / Heriot-Watt campus / Baberton Road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) Water of Leith to Balerno has some obstacles, shall we say 😂 You can get around them but you will have to carry your bike. The one from Silverknowes to Queensferry is good. If you go through Cramond you will have to carry your bike up stairs then down scaffolded steps. Edited December 10, 2020 by Cruyff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pagey Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 I used to cycle a lot when training for triathlons and depending on the headwinds, would go into West or East Lothian. Some quieter roads in both areas- mapmyride, strava will show most of the variations if you search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 The current trendy app for finding rides is Komoot. I’ve had a quick play with it and it’s pretty good. You can choose what kind of road you want in terms of quietness, surface, difficulty and so on, so miles better than google maps etc which offer cycling route planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 https://www.opencyclemap.org/ This is a brilliant site. Every major cycle route there is and all the local ones too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld Reekin' Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Cruyff said: Water of Leith to Balerno has some obstacles, shall we say 😂 You can get around them but you will have to carry your bike. The one from Silverknowes to Queensferry is good. If you go through Cramond you will have to carry your bike up stairs then down scaffolded steps. By "Water of Leith path", I was meaning going along the old railway to Colinton Village and then out along the riverside track. Are there now obstacles between Colinton Village and Balerno? Don't live in Edinburgh any more, so it's been a few years since I cycled that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruyff Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 5 minutes ago, Auld Reekin' said: By "Water of Leith path", I was meaning going along the old railway to Colinton Village and then out along the riverside track. Are there now obstacles between Colinton Village and Balerno? Don't live in Edinburgh any more, so it's been a few years since I cycled that route. Nah, there's obstacles coming towards or after the Dean Village area, falling trees and landslips that the Council have never fixed going back 5 years or so. Instead they just stuck up fences, which you aren't meant to pass but you can just go around them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld Reekin' Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, Cruyff said: Nah, there's obstacles coming towards or after the Dean Village area, falling trees and landslips that the Council have never fixed going back 5 years or so. Instead they just stuck up fences, which you aren't meant to pass but you can just go around them. They're still there then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cade Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 Council can't afford to fix the landslip at Dean Village, the entire hillside would need stabilising and it's not worth the expense considering how few people use it and how the detour around it is so short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zico Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 I do a 45 minute loop from Ravelston down to Silverknowes, along to Ocean Terminal and back up the cycle path. Only 5-10 minutes on the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 41 minutes ago, Zico said: I do a 45 minute loop from Ravelston down to Silverknowes, along to Ocean Terminal and back up the cycle path. Only 5-10 minutes on the roads. I do a similar loop, I just wonder if the cycle paths are ever going to dry out before next summer. Wet leaf covered paths aren’t nice, time to spunk a small fortune on decent mudguards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zico Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 1 hour ago, Tazio said: I do a similar loop, I just wonder if the cycle paths are ever going to dry out before next summer. Wet leaf covered paths aren’t nice, time to spunk a small fortune on decent mudguards. I’ve got an xblade on the back. Still get a bit of muck off the front but a reasonable halfway house. Still need to clean the bike again this weekend though. As you highlight, barely had to do it for months over the spring/summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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