The Cycling Sconnoisseur — A Tale of Two Scones
Double sconnage plus double friendage equalled double delight on my latest balmy bumble.
A long-overdue ride with superstar Izzy saw us heading out along the rolling roads of East Lothian in pursuit of chat, carbs and kilometres… all powered by a wee dose of surprise Scottish sunshine.
We met in the stunning surroundings of Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park; on this day filled with runners making their way to the start of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival 10k — the first event of this awesome weekend of running. A heart-warming mix of folk; from nervous-looking first-timers to seasoned, club vested PB-chasers, supported by excitable banner-wielding friends and family, and high-vis vested volunteers, all milling their way around this gloriously green wonderland.
Having been caught out by misleading early rays of sunshine on many a chilly Edinburgh morning I was taking no chances today, having togged myself up to the max with standard issue gloves, base layer, ancient fleece, even more-aged jacket and windproof gilet… feeling ridiculously overdressed in comparison to Izzy in her minimalist high-end cycling top and shorts combo. Despite not yet being 9am it was already very warm and I soon ran out of stash space as I began a gradual, inelegant striptease to relieve myself of the unnecessary layers. I figured that ‘naked cycling giraffe’ chic isn’t curremtly on-trend and so stopped short of a complete de-robing — settling on the base-layer and 15 year-old leggings combo. Hot stuffy, me man.
We picked our way along the leafy Innocent Railway path, with Izzy (current holder of the Trans-Pyrenes race mixed-pairs title) charging ahead at what was most-likely her ‘party pace’, whilst I sweated my little conkers off to keep up whilst attempting conversation with an indeterminable series of breathy staccato squeaks: ‘Erm, can we slow it down a bit please?!’…
Onwards along the Sustrans national cycle route and on to the Pencaitland railway path, where I mercifully managed to avoid the laborious puncture that had marred my last visit. Emerging from the path, we wound our way along scenic, gently undulating lanes towards the Lammermuirs — peacefully hugging the distant landscape like large, squashy pillows.
Pulling up to the cute Humbie Hub, my cockles were further warmed by its pretty gardens which overlooked the hills. I toddled in to the café to peruse the array of home-baked treats, local crafts, gifts, and smiley, friendly service in a welcoming community space. Izzy isn’t a scone fan — so my favoured ‘half and half combo’ was sadly off the menu, hence I made the decisive declaration of ‘cheese please’. ‘Would you like jam and butter with that?’ Hurrah! So my regular (and usually surreptitious) addition of jam to a savoury scone maybe isn’t quite as heinous as my fellow patrons would often have me believe.
A wholesome tray of delights soon emerged, with tea in ‘proper pots’ and milk in ‘proper jugs’. The warm weather led me to favour a refreshing pot of Earl Grey over my usual far-too-faffy coffee, and it truly hit the spot. The scone was… ok, bit sadly not as delightful as it looked; a little on the dry side for me, but nicely cheesy and redeemed by the great surroundings, lovely service and genuine community spirit of the place.
Time quickly ran away from us, and it was soon time to hit the road to continue our circular loop back to the city. Fancying more of a leisurely pootle to afford the opportunity to draw more than a half breath and time for obligatory photographs of random bridges and trees, I left Izzy to charge home with about ten miles to go. I chatted to a group of cyclists from my Dad’s hometown who were riding the Sustrans ‘Coast to Castles’ route back to Sunderland. I politely declined their invitation to join them for their 150 or so remaining miles, at which point realising I wasn’t going to be back in town in time to change and get back out to meet my afternoon friend — also visiting from Sunderland — and so called ahead to warn of an impending baggy legging-clad perspiration party…
It had been more than three long pandemic-punctuated years since we’d last been in touch — for me involving a new home, city and job — and so on hearing that David was in town for the Sunday half-marathon I leapt at the offer of a catch up. We settled on one of my city favourites — the small Swedish chain of Soderberg — though I don’t come to this particular branch (Lister Square) too often. I soon remembered why, as we waited (and waited) for service in an otherwise very quiet café by a way-too-cool and perhaps somewhat ‘extreme relaxation assisted’ waiter who eventually took our order once he’d finished his deep and meaningful exchange with the equally cool counter assistant. Oh to be young and cool.
I never tire of a Soderberg spelt scone, so it seemed acceptable to have a second scone of the day, along with the customary far-too-faffy coffee I’d previously overlooked. The scone was as good as always — chewy yet satisfyingly dense, with a perfect crumb, generous covering of hazelnuts and almonds, and served with creamy butter and home-made ginger jam. Yum! Again, time passed by in a blur; mutual friend updates, news of toddlers who are now fully-conversational juniors, mutual football gloating (Newcastle, not Sunderland, just to be clear), and pre-race preparation strategies… all of which necessitated another coffee.
Feeling suitably satiated and with my North-Eastern anecdote and familiarity cup happily filled to the brim, we bade fond farewells, and I made my grand depart to navigate the bustling city streets on my ‘invisible’ bike. Its superpowers were clearly in full force today, as I dodged excitable tourists unknowingly playing ‘chicken’ for essential middle of busy road selfies, stepping in to oncoming traffic in hot pursuit of thrusted-aloft red umbrellas, and depositing large items of luggage in cycle lanes. Never a grumble from me as I too share the joy of a city break, though favour those with a higher rate of survival. Hey ho, the fun of people and pot-hole circumnavigation marked my final furlong, and I soon returned home in one piece — if a little clammy and weather-beaten — and ready for a long lie down in a cool dark room.
A happy day, the sort that weekends were made for.
… and in case you’re wondering, David pulled a blinder on Sunday, clocking a great time and looking fresh and happy post-race. Perhaps it was the raspberry bun that made all of the difference…
Today’s verdicts:
Ride — ’55 miles of city parks, tree-lined cycle paths, gravel trails, quiet country lanes and buzzing city streets. 90% daydreamy and 10% test of physiological reflexes and mechanical brakes. I feel so lucky to have this much variety on my doorstep’.
Humbie Hub:
Scone — ‘A little on the dry side, though didn’t leave me feeling hard done to by way of the…’
… Ambience — ‘A cyclist-friendly community hub with friendly, happy staff who genuinely seemed to love what they do. Thank you for making us feel so welcome!’
Soderberg:
Scone 2 (could be the next Blur release… and quite timely, given our shared steps in to the soft shoes of middle-age) — ‘Not your traditional bake, though one that I never tire of with its wholesome depth… and that tangy jam is something else!’
Ambience — ‘Horizontal (though also very charming) service. The outdoor seating area offers a lovely little people-watching suntrap on a sunny day… though on the same day you could probably grow a six-foot sunflower in the greenhouse-like indoor space’.
