The Cycling Sconnoisseur — Gallivants on Gravel
From ‘burbs, to city, to gravel… and back. A little bit of everything on my latest carbohydrate-fuelled chronicle.
My latest quest saw me blessed with a new sconepanion in the inspirational form of fellow-Queen Charlotte. Super Mum, city-slicking lawyer, art historian, triathlete… phew! Plenty for me to keep us with, not just in terms of athletic output, but also in the capability to engage in suitably high-brow conversation that wouldn’t leave Charlotte praying this to be a short, sharp sojourn…
We set off towards the gravel trails on which I’d successfully — this time — remained saddled for a recent ride with the awesome Edinburgh School of Rocks. The first challenge around these parts is always the ride through the city; that Holy Grail of reaching the trails in one piece, having ran my previously-mentioned gauntlet of tourists, revellers, buses and the numerous other joys this amazing city presents. With that successfully ticked off we were soon on the edge of the Braid Hills. At this point my woefully inadequate navigational skills immediately sent us of course, necessitating an unplanned venture in to the world of cyclo-cross… in other words, carrying our bikes up a long and very steep flight of stairs. Ah well, all part of the experience. I patented a new form of ‘bike breakdancing’ as I juggled my steed around my shoulders whilst clumsily stumbling my cleated feet across the narrow steps, just about avoiding tumbling back down the stairs. I reminded myself that breathing helps and, with this, made it to the top unscathed, if a little embarrassed at my early feck up.
Back on pedal territory we climbed up to Liberton Tower, pausing to take in the breathtaking views of city and coast. The clear skies provided unspoiled views of Bass Rock and North Berwick Law to the east; Edinburgh Castle, the perfectly jumbled streets of the Old Town, orderly grids of the New Town and the coast and hills of Fife beyond them to the north, and the green expanses of West Lothian to the west. Stunning.
We bobbled, skidded and giggled our way across varying degrees of gravel, though on reaching a particularly chunky section (and recollecting the nerve-jangling traversing of some fellow-Rockers last week) I decided this might not be the best route for Charlotte’s introduction to gravel and so with a wee bit of map consultation recalculated our route.
With a simultaneous sense of relief and accomplishment we exited the scene of our bumpy bumbles towards less-jarring terrain, heading back through the Braid Hills in to the beautiful Hermitage of Braid and on to Craiglockhart Hill. A little road section led us to the meandering Waters of Leith pathway for our final furlong back to the suburbs. This much-loved route offered its usual treats; wooded parklands, babbling brooks and excitable pooches, with a special appearance from a weary post-match rugby squad who stepped aside to form a friendly guard of honour, making us feel like yellow-jerseyed champions. Cheers chaps! Another special treat was stopping for a chat with fellow-Queen Judith, chaperoning her saddle-returning friend Rachel on a sunny spin.
Rolling in to leafy, village-esque Stockbridge we spied our names on two front-row seats at the newly-opened beach boho vibe Two Children coffee shop. I was given strict instructions to bag our seats as Charlotte went to order, and so eased my gravel-jolted derriere in to an achingly-cool wicker lounger. People-watching opportunities were a-plenty, as were visits from passing pooches as I enjoyed a chat with an adorable Border Collie pup whilst waiting delivery of the post-ride treats. I stopped short of a reciprocal lick — though I must say the urge was there…
The menu looked amazing, though given the ultimate objective of this ride, my order was clear. As yet another riding companion who seemed to have missed the ‘half and half’ memo, I opted for a cheese and jalapeno scone and extra-faffy flat white, with Charlotte relieving the impressively stocked cake counter of a lemon drizzle.
Our delights arrived quickly. The scone was good; soft and fluffy on the inside, with the jalapeno providing a welcome kick of interest. I prefer a more-baked exterior, but this was still up there. Even though we were actually sat looking out on to a city street, the general vibe of place genuinely elicited joyous feelings of chilling in a cool beach bar… though in slightly-too-big padded shorts and my new ‘Good Time Cycling Club’ jersey — designed by the super-talented Ollie — as opposed to a sassy bikini and flip-flop combo. The waitress was certainly very keen, trying on several occasions to relieve us of our cups and plates mid-slurp and mid-chew. A little distracting, but certainly well-meaning.
The counter service was very friendly and I chatted to the ‘very Edinburgh coffee shop’-looking assistant behind the counter. I assumed the café was his brainchild… an assumption he said is often made, admitting most likely due to the aforementioned appearance, continuing that he doubted this assumption if it was a fine dining establishment. True, though nor would I be frequenting said place in my own ‘very Edinburgh coffee shop’ attire…
We celebrated our first duet ride with pledges for many more, congratulating ourselves on a day well done and mutual appreciation of our new café find.
A great morning with an improvised route that probably provided more entertainment than any we could have planned, with fab company where I feel I just about avoided Charlotte instigating the need for a ‘come home now!’ call — all topped off with a super-chilled café stop.
Today’s verdict:
Ride — ‘A brilliant little bit of everything’. The mix of suburbs, city, gravel and river trails was a delight for the senses… and my navigational skills (eventually) came up trumps. Great company and I look forward to many more, though next time Charlotte can be in charge of the map.
Scone — ‘Yum’. Soft and fluffy on the inside with a welcome kick of spice.
Ambience — ‘One for the list’. Chilled beach boho vibe with people-watching a plenty. The perfect spot for laid-back daytime summer hang-outs.
