Tag: East Lothian

Gorebridge to Haddington via the 3 Saltouns

Route out – Gorebridge to Newlandrig to Crichton to Pathhead to West Saltoun to East Saltoun to Bolton to Haddington. For route map click here.

Route Back – Haddington to Samuelston to West Saltoun to Saltoun Station to Windy Mains to Whitburgh Mains to Pathhead to Ford to Edgehead to Gorebridge. For route map click here.

  • Weather – cloudy, dry, quite warm and not very windy.
  • Distance travelled – 40.35 miles
  • Riding time – 3 hours 54 minutes
  • Maximum speed – 28.4 mph
  • Average speed – 10.3 mph

The weather forecast was for heavy rain in the afternoon so I decided we would wake up at 5:30am so we could go for a very long cycle to Haddington in East Lothian and be safely home before we got wet. I actually slept through my alarm but luckily Dad woke me up and we were on the road by 6:15am.

We headed out along the B6372 and at the village of Newlandrig, just before Vogrie Country Park, we turned right on to a really smooth single track road which took us up a steep hill for a mile or so. At the end of this road we turned left and soon got a good view of the ruined Crichton Castle. The road took us very quickly down into the steep gorge and then very slowly up again to Crichton, which is really not much more than a few houses. From there we took the B6367 to Pathhead. This road is all downhill and we got there in only a minute or 2, entering the village on a nice newly resurfaced road with lovely speed bumps which we zoomed over at almost 20mph (which was fun).

The main A68 road passes through Pathhead but it was quieter than normal at this time of day so it was easy to get across the road and onto the minor road that took us downhill towards the massive lions guarding entrance to a country estate. We didn’t go in but instead headed for East Lothian, cycling passed millions of pylons along the way. The roads in East Lothian are quite flat compared to Midlothian so we sped along the route quicker than ever. We stopped at Lempockwells bus stop for an apple and a drink before heading for our first Saltoun of the day – West Saltoun. There’s a really good bus stop here too but we decided not to stop here until the way back. We did manage to take a photo of the most amazing 4-way signpost though (which lists all the mileages in fractions) and then cycled the 7/8 of a mile to East Saltoun. Here we discovered an old phone booth which had been turned into a library called the Book Nook.

Our next stop was in Bolton where we stopped for a nosey at a nice looking church. Then it was only a few miles to Haddington along a nice quiet road near the Tyne Water river. We arrived there by about 8:25am and headed to the public toilets. Unfortunately we were too early (they open at 9am!) so after a quick chocolate digestive and an oatcake we headed back into the countryside to look for a suitable tree. We took Cycle Route 196 out of the town, following a path along the river for a mile or so and then joining onto the road again. We followed Route 196 for a while, cycling along a really quiet road through Samuelston. Just before we got to West Saltoun again, we really did need to have a bathroom break so we stopped behind a massive tree to relieve ourselves. A herd of cows in the field ran up to investigate and after seeing what we were doing, decide they would join in too…!

We stopped in the amazing bus stop in West Saltoun for another oatcake before heading back along Route 196 for 3/5 of a mile to Saltoun Station. This is where there used to be a railway station and is where the cycle route turns into a cycle path again, heading to Pencaitland and Ormiston. We went the opposite way though along a narrow road through a farm. At one point we came to a locked gate and were about to lift our bikes over when the nice farmer came and opened it for us. After that we cycled passed the sawmill at Windy Mains and then onto the single track road which takes you down to the ford. According to the massive ruler thing at the side of the road which measures the depth of the water, I am now 5 feet tall! Last time we stopped here, a brown bear stole my chocolate digestive but this time the bear was nowhere to be seen so I enjoyed my biscuit…

The next section was completely traffic-free and took us onto Salters Road which heads steeply downhill. It was here that I reached my fastest speed of the day (for the first time). A couple of miles later, just passed Whitburgh Mains Farm, there’s another long downhill section where I reached my fastest speed of the day again before heading back along Ormiston Road into Pathhead. From here, we zoomed down the steep road to Ford without even breaking the 30mph speed limit. In Ford we got a great view of the Lothian Bridge viaduct which carries the A68 road in and out of Pathhead. That was my favourite view of the day. It was a steep climb out of Ford and up to Edgehead but after turning left onto the narrow farm road home, it seemed to level out a lot and it was mostly easy going for the last 3 miles to Gorebridge.

Gorebridge to Longniddry Circular Route

Route out – Gorebridge to Edgehead to Fordel Mains to Mussleburgh to Port Seaton to Longniddry. For route map click here.

Route back – Longniddry to Bogg Holdings to Pencaitland to Ormiston to Cousland to Gorebridge. For route map click here.

  • Weather – bright at first but mainly cloudy, quite warm and fairly windy later on.
  • Distance travelled – 39.81 miles
  • Riding Time – 4 hours 14 minutes
  • Maximum speed – 32.1 mph
  • Average speed – 9.3 mph

This morning I decided I would like to cycle to Mussleburgh and back but in the end, we decided to go as far as Longniddry and turned it into circular route through East Lothian.

Our usual route from the house took us slowly uphill for the first mile until we reached the B6372 road which takes you passed Vogrie Country Park. We zoomed along the nice smooth road surface for a few miles and then turned left into the village of Edgehead. At a farm at the edge of Edgehead we spotted an old Lothian Buses double decker bus parked in the farmyard. I have no idea what the bus was doing there but since I love buses, we stopped for a photo. Shortly after the village we turned off on to the bumpy road to Fordel Mains Farm. About halfway along this road we stopped to enjoy the view of Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat. After Fordel Mains we sped all the way downhill passed Carberry Tower to Mussleburgh at almost 30 mph.

In Mussleburgh, we arrived at Luca’s Ice Cream shop just at the exact moment that it opened so we popped in for a chocolate ice cream cone. This gave us an energy boost so instead of turning round and heading home, we decided to go and investigate Cycle Route no.76 and the John Muir Way. We took a combination of these routes (which sometimes follow the same path) to travel mostly off-road right along the coast all the way to Longniddry. The path is mostly quite good and wasn’t too busy with dog walkers and you get good views over to Edinburgh and Fife. On the way, we went through Prestonpans, went right around Cockenzie Power Station (which is now closed), stopped at Port Seaton harbour for a snack and passed by Longniddy Bents beach. The last mile or so into Longniddry was on a main road. It was quite busy so I wouldn’t recommend this section for inexperienced cyclists.

In Longniddry we stopped at the train station just in time to see the train to Edinburgh Waverley pulling into the station. I love trains and this was the first time I’d seen an electric train in my life, so this was my favourite part of the day.

The next section was really quite slow and uphill most of the way to Pencaitland on the B6363. At one point we passed through a silly place called Boggs Holdings and it was here that Dad spotted a funny sign that said: “Slow down for duck sake!” I wasn’t sure what was so funny about it but dad said that when I’m older I will understand what it means… Just before Pencaitland, we were overtaken by an ancient old van. Coincidentally, this was Luca’s ice cream van and it was on its way to the park in Pencaitland where there was a children’s football competition taking place. We stopped there for lunch of oatcakes and cheese and then managed to get a sneaky photo of the ice cream van (without having to buy any more ice cream).

At Pencaitland we joined Cycle Route no.196 which takes you along the old railway line. The path has recently been resurfaced with gravel and this has made it much harder to cycle on. Annoyingly, this made our average speed go down. We cycled passed Ormiston Community Garden where they grow lots of fruit and vegetables on the old railway platform. We then stayed on the path right to the end where it reaches the A6124 and then turned left and then left again to climb the steep hill into Cousland. We didn’t really stop there but carried on uphill again until we reached Fordel Mains once more. After that we avoided Edgehead and instead took another uphill diversion to the highest point on the route at d’Arcy. We didn’t do this because we love cycling uphill. It was because, from there, there is the steepest downhill section in the world. Dad managed to go over 37 mph and I broke my record speed as well at 32.1 mph. We’ve been down here a few times before but this was the first time we didn’t get caught in a torrential downpour of rain or hailstones so it was the first time we were able to go as fast as possible.

The next few miles follows a farm track which has a good surface but is full of potholes so you have to be a bit careful. This track is part of the Tyne-Esk Trail and it took us most of the way back home, rejoining the B6372 for the last mile to Gorebridge.

Gorebridge to Peaston Circular Route

Route out – Gorebridge to Edgehead to Cousland to Peaston. For route map click here.

Route back – Peaston to Windy Mains to Crichton to Gorebridge. For route map click here.

  • Weather – sunny and not much wind. Freezing at first but much warmer after Cousland.
  • Distance travelled – 24.18 miles
  • Riding time – 3 hours 8 minutes
  • Maximum speed – 26.5 mph
  • Average speed – 7.7 mph

On Saturday morning we got up at 5:14 am and were out on our bikes before 6 o’clock. We were up so early because I was going out in the afternoon with Mum so we had to be back before lunchtime. Going cycling so early was good because the roads were very quiet and we saw lots of wildlife: deer, pheasants, squirrels and even a brown bear (more about him later on…). The bad thing about cycling in the early morning, even in mid-May on lovely sunny day, is that it was extremely cold. It will soon be summer but there was lots of frost on the ground and for the first hour of the journey, my hands were freezing! And because I was freezing, I was pedaling really slow…

As usual, the first mile from our house is straight uphill but after that, it was an easy ride along the B6372 passed Vogrie Country Park to the village of Edgehead. After another steep uphill section we stopped on the narrow road to Fordel Mains farm to look at the amazing view over to Edinburgh, The Pentland Hills, Fife and beyond. It was here that we saw the brown bear for the first time when he tried to steal my bike… About a mile from here is a place called Cousland and we stopped on a bench to have a quick snack and also to warm up our frozen fingers by clapping our hands. The cheeky bear must have followed us there and he managed to sneak onto my knee when Dad was taking a photo.

After Cousland there’s a really fast downhill section and it it was here that I reached my fastest speed of the day. Soon we came to the A6093 road at the border with East Lothian. Normally we avoid main roads but because it was very early in the day, the traffic was very light so we headed east for about half a mile and then turned right at the really amazing old road sign, heading towards Peaston. There are lots of amazing old-fashioned signs in East Lothian and I love them because they give the distances with fractions of a mile. According to this one, Peaston is 2 1/4 miles.

As it turned out, there’s not much in Peaston apart from lots of old farm building and cottages that are crumbling and falling down. Dad said it was looked like a ghost town so we didn’t even stop there. Soon we reached another favourite road sign of mine – Slow Bad Bend – next to the sawmill at Windy Mains. A mile after the sawmill we reached the ford. This is where a stream flows over the top of the road at the border of East and Mid Lothian. Here we stopped for a snack and once again, spotted the brown bear as he tried to steal one of my chocolate digestives. After I rescued my biscuit, we headed through the scenic countryside along Salters’ Road. This is a really lovely quiet road and we didn’t see any traffic until we reached the main A68 road. At one point we cycled underneath some electricity pylons and you could hear them making a crackly buzzing sound.

We crossed over the A68 and cycled down the minor road to Crichton. There’s only a few houses here and after that you come to one of the steepest hills in the world! We sped down into the gorge and then crawled back up the other side in gear 1. On the way back up, we got a good view of the ruined Crichton Castle. After a short relatively flat section we came to Borthwick crossroads where we turned right, uphill yet again, for the last mile or so back to Gorebridge.