Turf Zone – RegentPark
One aspect of tackling turf missions, particularly those that must be taken in a strict sequence, such as the alphabetical order of the Edinburgh Roon, or indeed, the lineal order of either of the Canal Quest 754 missions, is that you are fickle to circumstances beyond your control. A good example was PrincesZone, zone 92 on the Edinburgh Roon which was totally inaccessible due to a police incident involving a suspicious package and really put a total stopper on any further progress that day.
I can imagine how annoying it might be to travel all the way to zone Stuck, at Bowling near Glasgow, the starting zone on the Canal Quest 754 Eastbound, only to find it’s out of bounds for some reason. That would really cause a few choice sweary words to be uttered. Hopefully, that will not occur when I finally get round to attempting that turf mission.
Of course, there are also other ways to avoid preventing further progress on your turf missions, and they are usually within your control. I’m referring to zones you might take between the zones required for your chosen turf mission. And I must admit to twice falling foul of this unfortunate occurrence. It can be very tempting to take these zones, in fact, it feels totally alien not to take a zone, passing it by without stopping to take it. Just feels wrong.
There are remedies to this situation, should you find yourself blocked. You can enlist the help of another turfer to take the zone from you, allowing you, after the block clears, to re-take the zone again, permitting you to continue your turf mission. Alternatively, you can create another turfer on your phone to do the same thing. However, it’s easier to simply not take any zones you might need later in the zone sequence. You can try and check if they are safe to take but that takes time and human error is also a possibility.
The Edinburgh Roon has been craftily created to be both totally delightful and utterly frustrating, both at the same time. I find there’s something serene at crossing the city from one zone to another, some as far apart as three miles. And then you find yourself having to return to almost all the same location you’ve just come from. That’s the frustrating part. On many occasions I’ve found myself slugging all the way up from the Water of Leith to the Meadows or beyond, only to return all the way back down again. I tell you it’s a fair cycle on a single speed folding Brompton.
Today, back into Edinburgh for another session on the Edinburgh Roon. But before we continue, I want to mention that I had an unusual companion with me today. No, not Shawn the Sheep, Bitzer the Sheepdog or even Feathers McGraw. No, this one was invisible, an anthropomorphic personification, whom I’ve taken to calling the Goblin of Temptation.
The Goblin of Temptation always seems to appear, if that is the correct term for an invisible anthropomorphic personification, when I’m approaching traffic lights or are stationary at traffic lights waiting for them to change, and at pedestrian crossings as well. She, yes, this is most definitely a she. No male goblin has an enchanting voice like this one. Brings to mind Dervla Kirwan’s sultry sexy voice in the M&S advert where cream is poured over some fancy chocolate pudding.
This Goblin of Temptation was full of suggestions like, “why are you waiting at the lights when other cyclists are ignoring them? Go on, you know you want too! It’s only a pedestrian crossing and no-one is looking. Just go across, it will save you time.” You get the idea. I must admit it was most tempting more than once. I witnessed other cyclists who were tempted by their own The Goblin of Temptation, riding on the pavement, riding the wrong way along on-way streets, continuing across at red lights and generally ignoring any traffic regulation they want. Guess I’m just too law abiding. I managed to resist the Goblin of Temptation.
Anyway, managed another 10 zones towards the Edinburgh Roon this morning, taking myself from 91 to 101, leaving only 39 zones to go. It was hard going again today, long distances between zones, plenty of steep ascents and a strong headwind thrown in for good measure. At least it stayed dry. I finished at zone 101 RoyalMile but decided zone 102 RoyalMileZone was too much for my aching legs mainly because I’d have to slog all the way back up again. It would keep for another day, on fresh legs. Possibly tomorrow.
And to finish. You may have noticed that I have a quest. And that quest is to find the Scone of Scones, the King of Scones or the Queen of Scone, the best fruit scone in Scotland. I may have found it. A few days ago, as well as some Edinburgh turfing, ChoccyMuffin and myself visited the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Queens Street, Edinburgh, to view a photographic exhibition by one of the pioneers of photography, Alfred Buckham. (no direct relation that I know about but I would like to think there might be). Here’s the blurb for the website.
“Take to the skies and discover the world from above the clouds through the remarkable work of Alfred Buckham: Daredevil Photographer.
A trailblazer in his field, Alfred Buckham soared above the realms of what was thought to be possible in 20th century photography and aviation. Meet the man behind some of the most iconic aerial photographs, marvel at the death-defying lengths he took to capture the perfect image and explore how his innovative techniques paved the way for modern technologies such as Photoshop and AI”
Of course, we visited the in-house Café Portrait for the usual scone and coffee. Oh, my goodness, the scone was amazing. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, plenty of fruit and a hint of cinnamon. It was amazing. Perhaps the best scone I’ve even tasted and I’ve tasted a lot of scones! The exhibition is free and well worth a visit. Bye for now
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