A useful tip I put to good use is to keep a list of locations or routes where you might like to take your kick scooter. My list is kept on the Blog index page, where they get listed as they come to mind or I come across something interesting on the Internet. Today I selected a route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, the Dalmeny Estate. The Dalmeny Estate is a typical estate with farmland, managed woodland, parkland, a golf course, the usual “big house” and numerous trails and paths suitable for walking and cycling and, of course, kick scooting.
My route starts in Queensferry, a small village nestling under the three bridges that span the Forth, the Forth Bridge, the Forth Road Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing. A large free parking area at Hawes Pier makes a good place to start.
My route starting off following the B924 towards Edinburgh, making use of the pavement for about a mile before it widened into National Cycle Network Route (NCN) 1 with its well-recognised blue signs. The cycle way undulated for a couple of miles, running along side the busy A90 with commuter traffic heading into Edinburgh. At Cramond Brig I turned left onto a gravel estate road, sign-posted NCN 76 and headed down towards the coast. The surface had been recently re-graded and was rough in places but traffic had created a few smoother areas where scooting was easier.
Another mile brought me to the coast where I stopped for a welcome drink and to enjoy the view. The tide was out and Crammond Island was appearing from the mist in the near distance. Unfortunately, the weather was rather dull and overcast and the views not a good as they might be for photography. A fine drizzle was falling but not enough to warrant water-proofs.
The route now followed the shore line, running along dirt paths though woodland, often muddy and stony in places, but pleasant enough with plenty of birds calling from the trees. A point worth noting at this time of year is that long grass often harbours the dreaded tick. They like to sit at the tips of long grass stems just waiting for a passing mammal to latch onto, they then find a cosy spot, bit into you and suck your blood. Some carry a nasty disease called Lyme’s Disease so always carefully check yourself for ticks afterwards.
Emerging from the woodland onto a golf course produced a fine view of Dalmeny House, I then re-joined NCN 76, with a mostly tarmac surface all the way back to Queensferry. As I’d started my ride around 7.00am, I encountered only one dog walker and it was nice to enjoy the solitude. If you ride this 10 mile route later in the day, or at weekends, it can be very busy with cyclists, dog walkers and runners.
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