Turf Zone – BielBridge
Almost two weeks into a 28-day round, I’ve reached the point where the end of my quest for the Diversiest medal is no longer almost unreachably distant. A session this morning in Falkirk and Grangemouth gave me 86 takes bringing my tally to 791 out of the 1000 required. As well as taking zones on my local patch around Bonnyrigg, two sessions in Edinburgh, along with trips to Haddington, Dunbar and the coastal strip from Musselburgh to Longniddry have all combined to put a very happy smile on my face, rather than the one where I was starting to wish I’d never started this, well, challenging challenge.
Today I set out for the Grangemouth/Falkirk area with the intention of block-clearing Falkirk and also picking off three long needed zones with the monument attribute. These would bring my monument zones total to 100 for the Monumental medal. The zones were TheWars, PolandRIP and 1298Memorial. Of course, this now means I have to start on the next one, Monumentalist, which requires 250 zones with the monument attribute. That will be a challenge indeed.
Turf Zone – HiddenCast
My initial plan to block-clear all the zones in Falkirk did not get very far. This was mainly due to not having realised just how hilly Falkirk actually is. I seemed to spend ages and expend a ton of energy, climbing hills for little return. So, decided to change my plan and go for a linear route and the nice flat towpath along the Union canal proved ideal. Then, at the Falkirk wheel, I started back towards Grangemouth along the Forth and Clyde canal. Unfortunately, a long section of the canal was closed, forcing me to find zones sway from the canal.
Turf Zone – KingInTheSky
So, with a touch over 200 zones still required, I need a plan. Thinking that Penicuik and North Berwick will be good for at least 100 or even more, depending how many zones I ignore as too time consuming or difficult for the single speed Brompton, for example, those on North Berwick Law. That leaves another 100 to take and Peebles will be good for another 50 and Edinburgh will be good for the final batch. Hopefully, should be finished by the end of the week, just in time for the builder’s arriving to re-do the bathroom. Bugger, should have timed that better. Now I’ve no excuse not to hang about all day.
Turf Zone – TheKelpies
One thing that became apparent while attempting to block-clear all the zones in Falkirk was that it is far more time consuming than an area you know well or have at least turfed previously. Too much stopping to plan routes and return from dead ends you thought might take you to a zone. And, as I’m approaching the tail end of my quest for 1000 round unique zones, I changed my strategy to turfing along linear routes which are more time and effort efficient. And as I won’t be returning to the area for this challenge, I don’t need to know if I’ve previously taken any zones or not.
Turf Zone – DoNOTCrossEask
Regular readers to Planet Gary will be aware of my interest in purchasing an electric bike for turfing. However, while the additional boost that an electric bike offers can help save time and effort there’s one issue that bothers me, that of the additional weight. I looked at some of the Trek electric bikes and some models weight as much as 28 kg and that’s without carrying any addition tools, spares or supplies.
By contrast, the Brompton P Line electric weighs in at 16 kg which is much more manageable. My Brompton C Line single speed above weighs about 11 kg. This additional weight becomes an issue when you come across steps or stairs, a common occurrence while turfing urban areas. There are also the times when you have to lift the bike across fences or walls, or locations where pushing the bike is the only option. Less weight the better, I reckon. Think I’ll go for the Brompton P Line electric. Finally, picked up a couple of TvT zones during my Falkirk session. Turfers Limito and Buggyturf now added to the collection. Back soon.
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