Turf Zone – JimClark
A tiring day. Started with a 90-minute drive to the Scottish Borders to take the 9 zones in Duns. Then across to Berwick-upon-Tweed for the 30 zones there. After that up the coast to take the 3 zones in a very steep and hilly Burnmouth and finally 18 zones in Eyemouth. Oh, not forgetting the 60-minute drive home to Bonnyrigg. But it was all worthwhile. 61 zones taken overall with 12,300 points added to the total. Add to that the North East England region joining my North West England and Scotland to bring my total region count to a whopping three, another turfer unique by the name of crazygoat, and finally, two further Monument zones taking me to a nice 75.
Turf Zone – WishIHadOne
I decided to take Mr Bumble with me today, the single speed Brompton and looking back that was probably not the ideal bike for the days turfing. It does not cope well with very rough roads and gravel paths; the small wheels make the ride very uncomfortable. Yet the compact nature of the Brompton is great in urban areas as its very manageable, nimble and great fun to ride. I suspect the bigger Brompton G Line would have been better, heavier, more comfortable, but heavier. Bikes always seem something of a compromise.
Turf Zone – Coastwatch
Duns, with easy parking and only 9 zones, was easy to turf taking around 30-minutes from start to finish, and that with the usual messing about trying to find suitable routes between the zones. Found an interesting wetlands area at zone EarlsMeadow and came across a red-legged partridge sitting on a fence post. It seemed reluctant to fly off. Zone DunsMonument gave me one of my two Monument zones of the day.
Berwick-upon-Tweed is in England and I found myself quite unsettled as I cycled around the 30 zones on offer. England is not as enlightened as Scotland. We have the Scottish Outdoor Access Code which opens up all tracks, footpaths and trails to all types of non-mechanised use, with the main exception being pavements or footways associated with the carriageway or road. Not so in England. Which might explain some of the dirty looks I got at times when cycling along footpaths though most people I met were fine. Interestingly, in England, cyclists have no “right of way” to ride on a footpath and it is not a criminal offence but may be an act of Trespass and therefor a civil matter with the owner of the land.
Turf Zone – WontBurn
So, where could I cycle and where should I not be cycling? I tried looking online but discovered little of note. One thread I tried looking into was if cycling on the paths along the town walls was permitted or not. However, found nothing of note other than a dodgy response from Google AI saying it was not. On the ground, I kept an eye out for signage relating to cycling but saw none. I did see a sign at the pier stating no cycling but only noticed it after I’d cycled out and taken the two zones actually on the pier. What a naughty chap I am!
Turf Zone – SealView
Next stop was Burnmouth, a wee fishing community at the foot of the cliffs. Found a parking area near the A1 and whizzed down on the Brompton. It was very cold here with an onshore sea breeze fairly chilling the cockles as it were. There are three zones here, one as you start the steep descent, one at the end of the harbour wall and another at the end of the road by some houses. Mobile phone reception was fine. Of course, what goes down need to come up again. Yes, I walked. I think I’d have struggled to ride up this slope even with gears.
Turf Zone – Gunsgreen
Final session of the day was Eyemouth. Took me about an hour for the 18 zones and felt quite tired afterwards, though having been riding the single speed all day, not so surprising. Zone Eyemouth gave me my second Monument zone. Oh, I also took one of the two zones at the English/Scottish border crossing. Didn’t fancy risking my life crossing the dual carriageway for the second one on the south-bound carriageway. No doubt I’ll pick that another day when driving down the A1. Back soon.
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