“You doing Ride to the Sun?”. I was waiting on platform 12 at Crewe for my train to Carlisle, and two cyclists from Alsager Harlequins came down the stairs, one of them posing the question to me. I replied that I was indeed, and it turned out they were too, along with five other club members who were going on a later train.
Ride to the Sun is an event I came across a year or so ago. The aim is to arrive at Cramond Beach in Edinburgh in time to see the sun rise on the Sunday closest to the summer solstice, having ridden through the night from Carlisle to get there. It’s free to enter and bills itself as a friendly ride, not a sportive. There’s a chippy tea stop nearly half way at Moffat followed by a climb up The Devil’s Beef Tub to a piper, a rave half way at The Wee Crook Cafe then a gentle ride to Edinburgh and the beach. That ticked all my boxes, so I registered at the start of this year.
In the week leading up to the ride it seemed it would be more appropriate to call it Ride to the Drizzle, as the forecast wasn’t looking promising, however by Friday it looked very good indeed. Arriving at Carlisle station I rode to Bitts Park, the official starting point, and picked up my free badge from the organisers before heading to the cafe for a coffee and an ice cream. In addition to the riders from Alsager I spotted one from Holmes Chapel Velo and a couple from Crewe Clarion Wheelers. I’d pondered long and hard about timings leading up to the ride, after all it’s not every day I do a hundred miles and wanted to ensure I got to the beach not too early and not too late. According to my schedule I would leave Bitts Park at 6pm, however I decided to set off early as I’d got restless waiting around, so around half past five I headed off out of Carlisle for the north.
Traffic was fairly busy as I crossed the M6 and headed up the A7 to Longtown, where I rode over the wide and beautiful River Esk then turned off onto the A6071 to Gretna. I noticed a couple of young ladies at the side of the road and asked if they needed help. One of them had an issue with her front changer so I stopped to sort that out for her, then set off again. It seemed that the wind was blowing in my face at this point, which was disappointing as I’d expected a gentle tail wind. I rode past MOD Longtown and recrossed the M6, where the road veered round to the right and headed into Gretna. I paused for a photo and video at the “Scotland Welcomes You” sign marking the border and continued on into Scotland, turning right after the A75 to Gretna Green and then left by Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop onto the B7076. This took me north through Kirkpatrick Fleming, Ecclefechan, Lockerbie and Johnstonebridge, closely following the main A74(M) and West Coast railway mainline, to join the A701 just south of Beattock. Bypassing Beattock, the road took me under the A74(M) and on into Moffat, where there was a Midsummer Market taking place. I stopped at the end of the High Street where a load of other cyclists told me that was where to find the Best Pizza and Kebab House, and I joined the queue and bought fish and chips. I ate these to the accompaniment of the band playing at the market, then headed off to what I knew was going to be the toughest climb of the trip, up to the Devil’s Beef Tub.
The name arose in the 16th century when it was frequently used by the Johnstones, a local reiving (rustling) family, to hide stolen cattle after a raid, the geography of the place meaning it was a good place to hide in. The climb up started immediately on leaving the town, and soon I was high up overlooking some beautiful scenery on my right in the valley of the River Annan. As I climbed more of the rolling hills opposite came into view, and looking back I could see down into Moffat. I could also see forward a fair way, and ahead there was a trail of winking red lights where other cyclists were also making their way up to the top. Further along, looking back I could also see a trail of white headlights of the cyclists who were following me. As I neared the summit of the climb I could hear the sound of bagpipes ahead, and I paused as I passed the piper to listen. It was quite exciting, if not a little surreal, to hear the sound of pipes in the late evening at the top of a steep climb.
It was shortly after 10pm that I reached the top of the climb. It certainly wasn’t dark at this point, although bike lights were certainly necessary to help others see you. There was a quarter moon out, but no stars were visible yet, it was too light for that. The road descended from here, giving an easy pedal along. I passed a car park for the source of the River Tweed, and continued descending with the river showing as a silvery thread on the right. I heard a bird crying out as I passed a small wood on my left, and wondered what it was, whether it was a bird of prey hunting or feasting. As I was descending, my body temperature was dropping as I no longer needed to work hard, and was glad for the merino top and Proviz gilet I’d put on at Moffat, although my hands were starting to feel quite chilly. It was definitely getting darker by now, although there was still a small area of the sky that showed where the sun had set. After a while I came to the Wee Crook Cafe, a scheduled stop where bananas, flapjacks and hot drinks were available, as well as a disco! I had a banana, a flapjack and a cup of tea, although I spilled a fair amount of the tea through my hands shaking because of the cold.
After a wee I got back on the bike, now with my long fingered gloves on top of my mitts to keep my hands warm, and set off again for the final stretch. The road changed to a more rolling nature, and after a long while seemingly in the middle of nowhere little hamlets and villages began to show themselves. I wondered what the occupants of the houses were doing, and what they would be thinking if they chanced to look out of their windows. I was passed by a few cyclists in singles and groups, and overtook a few myself. Although I’d been riding for over 70 miles and six hours I was feeling quite good, just slowing down when the road began to rise occasionally. I rode through Broughton, Blyth Bridge, Romannobridge, Lamancha and Leadburn, where I turned left on the A703 for Penicuik. This was a huge change from the preceding hours, with wide roads, lots of street lighting and shops, including a Tesco. Although there were far more buildings around now I still passed open fields on either side. Six miles later I rode across the City of Edinburgh Bypass and knew that the end point wasn’t too far away.
As soon as I crossed the bypass it was obvious I was in a built up area, with lots of side roads and houses either side of the street. I made sure I rode with other cyclists at this point for safety and security. There were a few cars and taxis about, although at no time did I feel under any threat of danger. Indeed, Edinburgh has a number of cycle lanes closed off by bollards which makes it easier to get through although there are the occasional potholes to be aware of. I passed through Buckstone, Comiston, Greenbank, Morningside, Bruntsfield and Fountainbridge. I rode past Edinburgh Castle, blissfully unaware of its presence in the city night. At Princes Street there were a few people out and about, presumably making their way home after a night out. Crossing the tramlines and heading onto Queensferry Street a man looked at us incredulously and yelled “It’s half past two in the morning!”. Queensferry Street became Queensferry Road, and the A90, and then a short stretch of dual carriageway before a right turn led us onto Cramond Road South, and I knew we were very near the end point now. Passing Lauriston Castle the buildings suddenly came to a stop and my first view of the Firth of Forth presented itself. In the very early light of the morning, with the hint of dawn on the horizon, it was a simply stunning view. Shortly after this I turned right onto Cramond Street North and then onto Cramond Glebe Road, turning into Kirk Cramond for the village hall, where food, toilets and goodies awaited. It was around 3am, I’d ridden 101 miles and was ready for a rest.
After a quick toilet trip I bought a bacon roll and cup of tea and sat down to enjoy them. I saw the young lady I’d helped earlier, glad to see that she’d made it to Edinburgh safely, and looking around the hall I saw several cyclists were sleeping, either in their seats or on the stage. At 4am the organisers came in to tell us that it was approaching sunrise, and I got back on the bike for the very short ride to Cramond Beach. The sky in the east was dark orange, and the high clouds promised a good sunrise.
I’d brought a wee dram with me to toast my father and father-in-law, as it was Father’s Day, and had an emotional moment as I sipped my whisky. I grabbed a free beer that was being handed out and climbed onto the little grassy mound to watch the sun coming up. 4:26 came and went, and then the sun popped it’s head up on the horizon, a red-orange pin prick at first, then turning into an orange globe. It was a spectacular scene, worth all the previous effort.
After a brief talk from the organisers it was time for everyone to disperse back to wherever they were going. I saw the two Alsager cyclists and had a brief chat with them before setting off back to Edinburgh Waverley train station for the train ride home.
I’d planned a route from Cramond to Waverley that would take me on a circular route to the station, and set off along Cramond Promenade into the rising sun, passing Silverknowes Beach. There were few people around, but plenty of gulls. I looked back at one point and got a view of the Forth Rail Bridge with the other bridges behind it, before passing Granton Harbour. Shortly after here I left the seafront and headed inland onto the Trinity Path, one of many former railway tracks now converted for walking / cycling around Edinburgh.
This lead me onto the Chancelot Path and from here I turned left onto Warriston Path which became the Water of Leith path. This is named for the Water of Leith river which flows through Edinburgh and into the Forth at the Albert Dock. The water was very calm here, and the sky impressively blue so I had to stop for a photo.
At the end of the path I crossed the river and headed through Leith Links Park and Gardens, then past Seafield Cemetery to join Seafield Road, hopping onto the shared use pavement to avoid the road here before coming to Portobello Beach. I noticed several young people were walking away from the beach, and the music coming from the shore suggested a solstice party had been / was still taking place. I rode along the promenade, which despite being close to the sea was a little disappointing due to the proximity of industrial estates and houses. I left at Bellfield to cross the Sir Harry Lauder Way and east coast railway line, passing Portobello Golf Course and High School, crossing Milton Road and navigating through a few side streets to pick up the Innocent Cycle Path, running on the trackbed of the former Innocent Railway line. This was a lovely track, running through Jewel Park and passing Bawsinch and Duddingston Nature Reserve and then Arthur’s Seat to come to the Innocent Railway Tunnel, a short well-lit tunnel adorned with colourful graffiti.
At the end of the tunnel I navigated a few more side streets and came to The Meadows and Soderberg Cafe. Unfortunately I was too early for it to be open so sat on a low wall outside chilling. When it did open I treated myself to a coffee and a couple of cinnamon buns before continuing on through the streets to Waverley Railway Station, and my train home. It had been a fabulous weekend of cycling, and in a good way it somehow seemed a lot longer than 24 hours since I’d woken at home and prepared to do my ride.
