One way of picking up cycle quest checkpoints is by taking advantage of being in a different part of the country for another reason to squeeze in a day ride. Just one such circumstances arose whilst Charlotte was giving a lecture at Edinburgh University, leaving me with 6 hours in the Edinburgh area to explore. With input from a friend who lives in the area, I plotted a route of just over 40 miles, taking in three cycle quest checkpoints and a real variety of riding.
Setting off west from Ratho on the towpath of the Union canal, it was a generally pleasant ride in dry and sunny, albeit very windy, conditions. The towpath is nicely surfaced, at least to start with, and on a weekday there were just a few other towpath users to negotiate. All was going well until the surface for the last couple of miles became somewhat muddy, and just 200 metres before turning off I was brought to a sudden half with a crunch as my front mudguard was sucked upwards by the tyre, jamming the wheel in the process. There was no evidence of what caused it, and fortunately it straightened back enough to be able to keep riding.
Back on the road and it was a short ride down to Blackness castle on the banks of the Forth for my first checkpoint. Heading back inland, I stopped at a garden centre for what proved to be a disappointing lunch before heading south into the lanes towards Livingston.
My afternoon ride demonstrated the benefits and pitfalls of route planning using software that picks up cycle routes. One turn I expected to make onto a lane proved to be an unsurfaced track; no problem on this occasion as I was able to take an alternative route to get back on course. In contrast, the bike paths I was routed on through Livingston were great, and I could never have planned and navigated my route using a map. As a new town Livingston has been built with connecting cycle paths that cross any through roads via bridges or underpasses making for a surprisingly pleasant urban ride.
West Calder was my second checkpoint for the day although the checkpoint proved hard to find, being hidden to the west of a building making it impossible to spot whilst riding past it heading west! Checkpoint bagged, it was back through Livingston towards my starting point. With time to spare it would have been rude to pass up the chance of a cake stop at a conveniently placed garden centre, before returning to Ratho along a short section of the towpath.
Third and final checkpoint was in Ratho itself. This checkpoint also took a few minutes to locate whilst I worked out I was meant to be on the other side of the road from the pub and not the other side of the canal!
The aim of cycle quest is to get people riding in places they otherwise wouldn't have gone. I would never have otherwise chosen to ride the route I did had I not been collecting these checkpoints - who on earth would choose to ride the cycle paths of a new town when they could be out in the countryside. But I'm glad I did, it was a good day out!