Thursday, July 5, 2007

Edinburgh to St Andrews - Tues 3 July - 82k

It was certainly with a great deal of sadness that we said goodbye to Dennis and Norma Innes, as we turned our minds and our bikes north toward St Andrews. We headed north down past the little Brethren Church where we worshipped on Sunday, and further through the northern suburbs until we hit the Ferry Road which became the A90 leading north over the Forth Bridge. It was typical city cycling - red lights, traffic especially buses in 'our' lane, and quick thinking as we checked signposts while we were moving through busy intersections.

The road eventually opened out on the A90 as we left the outer limits of Edinburgh, with the fading outline of Edinburgh Castle still looking over our shoulders. After 15 miles or so of good riding on the A90, we were faced with the sign ''no more cyclists''. We had to get off the A90, obviously because the highway had become Motorway in preparation for the crossing of the Firth of Forth. We ambled off, found another sign pointing to Queensferry, and by a series of minor roads and even NCN bike tracks, we found ourselves underneath the most magnificent rail bridge - the Forth Bridge that crosses the Firth of Forth. Built in 1883, it was apparently the first ever steel bridge in the world, the biggest bridge in Scotland and the biggest building in Scotland for its time. We just stopped and stared at this incredible structure that spanned more than 2.5km across the Firth of Forth. We were in the village of South Queensferry, something out of a picture book of old Scotland. People were gathering - it was 11am - for a remembrance service for all those who died during construction of the bridge over 120 years ago.

We cycled right through the village, bumping and jarring over the length of cobblestones, and found our way up on top to the vehicle bridge that runs parallel to the rail bridge, about 1k further up. I measured 2.4k from 'bank to bank' while crossing this magnificent but newer bridge. We had to keep pausing to admire the view - words just cannot capture the majesty of the sight of the bridge and the waters of the Forth.

We found our way off and down back to village level on the north side, and headed for St Andews, now about 55k away. The road was quite pleasant, with none of the steep climbing that we expected. We eventually got into the old village of Kirkcaldy, with its 13th century castle ruins, the home of Adam Smith the father of economics, and also the place where linoleum was first 'invented'. We sat having lunch on the beach foreshore, with views across the North Sea, especially back across the 15miles or so to Edinburgh on the southern shores of the Firth of Forth, and the Soutra Summit in the background that we had come over several days earlier.

Today we were enjoying a 'dry track'. It was a pleasure to ride on roads that were not wet and covered in puddles. But we could see the darl clouds gathering over from the direction of St Andrews. We headed off for the final 40k, expecting some mega climbs over the higher terrain. It eventually came, but the long climbs are not so unpleasant. The road (A955) was light with traffic, and afforded great views over sheep and pasture land for miles all around, and across the sea at times. At Leven (birthplace of 'Robinson Crusoe') we turned inland and 'upwards' on the A915 in order to cut short the longer coastal route. We seemed to choose the hilly way - we must have ascended for 5-6k without a break, while we could see the coastal route around the little coastal villages as flat as a table. Julie was doing well on all hills today - none of them stopped her, and on many she was never far from my back wheel!

It started to rain. Not enough to convince us, so we cycled on. But eventually, it was evident it was here to stay. We were dodging puddles. Little rivers ran across the road, and the whole track was clearly wet to stay. We put the coats back on, and kept going, keen to see St Andrews. The final few miles flattened out, although we hadn't really descended after our long climb. Eventually, the beautiful skyline of the ancient and historical village of St Andrews could be seen in the distance. The rain was much heavier now. We were very wet, and our unvovered backpacks and Julie's panniers were quite wet (mine are water proof - thanks Pete for the lend!!).

We were now descending - long open runs allowing us to sit in the big chain ring at the front and let the bikes really fly - water and all. In the bi ring we can manage to get a good run over the top of smaller climbs without having to work too hard. We past the final crest, and came immediately upon our caravan park, which sits over the town. It is no fun setting up the tent in the rain, but there being no choice, we just grin and bear it.

Of course, not all that long after the tent is set up, we have tea and shower, the sun comes out! We walked toward town to have a look over the whole lovely scene with the North Sea in the background, and decided to have an early night, keen to explore St Andrews on our day off tomorrow.

Thanks again for the thoughts and messages. They really encourage us. We will be in touch again. Love from us - K&J

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