The Forth Bridge

A cold morning for the Spokes Ride. We are heading across to Fife. The first time since the Forth Road Bridge has been closed to traffic, and is now only open to public transport only. It should be very quiet. While it is warmer than last month, once we set off the wind chill of moving on the bike cools us down. The sun isn't out yet, and it still feels pretty damp from yesterday's rain. We follow National Cycle Route 1, a mixture of old railway line and quiet suburban roads to Cramond Brig.

As we head out of Edinburgh on the Kirkliston road, glimpses of blue are appearing in the sky. There's a bit of a climb up Standingstane Rd, which warms us up a bit. As we cycle through the south Queens ferry, the clouds eventually lift. Athe the north end of teh Forth Road Bridge, I get my blip of the Forth Bridge.

Then its along the new segregated path to Inverkeithing. A lot smoother than the old path, in no time we reach the crossing. No more pushing a button here, it detects cyclists, and stops the traffic, allowing the cyclists to rejoin the road safely.

From Inverkeithing, we dive back down to the coast, and follow the coastal cycle route though Dalgety Bay, then on to Beech Avenue. This is a footpath connecting Dalgety Bay to Aberdour. It is very busy, as the snowdrops are in bloom in the woods around St. Colme House, so people walk from Dalgety Bay and Aberdour to view them. Very soon we are in Aberdour, and we head to the Aberdour Hotel for lunch.

In the afternoon, we made our way back. Beech Avenue is still busy with walkers, including one family we had spoken to  at lunch. (We took our time over lunch) . We take a slightly different route to Dalgety Bay, the commuter town, along the coast of Dalgety Bay, the bay. The track is slippy, and passing walkers needs a little care. Stay off the brakes enough so you don't skid.  After the Ross Plantation, we rejoin tarmac, and head through Dalgety Bay, the commuter town, to Inverkeithing.

From Inverkeithing, we head south on to the new cyclepath to, and then on to, the Forth Bridge. At the south end, we cycle up to the viewing deck. I get the Extra showing the empty Forth Bridge.

Then we follow National Cycle Route 1 through South Queensferry and Dalmeny to the segregated path that takes us along a busy A90 to Cramond. Then its back on to the quiet suburban roads and segregated path to the centre of Edinburgh and the end of the rode