(112) Carpe Diem

Up and out early(ish) this morning to make the best of the good weather that was forecast. I took a train to Inverkeithing to get a head start and cycled over the Forth Bridge (see first extra) to South Queensferry. There was hardly a breath of wind and the journey over the bridge was unusually peaceful. It's possible to get to Edinburgh via a cycle path adjacent to the main road but it's much more pleasant to take the route along the shore and through Dalmeny estate. This is no problem on 38mm tyres but would require a bit more care on anything narrower. Second and third extras are views from this part of the ride. Once in Edinburgh there is an excellent cycle route right along the waterfront from Cramond to Granton. At Granton the single remaining gas holder structure has recently been preserved and opened to the public. I remember when there were still two operational gasholders on the site but that was a good few years ago. From here, I cycled along to Leith to have look at the Victoria swing bridge (see last extra) which has also recently been restored after years of neglect. Next stop was Portobello and then back up into the city for a run along Princes Street and a quick stop at the gardens. The city looks good just now with blossom on the trees and not too many people crowding the public spaces. With rain forecast I decided to see how far back into Fife I could get before opting to catch the train again. I made it as far as Aberdour then jumped on a train and was home and dry again for 5pm. Pretty much a perfect day out on the bike.