riding on the edge
October 16th, 2005
While living in Edinburgh, I am making myself explore the surrounding area. For some time, Berwick-upon-Tweed has been on my wishlist to visit – every time I have been through on the train, the area looks idyllic.
So yesterday, I took the train to Berwick, although I didn’t stay long because I had to get back to Edinburgh, by bike, and via the Scottish borders. The 45 minute train journey took me along the east coast, just as the sun was rising – a perfect start to the day.
Off I went, more or less, on the Coast and Castles route back to Edinburgh. 87 miles, 1 country border crossing and 6 counties (that’s Northumberland, Berwickshire, Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire and Midlothian) later I was home.
My favourite part of the day was cycling from Berwick to Kelso, in the mist, as cold as any (Southern England) winter day, and dry. Every house was like you’d imagine in a dream, majestically perched high above the River Tweed. The only smells were fresh country air and burning log fires.
My least favourite part of the day was the approach to Innerleithen, whose name I had psychologically twinned with Interlaken – a good base for exploring the alps. Innerleithen lies at the base of the Moorfoot hills, which I had to cross to get home.
And some oddities for the day:
- My first long ride with clipless pedals. They’re crazy. No disasters on that front, but I had difficulty unclipping when I nearly came to a standstill as I attacked a hidden and very steep hill in completely the wrong gear.
- Cycling through some sort of warm front just outside Berwick, which even made my bicycle computer steam up.
- A faux-bistro, The Grapevine, in Innerleithen where I had a latte and a danish pastry. It was the spitting image of one of those start-up businesses they have on the TV which are guaranteed to fail, having taken no notice of their target audience.
I now love the Scottish Borders.
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