Glasgow-Edinburgh canal ride this Saturday

Yup, I usually walk to the stables for a quickie of a weekend, its a mile or so from my flat. I’ve never got off at teh centre of kirky but I’m 99.98% sure the canal goes under the main road through the town and theres on/off ramps there.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Kirkintilloch,+Glasgow,+East+Dunbartonshire&sll=53.800651,-4.042969&sspn=18.388688,56.953125&ie=UTF8&ll=55.938484,-4.154688&spn=0.002121,0.006952&t=h&z=18&iwloc=A

Its a fairly sizeable town so no problems finding cafes – I’ll scout tonight on the way home.

There are a few cafes in Kirkintilloch but by far the best is Ghilonis which is about 500 yards to the right and then on left hand side of the road on Main St when canal path rises up to road level.

HTH

Much obliged!

I feel (slightly) bad. I was trolling.

Glad to see that there will now be a stw meet on a canal path with full sussers though! 😀

Will anyone be wearing a pressure suit for the pedestrian gates?

cynic-al – Member

I feel (slightly) bad. I was trolling.

You really are turning into TJ then? Or is it just that you’ve been found out and now can’t stand the humiliation?

Oi – I ain’t a troll

LOL @ TJ – you’ve confessed to as much in the past – or, let me guess, will you now find a way of distinguishing your behaviour?

*sulks*

Ok – I don’t troll as much as I used to 🙂

Anyway – some of my best friends are trolls

I’m not a troll. Oh hang on….

Xan – I’d love to make it a regular ride; I’m training for a Glasgow-JoG ride at the end of August using Sustrans routes and need to get the big miles in and 8 hours a day in the saddle. I’m setting aside Sundays for riding otherwise I won’t find the time. I’ll post up again if there a lot of Glasgow folk wanting to join in.

ml – hi… not sure if we’ve met…?

Hope you have a great day. Sort of thing I may be tempted to do another time, particularly as you’ll be going right past my house.

Oh and their re-sufacing the canal paths just now, so time for the full sus, lol!

Proline85 – you don’t do a spot of racing, do you? 😉

I did edinburgh – falkirk wheel and back again last year. Never ever again! It had rained loads so wasn’t quite the clean/mess free ride i was after and it began to feel really samey by the time i got to falkirk – and then i had to go back again. 🙁

Am builing my mtb back up again Lee, so once i’m sorted (and have remembered to ride offroad) i’ll drop you an email and we can sort a ride out.

Hope it can be made a regular thing. I’m free two weeks on Saturday (30th April) if anyone fancies it?

dirtygirlonabike – Member

Am builing my mtb back up again Lee,

😯

Used to do this from Cumbernauld once in a blue moon to put in some easy miles on a nice day, nice places for beer in L’gow and E’burgh obviously. It’s a nice few hours but the train costs about £10 to get home.

There is nothing too bad about the path unless it has rained in the past few days, you could end up quite mucky. Do-able on a racer but then you dont have the option of playing in the huge bing outside e’burgh. Worth 30mins of anyones time.
The really long tunnel is good fun, don’t spoil it by taking any kind of lights :D. The aquaducts(sp?)can raise the heartbeat slightly as there are no barriers to stop you getting a dookin.
Actually quite tempted now, any ideas of when you passing Cumbernauld?

Xan – that Sat is 2 May… I’m free though. Shall we set that in stone?

doh – probably going past Banknock at approx. 10am…?

claire – nice! i thought you’d forsaken any riding that wasn’t on nice smooth blacktop!

Is it?? Oh well I obviously cant count. Yeah, I’ll be there. I am sure 2 of my mates will join us as well.

Ok, I’ll post up next week to arrange for Sat 2 May. Where abouts do you stay?

Ok, I’ll post up next week to arrange for Sat 2 May. Where abouts do you stay?

No problem. I’m in Glasgow Just of Springburn road (the good side….well if there is one) so I’m only about 3 miles from the path entrance next to Bishopbriggs sports centre, and oly about 4 miles from Maryhill entrance. What about yourself?

Anyone else up for Saturday the 2nd as well??

I’m in Finnieston for the next 4 weeks then moving to Hyndland. I’ve only been in Glasgow for a year, and most of that on the Southside, so I’m still finding my way about!

ml – hi… not sure if we’ve met…?

We did, last time you were at my house, persuading me to buy a steel hardtail (which I did). 😉 Martin Little, friend of Tash. 😀

Ah! Hey Martin, how are you doing? Glad you found STW… and that hardtail. Drop me an email and we’ll hook up for a ride sometime. email address is in my profile.

For anyone interested I’m meeting boardinbob at the Squinty Bridge at 8am.

Where / when are you doing lunch?

Linlithgow would be a good lunch stop I reckon. The Star and Garter or Platform 51 (next to the station) has a beer garden, cos the weather will be beautiful tomorrow. Will probably be there for 12pm.

You fancy joining us at Lithgae? You’re in Balerno, aren’t you?

Will probably be there for 12pm

Really?

Departure time = 8am

Your max speed = 12mph

Distance = 65 miles

Quickest possible time = 5 hours 25 minutes

Earliest possible arrival = 1:25pm

No, at Linlithgow at 12 for lunch – it’s about 30 odd miles, 4 hours is plenty 😀

Then another 4 to the burgh.

Ah right, I thought Linthigow was the end point. 😆

Oh no right the way through! You cool with that?

I might head out (on the roads) to Linlithgow and join you on the way back then.

Oh no right the way through! You cool with that?

Yeah should be fine. Never covered that kind of distance before but as it’s totally flat and we’re stopping for lunch it’ll be fine.

Don’t worry, the thought of a bag of Edinburgh chips will get you there if you’re anything like me.

druidh – do you want to swap numbers to meet up?

I’ll need to bring a bottle of Edinburgh “sauce” back for the wife as she constantly moans about the lack of it in Glasgow 🙄

<salivates>Mmm chips with salt’n’sauce</salivates>

Thinking about joining you guys for a few hours. Not sure if I’ll maybe just do about 15 miles and then turn round and head back cause I need to leave Glasgow at 4 to head to a stag night. If I am going I will probably meet you at Bishopbriggs at the back of 8. All depends how many beers I have tonight. Bob i’ll give you a text later and let you know what I am doing.

Good man

leelovesbikestoo – Member

druidh – do you want to swap numbers to meet up?

YHM

Love to comne, but can’t make it this weekend
did it last year – no bother from the ned community.
Was on a Spesh TriCross, which is pretty roadie, and distance from Firhill to the end of the Union Canal (Forth&Clyde continues to Grangemouth from Falkirk) was 54 miles IIRC.
There was gravel and broken glass on one or two sections, so I’d recommend some kind of puncture proofing to save the general harrasment of fixing a flat.
great day out, would recommend it. People on canal boats very nice to chat to as you cruise past them.
Falkirk Tunnel is long, dark and gloomy

boardin-bob and I had a great ride on Saturday – Fountainbridge to Queen Margaret Drive was 62.5 miles (E-W due to easterly winds).

Set off at 9.30, a lunch stop in Linlithgow at 12pm, and got into Glasgow for a pint at Cottiers at around 5pm.

We did ride the infamous Falkirk tunnel, but the lights had been fixed so it wasn’t that bad without our own lights.

I want to do this again on 2 or 3 May – if anyone else is interested look out for a post soon.