Trip to Dalgety Bay from Lambhill
The bare bones of this big day will be given before it is fleshed out for friends and relatives, perhaps later today. A 6am start with a strong following wind along NCR 754 on the towpath of the Forth & Clyde Canal to Falkirk presented the opportunity of crossing the Forth by the Kincardine Bridge on NCR 76. This long distance route then becomes also known as the Fife Coastal Path and also introduces significant climbs and fine views. For my first but not last time, Culross, Torryburn, Charlestown and Rosyth were visited en route to the Dalgety Bay destination with a locally recommended lunch stop at Coorie By The Coast at Limekilns.
After an excellent meeting with a relative at a care home a trip across the Forth Road Bridge with crosswinds just manageable was continued to Dalmeny Church in Queensferry. This prompted a careful following of NCR 1 signage (for future use) to an A904 access road. The A904 was taken (with a refreshing food stop at the Fat Pheasant in Newton) as far as the left turn to Philpstoun, where NCR 754 was rejoined and followed all the way back to Lambhill at 2 am. Tent erection with light from new cycle headlamp and head torch was straightforward.
The 100 miles with lots of wind assistance had only 2500 feet of ascent and by evening the wind had dropped low enough to allow midges to be a nuisance.
The Flesh on the Bones
On the outward route, major roads in Falkirk seemed well- supplied with cycle tracks alongside. Unfortunately, these can be fenced off for roadworks – of which there are many associated with access to the M9. It is possible to be given the initial direction of a cycle diversion without a visible follow-up sign. The eventual answer was to use the major roads themselves and ignore even any tempting wide purpose-built cycle tracks.
The old series of canal locks in Falkirk is also subject to repair and you can read about the Forth & Clyde Canal: Lock 16 Bypass and Falkirk Flight Gate Replacement Programme.
The care home visit was interesting and mutual relatives will be updated verbally. Three examples of wide-ranging topics follow. (1) Muriel’s daughter’s family now has an electric car powerful enough to tow a touring caravan. (2) Her old flat needs a new tenant but it makes sense to redecorate and improve the central heating without delay. (3) Muriel struggles to make phone calls as does Herbert and we wondered why every care home does not have a communal phone designed to be easy to use for those challenged in various ways.
At a favourite stocking-up shop in Inverkeithing, my request for info about biking to a campsite in Linlithgow was overheard by Val who presented me outside the shop with her smart phone showing a Google map with the proposed cycle route overlaid by a bold blue line, which was easy to memorise.
Returning to Lambhill from Queensferry, the A904 was busy with fast moving cars and the John Muir Way to the north and canal towpaths to the south will be tried in future. Also, there was facing low bright sunlight and the stop at Newton was partly to give this time to be less of a menace. It also made me too late to sign in at the intended campsite!
There were challenges also by the canals. The main tunnel on the Union Canal is the hand-built 630 m Falkirk Tunnel, with cobbles and puddles to negotiate. Care is needed also in walking the 247 m Avon Aqueduct.