I thought id take advantage of the more bearable end of the hottest day of the year by setting off for a long ride at 4pm.
Edinburgh to Bridge of Allan by the north side of the Forth for fish n chips for the 2nd Thursday in a row.
Upwards and NE to Braco, Auchterader and Perth (120k) for a Costa coffee from the petrol station.
I had toyed with heading further north a bit, with a sleep option in the audax hotel in Kinrossie but my right knee was twingeing a bit and while a kip might have been helpful I didnt want to set off cold and stiff after. So I headed south over to Bridge of Earn Kinross and back over the Forth.
Ridewithgps had been playing up on my phone so I was relying on mental arithmetic for total distance and I realised when crossing the Forth that Id be about 190km if I went straight home.
So I decided to go and have a look at Princes Street and the castle before a retrace for home. Both were shrouded in haar....classic summer weather in Edinburgh so I did a quick u turn and headed west for home. There werent many folk about, apart from a handful at Haymarket Railway Station and the adjacent tram stop. I dont think Ive ever passed there without there being some straggler or other. They always appear to be pining for the station or chippie to open!
I rode down the tram tracks for a frission of excitement and gave a wide berth to a few guys doing the lop sided drunk walk (theres a great Billy Connolly sketch about it). The mist was billowing around the Roseburn Bar as I passed it and we were now fully into Basil Rathbone territory.
Getting home at 3am I felt a wee bit let down that it wasnt getting light - on a clear day this time of year daylight can start to appear by then, but there was no chance on this misty morning.
I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and managed to drag myself out of bed to login for work. It was a weary trudge upstairs to my Lockdown Office. Maybe I can phone down for coffee.
A few pics.
