Pictures of my commute - these were taken going home from work. I've missed out the first half mile which is ugly road. Unfortunately, one of the more interesting landmarks - a burnt-out moped - has either been removed, or possibly absorbed into the undergrowth from whence it will re-emerge, green, feral and out for vengeance.
Looking from the bridge at Duddingston Road South towards Bingham.
Along the side of the burn. Shopping trolley not visible.
Bandit country.
No burnt-out moped today!
The one road to cross on the 3-mile stretch.
That building on the other side of the road is our new Equipment Store. Hello Steven and Alison and David! (But not Colin any more).
The white gate used to be open but not any more. Nobody knows why, but probably to keep the local ferals/feral locals from joyriding their prickmobiles up and down the path.
Not all off-road cycle paths are rubbish.
The left side of the Mystery Steps to Nowhere, a prominent landmark on this path.
The right side of the Mystery Steps to Nowhere, a prominent landmark on this path.
Doesn't that look inviting? It always makes me think of that poem Bilbo writes about
the road goes ever on and on.
It's a well-used path. I see the walking man most days. If he's not carrying anything, he usually has his hands clasped behind his back, Prince Phillip-style. In winter he wears an old brown raincoat. He never acknowledges me. I think I see the cyclist quite often too.
Next landmark. The new wall. They rebuilt it last year. On the other side of it is the Bawsinch nature reserve.
The gradient changes at this point. It gets steeper now the further west you go.
I like to amuse myself by seeing how far I can go without having to change gear. It doesn't look like much, but it's noticeably steeper now.
View to the north - Arthur's Seat.
You can just see the Tunnel looming ahead.
That jogger got ahead of me while I was taking pics. The cyclist coming down will be going very fast.
Pond on the south side. It's hard to get a good view of it when the trees are in leaf, but sometimes I catch a glimpse of swans.
Bramble flowers - I'm hoping for a good crop this year. If not, I'll go collecting along the canal. Mmm crumble.
Looking back towards the east, you can just see the tower of Duddingston Kirk.
The Tunnel.
The cyclist at the back is a bloke I see most days, either in the morning or the evening. We do the nod and smile.
It's not really that well lit, I had the flash on. You can just about make out how much higher the top end is.
The light at the end of the tunnel.
You get out of the Tunnel, only to find yourself faced with a precipice.
The other end looks a long way away. That's my bike!
Looking back down the hill.
The path continues, divided into bike side and pedestrian side. I nearly ran a binman over along there this morning. Hi-viz does not protect you if you just step out backwards into a cycle path without looking.
The Engine Shed at the west end of the path. It used to be an actual engine shed for the engines for the Innocent Railway. Now it's a bread and tofu factory and cafe run as a supported work project for people with learning disabilities. The bread's lovely. Tofu is not.
Looking back along, just a few seconds from home.
