£10 third of campsite fee, Drum Mohr Caravan Park, Musselburgh
£134.45for bike lock, waterproof cycling trousers, knee warmers, and 2 pairs of waterproof gloves from Leith Cycle Company, Edinburgh
£7.80 for soup, parmigiana, and chilli hot chocolate from Gaia Sicilian cafe, Leith, Edinburgh
£56.81 for socks, base layer, protein bars, carb drink powders, and electrolyte tabs from Sandy Wallace Cycles, Inverkeithing
£10.59 for pâté, chilli con carne, and pint of orange juice and lemonade from The Wood Mill bar and restaurant, Dunfermline
I got away at 08:15 despite my reluctance as it was persistently raining. I knew from the forecast that it would rain all day, so I'd put all my waterproof cycling gear on - Sealskinz gloves and socks (with garage forecourt polythene gloves underneath on my hands as an extra lay against the water), neoprene shoe covers, waterproof baseball cap under helmet, and jacket.
I managed to get confused getting out of Musselburgh; I saw the sign for route 76 when I got to the bottom of the track to the campsite and took that instead of following the main road through Musselburgh to pick up the route later. I figured it would be better to avoid rush hour traffic in the rain. I just seemed to go in a very large circle around the town though, ending up almost where I started, and then lost the signs so had to consult my Garmin OS map alongside the Sustrans Castle and Coast North map in order to get myself back on to the route towards Edinburgh. I came in to Edinburgh right alongside Arthur's Seat and, despite having soaked hands and legs by this stage, felt excited at being so close to this iconic lump of rock.
As I started to come into the city proper along cycle paths busy with commuting cyclists, I decided I could afford the time to warm my hands up with a cup of tea even though it was still early in the ride. I stopped by a cafe where I could keep an eye on my bike, then realised I didn't have the bike lock that I usually carried with me. I looked everywhere in a vain attempt to conjure it up. My brother had unlocked my bike for me that morning, and I cursed myself for not double checking everything before setting off. I phoned him just in case he'd 'hidden' the lock somewhere strange, though since I only had the handlebar bag and stuff sack on the back rack, I'm not sure where I imagined he could have put it. In reality I was phoning to let him know I was miserable and a bit fed up with him. He looked out of the campervan window, where he was sitting warm and dry having his breakfast, and could see the D lock sat on top of the trailer.
I spent the next 2 hours hunting for a bike shop in the centre of Edinburgh. I walked / squelched up and down Princes Street, stopping in bus stops and shop doorways to get the simple Edinburgh road map (part of the Castle and Coast map) out so that it didn't get soaked. I thought about asking one of the commuting cyclists about the nearest bike shop, but they were all very focused on getting where they were going so I didn't have a chance to stop them. When I saw a sign for Waverley train station and Tourist Information I followed that and, after going in the train station and being shown where the Tourist Information was up several escalators, but explaining that escalators aren't easy with a non-folding bike, eventually found my way to the central Edinburgh Tourist Information office. Everything seems to take ages when you're wet, cold, and starting to want the loo. I boldly walked my bike in to the very smart Tourist Information office, readying myself to explain how I didn't have a lock if anyone challenged me. I must have looked particularly pathetic as the man at the counter didn't skip a beat in explaining very fully where the nearest bike shop was and exactly how to get there either walking or on bike. I think he thought the bike needed mending so I couldn't ride it, but I was happy to feel like my wild goose chase was coming to and end, so I didn't bother explaining about the need for a lock.
The guys in Leith Cycles were wonderful. Mind you, I did spend a lot of money with them, so perhaps this isn't all that surprising. As well as the bike lock, I also got loads of new waterproof cycle clothing and changed in their store room. It was lovely just to put dry leggings and gloves on. They told me about good local cafe (it was now lunch time), gave me a detailed cycling map for the city, and showed me the best route for getting the the Forth Bridge.
After a conversation with Liz and Vaughan about getting more substantial food at lunch time, I thought perhaps gnocchi would be perfect in the Sicilian cafe (I have a wheat intolerance, so can't eat pasta) but they weren't doing it that day so I settled for parmigiana instead with a soup started and chilli hot chocolate as afters.
I set off again warmed up and with dry legs and hands. The Leith Cycles directions were superb and I soon found myself at the Forth road crossing having crossed the city on a good network of cycle paths.
Crossing the Forth Bridge road crossing on a bike is quite scary. Luckily the wind had dropped so I wasn't been blown about, but every time I glanced down at the water far below I started to get nervous so I kept my eyes firmly ahead and on the horizon instead.
Just across the other side of the bridge I passed another independent cycle shop. My feet were soaked and cold despite the Sealskinz socks and Neoprene shoe covers, so I pulled in to buy new socks. There was another customer in there also getting additional supplies. It was a man doing JOGLE (John O'Groats to Lands End) and we swapped notes and compared how cold and wet we felt. I talked at length to the sales assistant about nutrition when touring, and how to get protein as well as carbs. He said that with my long days and relatively slow speeds sugars weren't what I needed and drink mixes with carbs as well as electrolytes and protein bars were what I needed to be able to refuel on the move. I left Sandy Wallace Cycles of Inverkeithing with a technical long sleeved base layer, three pairs of socks (just as nice to put on as the gloves were earlier in the day), as well as carb drink powders and protein bars, plus some more electrolyte tabs. I also put carrier bags between my socks and shoes as it was clear that water was getting in where the cleats were in the bottom of my shoes.
I pushed on to Dunfermline, now feeling warm, dry, and confident. It had also stopped raining by this point. I stopped for a meal in a bar and restaurant for the extra evening energy boost I seemed to need and phoned Vaughan. I'd had such a rotten day, and it was now getting so late, I decided that I'd stop cycling in Kinross rather than push myself to get to Dundee, as planned. Vaughan and Liz had booked us in to a backpacker hostel in Dundee as somewhere warm and dry for the night, so Vaughan would have to do a 2 hour return trip along the M90 to pick me up, but that was the best option at that point.
I climbed the Cleish Hills and started to feel how remote I could be as a lone cyclist in Scotland. Empty roads, and no houses or farms in sight. Coming over the top in mist and drizzle, the view down to Loch Levens and Kinross was fantastic, but I realised it would be unsafe to push myself to ride all the way to Dundee that night, so I was glad I'd called Vaughan.
The Descent down into Kinross was wonderful and I was singing at the top of my voice all the way. I stood by the Loch photographing the full moon reflected in the water when Liz and Vaughan appeared, having located me with the Friend Finder.
I fell asleep in the van on the drive to Dundee, tired out from the day even though I hadn't actually cycled all that far. When we got to the backpackers hostel I went straight to bed after a shower, leaving Vaughan and Liz to explore the night life of Dundee without me.
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