As regular readers of this site will know, Cycling Dumfries member Jim Mackison is a bit of a local history buff and enjoys researching some of the stories behind the places where we ride and sharing his finding in his entertaining guides.
Waiting to start out from the Greensands on our latest Curiosity Ride.
With the controversy over the plans to turn the Greensands over to parking, he has done some digging into this corner of Dumfries and discovered that it has a long and varied history. Many of you will remember the old Swimming Pool on the site but it has also been the site of a school, a drying green, a source of clean water, and a meeting place – and always valued as a place for recreation and enjoyment of the river.
Nor are the car park plans the first time the council has had its eye on the area for controversial development. In 1853 it was proposed as the site of a sheep market – despite objections that this would be incompatible with its use for washing and drying clothes and for recreation. In the words of a petition at the time:
The Council, by sanctioning it, were interfering with the desire generally manifested to secure public parks and places of recreation, and turning the matter into a question of pounds, shillings and pence. Instead of sacrificing the Sands, or any portion of them, they ought to preserve them with scrupulous care;
It took two years of debate, but in the end the council found somewhere else to site the market and the Greensands saved. We can only hope for a similarly happy outcome this time around.
To find out more, you can read Jim’s document in full below:
Cycling Dumfries member (and e-bike touring enthusiast) Paul Denney attended the Cycle Touring Festival this year and has shared this report. On a day when the weather is not that conducive to heading out, here’s a bit of inspiration for future adventures …
The UK Cycle Touring Festival is the only cycle touring festival in the UK. It hasn’t happened as an in-person event for the last 3 & 1/2 years due to Covid, instead it’s gone online and, as good as it’s been, there is no real substitute for getting on your bike cycling somewhere, pitching your tent and talking to likeminded people.
This year it’s not so much a festival as a gathering, the whole thing is organised on a not-for-profit basis by a very small family team and having been off so to speak for so long they wanted to ease themselves back in. It was held at Waddow Hall just outside Clitheroe. The Hall is a former stately home now run by the Girl Guides association as an outward-bound centre.
Now it had been my intention to get there using cycle and train as 120 miles each way to Clitheroe would add 4 days to the 1.5-day event, however a train strike and engineering work put pay to that idea. So instead, I chucked everything in the EV, charged it up with as much sunshine as can be found in D&G at this time of year and headed off on Friday afternoon in the hope I could get there and pitch up before the sun went down.
The trip down was reasonably uneventful, and I stopped only at Tebay to buy Kendal Mint Cake as I always do and then went the pretty way via the Forrest of Boland.
It was raining when I got there so I pitched the tent quick and headed for the bar. People turned up at random through the evening, some had cycled but quite a few had come by car due to the rail disruption. After a few beers and some interesting discussions, I headed back to the tent and got my head down.
Saturday morning dawned and was sunny if rather cold and damp from the night before. There was no catering as such but most people being cycle tourists that wasn’t a problem as everyone had a stove and could make coffee. porridge, etc.
The focus of the event this year was a single large marquee and consisted of a series of talks from invited guests.
First up on Saturday morning was Richard Ainsley who talked on the topic of reasons to cycle. Now this wasn’t all about why you should cycle but was more about route planning and things to see. He explained he broke his tour planning down into 3 headings, A to B, routes, and themes. A to B can be a bit obvious like Lands End to John O’Groats but what he did was to join two places for completely random reasons. So, between two places that rhyme, places with exotic names, points of the compass etc, etc, while this might sound odd picking two arbitrary places and defining a route between them it does take you to places you would otherwise not go to.
Next was routes and examples of this were walls (Hadrian’s wall and the Berlin wall), following rivers and most bizarre of all was the Swiss LSD route. The Swiss Chemist who first discovered the chemical decided to test it on himself and not understanding just how powerful it was accidentally took a massive dose. He then decided to cycle home, luckily one of his research students decided to follow him to make sure he was ok. Now let’s put it this way he didn’t exactly go home by the most direct route, but he did eventually get home where he took to his bed for 3 days to recover. His student recorded the route and apparently, it’s now an official tourist cycle route.
Finally, there was themes, examples of this were the Pendle Witch burning tour, Every away game of York City by bike, Every OS map in the UK in numerical order (25 coast to coast rides!), an Elgar themed tour, a wild swim tour (from sea to source) and all the white horses in the UK. I thought there were some great ideas here we could adapt which might be of use to the group. So, for instance a Robert Burns tour, Sea to Source along the Nith or Dee, the 4 points of the compass of D&G, etc, etc.
Next up was Tristam Newey’s talk about the book called “Wheels of Chance” which was written by H G Wells in 1896. In the context of the first talk this would be a themed tour. Tristam decided that he would follow the route in the book to find the places illustrated and take pictures of how they appear now. The tour took him from Putney to Blandford Forum and while many of the places close to London are now gone, once he got further out into the countryside many are still there and unchanged. The book is particularly interesting as many of the places in it were re-used by Wells in The War of the Worlds. Well’s himself was a keen cyclist.
After Lunch Andrew Sykes of the Cycling Europe Podcast talked about his 5500 km “Grand Tour” which he undertook this summer. The route started in the Netherlands and circumnavigated most of France before following the Rhone into Switzerland and the Rhine all the way back to the Netherlands. I won’t discuss it in detail but rather point you to his web site where there is a series of videos of his trip. His podcast can be found in the usual places. Incidentally Rob Ainsley who did the first talk provided Andrew with the excellent classical guitar soundtrack for the podcast.
Next Louise Clines spoke about her and her family’s trip to Switzerland via Germany and Italy this year using bikes and Interrail. Getting out of the UK with a bike was possibly the biggest challenge as Eurostar will only take folding bikes in bags now. So instead, they took the ferry to the Netherlands from Hull. Once there the rest of the trip was straight forward enough apart from the language barrier issues. Louise does speak German however so was she joked able to translate her husbands German into German. The Deutsche Bahn site was invaluable in planning they said as it tells you which trains you need to book bike spaces on and which you don’t.
Some German trains have 20 bike spaces or more and you don’t have to book. Once you get into Switzerland its even better, one train had 48 bike spaces! Busses in Switzerland have bike racks on the back which they swap for ski racks in winter. You can also take some bikes on cable cars and then cycle back down the mountain. Another valuable source of info was Man in Seat 61, a mine of information when it come to taking a bike on a train in Europe and well worth a visit if you plan to do that.
For 7 days in 3 months unlimited train travel in Europe it was 300 euros. You also get one outward train trip in the UK and one return trip on the way back. That does pre-suppose you can get your bike on a UK train and that the service is running. In Europe Louise and her family had no such problems.
Next Tim McKenna spoke about his circumnavigation of the Baltic and how cycling helps him with his mental health. Sadly, I missed most of his talk as I had to go and move my tent before it got dark. Suffice it to say he found cycling a great help and an escape from the stress of everyday life.
Finally Caroline Burrows, the cycling poet, gave a recital. Caroline is originally from just outside Glasgow but now lives in Bristol, my hometown, and this summer she has been travelling around the UK on tour.
We then broke for dinner and after that it was open mike. I spoke about Dumfries cycling, why I have an e-bike and about the mini adventure Steve and I had recently as well as my tour along the Lon Las Cymru in 2020. To my great surprise I was not chased from the room with burning torches and pitch forks, quite the opposite. There was general support for e-bikes and after I got chatting to one couple in their 70’s who tour extensively on e-bikes their only grumble being that the Bosch motor on one of their Kona E-world Travellers (my dream bike) had failed after only 25,000 miles!
I had a lovely evening talking to many people and hearing what they have done, two chaps from Manchester who rode through the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco completely un-supported and one couple, I think in their 60’s who rode the length of South and Central America.
On Sunday morning Jo & Debs introduced us to the concept of type 1 and type 2 fun. Type 1 fun is fun while you are doing it and involved cycling down hill and eating cake. Type 2 fun is fun when you look back on it. That involved pushing your bike up-hill in the rain without cake. They talked about their tour together in the Netherlands and Germany this summer. It sounded like they had more type 1 fun than type 2 and that was their plan.
Finally, Ann Wilson did a talk about cycling the length of the Rhine in 5 weeks. You never ask a lady her age, but I would guess she was in her late 60’s. Sadly I couldn’t stay for her talk as I had to meet somebody on the way home and time was short.
All in all, it was a fantastic and inspiring weekend, and I will definitely go again. To meet all these people who had undertaken such amazing journeys, many of whom were older than me has given my hope that I have many, many more cycling days to go and that you are never too old. It was also good to see many younger people there who are the future of cycle touring. Next time I hope to get there by bike and train but let’s see what happens.
Thanks again to Paul for that write up. If you’re inspired to get on your bike for a short themed adventure we’ve got two rides next week that might fit the bill – our Wild Goose Chase Ride on Wednesday, as part of the Wild Goose Festival, and our Halloween ride to light up the night on Sunday 30th October.
Cycling Dumfries members Paul Denney and Steve Cussell are both keen e-bikers (Steve’s already expanded on his recent conversion here) and this summer they decided to spread their wings a little with a short bike-and-train e-bike tour. In this guest post, Paul Denney explains how a weekend can be turned into a mini adventure.
The morning of Saturday the 10th of September found Steve Cussell, myself and our e-bikes waiting for the train at Dumfries Station. It was a leisurely start, 11:45. The train was on time and after a brief panic when we couldn’t find the carriage that had the bike compartment, we bundled our bikes on board and the train departed. Our first stop was Kilmarnock where we changed for Ayr. Getting fully loaded touring bikes on and off a train in the 60 seconds it stops for is no mean feat and having a partner in crime to help is most useful. Alas gone are the days when the railways employed porters to help passengers, these days the best you can hope for is a cheerful glare from the platform guard.
The weather in Ayr was near perfect, sunny but not too hot and not too cold. Once we had clipped our panniers back on and fastened our helmets, we dove into the traffic of Ayr for the brief ride across town to connect with NCN route 7 at the sea front. The views across to Arran from the beach were spectacular – so distracting was the vista that I rode the wrong way through a car park into on coming traffic, much to Steve’s amusement. At the end of the beach NCN 7 crosses the millennium bridge over the river Doon. Here we diverted onto another way-marked bike path and headed out of town past the Burns Cottage Museum.
Our mission for the afternoon was to get to Glentrool village and the Glentrool campsite. The distance was 56km and between us and our objective were 3 climbs of 240m, 390m and 450m respectively. At first the scenery was farmland with Arran always in the background but as we headed south, inland, and closer to the Galloway Forrest it became more rugged and wild. Had we not had the e-bikes I suspect that Steve and I would have struggled with the first hill let alone the second two. We tried as much as possible to not use boost and for most of the ride we were in Eco mode. However, there were sections where we had to up the boost, mindful all the time that this would eat into our range.
Steve’s bike being newer than mine has a 620-watt hour battery and he was able to complete the first day’s ride on a single charge. Mine only has a 418-watt hour battery and despite my best efforts I ran out of charge halfway up the last climb. Now, as my bike has electric gear shift, running out of charge leaves you stuck in whatever gear you were in when you ran out. Luckily for me I have a spare battery which doubles my range and so I just needed to stop and swap it over.
Once we had crested the last climb, a pass between two hills, we re-joined NCN route 7 and it was all downhill to the camp site. Over to the left as we descended were the hills of Shalloch on Minnoch, Tarfessock, Kirriereoch, Merrick and Benyellary. The view was spectacular and luckily for me the road was empty so I could enjoy it as we descended with no fear of colliding with a car coming the other way.
At the bottom of the descent we entered Glentrool village. We passed the sign for the visitor’s centre where we would be going the following day and carried on a kilometre or so to the campsite. We checked in and pitched up.All our camping kit we were carrying on our bikes and included in that was a lead I made up with a commando plug on one end and a 3 pin multi way on the other. This allowed us to re-charge bikes and phones from an electric post overnight. Having set up camp we walked to the pub. It wasn’t far along a path that ran through the woods alongside the road. The sides of the path were decorated with painted stones, some were absolute works of art. It gave me a sense of just how remote Glentrool is because nobody had nicked them.
The pub is called the House O’Hill Hotel. The choice of ale was excellent, so Steve was happy. They had a vegan chef, so I was happy. The only people that weren’t happy were a couple of the locals, I say local but they had moved there from Stockport 20 years earlier. Since Covid the pub now shuts over winter and there is nothing else in the village. I dare say a lack of staff and huge lecky bills have contributed to the decision to put the pub in hibernation. I hope it re-opens next year as it really is an excellent pub with excellent food. My salad was a work of art, it didn’t come out of a bag from Tesco. Having imbibed an appropriate amount of fine ale, we ambled back up the path to the campsite. We had head torches as there is no street lighting, the Galloway Forest also being a Dark Skies Park, we didn’t need them though as it was a clear night and there was a full moon.
Its safe to say that Steve is not a keen camper. The ground was not exactly flat and Steve was recovering from a cold. All this added up to a pretty sparse nights sleep for him. I slept much better apart from having to visit the facilities at 1:30 am, it’s an age thing and nothing to do with all the beer. I got up about 7 am at the same time Steve gave up trying to go to sleep. I have a little spirit burner I run on bioethanol and we used that to make coffee while we packed up. We breakfasted on such things as we had left over from the day before and then headed off.
Our mission for the day was to ride from Glentrool village, up Glentrool and across to loch Dee. From there to Clatteringshaws then down the Raiders Road before going on to Castle Douglas and then home to Dumfries. In total 87 km and 810m of climbing. It ended up being a bit more than that and by the time I got home I had covered exactly 100 km, a first for me.
We stopped briefly at the Glentrool visitors’ centre, but it was closed and didn’t open till 10:30. We stopped to take a picture of the sign that basically said beyond this point you are on your own pal and then headed up the Glen. At Bruce’s stone we met a couple of chaps who were marshals for a fell running event. They were very interested in the e-bikes, and we had quite a long chat with them. This was to repeat itself across the whole day, interest in e-bikes is a thing it seems.
After Bruce’s stone the road, if road you can call it becomes a gravel track. In places the gravel is quite large and quite deep. Steve’s bike is a trekking bike with big tyres and he definatly had an advantage over my bike which is more a town and country hybrid. We both have front suspension and seat post suspension and boy did we need it. We climbed Glentrool and then descended slightly to Loch Dee.
The road is open to vehicles, and we saw a few but we were only passed by one, I think they had driven to White Laggan Bothy. I had always though that bothies were mystical places that only proper adventurers could get to on foot, but no it seems you can drive there in an Audi. Romantic vision ruined, we pressed on.
By the time we got to Clatteringshaws we were starving so instead of going down the Raiders Road we first went to the visitor’s centre and bought lunch. The staff very kindly let us plug our bikes in and charge while we ate. In that time, I added about a 20% charge. As more and more e-bikes head out on longer rides charging at friendly cafes and pubs will become more of a thing. Maybe Sustrans could scope out places along the NCN routes that are up for allowing this and add it to their maps? We had a chat with two serious gravel bikers about e-bikes and then lunch consumed we tipped the staff and thanked them for the lecky and then headed off down the Raiders Road.
By now time was moving on so we set up a cracking pace stopping only to admire the Otter pool. The Raiders Road is an absolute gem and if you have never ridden or driven it, I suggest you do, it’s as close to wilderness as I think you will get in Dumfries and Galloway.
At the far end we cycled along a disused railway bed for a kilometre or so which was the worst surface of the whole trip. The ballast was big and lose packed, Steve with his adventure tyres was struggling I was all over the place. Luckily it wasn’t far and soon we were back on tarmac. We rode past the Red Kite feeding station pausing to admire the majestic birds and then pressed on for Castle Douglas.
We stopped at the Street Lights Café on the high street for a sandwich and coffee and by the time we had finished that it was starting to rain so we donned waterproof apparel and headed for home along the Old Military Road NCN route 7. About halfway back I had to do a double take when I spotted a field full of emus, I took a photo, I am sure emus are not native to D&G. Just outside Cargenbridge, Steve and I parted company, it was about 5pm.
Finding time to go bike touring is always hard and lugging touring kit when you aren’t fit can turn what should be fun into an ordeal. Combining an e-bike with the train to do mini weekend tours is a great way of getting out into the countryside on a bike. Steve and I are planning to do more next year, a loop of Arran is top of my list and for Steve’s sake we may go Air B&B for that so he doesn’t have to camp, and we can travel light. There are lots of other possibilities too so if anyone wants to join us let us know, the only limiting factor will be how many bikes we can get on a train.
To celebrate World Bicycle Day, Cycling Dumfries member Steve Cussell celebrates the rise and rise of the e-bike – and his own conversion to the joys of a spot of electric assistance.
I’ve been a member of Cycling Dumfries for more years than I care to remember. I have lots of happy memories of attending lots of group rides over the years.
Steve and son Alex (front row, far right) on one of their early outings with Cycling Dumfries
It all started after a chance glance at a notice attached to the railings at Dock Park traffic lights, inviting would be cyclists to come and join a short group ride. “All abilities welcome” particularly caught my eye.
Myself and my then 7-year-old son attended the group ride, and were struck how pleasant it was to share the experience of gentle exercise in the fresh air with pleasant company around the quiet environs of Dumfries.
“Fast” forward a few years and the numbers and diversity of our group have changed beyond all recognition. On our more recent “Discovery Rides” I’ve noticed that there are cyclists from all age groups, both fully able and less able, on conventional bikes and of course e-bikes.
Steve hanging onto the wheel of Jen’s e-trike on our New Year’s Day ride this year
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, cycling has increased in popularity across all age groups, and e-bikes have finally found their place, giving cyclists with previously limited options a chance to explore places they could only dream of.
The latest e-bikes available come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit all abilities and budgets. They even come with 3 and 4 wheel options….!
I’ve now had first hand experience of not only riding within a group of cyclists where there are e-bikes in the mix, but also of actually riding an e-bike to gauge the difference in the riding experience. It was quite simply a “game-changer”.
Steve taking to electric on Sunday’s ride out along the Cluden
They are a technological marvel! Different frame sizes and shapes, varying battery sizes and motor powers plus many different styles of bikes such as mountain, road and trekking.
These bikes enable users to travel further, with a little less effort and make exploring the local area and beyond far more achievable than was ever possible before.
They are still giving the user an experience that requires some physical input, so it certainly isn’t “cheating” and you can even turn the electric assistance off if you so desire.
After trying an e-bike my curiosity was awoken. I decided to start looking for a bike to suit my needs. After lots of research and talking to bike dealers across the country, I picked the bike I wanted.
Having recently become an electric car driver, I was aware of various grants available from The Energy Saving Trust in Scotland, and subsequently applied for an interest free loan over 4 years which is specifically tailored to help people fund the purchase of up to 2 e-bikes. My loan application was successful, so the following week I ordered my new bike from a reputable local dealer, and am just waiting for the finances to be finalised and then the bike will be delivered.
It’s been heartening to see so many people on bikes over the last few months – and even with traffic returning and a gradual easing of lockdown, we’re still seeing many more cyclists out and about.
We’d love to hear more from anyone who’s either taken up or rediscovered cycling during this crisis. What got you cycling, what’s worked (and what hasn’t) – and whether you think you’ll keep it up.
Most (but not all) of our members tend to be experienced cyclists who will continue riding despite conditions which aren’t ideal – so we’re keen to get a wider range of perspectives, especially those who don’t necessarily fit the ‘MAMIL’ mould
If you would be willing to share your experiences, ideas and opinions please let us know! You can reach us on cyclingdumfries@gmail.com or via our Twitter or Facebook accounts.
Riding in rain or shine? Let us know how it’s going for you
Today is World Bicycle Day, but cycling needn’t just be about two wheelers – and it needn’t just be about leg power either. Cycling Dumfries member Dik Toulson has written us this guest post about his adventures on his handcycle and how he upgraded it to tackle some of our gradients …
Life in the slow lane
You may or may not have seen me around on my handcycle. ‘A what?’ I hear you ask. It’s a recumbent tricycle that you pedal with your hands, which is pretty convenient when you don’t have any legs due to an RTA in 1979.
Powering away on the handcycle before its upgrade
Now I am not a small bloke and despite having a granny cog, the hills around Dumfries are punishing and to tell the truth, they put me off going out cycling. The one good thing about a tricycle is that you can go very, very slow and not topple off, but its not much fun at 1mph.
My wife has an electric bike with a trailer in which we put my wheelchair for when we go out together, but I can see her wobbling with how slow I go. She smiles and says it’s fine, but I know that going so slow is making her feel like a circus clown doing a balancing act. This must change. I need to put an electric motor on the handcycle to make it easier for me, and a bit faster for my wife.
Bafang. After a lot of research, and after finding someone with the same handcycle who has also electrified their machine, I went ahead and purchased a Bafang kit. You must bear in mind that these kits are designed for bikes, and I knew there would be one or two issues with installing it. I was not let down. Sure the battery rack would not just slot on as it was designed for the back of a bike. And the wiring was too short in places which caught me out.
I have a good friend, Duncan, who is very much hands on with a garage more akin to Aladdin’s cave for boys and their toys. From boats to bikes, wood to wheels, Duncan has it all, ‘just in case’ he would say. He adapted the battery mount and made the wiring longer. He also ‘fixed’ the wiring when I pulled the connectors off by mistake. I could not have managed this project with out him.
It is also worth mentioning that YouTube is also an essential these days when undertaking a task you know nothing about. I watched many a video about installing the kit, albeit on bicycle. Becca from REV bikes in Australia was particularly good, and she responds to emails if you need help – nice touch.
So, I am pleased to say, that the Bafang is on the handcycle without too many problems. The biggest surprise, in my naivety, is how heavy the handcycle has become. Made from a special alloy and fairy dust, it was light as a feather in its original format. It was easy to pick up and move around the garage. Now though, it’s the weight of a small tank. This extra weight is pretty high up as well and I may have a look at lowering the battery to get the centre of gravity down. But that is for the future.
On the road, I find life very comfortable between 8 – 10mph and I generally only use one gear out of the 10 I have available on the derailleur. I use the Bafang on number two or three out of the nine assistance modes available and changing this mode is very simple. Dump the gears high, turn the power up and you can hit the legal limit with ease, very easy in fact. But then you will drain the sizeable battery quicker and reduce your range.
Now cycling is a breeze and a pleasure. In the past I would do a ten mile loop maximum, now, the only limit is the range of the battery, which I suspect will be about 50 miles. And that extra range means I can take in more of the beautiful sights. Glenkiln Loop, check. Waterside ride, check. 10 miles loop with a bit more thrown in, check. It is all so pleasurable. And yes, you have to pedal to get the power assistance, but the pedalling has become more aerobic, rather than the punishing anaerobic bouts on the hills.
So what is next for the handcycle? A new front wheel. As already mentioned, I have a derailleur set up at the moment and I would like to change that to an internal geared up. I like the simplicity of only having one cog instead of a cassette and the ability to change gear when stationary would be very handy. A new chain tensioner would be required as it is a bit longer from the crank to the wheel than a standard bicycle. Also, my tyres may be changed in the fulness of time to Schwalbe Big Apple’s or maybe Big Ben Plus.
If you have some cash sloshing around in your saving account earning 0.01%, why not put it to good use and buy a Bafang electric bike conversion kit? You will be amazed at how well it works and how much the hills are ironed out for you. It really has put the joy of cycling back into me.
I live near Maxwelltown Path that we have recently been clearing, you may see me around in the not so slow lane now!
Dik (on right) in his power chair at our first Maxwelltown path clearing session, which he instigated …
Parking may be limited for cars, but there’s plenty of space for bikes to park, under cover, and right by the entrance.
A few days ago, prompted by a hospital appointment letter, we tweeted the following:
Hmm. Hospital appointment letter warns parking is limited but doesn't suggest any alternative other than allowing plenty of time to find a parking space if coming by car. @DGNHS
In the discussion that followed, we got this reply, which got us thinking:
Very good point. Is there even a safe way to arrive at the hospital by bike? I'm picturing that roundabout just before it and I wouldn't want to cycle on the road there.
It’s easy to forget that, if you don’t already cycle a lot for transport, you’re unlikely to know all the routes and paths that (sometimes) make it possible to cycle to places without having to deal with big roundabouts – indeed, even those of us who cycle a lot are still finding new routes, partly due to the council’s inexplicable unwillingness to signpost the paths it has.
The roundabout at the hospital entrance. Not an appealing prospect on a bike. Fortunately this is the closest you have to get to it.
So, partly inspired by Dutch blogger Mark Wagenbuur, who’s just shown how he gets to his new out-of-town hospital by bike on his blog Bicycle Dutch (a must read if you want to be inspired and/or depressed by the progress being made to provide for cycling in the Netherlands), and especially for those who’ve only ever approached the new hospital from the bypass – here’s a pictoral guide to cycling to the hospital from Lochside (we chose Lochside because it was convenient, but it’s easy enough to get onto the Maxwelltown path from the centre of town too).
Dumfries’s cycle network is nothing like as comprehensive as its equivalent in Den Bosch, but as it happens, you can get to the hospital quite easily and mostly on cycle paths (and it’s dead flat too). Here’s the route we used.
Lochside Road, which would have plenty of space for a cycle path
Lochside Road is probably the worst part of this particular route – it’s a 20mph road but unfortunately the council have used speed cushions to enforce the limit, which can encourage drivers to pass cyclists too closely – and can leave cyclists riding in the ‘door zone’ beside parked cars.
From there, the new school campus means there’s a nice wide shared path along Alloway Road. It won’t be much use when the school run or lunchbreak is in full flow, but for the rest of the day it’s fine. Ideally we’d suggest moving this bus stop so that bikes go behind any waiting passengers, instead of being forced to get between them and their bus.
At busier times, there’s potential for conflict here – ideally we’d recommend moving the bus stop closer to the road and putting the bike path behind it
As we noted this summer, the cycle path along Hardthorn Road is much improved so you can now ride straight to the Maxwelltown path entrance without having to cross the road. You do still have to negotiate a somewhat pointless chicane, unfortunately
We’re not sure what purpose these gates serve, other than making it harder to get an adapted bike onto the path.
And once on the path, no sign that you can get to the new hospital this way
Perhaps one of the local graffiti artists could add a pointer to the hospital?
Gripes aside, once on the Maxwelltown path it’s plain sailing all the way out to Cargenbridge – a very pleasant route, well surfaced, direct, and well lit. It might feel a little lonely after dark, but there are usually enough other cyclists and dog walkers about to make it feel safe.
Getting off the path at the other end is a little challenging but a good test of your bike handling skills …
We’re still disappointed that the council didn’t agree with our request for a light-controlled crossing of the Garroch Loaning, but at least they did create a new crossing point away from the viaduct, which has much better sight lines than the one on the other side of the roundabout. So far, this has proved easier to use than we feared – and now we have picked up signs to the hospital too!
From there, it’s cycle path (or shared use path) all the way to the entrance, with just one road crossing once in the hospital grounds. The zebra crossing is a little bit confusing, as they’re usually only for pedestrians. There’s no sign indicating cyclists should dismount though.
Last leg – right to the hospital front door
The whole route was less than three miles and would have taken 15 minutes without stopping to take so many photos. We know from our summer rides that it’s suitable for all riders – we’ve taken kids as young as five along this route with no problems.
Obviously, some people going to the hospital won’t be able to cycle, but there are plenty of outpatients or visitors who could easily do this journey by bike – and potentially save themselves a long walk from the outer reaches of the car park too.
‘Overflow parking’ – right on the end of the bike path…
So next time you’ve got an occasion to visit the hospital, why not try cycling in if you can? If only so those who really need to drive can do so – without having to park on the cycle path when they arrive.
Almost two weeks in to the Beat the Street game and we thought we’d give you our top ten tips maximise your points (especially if you’re signed up to the Cycling Dumfries team – we need to keep our place on the leaderboard!) but also the benefits to you …
1. Get on your bike
Sure, you can walk around the beat boxes easily enough – but to cover more than a handful of them in a go, a bike is the thing. It’s the quickest way around town when the traffic is bad anyway, and with lots of the beat boxes on the cycle paths, it almost feels like cheating to whiz between them on a bike! If you’re not comfortable riding in traffic, then try the Maxwelltown path – there are beat boxes at either end, and one half way along, as well as one just at the Cuckoo Bridge exit. The Caledonian path also has a few points you can easily pick up without getting out of your comfort zone.
Out hunting beat boxes last week
2. Go in a gang
The kids have worked this one out already – it’s more fun to play with friends, as we found last week. And it also makes riding on the roads feel a bit safer – you’re more visible as a group, and if you’re not that used to riding in traffic, then following the lead of a more experienced pal can be a great way to gain skills and confidence, as well as learn sneaky routes which avoid the worst roads
3. Find new places
Sure you could maximise your points by finding the two beat boxes which are closest together and riding back and forthe between them – but where’s the fun in that? Get the map out and look for some new places or work out new routes to old places – even if you’ve lived in Dumfries all your life you might well discover somewhere new.
Beat the Street – where will it take you?
4. Find new routes
There are some strange omissions in the beat box network, in our opinion – really not a single one on the Whitesands? – but that just means planning new routes around town that maximise point opportunities instead of sticking to the beaten path. You may even discover new routes which turn out to be better than your old ones.
5. Build it into your everyday life
You might not have time to get out cycling just to play a game – but if you can switch to riding your bike for trips you’ve got to make anyway, then you can multi-task. Have a look at the map and see if there are opportunities to walk or cycle some of those journeys, and you may actually find you’re saving yourself time (you’ll definitely be saving yourself money). If the roads look too scary, then maybe we can help with route planning – there are many unsigned cycle paths that you might not even have noticed that could take you off the worst roads.
Heading to the shops? A bike might actually be quicker than the car anyway – and you can park where you like
6. Make it the nudge you needed
It’s fairly common for people to think about cycling to work, or school or college for ages, but not to actually take the plunge until something finally tips the balance – and then when they do, they can’t believe it took them so long. If that’s you, why not use Beat the Street as the trigger for giving it a go? And again, we’re happy to help with routes if that’s what is holding you back.
7. Park and ride (or stride)
If you don’t live close enough to town to cycle in, or the roads are too hostile (think Collin, Torthorwald, Lochmaben…) you can still join in the fun AND save yourself some time by parking towards the edge of town and walking or cycling the last bit of the journey. There’s free all-day parking at places like Dock Park and Lochthorn Library, with plenty of opportunities to pick up points as you walk or cycle the final couple of miles. You’ll miss the worst of the traffic in town and have a great start to the day made all the sweeter as you pass everyone else stuck in a jam.
8. Challenge yourself
Already riding a bike or walking a fair bit? You can always benefit from stretching yourself that bit more and taking your fitness up to a new level. We’ve heard on our Facebook page that people have done all the beat boxes in one session (a 26 mile circuit), and others are running round the boxes. Even if that sounds a bit energetic, once you get the tapping habit, there’s always one more box within easy reach, and the next thing you know you’ve gone much further than you might have thought possible. If you log into the Beat the Streets page it tells you how many miles you have done – you might just surprise yourself.
9. Get into the habit
Challenges aside, the real benefits come when you start to make it a habit – and don’t let it stop once the game is over. Yes, you’ll no longer have the fun of seeing the points mount up or your team climbing the leaderboard – but you’ll still be out in the fresh air and getting some exercise, and that brings loads of benefits from improved health to saving money, better mood and weight loss (or at least being able to have that extra treat without feeling bad about it).
10. Get a free breakfast
Speaking of extra treats … don’t forget that on Friday 22nd of September we’re having our Big Bike Breakfast, and if you show up on a bike you get a free bacon roll (or vegetarian equivalent). It’s also a chance to meet councillors and council officials and let them know about all the changes you’d like to see having spent more time out and about on Dumfries’s streets and cycle paths. There’s a beat box right there at English Street so you’ll also get some extra points right there. And did we mention it was free?
As a Cycling UK affiliate group we were invited to make a brief presentation to their AGM and gathering in Edinburgh today. It was a ‘pecha kucha’ format (20 slides in 6 minutes) so it’s a bit of a whistle stop tour (and no words) but it’s made us realise we’ve been going for five years since we started in 2011 …
Some things have changed, some have stayed the same, but it sometimes it’s good to look back at where you’ve been and look forward to where you are going
In the run up to our bike breakfast we’re sharing stories of people in Dumfries who use their bikes to get around, whether they’re new riders or old hands. Cycling Dumfries member Jill Asher kicks off:
Jill admiring someone else’s puncture earlier this year on one of our winter rides
I love getting about town on my bike… walking just seems so slow by comparison! And I also love my panniers which make it easy to do some moderate shopping, put a jacket in, or whatever bits and bobs I need for my outing. One day last week, I was asked to make a spur of the minute visit to someone in Troqueer. This is right across town from where I live in Nunholm and I was there in less than 15 minutes, much to their surprise. Certainly hardly slower than making the trip by car, and quite possibly quicker and I was able to pick up some supermarket items on the way home too. Never any issues with parking either, which has got to be a bonus! Check out the new bike racks at Lidl…… (just a shame they are not under cover).
New bike racks at Lidl (take note Tesco and Morrisons …)
(Editorial note: we agree about the racks – finally a supermarket in Dumfries that installs racks you can actually lock your bike to …)
If you ride a bike in Dumfries and have any encouragement, tips or advice for anyone thinking of starting it up – let us know! Email cyclingdumfries@gmail.com or add a message in the comments.
Cycling Dumfries 