On a recent trundle through Dumfries

[Jotheboat]

A good Scottish name on a plaque in Dumfries for the guy who invented the velocipede.

Here.

 

[Drago]

It's slightly vague. Like Edmund Hillary, he's "generally credited" rather than known beyond reasonable doubt to be the first.

Great find, and all credit to Dumfries and Galloway.

 

[DCLane]

There's a model one of those in Stranraer, at the start of the Kirkpatrick C2C route.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Mr KM used to be celebrated with the KM Rally, a CTC organised camping weekend. There was a programme of rides and evening events, one of the highlights was the Sunday lunchtime tea and cakes at Keir Mill village hall, near to Mr KM’s birthplace. I see it was revived this year…http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=21453

 

[raleighnut]

Didn't Guy Martin build a replica ?

 

[EltonFrog]

Can you imagine what it must’ve been like to see and ride that for the first time, and twenty something years later see and ride a high wheeler or a safety bicycle. It must have seemed like witchcraft.

 

[Drago]

Didn't Guy Martin build a replica ?

He did indeed. He rode it to the Clover and Leprechaun, from whose back room you can buy an Irish truck drivers licence for a mere 50 Euros.

 

[raleighnut]

He did indeed. He rode it to the Clover and Leprechaun, from whose back room you can buy an Irish truck drivers licence for a mere 50 Euros.

Nah it was much earlier than the TV work when he moved to Ireland* and raced there (and the IOM TT/Southern 100) and as anyone knows most business in Eire is conducted in the back room of pubs.

* he had a row with the ACU and found out that if he moved to Ireland he could apply for an Irish Road Race license and as he had no interest in racing 'Superbikes' on short circuits in the UK (being a Road Racer) that was all he needed.

 

[annedonnelly]

The Dumfries museum has both an old velocipede and a replica one. Good museum and well worth a visit. Excellent camera obscura on a fine day.

 

[Jotheboat]

Just for interest, the plaque was on a rock overlooking the River Nith in Dumfries.
My ride that day was from Powfoot, along the Nith estuary to Dumfries and return via a parallel inland route looking down on Dumfries and the river.
About 40 miles. it wasn't 'severe' enough for some of you perhaps, but just enough for me.
One of those days I love cycling.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Just for interest, the plaque was on a rock overlooking the River Nith in Dumfries.
My ride that day was from Powfoot, along the Nith estuary to Dumfries and return via a parallel inland route looking down on Dumfries and the river.
About 40 miles. it wasn't 'severe' enough for some of you perhaps, but just enough for me.
One of those days I love cycling.

Good choice ! I love it down there, apart from the rain !

 

[Saracenlad]

When I did my LE - JOG I camped at Dumfries and made a little detour to Keir Mill and MacMillans House. Next door had a replica of his bike and it was in the garden as a plant pot holder!!! Bagpipes and Scottish dancing from the upstairs room of his house. Happy memories.