A few days off for me - days off? what's that??
decided to get my bum in gear and do some non commuting outings.
As the most used cycling routes in the area pass right by my work, I had to head into work again!
I joined Freewheel North at the Green Friday's ride, it was 16 of us today, heading, in a very roundabout way, to Lambhill Stables, a cafe cum cycling hub on the Forth and Clyde canal.
Today the leader exceeded himself on a route of twisty, muddy, slippery segregated paths: all the bits off road around Glasgow I dislike most were included on this ride
The weather was a balmy 7 degrees, the company great, good to see friends I had not seen for months due to my shift work.
Some pictures at Lambhill, with a view of the Possil march nature reserve behind the cafe, and what's left of the Antonine walls of roman era.
Here is Rocket Man, made of rubbish discarded along the canal:
A view of the nature reserve, just behind Rocket Man.
Possil lake, home of all kinds of birds and other wildlife: you'd have to walk 30 min to it, maybe one day I'll leave the bike at the hub to do this.
The return to the city route had an unexpected twist: we left the canal, rode up a short hill, then were faced with the most spectacular view of Glasgow:
Lovely ... but the descend, supposed to be part of a new cycling facility, is paved with gravel!
My cycling skills are not up to this
For the locals, this is Hamilton hill, nowhere near Hamilton by the way.
This path leads to Speirs Warf, then to town or to the west end via some dubious cycle routes.
Anyway, that was about 20 miles.
When we got back to the Green I was feeling a wee bit rattled inside, this ride was a bit beyond my capabilities (I can't do twisty turns), so I decided to carry on along the Clyde to Cambuslang, the next town after Rutherglen, where I live.
This is a lovely ride, on woodland along the river.
I stopped in Morrisson's for some cake to take home
then retraced my tracks, having considered briefly joining the main road instead.
It would have been half of the distance to get home, but twice the stress due to the heavy traffic, so I went back along the path.
Another 13 miles, got home de-stressed.
longest mileage I've done for a few months, planning the same tomorrow
The river path to Cambuslang:
Cake!!!!