Athlete Profile
Ralph Cox•Follow
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September 16, 2022

Corner to Corner, Day 47: Edinburgh to Galashiels

https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk Good route, apart from a few sections noted in photos to change. 1st day put on balaclava for a while in the morning. Glorious gentle climb of 1315ft in Moorfoot Hills - gentle enough for me to climb faster than Lorraine - with super view back to the Forth and farmed land from halfway to Galashiels, then on the other side, a change of environment and land use. More Scottish kindness: Steve at I-Cycle, Innerleithen, gave me a brush like the one I have looked in several shops for. I have one at home but wanted to save the weight till needed and have used a washing up brush for chain and cassette cleaning in the meantime.
Distance
53.6 mi
Elev Gain
3,301 ft
Time
5h 57m
Change this, so we simply cross the road on foot.
Sign at the southern end of the tunnel
Scotland's first railway tunnel - for bringing coal from Dalkeith to Edinburgh. 1831 Innocent Railway, named in accordance with a dis-proven myth that no-one died building it. When Gregor Russell advised we leave Edinburgh via it, I didn't know if it was on the planned route. It was! We still asked a local cyclist exactly where it was. Lorraine followed the planned route via Chambers Street and the Meadows - so planned to avoid what was non-existent traffic along South Bridge and Nicolson Street. I elected to go straight ahead, and missed some beauty. Next time! https://blog.historicenvironment.scot/2021/02/innocent-railway/
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The planned route left the end of the railway path in a park then onto The Jewel then right at a roundabout for a short section on the A1. I thought its shortness would be bearable. It was not and a bad surface. I noticed a potential path route the other side of The Jewel, so will explore re-routing that way.
To change this busy, rough surfaced short A1 section. Perhaps following the green route shown here south west from The Jewel, then turning left to join the horizontal line ending at 5.
Ferguson Gardens is the fourth cul-de-sac after Ferguson Green, ..View and ..Court, off Ferguson Drive which leads to Musselburgh Golf Course, said to be the world's oldest continually played, where a fountain commemorates Open Champion golfer Bob Ferguson (1846-1915), born and bred in Musselburgh. Lorraine talked to two groundsmen in an electric buggy who were glad to be acknowledged. https://www.johngraycentre.org/collections/getrecord/ELHER_MEL4101/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ferguson_(golfer) & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musselburgh#Sport
Grand entrance to this section of NCN Route 1 to Dalkeith, where I was in need of food and a drink.
Sainsbury's Local, Langside Head Road, Dalkeith, where we got provisions and a blackbird thought it might also. The off-road cycle path became a road through Dalkeith Schools Community Campus sports ground, where very young children were being coached in football. Two 12 year olds were practising by themselves: "David Beckham" was consistently kicking and curving the ball towards a corner of the net. "Jordan Pickford" was equally consistent in defence. A display of technical brilliance at such a young age.
We joined this cycle/foot path (formerly a 1872-1967 branch of the Edinburgh-Peebles railway), in Dalkeith and left in Bonnyrigg. The surface must be fine as I have no photos of it. https://www.midlothian.gov.uk/directory_record/39515665/penicuik-dalkeith_walkway
1820 Cockpen and Carrington CofS church. Website's About us: Photo gallery includes internal photos. https://www.church.cockpen.co.uk/history.php
We lent our bikes against and ate lunch sitting on benches in the peaceful hamlet of Carrington. I crossed the road to meet, greet and talk with a senior citizen with a locally living daughter and two sons, one of whom, perhaps in his 60s was visiting. She offered to fill bottles, experienced with passing cyclists. This 1711 church was converted to a business and is now a residence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington,_Midlothian
The low-down cream-coloured tunnel, visible through the flowers, and wall, higher on a ridge, on an unclassified road between Castleton and Middleton caught my eye. What are they from?
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25 miles away on the Firth of Forth
Borders
Crossing the borders
Recorded where on route this high point is
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6 kudos
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