Day 45 - St Andrews to Edinburgh
Quick facts:
Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds. High 18 C Lo 8C Wind 9 kmh
Sunrise at 06:40 Sunset 19:31
Departure: St Andrew's Warmshowers location
Destination; Hostelling Scotland Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh UK
Distance: 56.8 mi/ 91.41 km
Ascent: 3,530 feet
Route:
For actual metrics and elevation profile pls see Ralph’s Strava report https://strava.app.link/8Ju5tBRXJzb
Good morning/. good day
We woke up in our luxurious apartment, very grateful for the upgrade our Warmshowers' host had offered the night before. Our clothes were washed, and we were ready for the road after having a breakfast with lots of choices. It was 9:30 when we rolled out into the sunshine through the narrow paths and streets of historic St Andrews. Very happy not to have slept in the "summer house" that had kept our bikes cozy.
We were quickly back onto quiet country roads with pastoral scenes and a surprise around every corner.
This Mom, Naomie and her daughter were enjoying a lovely buggy ride. We chatted awhile and they happily let me take their pictures as they rode by.
The views at Cupar - Downfields make climbing the hills worthwhile, especially with perfect cycling weather. We took our time going through the countryside and stopped for coffee at the 3Bean Coffee Co in Markinch , Glenrothes. I had a fabulous grilled cheese sandwich which Ralph decided looked pretty good and ordered one too.
The next photo is taken from an overpass going over the A92 at Kirkcaldy. It shows the extent of the infrastructure available throughout Scotland for cyclists and pedestrians. When you combine this with empty roads and grades on their highways that are MUCH kinder than those in Cornwall.... it all makes for a cycling friendly place.
At Kirkcaldy we rejoined the shoreline of the Firth of Forth and it would be our companion for the rest of the day... with the big goal of crossing the Firth of Forth on one of the three bridges to Queensferry. But first we rode on the wide promenade through Kirkcaldy "The Kirkcaldy Mile " with its quirky businesses like this valet shop.
As we rolled up and down the hills our eyes were peeled for our first glances of the three bridges that were between us and Edinburgh.
At Burntisland we stopped at a particular pastry shop Ralph had looked up. There was a very purple building across the street offering their toilet facilities to wanderers like us. I explored the shop and bought a print of the three bridges over the Firth of Forth in the sunset. This was fortuitous, because as you will read later, we were not on the bridge at sunset so my print would be the closest I will get to that experience.
The three bridges are all together I suppose because they are all built at the best place for a bridge! The first is the Forth Bridge - the railway bridge built in 1890 and still in use today.
The Forth Bridge is a UNESCO Heritage site. It is used only for trains.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/about-the-forth-bridges/forth-bridge/
The website above notes:
"Opened in 1890, the Forth Bridge is a Scottish icon that is recognised the world over as the most famous of cantilever designs.
The world's first major steel structure, the Forth Bridge represents a key milestone in the history of modern railway civil engineering and still holds the record as the world’s longest cantilever bridge.
A full-scale restoration project to return the bridge to its original construction condition was completed in 2012.
In July 2015, UNESCO inscribed the Forth Bridge as the sixth World Heritage Site in Scotland."
This is a picture from North Queensferry
The next bridge in line is the Forth Road Bridge opened in 1964. . This is the one we cycled across. It is open to cyclists, pedestrians and public transport.
https://www.theforthbridges.org/about-the-forth-bridges/forth-road-bridge/
It is one of the world's longest long span bridges at 1,006 metres between the towers. The bridge is 2.5 km long.
The last bridge to be built is the Queensferry Crossing bridge. https://www.theforthbridges.org/about-the-forth-bridges/queensferry-crossing/
It was opened to traffic August 30, 2017. At 2,7 km it is the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It is a beautiful bridge. I would have loved to stay on the Forth Bridge and taken a picture of the Queensferry Crossing bridge with the sunset behind... .but that would have meant a VERY dark ride into Edinburgh county. .
If you are interested in hearing a BBC Brainwave podcast on construction of the bridge (28 minutes) it is very interesting to hear the passion of the engineers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b072jbwx
We got off the Forth Road Bridge at South Queensferry (West Lothian), turned left and headed along the Forth to Edinburgh. About 3 km from Edinburgh ... 7 km from Queensferry Crossing we were paused in a park and a cyclist approached us to say "hi". He was a local who offered to guide us to our hostel. Guide us he did! We had an hour long tour of the main historical attractions of Edinburgh. He zipped in and out of traffic as the sun went down. He really did give us an excellent overview.
I would never have noticed Maxwell the mathematician's statue if he hadn't pointed it out . He even gave Ralph a heads up on a bike shop that would help him out tomorrow.
The National Records of Scotland
After a circuitous tour and excellent history course, our shepherd, Gregor Russell, got us safe and sound to the Edinburgh Central Hostel which was a very comfortable spot for us to spend the next couple of nights. Thank you Gregor.
The room was cozy and the view towards downtown was of historic buildings and the construction for the new light rail. An interesting mix. We will have a full day to explore tomorrow.
