Sue McKichan // I'm a marketing freelancer, specialising in Scottish tourism and sports projects.
I'm also a volunteer on the innertube map project - a network of off-street paths throughout Edinburgh. We'll be blogging about interesting activities on and near the routes, reporting problems, promoting community events.
You'll regularly find me out and about on bike and foot on the paths in North Edinburgh.
After 36 hours of non-stop rain, the Water of Leith was the highest I've ever seen it yesterday afternoon (Thursday 11th August). I took these photos at the Stockbridge Colonies, Rocheid Path, Powderhall and Bonnington - the Rocheid path was closed due to flooding yesterday evening - if it's open today, it'll be really muddy and slippy, so wear your wellies and take care!
Activities include:
More information on their website. You can download an entry form via their website here
You can get to Inverleith Park from either the Ferry Road cycle path - use the Wardie Rd exit. Or take the Warriston Crescent exit off the Canonmills to Trinity path and head west along Inverleith Terrace which will bring you to the south east entrance to Inverleith Park.
First of all, credit where credit's due.
The clever headline above is not mine, but 'borrowed' (with the kind permission of) Graham Main, whose City of Edinburgh Libraries blog on books about cycling encouraged me to pen this, so that any "innertubers" can contribute to a list of wheely good reads.
Here's a few cycling books I've enjoyed reading:
Josie Dew: The Wind in my Wheels (+ her subsquent books that describe her world-wide cycling adventures)
Graeme Obree: The Flying Scotsman
Lance Armstrong: It's not about the Bike
Rob Lilwall: Cycling Home from Siberia
Alastair Humphreys: Moods of Future Joys - Around the World by Bike, Part 1
Mike Carden: The Full English: Pedalling Through England, Mid-life Crisis and Truly Rampant Man-flu
Anyone else want to share their favourite biking titles?
Post a comment here or if you prefer, tweet your suggestions - do include the hashtag: #innertubemap so we can find them - otherwise they'd get lost in the 'twitterverse'!
And if you want to read any books suggested here, then pop along to your local library. The Edinburgh Libraries website has a useful section so you can locate the library nearest to you. You can also follow them on twitter - @TalesofOneCity.
(This blog is one of several I have written in my role as a volunteer ambassador for the Edinburgh innertubemap website)
It's Tour de France time - 198 riders from 22 teams competing in 21 stages over a total distance of 3,430.5 km. Whew!
I'm not suggesting you go out and race at high speed round the city cycle paths - but while the world's best compete for the 'maillot jaune' in France why don't you go out and explore the paths on your own 'Tour of Edinburgh' - at a more leisurely pace.
My local haunts are around North Edinburgh - so here's a suggested "Mini Tour of Edinburgh" meandering along a couple of the North Edinburgh cycle paths and including a few suggested places to stop off along the way.
Start in Victoria Park, and head north following the red line path under Ferry Road to Stedfastgate. Turning right here, you'll soon come to St Mark's Park, with a children's play area, and the chance to view one of the Antony Gormley statues in the Water of Leith.
Carry on along west along this path (it's marked as both red and purple lines on the map) and it meets up with the Canonmills to Trinity yellow line. Cycle or walk a wee way along this and leave the path at the Eildon Street stop to take you to the Botanics, where you could stop for lunch at the East Gate Café.
If you rejoin the yellow line and head north, across the 'Fiveways junction', at the end of the line you'll find yourself at the sea by Granton - you'll often see boats out sailing on the Forth and if you're very lucky you might see a seal swimming along by the shoreline.
Alternatively turn right at the Fiveways junction, heading east along the Ferry Road path and follow the signs back to Victoria Park. Then I'd suggest coffee and cake at Porto & Fi, a short walk or cycle away down Craighall Road, by Newhaven Harbour.
So what about your favourite local routes - do you and the family walk or cycle to a local play park? or maybe you have a regular dog walking route, which involves a stop for a coffee and the Sunday papers?
If so, let's hear about it - and that way, we can all learn more about the paths we may not be so familiar with - and hopefully it'll encourage us all to get out and explore more of the innertube map routes!
Leith on the Fringe (LOTF) is a unique new, family-friendly Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue, based at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh
An exciting programme offers entertainment for all ages, with performances throughout the day, including aerial and circus shows, drama, music, performance workshops, street theatre and cabaret.
One of the highlights of the programme is the German company Angels Aerials’ breathtaking aerial adaptation of J M Barrie’s classic children’s story, Peter Pan. This show takes the audience on a swash-buckling adventure, with sword fighting and magic; a thrilling action show for all the family.
And after each show, the production company will be running performance workshops - a chance for children to learn to ‘fight’ like Captain Hook and fly like Peter Pan!
The team behind LOTF is determined to increase footfall to Leith during the Fringe, promoting it as a place 'where great things happen'. The programme schedule means that audiences can spend an entire day in Leith, enjoying workshops and performance packages at the venue, while also taking advantage of the many drinks and food promotions on offer at local Leith bars and restaurants.
John Diamond from Leith on the Fringe said: “We are aiming to create a unique artistic identity, which will promote Leith as a viable festival destination; we want to provide visitors and locals with a diverse programme of events and entertainment that will encourage them to spend more time here and benefit the community, local businesses and the arts in Leith.”
The team behind LOTF are all local residents, focused on providing a family friendly venue in Leith, an alternative to the stand-up comedy that seems to take over the city during August.
For further programme details, visit the website: www.leithonthefringe.com
Tickets are on sale now via The Edinburgh Fringe Box Office.
Leith on the Fringe, Out of the Blue at The Drill Hall, 30-28 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RJ
Tel: 0131 554 8092
This being Green Tourism Week (6-12 June), I thought I'd share just a few of my favourite Scottish tourism businesses that are striving to be as environmentally friendly as possible....
The Lazy Duck Hostel, Nethybridge, Speyside
Fantastic wee bunkhouse and campsite beside a duckpond in a 6 acre homestead, situated on the edge of Abernethy Forest in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park. The larch clad mountain hut style hostel is fresh, colourful and snug with woodburning stove inside and also has a covered garden & barbecue. Red squirrels regularly feed right outside your bedroom window! Freshly laid eggs and home grown vegetables often available and you can help feed the ducks in the mornings. They also offer pitches for 4 tents - best to book in advance though! Great location for cycling, golf, hill-walking, wildlife watching and of course winter skiing.
Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire
The historic 17th century castle is the family seat of the Duke & Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, home to the internationally renowned Buccleuch Art Collection and full of antique and period furniture. No trip is complete without a visit to the Stableyard Café, which overlooks the 40 acre formal garden that includes a Victorian glasshouse and rhododendron collection.
The 90,000 acre country park estate offers miles of marked cycle and footpaths and exhilarating mountain bike trails of varying gradients to suit all levels of ability. You can also explore the estate on a guided landrover tour.
Great summer programme of events - more information on the website:-
Sea Life Surveys, Tobermory, Mull
Whale watching, wildlife and sightseeing boat trips on a daily basis, exploring the rugged coastline and rich waters around the Hebrides.
This family run business has been running whale-watching tours for over 25 years and is also involved in important research, education and conservation of Mull cetaceans.
http://www.sealifesurveys.com/
Here's a few photos of the trail of destruction i found when I went out on my bike for a wee innertube map recce late this afternoon. The pics were taken on the Canonmills to Leith, Chancelot and Victoria Park paths.
I wrote a blog last week about the new Edinburgh Council initiative, Activcity, and now see the website is promoting a whole programme of guided walks to coincide with Walk Edinburgh Week, which runs from 21-26 May.
Walks range from a gentle half hour stroll on the Granton Waterfront suitable for wheel chairs and buggies, to a more energetic 13 mile hike along the Water of Leith. Many of the walks are on innertube map routes.
They are all listed on the Activcity website, which also includes details of terrain, walk length, suitability for wheelchairs and buggies, and where and when to meet. You can also find out which bus will get you to the start point.
You need to register in advance, but all the walks are free. More information here: http://www.activcity.info/events/4/getting_out_and_about
photo credit: Marcus J Roberts
