Mary bought a new bike. Instead of cross referencing all bikes for sale in Europe and all the reviews of them, then trying out the best 6, she just looked at sale items on Wiggle and bought one. Pretty much blindfold and without reference to much of anything, while I struggled to contain my input. Her mindset was that Wiggle tend to sell decent stuff. And in this case it seems to have come good for her: the bike she got seems to be just that. A Felt 29"er that is really quite light and sports attention to detail and quality German engineering you'd be happy to find on a bike costing twice that. And given the sale price, a real bargain. Whew!
So we christened it (if Christ could be said to be on a bike) with a small jaunt to Dalmeny - taking the road there and the coastal trails on the return. It was a nice day, with the sun thinking about coming out, and I hoped to have a wee look-see where the stream runs out at the beach, for small coppers.
long but scenic wait
We deliberately overshot S. Queensferry then dropped down to the coast and cycled back through the main street, checking out potential cafés, though they all looked pretty horrible; busy and mainstream. Mary had seen a small place just East of the rail bridge and wanted to have a look. It is called the Honey Pot and was a strange mix of primary school and cafe in what looked like a few tarpaper and weetabix container units just at the neck of the Dalmeny trails.
Inside you could paint plates and they would fire them in a kiln - presumably not while you waited. The place was decked out with primary school type tables and chairs liberally decorated with paint spills and crayon marks. We opted for a pot of (Earl Grey) tea and a slice of cake which took about ten minutes to arrive. Which was weird because the place only had another 2 tables of customers and they weren't being attended to any more promptly than us. Having had nothing since breakfast I was getting a bit low blood sugar and cranky. I wondered had someone gone out to the shops to buy Earl Grey tea-bags. Eventually the order arrived (ok if smallish slice of cake) but it did seem like being a cafe was only a secondary consideration after being a primary school crafting space. Our guess was the owner was a retired teacher. And maybe the waitresses were the special kids who couldn't get work elsewhere. Although the atmosphere was make-and-do and devil-may-care, if you're not in a hurry I'd probably still opt for this place over the mainstream characterless options.
The trails through Dalmeny are ideal for trying out a new off-road bike - not at all technical but scenic and easy going. I had warned Mary we would have to stop along the way to check out whether the second brood small coppers had arrived at the estuary. It is not a large colony - in fact I don't think I've ever seen more than 2 or 3 coppers there at any one time. And sometimes they just don't show at all. But that makes their appearance all the more magical. And I do wonder whether their appearance is dependent upon spiritual or psychological aspects (mine, not theirs') rather than reality or weather. The place itself has a slightly unworldly feel about it. Occasionally a bit sinister: - a severed deer's head, a dead tortoise, a stray shoe, I mean WTF! But mostly just teasels, seabirds and driftwood next to a million white cockleshells, and a stream that snakes a different course through them to the sea every time I visit. Very nice place to just wander to the seaside soundtrack.
I think it was a full 20mins of circling around the scrubby wasteland, legs scored by sharp grasses before I saw 2 Small Coppers, one on a thistle head the other trying to sunbathe on a thick grass reed. You get to a point where you have given up expecting to see them and are just wandering aimlessly enjoying the surroundings (wondering how much longer you can stall your gf before she gets bored - hmmm she's still taking photos and looking immersed in the landscape but hasn't taken her helmet off...) and then you see a small but dazzling orange wing and hold your breath as you move in for a photo.
a lot of the ones round here are blue spotters - the best sort!
a few whites about as well - though they didn't hang around for photos
definitely a beautiful spot to visit and unwind
We got back on the bikes and cycled back up to the Cramond Brig, across the river, back down the other side and along the front. Very nice test run on the new bike. At Macdonald Road Mary went haring off and I was unable to keep up. I found out 5 mins later there is a strava section there she likes to race. Seems like her new bike is quite fast too.
too busy to even contemplate
green tangled blob is the estuary of the small coppers
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