Group Leader - Stuart Mitchell

Intended to meet monthly usually on Thursdays but will be weather dependent

The group is open to members with E bikes however numbers are limited to 10 for safety purposes. It is a condition that helmets are worn.

Routes tending to be predominantly off road e.g. Canals, Rivers and Disused Railway lines but also quieter roads, National cycle network routes and public footpaths.

E-biking - Living the dream

Imagine gliding effortlessly along for miles in spectacular countryside with breathtaking scenery along disused railway tracks, rivers and canal paths, away from roads and traffic. Or drifting along by the sea in the sunshine on promenades and shore routes that seem to go on forever linking beautiful towns and small villages, that’s E-biking. These experiences are so much more enjoyable when released from the efforts of pedalling and the concentration needed to get up the next hill. When you get that feeling of contentment and being at one with the world, when your everyday cares and worries are forgotten and you embrace being in the open air, that’s E-biking.

Our new group met at Strathblane in October for our first outing intending to cycle to Milton of Campsie along the disused Blane Valley railway line. It was a gloriously sunny day with little wind and the track was tarmac all the way through wonderful countryside with hills and mountains in the distance and hedgerows of wild flowers and small ponds with ducks, we got so carried away we missed our turn off to Milton of Campsie. Suddenly realising that we were only two miles from Kirkintilloch we carried on stopping at a café in town and enjoying coffee and cake in french style with tables on the pavement. It was so good we stayed for over an hour enjoying the feeling of freedom. We started back and on the way made a small detour of a couple of miles to Clachan of Campsie which turned out to be a rather unique picturesque small village where we took a rest on a bench in the sunshine. This village, surprisingly, has the most incredible cycle repair shop that would not be out of place in the city. An Aladdin's cave of bike parts, frames, wheels everywhere, pedals, gears and all the paraphernalia associated with cycling, an emporium. We set off back and arrived at Strathblane without further diversions or events. We had enjoyed the day immensely having cycled nineteen miles taking five hours. It had been a brilliant experience and we look forward to our next adventure. Such is E-biking.

If you are interested in joining us contact the group leader through the  contact link.

EVENTS

MAY 2024

Stuart Mitchell has taken over running the U3A eBike group while Marion Brown is temporarily incapacitated. The first outing of the season featured a small group of riders going from Bowling Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal towpath to Stockingfield, which is the junction where one leg goes to Spiers Wharf and the other heads east via Kirkintilloch to the other side of the country. 

A three way bridge has been built over the junction and it is a magnificent structure. Local community groups have been involved in creating murals and other installations which give a distinctive character to the area, not least of which is a giant earthwork which eventually will be covered in a ceramic mosaic to depict a fabulous monster, whose head and a mouth full of fearsome teeth have already been formed. The site is well worth a visit and cycling is probably the best way to get there.

Before heading back to Lock 27 pub for lunch we explored a short way further east, as a future trip could go from Stockingfield to the Falkirk Wheel.

EVENT INFORMATION

As Stuart has been producing fantastic trip reports and photos, these are now featured in the monthly newsletters than can be found on the LINKS page