{"id":1861,"date":"2014-06-20T13:03:46","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T12:03:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=1861"},"modified":"2018-06-11T12:30:29","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T11:30:29","slug":"a-successful-spin-around-the-borders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2014\/06\/20\/a-successful-spin-around-the-borders\/","title":{"rendered":"A successful spin around the Borders"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\t<div class=\"slideshow_container slideshow_container_style-light\" style=\"height: 400px; max-width: 450px;\" data-slideshow-id=\"1895\" data-style-name=\"style-light\" data-style-version=\"2.3.1\" >\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_loading_icon\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_content\" style=\"display: none;\">\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-8.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (8)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (8)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-14.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (14)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (14)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-20.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (20)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (20)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-42.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (42)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (42)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-49.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (49)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (49)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-64.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (64)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (64)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-81.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (81)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (81)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-82.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (82)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (82)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-90.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (90)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (90)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-106.jpg?fit=576%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (106)\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (106)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-114.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (114)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (114)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-121.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (121)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (121)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-130.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (130)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (130)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-138.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (138)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (138)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-143.jpg?fit=576%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (143)\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (143)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-163.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (163)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (163)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-165.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (165)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (165)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"slideshow_view\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_slide slideshow_slide_image\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/BorderLoop-167.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"BorderLoop (167)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_description_box slideshow_transparent\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_title\">BorderLoop (167)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_controlPanel slideshow_transparent\" style=\"display: none;\"><ul><li class=\"slideshow_togglePlay\" data-play-text=\"Play\" data-pause-text=\"Pause\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_button slideshow_previous slideshow_transparent\" role=\"button\" data-previous-text=\"Previous\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_button slideshow_next slideshow_transparent\" role=\"button\" data-next-text=\"Next\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t<div class=\"slideshow_pagination\" style=\"display: none;\" data-go-to-text=\"Go to slide\"><div class=\"slideshow_pagination_center\"><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\t<!-- WordPress Slideshow Version 2.3.1 -->\r\n\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a fine art to cycle touring and I think I might just be getting the hang of it. The 250-mile Border Loop was my aim and I managed to complete the circuit, made it to my planned destination each night and even managed to odd detour while I was at it.<\/p>\n<p>The really surprising thing, though, was that I didn&#8217;t suffer a single mechanical issue &#8211; not even a puncture. That was definitely a first for me.<\/p>\n<p>My friend Peter joined me for the first couple of days and we enjoyed a great ride despite the torrential rain we encountered on day one when we met at Kelso. I&#8217;d followed the official route from Berwick-upon-Tweed, meandering along the country lanes knowing that Peter&#8217;s train was arriving later than mine. He would take the direct route to Kelso and see me there.<\/p>\n<p>Soaked to the skin, we decided a night at the youth hostel at Kirk Yetholm was a better option than camping. Things brightened up the next day, thankfully, and &#8211; with the exception of a mini storm that afternoon &#8211; my remaining five days in the saddle were to stay dry. Not only that, I was applying the sun cream regularly in the unexpected summer heatwave.<\/p>\n<p>With camping gear and all the extras, I was carrying around 16-17kg across my four pannier bags &#8211; a substantial amount but then I&#8217;ve never been a light packer! For a start, I enjoy the luxury of having my two-man tent with a serious porch. I cut down my pans and stove to the bare minimum and even reduced the spare clothing, though in hindsight I could have been even stricter on that part.<\/p>\n<p>All this was in preparation for next year&#8217;s Land&#8217;s End to John O&#8217;Groats cycle which is in the planning stages. I&#8217;m confident after this experience that I could manage the ride with that sort of weight but there are areas I can cut down and make it easier for myself &#8211; and the luxury tent may have to be the first thing to go, sadly!<\/p>\n<p>Our second day on the Border Loop took us along wonderful country roads from Yetholm to Hawick then on to the Ettrick valley, where we camped at a nice site at Hopehouse. A hilly day followed as we rode past the highest point of the route then down a seriously steep road to reach the A701 at Tweedsmuir.<\/p>\n<p>This is where Peter left to return home and I headed north then east to Peebles and Innerleithen. I had a shorter day planned after that, following a nice gentle climb (if it wasn&#8217;t for the nasty headwind) north before returning south-east to Galasheils and Melrose. I detoured to a campsite near Ancrum so I could visit my in-laws, who live outside Jedburgh, for the evening. That added a few miles to the trip but was worth it for the socialising &#8211; and the home-cooked meal!<\/p>\n<p>One long day remained before a short hop to Berwick on my final day. My plan for day five was to go from Melrose (now Ancrum) to Eyemouth on the east coast. It started well as I got an early start and made excellent time to Duns for lunch, where I ate outside a lovely cafe in the town&#8217;s bustling little square. The afternoon would be hilly and hot but I felt good and made steady progress, arriving 63 miles later in Eyemouth before 4pm &#8211; only to discover the caravan park there doesn&#8217;t take tents.<\/p>\n<p>The alternative was a few miles back up the road so, after an ice cream and a breather, I headed along the main road to Coldingham and set up camp. A beer and a pub meal were well-earned that day.<\/p>\n<p>I now had 20 miles or so to reach Berwick before my afternoon train, so took the final day very slowly, enjoying a leisurely lunch at Paxton House, the finishing point of the Loop before the 3-mile link to Berwick.<\/p>\n<p><em>* I will be writing a feature on the Border Loop for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scottishcyclingmag.co.uk\/\" title=\"Scottish Cycling magazine\" target=\"_blank\">Scottish Cycling<\/a> magazine in the near future.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a fine art to cycle touring and I think I might just be getting the hang of it. The 250-mile Border Loop was my aim and I managed to complete the circuit, made it to my planned destination each night and even managed to odd detour while I was at it. The really surprising [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,158],"tags":[106,7,70],"class_list":["post-1861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-scottishcycling","tag-border-loop","tag-cycle","tag-cycling"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5M0xs-u1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11810,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2024\/04\/17\/a-historic-border-route-to-the-wallaceneuk-parkrun-in-kelso\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":0},"title":"A historic Border route to the Wallaceneuk parkrun in Kelso","author":"John Davidson","date":"April 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A railway once branched off the Edinburgh-Carlisle Waverley line at St Boswells in the Borders and led the ten-and-a-half miles to Kelso. Like so many of these once vital lines, this North British Railway branch is long gone. Today it forms part of a great network of paths and trails,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240413_095606-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240413_095606-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240413_095606-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240413_095606-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/20240413_095606-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2381,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/18\/a-better-vision-for-cycling-in-inverness-and-the-highlands\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":1},"title":"A better vision for cycling in Inverness and the Highlands","author":"John Davidson","date":"February 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A new bridge allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the railway line and access the retail and business park was opened last week. It's a small piece in the jigsaw of connections that are needed to make Inverness a genuine cycling city but it's a massive step in the right\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1855,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2014\/06\/12\/border-loop-live-tweets\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":2},"title":"Border Loop live tweets","author":"John Davidson","date":"June 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Border Loop is a 250-mile cycle route around the beautiful Scottish Borders. I'm loading up the panniers to do the route this week, starting and finishing in Berwick-upon-Tweed. You can keep up to date with my progress on this live Twitter feed and - data signal permitting - see\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":548,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2011\/01\/09\/a-winter-weekends-cycling\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":3},"title":"A winter weekend&#8217;s cycling","author":"John Davidson","date":"January 9, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"What a fantastic weekend I've had getting out and about on the bike. On Saturday I did a short but satisfying off-road route between Contin and Little Garve, where I discovered some excellent sections of route and a superb Caulfield bridge on the old military road. (You'll be able to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/CTC-Black-Isle-4-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2200,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2015\/05\/24\/supermums-black-isle-cycle\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":4},"title":"Supermums Black Isle cycle","author":"John Davidson","date":"May 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The 'Supermums' were out on the Black Isle for a great little bike ride organised by CTC Highland's Mick Heath today. The ride took us from Fortrose, along the old railway line to Avoch then into the Rosehaugh Estate for a picnic before returning by the same mostly traffic-free route.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Supermums-Fortrose-cycle-42.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Supermums-Fortrose-cycle-42.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Supermums-Fortrose-cycle-42.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Supermums-Fortrose-cycle-42.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2931,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2017\/05\/05\/a-real-drive-to-create-safe-separate-space-for-cycling\/","url_meta":{"origin":1861,"position":5},"title":"A real drive to create safe, separate space for cycling","author":"John Davidson","date":"May 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Cycling was top of the agenda last weekend as Inverness hosted two events that put two-wheeled transport in the spotlight. A record field took part in Sunday\u2019s Etape Loch Ness, cycling 66 miles around the world-famous water on roads that were closed to traffic. On Saturday, families and others came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Pedal-on-Parliament-Inverness-2017-22-960x615.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1861"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1897,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1861\/revisions\/1897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}