Cycling

A bicycle I once hired to cycle round Cumbrae

There are many valid reasons to go cycling. For example from the top of my head:

1. It can be a good way to get from A to B
2. It can be good exercise
3. You could become the next Chris Hoy.
4. You might already be Chris Hoy

But I don't want to discuss cycling for those reasons. I want to discussing cycling for fun, or as "playtime". Cycling for fun is one example of an activity which I have enjoyed more as an adult than as a child.

As a child I lived near one of many old railway lines in Edinburgh that now make excellent cycle tracks. I went on outings with my dad and siblings, and strongly remember feeling a great sense of accomplishment on reaching Haymarket train station at the "end" of the cycle path. However there were limits -  I was never allowed to go too far on my own, and I was scared of the cars on the busy roads nearby anyway. Most of the time I spent as a child on my bicycle was spent going up two short streets. Now I can go further and have no parent telling me what to do (although my mother's voice saying 'be careful' is still ingrained in my psyche, and I am afraid of double decker buses)

These days I sometimes use my bicycle to get from A to B. I also feel a sense of self satisfaction after a bike ride for having done exercise. However the main reason I like cycling is the feeling of being outside, and freedom, especially when I can coast along without pedaling, admiring the scenery.


Some recommended cycle routes:

The Union Canal

• From Haymarket along the Silverknowes Esplanade to Cramond and back through Barton and Blackhall.

The best part of this is cycling along the sea front. Be warned that you have to dismount and carry your bike up and down some steps along the path in Cramond.

• Along the Water of Leith

This runs from Leith to Balerno. It is a bit muddy so less suitable for road bikes, but I find it extra fun when you have to splash through the mud.

• Along the Union Canal

The Union Canal starts in Fountainbridge, and you can cycle along to Ratho and further to Falkirk, and eventually Glasgow if you keep going. It has the advantage of being flat. Watch out for oblivious children, dogs and cyclists going too fast through blind tunnels. Bicycle bell highly recommended.

For more information on cycling in Edinburgh please see the following links:

Spokes- The Lothian Cycle Campaign  - produce really good cycle maps (at a price)

Edinburgh City Council: Explore Edinburgh by Bike Leaflets - these are also useful maps that show cycle routes

The Bike Station Innertube Map - these people have made a tube map of Edinburgh.

CycleStreets Journey planner - you can type in your starting point and destination point and this will suggest the best cycling routes (although it is still in beta mode and I have noticed it doesn't know everything!)

CityCycling Edinburgh - this is a forum used by lots of  local people obsessed by cycling so a good place to ask questions

There's Treasure Everywhere! Commemorating 25 years of brilliance with an urban wild-goose-chase of questionable quality

There's Treasure Everywhere, Part 1: Organising the damn thing.

One of the best things about turning 25 is that, by this time, you've amassed a reasonable cadre of affable people willing to go along with your eccentric plans.  These lucky individuals are commonly referred to as 'friends.'  Now, ordinarily, I wouldn't necessarily recommend that people do as I do - there are often risks which range from the mundane (getting lost, wandering aimlessly) to the unpleasant (minor injuries, insufferable weather conditions, disagreements with law enforcement).  However, I am delighted when people join in of their own free will.  In honour of my 25th birthday (a brilliant excuse for an experimental adventure) I organised a treasure hunt around the Merchiston/Morningside area with the aim of introducing people to interesting or little-known corners of the city.

Not being a particularly organised person - and having very little experience of treasure hunts - it was a bit difficult to get this idea off the ground, but eventually it coalesced into some sort of order.  First, I identified a number of good spots to hide clues, all within a reasonable distance from my flat.  Then came the difficult part: writing them.  Quite fortuitously, I decided that I ought to do a walkthrough of my itinerary before writing anything (I later realised it would have been impossible not to).  Armed with my notebook, I spend a great deal of time stopping, scribbling, prodding and scrutinising my surroundings in order to assess their suitability.  When I finished, I had a list of 10 locations and copious notes on how to cryptically direct my participants from clue to clue.

"Downhill, downhill, on a street that promises vistas of our estuary… right before you reach a wasteland of destruction, turn right to find a god-forsaken edifice, and knock on the door…"

Rather stupidly, several of my clues involved props, which I then had to make - an expenditure of energy that could have been avoided if I were a cleverer person.  For example, two clues were hidden underneath fake flowers camouflaged in real flowerbeds.  I have no idea what possessed me to do it this way.  The clues themselves were written on my trusty typewriter, and I even went as far as to dye the paper with coffee and crumple it to give it the appearance of age. 

The final step involved actually laying out the clues, which I did in reverse order - presumably because of my habitual inclination to do things the wrong way round.  A friend recently pointed out this tendency when he witnessed me adding milk to his tea and subsequently checking to see if the milk was off.  (It wasn't.)

This canal-side clue involved an Otis Redding reference.

Laying the clues was a bit tricky because there were a number of passers-by loitering around my route.  In particular, I was tripped up by the Union Canal, where I found myself being watched intently by a creepy middle-aged man who was lurking in the bushes on the opposite bank.  In an attempt to avoid interacting with this specimen, I sat and pretended to be absorbed in writing.  Here is the result of my efforts:

scribble scribble scribble

go away old man!

I'll pretend I'm writing poetry

la de da de da

go away old man

stop watching me!!

He soon shuffled off.  I considered that my poem actually constituted some sort of creep-banishing voodoo spell.  Have resolved to look into this further.

When I'd successfully laid out all clues - some of which involved minor easter egg hunt diversions - I returned to my flat where the brave participants had assembled.  After a self-deprecating preamble during which I explained the gist of the operation, and my doubts as to the quality thereof, the hunters were given their first clue and summarily booted out to fend for themselves.   

(For an account of their experience, stay tuned for Part 2 of this series.)

China and Old Swingers: The Outdoor Gym and Playparks for Pensioners

When I mentioned my discovery of an outdoor gym in Westerhailes to a friend who lived  in China for a few years she warned me that an invasion had begun. Outdoor gyms are all the rage in China. Since 1998 the Chinese government has installed over 37 million square metres of outdoor gym space across China. They have been widely hailed as a success in improving the fitness of local people, and are especially popular with the over 60s. Whilst they are designed for exercise they strongly resemble playparks with bright, garish colours.

This video shows some women "playing" on an outdoor gym in China.

Gulin in China, 2005.

Beijing in China, 2006. This looks like it has just been plonked on the pavement.

In 2007 a 'Pensioners Playground' was opened in Berlin, Germany, and was inspired by the omnipresent gyms in China. In 2008 the UK's first 'Play Area for Pensioners' was opened on the Dam Head Estate in Blackley, Manchester. It was set up by the local housing association. A video of the pensioners playing is available here.

It would be going too far to say that outdoor gyms are as widespread in the UK as in , but there clearly has been further enthusiasm for the idea in some parts of the country. The first in Scotland opened in Cromarty, Black Isle in 2008.

 In 2009 a group of pensioners from Torry in Aberdeen had raised £28000 to build their own playpark. In 2010 a pensioners' playground designed to provide gentle exercise for pensioners opened up in Hyde Park, London. There are many other examples, usually funded by local groups and local councils.

What about us non-pensioners? We blog contributors (so far, anyway) are still a few decades away from free bus passes. It is clearly not only pensioners that are leading the way in demand for outdoor gyms. The gym in Hailes Quarry Park is aimed at locals, and passers-by on the Canal rather than any particular age group. The Great Outdoor Gym Company who supplied the equipment report that in 2011 they installed their 250th outdoor gym. Their equipment is clearly aimed at all age groups, although I note they do not mention the words "play" or "playground" in their advertising.

Impromptu Visit in Darkness

This evening myself, Lilliputian and our friend KT were sat inside on comfy sofas and armchairs enjoying the luxury of a well heated living room, when someone commented that Falcon Road Park was nearby, and suggested we visit. So we did. 

Falcon Road Park is tucked away beside a primary school in Morningside.  Lilliputian had fun going down the slides, which were slightly wider than many slides providing ample room for adult bottoms to fit. I, on the other hand, am a bit more of a wuss than Lilliputian and was put off by my bottom getting wet the one time I went down. I failed at the monkey bars (as I did when a child). There was a rope bridge which seems like it would be very easy for a child to fall off.

Lilliputian - " I find the plastic slides are often slipperier than the metal ones. Slipperier equals better"

Disembodied swinging experience.

Pretty playpark

Climbing

This seems dangerous.

She's the king of the castle and we're the dirty rascals...

Overall this is a great wee park with interesting quirks and features, and a good place to spend 15 minutes in during the evening. We give it a rating of 7/10.

 Thanks to KT for taking most of these photos.

Loitering 101

Or, how NOT to look dodgy when waiting for kids to clear off the swings

*      *      *

Today we visited Meadows West, the other, lesser playground on the Meadows.  I arrived first at approximately 6 PM, and was dismayed to find the place overrun with children.  Indignant, impatient, and a bit baffled, I huffed a bit and then sat down on a bench directly opposite to wait for the other contributors. 'Why are all these children here?' I thought. 'Surely there must be a feeding trough somewhere with several empty spaces?' (It seemed about time for dinner, if you are British and under the age of 12)  It occurred to me that playgrounds represent, in many senses, a type of pig-pen or corral designed to prevent children from escaping and wreaking havoc on the rest of us.  It also occurred to me that it was a good thing I am a girl, because nowadays people are suspicious of adults sitting on benches watching children play.

stock photo of an average child

This brings me to the point of this post: how to avoid looking like a potential child molester when all you really want to do is play on the monkey bars.

• be female
• if you have the misfortune to be male, try to trick a female into accompanying you
• find something to occupy your attention (phone, magazine, etc) and avoid watching the children too closely
• crane your neck one way or the other, squinting into the distance, as if looking for the imaginary person you are waiting to meet
• take care to avoid obvious photo-taking, unorthodox clothing, and muttering to oneself 

 That about sums it up.  Good luck folks - get out there and get playing!!  And if the cops ask you why you're loitering by a children's play park, feel free to direct them to this blog.  Or run.

Along the Union Canal and to Tollcross- General Observations on Modern Playparks

What struck me most about the "Magnet Playarea" in the Meadows was how much more elaborate and exciting it seemed then the playparks I remember from my childhood. Maybe this is a reflection of my childhood and where I lived, or maybe it is my memory. Or is it just that playparks in the 1990s were less exciting? I remember swings, simple climbing frames, roundabouts and a see-saw at my local park. Modern playparks seem to have extravagent climbing frames, climbing boulders, swings that can fit more than one person, and other creative constructions I haven't seen before.

Redhall Park in Kingsknowe has a combined climbing frame/roundabout as pictured below. To my eight year old self this could have been the height of excitment.

You could crawl inside this, or climb up it and spin round

The playpark in Hailes Quarry Park (home of the outdoor gym) has a climbing wall boulder thing behind in the playpark that two small boys were climbing this afternoon. (Although there was what appeared to be a frame for swings, missing the the swings...which is always disapointing)

Hailes Quarry Park - not the best photograph - sorry!

On the other hand I was reassured by my visit to the Playpark in the Bruntsfield/Tollcross end of the Meadows (otherwise known as the Bruntsfield Links). This playpark had a swingset, climbing frame set, roundabout, and funny seesaw things. All much more in keeping with my idea of a typical playpark.

Lilly on the roundabout

Unfortunately in my old age I found the roundabouts and swings made my stomach churn.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on modern playparks? Have they changed in recent years? When I think back on my childhood memories of playing 'tag' and 'hide and seek' feature more strongly than playparks. Maybe access to the most exciting climbing frame designs wouldn't have made a great deal of difference.

A post-work Meadows ramble in which we encounter a suspected Weirdo

Today after work we hustled along to make the most of the rapidly fading daylight, our goal being the wonnnnnderfully diverse play park on the Newington corner of the Meadows.  According to the council, the proper name for these premises is 'Magnet Playarea;' for more information, please consult the official website.

The word diverse does not even begin to describe this playground, which seems to exist primarily to overstimulate an already hyperactive generation of kids and adults for whom a basic swingset/jungle gym combo simply does not suffice.  Good old Magnet contains several varieties of swing, multiple iterations of jungle gym, and a plethora of other shiny, spinny things such as the contraption pictured below.

I am admiring its sturdy and symmetrical properties

There is also a tire swing, a flying fox, and a climbing wall that does a fair job of disguising itself as a large boulder.  I have witnessed this playground on a sunny weekend and unfortunately it tends to be packed with small grubblers and their handlers.  There is, however, a bonus ice-cream truck.  We visited just as darkness was falling, which prompted the appearance of quite a different species of human.

As we were spinning on the tire swing, a shortish man with headphones and a rucksack began loitering nearby, watching us in an awkward and (in my opinion) socially unacceptable manner.  Surely, I thought, he would approach us if he had a question; if his only purpose was to gawk, he would surely do so using more discretion.  Not so.  He dithered away for a couple more minutes before asking me if this was in fact a playpark, and if this area was in fact Newington.  I answered in the affirmative and scuttled away.  

Why was he there? Did he suspect our motives? Why did he ask me such obvious questions?  I began to wonder if the sight of adults playing on a playground was an inherent magnet for weirdos.  The answer will have to wait for subsequent adventures. 

A Playpark designed for adults?

This weekend we found a new and shiny outdoor gym in Hailes Quarry Park in Westerhailes. There are machines for pull ups, hand pedaling and other forms of exercise. There was also a playground for children across the other side of the park which needs investigated.

Lilliputian testing out the gym equipment

More posts will be coming soon- once we manage to get together and make it to our first playpark.