rachel.blog

Tag: cycling

  • A new cycle path for Aberdeen

    A new cycle route opened up in Aberdeen this week. It’s a shared walking/cycling path which runs right next to the River Dee. I went and checked it out today and it was just lovely. It’s hard to believe this is in a big city (maybe big is not the best word for Aberdeen?) because it’s…

  • To Aberdeen by bicycle via Drum Castle

    We cycled back from Banchory to Aberdeen yesterday and it was rather hellish. I thought I was going to die. We arrived home and I collapsed in a heap with a very sore butt and feeling sorry for myself. I’ve decided to give up cycling for good. Just kidding 🙂 We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at…

  • To Banchory on the Deeside cycleway

    We stayed in Banchory last night and I’m typing this from a very comfortable hotel bedroom. For a little while now we’ve been wanting to extend our cycle ride on the Deeside cycleway but felt that Aberdeen to Crathes and back was about our limit given we’ve got small kids and the Bakfiets. If wanted…

  • The Hövding invisible helmet – a review

    I’ve been using the Hövding – the invisible helmet – for a week now and I thought I’d write about the experience so far. I’m wearing it in this next photo (NB: the helmet is the black collar around my neck. It’s an airbag which deploys in the event of a crash): When I first put…

  • How dangerous is cycling?

    One of the biggest barriers to cycling is the perception that it’s dangerous. But is it dangerous? Public perception of risk is often quite different to real risk but it’s also difficult to change. I’m speaking from personal experience here too: I know that flying is one of the safest modes of transport but knowing this doesn’t make…

  • From Aberdeen to Crathes on Deeside Way

    This is my last day of the five-day blogging challenge and because I’ve had quite an eventful day I’m going to post a number of photos. I am absolutely knackered. We went out for a cycle ride on Deeside Way today all the way out to Crathes. According to Map My Ride it was 22km…

  • Cargo bike seen in Aberdeen!

    I’ve been nominated by Geoff Le Pard – a quick-witted author and blogger at TanGental – to participate in a five-day blogging challenge and I’ve accepted! The challenge is to publish a photograph on five consecutive days with an accompanying story or paragraph – fiction or non-fiction – to go with it. Here’s day one! I took…

  • Bicycle helmet legislation and Hövding

    Wearing a bicycle helmet is not compulsory in the UK or anywhere else in Europe and I don’t wear one when I go cycling. I am also vehemently opposed to compulsory helmet legislation. Why? Because it reduces cycling rates which in turn makes cycling more dangerous for those left. It also affects the health of the population…

  • Bicycles, birds, and mathematicians

    We’ve just returned from a very enjoyable departmental party at Ben’s work. The pure maths department is very small so it was a small and friendly gathering. There were some other kids there and they paired up with our kids and spent the time tearing about the place and burning off energy. We cycled there and home…

  • Cycling the Deeside cycleway in the rain

    We went for another ride this afternoon along the Deeside cycleway. It was raining all morning and so I had to force a somewhat reluctant husband to join me. The kids were warm and dry in Busby so they didn’t mind. It didn’t rain very much in the end and the sun even came out…

  • A mathematician’s clock and the joy in suffering (just a little bit)

    Visitors to our house are always impressed with Ben’s clock so I thought I’d share a pic: His sister bought it for him. After our terrific bicycle ride on Saturday I was thinking about what it is that’s so good about cycling from one place to another. There’s all the obvious things like the “fun”…

  • Deeside Way

    We’ve just been out for a cycle ride on Deeside Way. This is the old train line which used to ferry Queen Victoria and entourage out to Balmoral Castle every summer. It was closed in the 60s and has recently been converted into a cycling/walking path. The pathway goes all the way out to Ballater,…

  • Bikes vs cars

    One of my blogging friends posted a great collection of photographs of cargo bikes in Amsterdam especially for me. There are some very cool cargo bikes there. I’m sure everyone is well aware of my love for cargo bikes and in particular, my very own Busby: We’re about to head away for an adventure but I…

  • The electric car and cycling

    I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the electric car and why I couldn’t start it on Saturday night. So yesterday I booked it just for an hour so that I could figure out how to use it. I unplugged the charging cable from both the car and the charging point first go and…

  • Brig o’ Balgownie

    Bridges are very clever things. Spanning rivers and harbours they hold a lot a weight and somehow manage, most of the time anyway, not to fall into the water. Aberdeen has some very old bridges including one of the oldest in Scotland, a medieval bridge over the River Don called the Brig o’ Balgownie. It…

  • Daffodils and vote cycling

    The days are getting really long here. I’m surprised by how light it is and for how long. The vampire in me is wondering how I’m going to get to sleep mid-summer. I might have to get some blackout curtains. Sunrise is at 6:03am and sunset at 8:13pm but it starts getting light sometime around…

  • Ice-skating, The Satrosphere, and climate change

    It has been a very sunny and warm 17°C today. We’ve been out on our bicycles and I must admit that it was almost a bit too hot. Whose idea was it to move to such a balmy climate? For me the range from 5°C-10°C is the best for cycling otherwise I get stinky armpits. We went to…

  • We’ve joined a car club

    We don’t own a car and we have no intention of buying one. It’s very easy to live in Aberdeen without a car as we can walk and cycle everywhere. This is our car (photo was taken a couple of months ago when there was snow and ice on the ground and I think Ben…

  • A pic and should healthcare be free?

    I took this photo of a church on Union St this morning because I found the colours really striking. The blue-grey of the sky and the gentle sunlight shining on the church spire made me want to whip out my camera and capture it as I raced to a 9am appointment. I went to the…

  • In praise of cycling and a dress colour

    It must be about time I posted another photo of Busby so here he is, with precious cargo: I cycle to and from school everyday and I love it. My only complaint is that it has become too easy and the distance to school too short. I’m stronger than I was when we first arrived and…