Story Cafe Special – Open Scroll (開卷)with Glasgow Women’s Library
October 1, 2019晚清碎影(影集)节选 CHINA THROUGH THE LENS OF JOHN THOMSON 1868-1872 (Part)
November 3, 2019
Led Group Cycle to Bowling
On Saturday 21st September, on a beautiful sunny day, thanks to our partners
Bike for Good, we enjoyed a led group cycle to Bowling along the river Clyde (
National Cycle Route NCN 7), and back to Glasgow along the Scottish Canal cycle path (
Sustrans Route 754).
The aim of our led cycles is to introduce our community to safe cycle routes, encourage them to use the routes to cycle more often, provide a healthy outdoor active activity and let them enjoy the stunning scenery. Glasgow and Scotland has many cycle and footpaths which can be used to safely travel thanks to
Scottish Canals and
Sustrans.
We were led by qualified instructors, Andrew and Pauline, who started the session by making sure all cyclists were fitted with a suitable bicycle and a comfortable helmet.
They then led us through the essential ‘M Check’ on a bicycle, which is a check all cyclists should do with the bicycle they are about to use to ensure it’s in a working and safe condition. If you would like to learn the ‘M Check’ we cover this information in our
Bicycle Maintenance Workshops.
We then headed off towards the National Route 7 which can be joined about 2 minute cycle from Bike for Good West. We cycled along the Clydeside through Partick before joining onto the old railway line (now the cycle path) at Scotstoun, taking us towards our first stop at Clydebank.
We had planned to stop for a break near the Clydebank Boat restaurant and grab some food, but when we arrived we were enjoying the cycling so much we asked to continue on our journey straight away!
Cycle Path on old railway track (Scotstoun)
Along the Canal - beautiful
Once at Clydebank we were now on the canal cycle path which would be taking us onto our next stop, Bowling Harbour.
We continued on enjoying the lovely nature scenes on the way and were excited to be heading to our destination as we had heard there were wonderful views of the River Clyde!
When we arrived at Bowling we were delighted to see so many others enjoying the sunshine, many of them had also cycled to this beautiful location. We were even lucky enough to catch many small boats setting off on voyages!
Once we had a break it was time to head back towards Glasgow.
All of our cyclists really enjoyed themselves on the outing and learned new ways to get across Glasgow and out-of-Glasgow by bicycle or foot.
Some Top Tips for New Cyclists
- Learn some basic maintenance tasks: being able to oil your chain, pump up your tyres, fix a puncture and clean the required parts of your bicycle will keep your bicycle in good working condition
- Comfortable clothes will make your cycling more enjoyable. In general sports clothes are ideal and it’s highly recommended, if you will regularly cycling long distances, to purchase padded shorts
- Ensuring your saddle is comfortable is very important. You can purchase padded saddle covers, however it’s highly recommended if your saddle hurts you to look for a better fit for you.
- Stay hydrated at all times while cycling by carrying your own water bottle and regularly drinking. Fuel is important too, most cyclists will need to refuel with some energy after 90 minutes of cycling.
- Buy everything you can second-hand and locally, this will have a massive impact on your own carbon footprint.
If you are interested in learning how to cycle or attending a led cycle please contact
lindsey@ricefield.org.uk for more information.