Thursday, January 27, 2022

KV - Part of my cycle ride

These are part of my cycle ride which were taken last year. I put them through twitter first to compress them, so I hope they look okay on a tablet, or a PC. Twitter compresses videoes quite a bit. 

I use my phone to take the videos, so I have to cycle with one hand on the handlebars, while the other holds the phone. It can feel tricky at times. 












19 comments:

Peter Pan said...

Man, I wish I had access to biking trails like these. Have to make do with an abandoned railroad.

Thanks for sharing :)

Kaivey said...

It's very highly compressed, but it's okay on a phone.

Yes, I'm lucky. I live on the edge of London by the Green Belt, a part of the countryside they are not allowed to build on.

That disused railway line sounds interesting! Is it wild and overgrown? I hope you get a few miles of it.

Peter Pan said...

South Shore Annapolis Valley Trail

This line is preferred when I want to cycle in nature. It's suitable for mountain bikes. The line that runs along the valley has somewhat finer gravel, and has nice views of pine groves, farmland and marshes. On the weekend there are lots of ATVs and dirt bikes, but walkers/cyclists have the trail mostly to ourselves during weekdays.

Kaivey said...

It looks quite good. There was plenty of countryside in the photos I saw.

Peter Pan said...

The nice thing about abandoned railways is they pass through plenty of wilderness in order to make the grade. The climb up the South Mountains is away from any roads, and the grade is ideal for cyclists. On the way back, you roll for miles and miles.

Peter Pan said...

Where I grew up in Quebec, the railroad was also abandoned and converted into a linear park.
Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord

This trail has fine gravel ideal for cycling. But it is so popular, with millions of cyclists riding it per year, that you'll rarely find yourself alone.

Kaivey said...

I'm often alone on my route. It leads to very posh private school, so outside breaks and opening and closing times, there's often nothing on the road except me. I'm very lucky, but there are also other country routes as well.

I'm trying to get my girlfriend to go cycling, but she hasn't cycled since leaving school, which is about 40 years. I think Ive got a lot of work on my hands, because cycling on London's roads is very scary until you get used to it. To get the countryside, its all single lane roads, but it's very busy with lorries, huge trucks. There's a lot of traffic. We might have to put the bikes on the car and drive to the countryside.

I feel go fear at all now on the busy roads around here where I live, but inner London does get scary, plus I'm still nervous on the big roundabouts.

Kaivey said...

Crikey, I've just looked at some photos of Parc Linéaire Le P'tit Train du Nord, and it looks lovely, very similar to where I live. It's really nice! Lots of countryside.

Peter Pan said...

Cycling in an urban environment would scare the hell out of me!
I'd drive to the country to ease your girlfriend into the cycling experience. Being away from noisy cars makes it much more enjoyable.
Don't overdo it, I could barely climb stairs after I did some serious cycling a few years ago. My legs were totally out of shape!

Here are a few pics taken in 2003 with my co-worker and friend Denise.
Parc Lineaire
They're from the Val-Morin to Ste. Marguerite section.
They don't do justice to the scenery along this part of the trail.

I have many childhood memories of the railroad before it was dismantled. The smell of the wooden ties; the sound of the train heading through the valley; playing by the cliffs and the beach during the hot summers.

I haven't been back since 2015. All the venues are packed with tourists nowadays; just too much for a country boy like me.

Matt Franko said...

You can ride from Washington DC all the way up to Harpers Ferry WV thru Cumberland gap on the old C&O canal towpath… crushed stone…

https://www.canaltrust.org/plan/co-canal-towpath/

Matt Franko said...

This photo along the C&O trail at Weverton Heights MD… tow path in trees between the river and the railroad which is still active (coal)…

https://share.icloud.com/photos/09bM_hVzREHaGmh1RRRNUwI1Q

Peter Pan said...

Thanks for sharing, Matt. Beautiful mountainous region :)

Is this where you grew up? Or live now?

Kaivey said...

It's beautiful!

Kaivey said...

They dismantled loads of train lines in the UK too in the 60s. The Beeching cuts. A real shame as I'm a big train buff.

Peter Pan said...

Me too!
Railroad near Staynerville, QC

Matt Franko said...

Live now about an hour east of there….

Want to go back and combine a bike ride up the towpath to some other hiking areas ..,

Peter Pan said...

Do it!

Matt Franko said...

lol this is on my bucket list:

https://cabotcapebreton.com/

Maybe someday…

Peter Pan said...

Well there you go :)
Someday, the Covid restrictions in this province will come to and end, and you can enjoy a golfing outing the traditional way.