This must be the wettest summer since .......last summer!

The three of us yesterday on a stretch of the Pentland Hills we last rode on over 5 years ago.

And it was wet but the power of the ebike with the rugged tyres its possible to use on them certainly helps with grip in the soggy wet conditions

It looks like being a bumper year for heather though, somewhere along the line conditions appear to have suited it and already the hills are awash with colour

Clive has been building a rockery back at his house so every time we're out his back pack is filled with stones on the return journey!

Going out tonight with Clive (more rocks no doubt!) as it's dried up after heavy rain this morning and tomorrow looks like a washout with the weather, fingers crossed for the week-end!

Surviving a thunderstorm and round Glentress Black Route for the first time this year

The severe thunderstorm last Tuesday night dumped several inches of rain in our locality in a matter of hours and caused quite a bit of flooding and a fair bit of damage more importantly (to us mountain bikers) a good few gouges in the tracks up in the Pentland Hills!

However undettered Barrie and I went out on Wednesday night to investigate and managed a reasonable ride even getting slightly lost on a new descent from Allermuir!

Barrie trying to convince me (and failing) that he'd found a safe track to descend to the pumphouse!

Saturday morning and we were down at Peebles for a 7.30am start to Glentress and a first time right round the Black Route for me in 2020

Posing for a joint photo at the mast, the highest point at Glentress,

the rain had obviously not been as severe here as the tracks were more or less undamaged.

The weather played its part as well for a great mornings biking, the ebikes certainly make life a bit easier on the climbs that Glentress has to offer making the whole ride more enjoyable 

Nearly back to the cars at Peebles and a great mornings biking nearly over but we'll be back for more before too long!

Back to Glentress after lockdown

At the start of the aptly named trail called Ho Chi Min, which runs downhill from the highest point of Glentress 

Conditions were well nigh perfect with plenty grip on roots and rocks

On Friday night Clive and I did a Pentland Hills ride trying to pack as much elevation as we could into an hour and a half!

The old favourite view was done earlier in the week with Barrie, something I never get tired of!

The weather today, Tuesday, is abysmal and it’s not till the end of the week that things perk up again, but that’s Scotland for you, don’t take anything for granted!