Edinburgh & the A90 crossing at Crammond bridge

[DaveyDave]

Hi All,
Just researching the tricky bits for a hopeful LEJOG in July (not long now - gulp). Anyway, my route unfortunately does through Edinburgh and I'm reading the CTC suggested route from Edinburgh centre to the Forth road bridge. I can follow this well on Google maps up to the point where you cross Cramond bridge and come out at the Cramond tolls on the A90. The instructions then suggest that there is an underpass that allows you to get across the A90 and westwards towards Dalmeny. However, despite the detail in the Google aerial photograph, i can't really see where that it.

Can anyone confirm that it is really there?!. LOL.

Ta in advance,
Dave

[EdinburghFixed]

Yes, although I'm not sure why you'd want to go through it...

If you're coming out of Edinburgh on the NCN1, after crossing Cramond Bridge you can ride right up the pavement (it's one of those legal pavements) to where the slip road bridge crosses the A90. At this point it is two-way and you can just ride across on the road to get to the south side of the A90.

Or, if you are coming out of Edinburgh on the A90, as many commuters do, you can ride over the river and then take the first slip road up to the same bridge (the ludicrous ban only activates after this slip road), allowing you to ride over on the bridge to the north side.

Either of these could be mixed with the underpass which is about half-way up the slip on the north side (the east-bound on-slip) - roughly here.

If you ride out of town on the NCN1, and are going direct to Dalmeny on the NCN1 / B924 (recommended) then you never need to cross the A90 at all

Hope that helps?

[Mick F]

Agree with EF.

Head out of Edinburgh on the A90 until you hit a sign that say's you've gotta get off it!
Go up the slipway, turn right over the A90, and turn left onto the pavement.
Keep going up the road, and eventually the bike track turns into an Old Road, but look out for a right turn up a path before you get to a housing estate. I missed the sign, and carried on, then had to cross a corn field, going through the estate and getting lost!

If you get it right, you'll pop out near the front of an industrial estate. Turn left and follow the road to a roundabout. Take the exit that takes you over the A90, then down the west slip road to the Forth Road Bridge.

At the end of the slip road, you should be able to cross the bridge to Inverkeithing. Both times I've tried to do this, I've been thwarted by the fact that they want to do maintenance! They don't tell you that the access road over the bridge is closed until you get to it. You then have to back-track or go under the bridge via steps to the the other side. Even coming south once, I had the same problem! Just be ready for it!

[EdinburghFixed]

The west side of the bridge is permanantly closed now - so it's easier to turn off at the petrol station just before the bridge slip road (on the east side, north of the road you'll be riding on) and make your way down that way. If not, there is an underpass from one side to the other.

I have been meaning to take my headcam and document all the different approaches, since I ride them every day!

[Mick F]

I have been meaning to take my headcam and document all the different approaches, since I ride them every day!

Excellent idea.
Perhaps the rubbish cycle track all the way from the A90 too?
(Don't bother with my corn field!)

[DaveyDave]

Thanks everyone - that makes thing a lot clearer. Also, didn't know that the west side of the bridge was closed. However, from Google pics, it appears there's an underpass to get from one side of the bridge to the other (just north of the tolls?).

Ta,
Dave

[EdinburghFixed]

Yep - it doesn't matter which side you go down really, as it only takes a minute to walk under. (However from Edinburgh, it's easier to get to the east side of the bridge anyway)

[Mick F]

It only takes a minute?

Try it with a heavy trailer!

Hate to try with a tandem and panniers!

Best thing to do, as I did last summer, is to backtrack up the slipway against the traffic flow, and go down the other way.

[rockhouse144]

Dave

Like you, I spent hours going back and forth (sorry about the pun!) to google map/satellite trying to work out our route out of Edinburgh. I had every left & right plugged into my GPS and maps downloaded from http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Tr ... urgh_1.htm to refer to if required.

In the end we just followed the signs. Dead easy!!

Pete

[DaveyDave]

That's a very helpful link - thanks,

Dave