Today I visited Britains first Earthship. A funny name, but a great concept. It is a house that is designed to be wholey self sufficient. My smart thermal design, it needs no heating or cooling, it generates its own electricity, collects its own water, reuses the water efficiently, treats its own waste.
More info here: Scotland's Earthship
Right into this idea, I decided the best way to get there was to bike, powered purely by blackberries I found along the path on the way. It was about 30 miles out of Edinburgh (that's about 48km Dad) on the other side of the Firth of Forth. This means I get to cross the bridge.
Unfortunately I couldn't cross this one. This is the famous cantilever Forth Rail Bridge, opened in 1890, then one of the biggest civil engineering projects undertaken in Britain. An engineering marvel that is still in use, but sobering to remember that 79 people died and hundres were crippled in the 8 years it was built. I could cross the stylish, modern suspension road bridge alongside.
This brings me to a little digression. Bike paths. To find my way there I simply followed the well marked 'National Cycle Path'. Scotland has a network of well marked and thought out Cycle paths. This one brought me out of Edinburgh with little fuss, following a mixture of dedicated cycle paths and quiet back roads, avoiding the big motorways heading to the bridge. Great for getting out of the city and a boon for cycle tourers. Come on NZ, we could be a haven for cycle touring with just a tiny investment.
Well it was a slow trip out making sure I got enough nourishment on the way, taking my time to explore the coast. Was a bit hungry by the time I got back though.
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