Blog

I'm Yvonne Myler and I have been employed by NHS Forth Valley as a Specialist Podiatrist for over 20 years.

I started cycling around 12 years ago, when I joined an over 50's women's cycling group called the Falkirk Flyers. This developed my love for cycling. We meet up twice a week and at weekends. Our rides are varied including routes in Falkirk, Stirling, Clackmannan, and their surrounding areas. My favourite rides are Culross and the Roman Fort at Bonnybridge. Being part of this group awards great benefits including improved physical and mental health. We do as much chatting as cycling, not to mention each weekend cycle includes coffee and cake!

Working for the NHS gave me the opportunity to try out an e-bike for 3 months, which I figured would let me cycle further and help me with the hills (living in Shieldhill this was most welcome). I absolutely loved the e-bike which I not only used for leisure but used to commute to and from my work in both Falkirk Community Hospital and Camelon Health Centre. I was most upset when my 3 months were up and had to return the e-bike.

So, when Bewegen launched their new Forth Bike station at Camelon Health Clinic on the 7th of November 2022 I was delighted. I could get back to cycling with an e-bike again at a low cost. There are also stations in Falkirk Community Hospital and Forth Valley Royal Hospital (FVRH), and as I work in all 3 hospitals, this means I can use a Forth Bike and travel between each site without worrying about traffic congestion and busy car parks. I have so far enjoyed lunchtime rides along the Canal, the Helix, and the Falkirk Wheel as well as rides around the loch in FVRH. This sets me up for the rest of my day, physically and mentally.

I'm hoping the Forth Bike stations across Forth Valley increase so that I can continue to use them regularly, linking up more and more areas, and decreasing the need to use other costly or congested modes of transport for work and leisure.