A Tribute to Peter Martin

Peter Martin, who was for many years a devoted and active member of our wonderful group sadly passed away on the 25th February 2025. Peter was a true cornerstone of our club, always going above and beyond to support the community we all love.

The heartfelt reflections gathered from Eileen, George, Hilary, and Liz are a joy to read, capturing the warmth, kindness, and inspiration Peter brought to so many.

Our sincere thanks to the contributors who have kindly put the warm words together. In addition, at the end of this page, you’ll find some photos from Peter's time with the club.

Peter leaves us with many cherished memories.

Derek Hyde

Chair

Peter was one of those who kept cycling in the 1960s and 1970s when it was not as popular as it once was. Come the 1980s and 1990s which saw a resurgence CTC Edinburgh Lothians and Borders was well know and gained members - hence the vibrant club/group which exists today.

Thoughts and comment from group members who knew Peter well are below.

Hilary Maxfield 

Peter was a skilful and accomplished, lifelong cyclist, who played a leading role in our local CTC group. From racing in his younger days, to helping organise many cycling events, to leading cycling trips and day rides, Peter's contribution was extensive. Using his encyclopaedic knowledge of local cycle routes, he led every Wednesday ride for many years, rarely repeating routes. His quiet authority ensured a cohesive riding group, with weaker riders protected by the stronger. He was a respected and attentive leader, often turning up with items such as nifty tyre removal tools or second-hand books, which he thought might be useful to other members.  

He had a wide knowledge of cycling history and took an interest in my family archive. He was instrumental in me meeting Olympic and other champions who had raced with my family and in our archive being requested by the National Cycling Archives at Warwick University. 

Liz Sutherland 

I first met Peter when I started doing Wednesday runs with the CTC in celebration of my early retirement 18 years ago now. I can clearly remember my first run out with him and the club. The meet up was Kingston crossroads and I got there early to be greeted warmly by this paradox of a roll-up smoking cyclist, Peter, leader at that time of all the weekly Wednesday rides, winter and summer long. 

No route beforehand, only a destination. Lots of local information along the way about places of interest. He had a prodigious memory for all the back roads, farm roads and interesting back lanes and cut through and work arounds of the Lothians and further afield and all he had en route to guide him were his post it notes in the form of traditional CTC route instructions. Unflappable, he and Richard Russell riding side by side would lead the runs with quiet authority while we all tucked in obediently behind. And he was always ready and well able to deal with all sorts of ‘mechanicals’ en route. 

At that time, pre email groups and way pre What’s App, he kept a written note of everyone’s name, address, telephone number and date of birth even. And he was a great informal source of information on all things CTC. His collection of CTC ephemera was considerable and fascinating, including old Edinburgh newspapers which were at one time where the regular CTC runs were advertised. 

When he stepped down from regular Wednesday rides leading ( I think in 2010/2011) we had a party for him in Judy and Goff’s house with a marvellous cake and a card featuring the faces of many members of the club at that time, I think put together by Jimmy Kerray or George Di Ponio. He was a hard act to follow having led the rides continuously for many years. 

 He and his wife Rose kept a welcoming house - full of bicycles and bicycle parts - and quite a few club members kept in regular touch long after he had ‘retired’. I loved visiting them and can remember them both recounting to me in detail one day how they had cycled together on a tandem from Edinburgh to London and back. 

 George Diponio 

I recall three things that Peter said. 

 1.  He told of a time visiting an estate he came across a log, lying on the ground, which he was loading into his car when the estate owner asked him what he was up to. Quickly thinking, he told the man that he was a goverment agriculturist and was interested in the decay process of fallen wood. The man was impressed enough to help Peter load the log into his car and apologised for thinking worse of him. Peter took his firewood home. (He told this story on a ride so others will likely give more detail). 

2.  His car was so old that it was classed as a "Veteran" and no Road Tax was due. (I think > 25 years?). It lay unmoving outside his house for years and he eventually sold it for something like £50 which delighted him as it was twice what he had paid for it. 

3. He told me that his stratagem for escaping the office was to leave his jacket over his chair so that people would think he was somewhere in the building.

I remember his quiet support to everyone.

Eileen Holttum 

I believe Peter led the Wednesday runs for 14 – 16 years, after his early retirement. He told me "I just had a plan for a run in case no-one else had. They all followed me".  His plans were postage-stamp sized bits of paper with some geometry, numbers and right angles on them.  His son got him a mobile phone but he never really took to it. 

He was an expert in finding the muddiest tracks, especially around the Esk. He liked to tell a story, that after a mudfest some ladies (possibly Audrey Fife and Marion Lawson) were arguing loudly about who would kill him first. 

He downsized to shorter runs in later life after a heart attack (which stopped his smoking) and when wife Rose needed care. His concern for her was wholehearted and exemplary.  

These local runs were a huge education for me, taking in all the quiet lanes, cycle paths, country and housing estates, and gaps in the hedge that make up Edinburgh suburban cycling. 

He stopped cycling some 7 years ago. Until he went into a care home a year ago, each Wednesday Iona McLeod, neighbour Barbara & I met at his house for tea before going on our bike run. He slowly lost the ability to speak, but we think he understood more than he could express.

My last memory was in January 2025. I told him Marion Lawson (another stalwart of the Edinburgh Group) had died.  He ate 2 large slices of Christmas cake with marzipan. After an hour just as I was leaving he said "Marion Lawson".  These were his only words of the visit.