Sunday 1 June.
We were heading out this morning to do another section of the ‘John Muir Way’. Moira was up first this morning and made the breakfast which we had in bed, it was the bacon and egg day as well. Moira had checked out the bus times last night on ‘Taveline’ and the first bus leaving for Glasgow was at 7:44am from the Port Glasgow terminus. We waited until 7:50am and still no sign of the bus, we decided to go by car instead. I suggested parking by the river in Glasgow and take the bus to Edinburgh but Moira said that as she was having to drive now she would go all the way to where we start walking. The annoying thing was that as we came out of the library car park the bus drove through the terminus, it was 15 minutes late. It turned out better in the end, we ended up starting our day’s walk at 9:30am probably an hour earlier than if we had caught the bus. At first we were going to park at the city by-pass and get the bus to the Jewel where we finished on Friday but I spotted on the map that there was a ‘Park and Ride’ just off the far end of the by-pass. This was at Newcraighall only 1½ miles from Musselburgh it was also very close to where we finished at the Jewel but instead of going there we took a route that ran more or less parallel to the official route.
We thought at first it was along the road into Musselburgh but a local path took us round some football fields and into a wooded track to the Queen Margaret University. Once on the road again we passed Musselburgh railway station before reaching the River Esk. The road ran beside the river with its lovely bridges into the town centre. We still hadn’t found any indication of the official route markers but knew from the map that it ran behind the Race Course; we followed the signs for the track through the town. When we reached the Race Course we asked a couple of locals for directions to the sea front and were told to take a path over the race track. We found the gate and path, ducked under the rails watching for any stray horses then it was over a golf course now keeping an eye out for golf balls. On the other side there was a well-defined track that took us round a hill to the coast. Now there was a tarred cycle track running parallel to the water’s edge and the ‘John Muir’ waymarks; we were back on track.
Musselburgh racecourse is located in Scotland’s oldest town. Musselburgh is just six miles away from Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. The first event took place in the town in 1816 in what was known as the Edinburgh Races. These races took place in Musselburgh Links, the world’s oldest golf course. At one time, racing at Musselburgh was only enjoyed by nobles. This changed in the 20th century and in the 1950s, Musselburgh was packed for every event. The introduction of betting shops was disastrous in Scotland with several courses closing down. Musselburgh was also in trouble but in 1991, the East Lothian Council took over and balanced the course’s books within a year. Musselburgh hosts approximately 25 race events a year on its 1 mile 3 furlong course. It was originally a course that held flat racing only but there are jumping events held there now. The fences are easily negotiated though the sharp bends could cause problems. The course’s soil is well drained which means it does not have problems during Scotland’s frequently inclement weather.
The path ran along the coast and on a promontory in the distance were the chimneys of Cockenzie power station. Further ahead out in the estuary we could see Bass Rock, the rocky island offshore at North Berwick but still a long way away. On the other side of the Forth was the coast of Fife that we had walked along a few years ago. Behind, the horizon was dominated by Arthur’s Seat that would be visible all day. Soon the path deviated from the shore line and cut in to enter the town of Prestonpans. Through the town many of the walls were decorated with murals and a ‘mural’s walk’ was advertised. One wall was dedicated to John Muir and showed him by a stream with a pub behind; this was the Fowler’s pub opposite.
Prestonpans was the site of a famous battle in the 1745 Jacobite uprising but we didn’t see anything to commemorate this success for Prince Charles against the Government forces.
On 21 September 1745 the Jacobite army, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart and commanded by Lord George Murray, roundly defeated the Government army. During the brief battle fewer than 100 Jacobites were killed, buit hundreds of government troops were killed or wounded and 1500 taken prisoner, in 1953 a memorial cairn was erected close to the site which was more recently identified in 2010. A special heritage trust was founded in 2006: www.battleof prestonpans1745.org.
Shortly after leaving Prestonpans we found a nice seat at a bridge where we had a cup of coffee from our flask and a piece of cake. After that we headed towards the old power station but the ‘Way’ deviated from the obvious good track along the coast and made its way to the main road for some reason. A local told us to keep to the coast and we would pick up the official trail at the power station. The Cockenzie Power Station was coal fired and opened in 1968. It closed in 2012 and is in the process of being demolished. A gas fired plant is planned to replace it. The coal was ground to a fine powder for better combustion and a typical mill with the grinding balls was left as a monument in the town.
After Cockenzie the trail enter Port Seton and round the harbour, dried up at low tide with the boats lying adrift in the mud. The route now followed close to the road on a narrow sandy path. Just after a holiday park, Seton Sands Holiday Village, with lots of mobile homes we found a spot near the beach for our lunch stop. This stretch was Longliddry Bends; there were many car parks and obviously a popular spot considering the number of cars and people on the beach.
After lunch the path continued on the winding sandy path until we reached the entrance to Gosford House.
GOSFORD HOUSE
This neo-classical mansion was designed by Robert Adam as the seat of the Earls of Wemyss and March. It was completed in 1800 but later extensively altered. It features an impressive three-storey marble hall dating from 1890. It houses a remarkable art collection and is mainly used for corporate functions. It is surrounded by 5000 acres of parkland and coastline.
It is open for shorts periods during August for afternoon guided tours only, fee applies. See: www.gosfordhouse.co.uk.
The route cut away from the coast as it headed inland to avoid the long distance round the promontory into Gosford Bay and Aberlady Bay. We crossed a wooden bridge over Harestanes Burn and entered Harestanes Wood lined with huge concrete blocks, anti tank blocks from the last War. The path passed the Graigielaw Golf Course which was very busy, surprisingly with lots of youngsters; it must have been a special day for them. The route soon came on to the road at Aberlady and we spotted a bus stop. Our legs were tired and feet sore, so when we checked the time table and a bus due shortly, we decided to call it a day.
This bus was only 5 minutes late and it took us to Musselburgh. We got off at the High St and caught another bus there for Newcraighall. In Edinburgh area the bus stops have electronic boards with the times of buses coming, telling you whether they are on time or not. Ours was on time and we were soon back at the car and heading home. The weather had been good today, not sunny like yesterday but warm and dry. Now on the way back it changed and we got heavy rain in the Glasgow area.
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