Summer Outings 2018 - Dates and Venues

The Committee have chosen some dates and venues for this summer's coach outings, as follows:

• Wednesday 16th May - Traquair House and Peebles
• Tuesday 12th June - Bannockburn (National Trust for Scotland)
• Friday 27th July - Borders Union Show - Kelso
• Thursday 23rd August - Carlisle Castle and Carlisle
• Monday 24th September - Deanston Distillery and Callander

Letters and reply forms will be sent out in due course but get the dates in your diaries.

Strollers Walk No. 228 - Thursday 19th April 2018, Cramond Island - Guided Walk

It was a bit of a shock to turn up at Cramond for the April walk and find it was sunny, dry and warm, not something that could be said of the previous week. 

Forty Strollers assembled for the walk out to Cramond Island led by 3 guides from the Cramond Association. It’s always good to be with someone who knows the tides as well as giving some insight into the island and the surrounding area. 

We set out on to the causeway to walk out past the pylons, which look like a Toblerone bar,  built to during World War II though a couple have been removed to allow quick access back to  the harbour for the smaller yachts in the event of bad weather. The causeway is in actual fact built over the sewage pipe which passes under the island to exit on the other side. It now only supposed to be a back up to Seafield but there are thoughts that it does get used more than it should. 

Onto the island to hear about the history from its time as a home for fallen maidens, a farm, a place to hold a duel and settle old scores, its time as a fishing area and its history from World War II up to today where it hosts raves and is generally left in a sorry state. There was also evidence of the ice-age creating the lines on the rocks, as well as the site of the old quarry which at one time was used as a pleasure area for people staying o the island but is now filled in.   

Our own Ian S’s grandparents at one time occupied the house on the island and his mother and aunts holidayed there. It is also thought that the ‘duck’ house and the island were the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. It was soon time to head back before we became another RNLI statistic and enjoy lunch back on shore.   

Our thanks to Ian K for arranging the walk and to the Cramond Association guides.    

 Look forward to seeing you on the next walk. 

Strollers Walk No. 227 - Wednesday 21st March 2018, Musselburgh to Prestonpans

Walk No. 227:   Musselburgh to Prestonpans on the John Muir Way
Date:                Wednesday 21st March 2018

Start at:         Fisherrow Harbour
With the sky looking very grey and a westerly breeze to help push them on their way 37 Strollers met up at Musselburgh Harbour to walk the John Muir Way to Prestonpans. The Harbour was once a thriving fishing port from where the ‘fishwives’ with the baskets on their backs would then go into Edinburgh to sell the fish, and with the coming of the train all the way down to the borders to places like Galashiels.
Setting off along the trail to the mouth of the Esk and across the footbridge, down past Goosegreen where there wasn’t a goose to be seen, and on to the promenade to go past Levenhall Links and the ash Lagoons. This is where the ash from Cockenzie Power Station used to be dumped, but with its closure the lagoon area has been turned into a bird sanctuary and a boating pond. From there we followed the cycle path along to where Morrison’s Haven, or Harbour, used to exist. A lot of its trade was with the Baltic countries, which brought over rock salt, as well as trade with Portugal, France and Holland.A lot of bricks and coal was exported from the harbour. It fell into disuse in the 1920’s and was then filled in. There were mills and a fort in the area as well. On to Prestonpans to end our walk at the the totem pole and see the murals which depict the history and culture of Prestonpans. You can follow the trail of them round the town.

There is also a Prestonpans Tapestry, but it is not currently on display anywhere, as far as we know. It was last displayed in Lorient, Brittany in August 2017.

Thanks to Drew for arranging this walk. See you next month.

Other Tapestries:

The Scottish Diaspora Tapestry, which depicts scenes from Scots world-wide is currently on view in Stanley Mills, just north of Perth.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is not on view at present but is scheduled to be displayed at New Lanark from May 2018.

Strollers Walk No. 226 - Thursday 22nd February 2018, Historic Walk - Dunfermline

Walk No. 228: Historic Walk - Dunfermline
Date :              Thursday 22nd February 2018

Dunfermline must have known the Strollers were coming as the sun came out for them to do a walk round the town centre, the Abbey and Pittencrieff Park. 46 Strollers met at the Bus Station to be led round the town by our tour guides Karen and Helen.
Starting at the High Street, taking in the grand town hall and walking along Bridge Street, with no sign of the stream underneath, to the gates of Pittencrieff Park where we heard how the original owner had diverted the main road into Dunfermline to avoid it going past his house. The estate was then bought by Andrew Carnegie who donated it to the town as a park. His wife Louise erected the splendid gates at the entrance to the park dedicated to his mother, daughter and granddaughter.
We then entered the park to hear about the many trees that were planted and the introduction of the grey squirrel there, as well as the many libraries and other foundations that Carnegie set up around the world. Going back further, the park was also the site of the original castle of Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland, with Dunfermline as his capital. His second wife Margaret became Saint Margaret after her death. It was under her guidance that Dunfermline Abbey was started as a church and built by Benedictine Monks from England. The Palace was built by James VI for his wife Anne of Denmark and it’s where his sons were born.
It was then down to the Andrew Carnegie Museum, which our guides had arranged to be open for us, to learn more about the background and history of a man who went from being the son of a weaver to the richest man in the world. There were also connections with SL by way of a donation to the family of an SL employee killed while stopping a runaway horse in Edinburgh and also that Carnegie’s estate in Skibo had been bought from SL, presumably as trustees of the estate after the previous owner went bankrupt.
Finally back up to the Abbey to hear a ghost story, or as it turned out how someone came back to life after being buried and how she went on to live a long life and have children. The graveyard is also the resting place of William Wallace’s mother and an elder tree stands above her grave. The Abbey also had a rule for a long time that the gravestones could be no more than 12 inches high so as not to be unsightly or be in danger of falling over.
Our thanks again to our Guides Karen and Helen for making the day a very interesting one and we’ll see them again next year.