It must have been the mention of Greggs as a meeting place which
attracted thirty three Strollers to the walk from Penicuik to Roslin!
The forecast was good but it did start to rain as we set off along the
old railway line, which caused a few comments to today’s organiser as he had
told his wife not to bother taking her rain jacket! Luckily it didn’t last long
and the sun came out highlighting the golden Autumn leaves on the trees
bordering the walk.
The path went through new housing estates which were just being started
when the walk had last been done in 2008. Some of the buildings had been built
in the style of the old paper mills that used to stand on the banks of the Esk.
Leaving the railway line a series of wide gradual steps took us down to a
bridge in Roslin Glen Nature Park. As recently as 2014 there used to be a weir
here, which Colm had a picture of, but it fell into disrepair and
collapsed. It was built to channel the water into the adjacent old gunpowder
mill. We stopped here for lunch as there were some seats and a picnic table.
Some Strollers went down to investigate the mill ruins while the rest
of us stuck to the path and read the information board which told us about the
scale and size of the mills. Built in 1804 to supply powder for the Napoleonic
war, the mills continued production until 1954. They supplied the mining and
quarrying industries as well as munitions used in a number of wars, including
the Crimean, Boer and First and Second World Wars. The council took over the
area from the Forestry Commission in 1970 when they demolished the buildings
for safety reasons and incorporated it into the Roslin Glen Nature Park.
Crossing the road into the main part of the park at the lower section of
Roslin Glen took us to an area known as ’Bleachfields where, in 1719, Robert
Neilson started bleaching. It is believed that goods made in Dunfermline
bearing the Royal Arms for Queen Victoria were bleached there.
Having come down into the Glen it was now time to go back up some 20
odd steps to Rosslyn Castle where the more adventurous went under the castle
for a better look from the other side.
The rest of us made our way up to the car park and the non-car
Strollers were just in time to catch the bus back to Edinburgh. It’s all about
timing.
Look forward to seeing you on the next walk.
