Outing to Blair Castle and Pitlochry

The weather was good to us on the morning of the outing which meant the views were clear as 59 of us travelled north. It rained later on but everyone came prepared for the change.
There were good reports about the service at Dobbies in Perth. Liz altered our timing with Alan, our driver, as it was a busy day.
Blair Atholl Castle has well planned welcome and tour systems. We were split into two groups for a short introduction then followed the clear route individually round the historic rooms. There are information sheets in every room with guides on hand to answer any questions. It is all stunning. Stags' antlers are everywhere and are very impressive. Some ladies squirmed at the ones which had skulls attached, and there were a lot of them but not our Liz. Like others, I took time to enjoy the inside of the castle so missed a walk round the gardens. The trees are beautiful so I'd like to return in the autumn. An excellent venue for us.
A short bus journey later we arrived in Pitlochry where it was raining. That never stops a little shopping! We left just under an hour later to reach the Huntingtower Hotel outside Perth in good time for high tea. It was our first time at the hotel. The food was very good, as was the service. All empty plates at my table.
We left at 6.30 for the journey back to Edinburgh. Alan let us know that the drivers must now limit the number of drop off stops to two. This time they were the West End and Waterloo Place.
A good day out. 
Thanks to Liz for her report. Your chairman was unhappy to have missed this one.

Strollers Walk 243 - Dalkeith to Musselburgh 16 July

On a warm sultry day fifteen Strollers met at Dalkeith to walk to Musselburgh.

Starting a walk near a Greggs or Morrison’s’ cafe always seems to work well for those needing the boost of a coffee and bacon roll before the start. The close proximity of the public toilets was an added bonus!

 Making our way from the centre of Dalkeith we headed up to the Dalkeith Schools’ Community Campus which houses 3 schools in one area, St David’s High, Dalkeith High and Saltersgate. The 3 schools share the sport and leisure facilities as well as being used by the local community.

Here we joined the cycle track and footpath on the old railway line to make our way down to Whitecraig. The village was built in the early 20th Century to house mine workers. Passing through Whitecraig and down Cowpits Road, we were on the edge of the site of the Battle of Pinkie fought in 1547 as part of the Henry VIII’s ‘Rough Wooing’ of Mary Queen of Scots. This was a major defeat for the large Scottish Army.

At this point we were also walking over one of the old mine shafts.  We made our way down to the River Esk and a very welcome stop for lunch. The fields to our side at one time housed prehistoric dwellings and Roman camps.  As we continued on our way, we passed below the historic village of Inveresk. This is where the Romans are said to have based their headquarters for administering their Northern Territories in Britain.

We finished our walk at Tesco just short of the Roman Bridge which was used by the Scottish forces on the way to the Battle of Pinkie.  

Our thanks to Drew for arranging the walk and hopefully it won’t be quite as hot for the next walk in August.