Twelve Strollers met at Bonnyrigg for the
walk to Roslin partly on the old railway line and partly through Roslin Glen
Country Park.
It was a dull day to begin with and not too
hot for walking though the temperature was raised a bit when it was discovered
that the public toilets had all been closed due to vandalism.
The railway line had been opened in 1872 as a
branch line of the Edinburgh to Carlisle route in order to serve the paper
mills between Dalkeith and Penicuik. There were lots of signs that it was used
by horses so we had to tread carefully as we walked. Like others it was closed
down in the 1960s but we saw the platforms of the old stations at Rosewell and
Roslyn as we walked along.
Ignoring the noise from the dog kennels, we
passed the back of St Matthew’s RC Church built in 1926 and stopped for a break
at the entrance to Roslin Glen Park. At this point, we were close to Hawthornden
House which dates from the 15th century but is now a retreat for artists and
writers set up by the Heinz family in the 1980s. Amazing what beans can do for
you! Passing Rosslyn Station, we turned down into the path that led down to the
site of the gunpowder factory. Built in 1801, it closed after the 2nd World
War. It used a water wheel to provide power to the site via a lade that had come
from the weir which has now been dismantled as well. Only the bare ruins of the
site remain.
From here we crossed over the road and into
the site of the carpet factory, long gone as well, and crossed the river by the
bridge and climbed up the steps to pass Rosslyn Castle, which is now holiday
lets. Winding our way up the hill, we came to the old Rosslyn Inn which has had
famous visitors from the Wordsworths, Walter Scott, Burns, Samuel Johnson and
even to royalty. It sits next to Rosslyn Chapel made famous by the Da Vinci
Code.
We finished in Roslin. The spelling is
different as Rosslyn is the name of the baronetcy that was granted the land but
the village was always spelt differently.
Our thanks to Colm for bring along the book
with all the old pictures of the area, very interesting and thanks to Drew for
organising the walk.
Hope to see you on the next walk.
