Date: Wednesday 25th June 2014
Start Time: 11:00
Distance: 6 miles (circular walk)
Duration: 3 hours (approximately)
Start / Finish at: The Cedar Tree Cafe (will open for us at 10:00am) in Vogrie Country Park
On a
cloudy but dry and warm day twenty four strollers gathered at Vogrie Country
Park for a walk round the park and the surrounding countryside. After some
fortified themselves with bacon rolls and coffee, we set off from Vogrie House
past the golf course and made our way along the road to the village of
Newlandrig, which was founded in 1751 by James Dewar the
owner of Vogrie House, and is now a conservation area.
From there we picked up one of
the Tyne and Esk trails and made our way past an old poultry farm towards the
Camp Ridge. The paths had grown a lot since the walk was checked out but it was
really good of Alasdair to arrange for the farmer to come and cut a new path in front of
us as we went up the hill. We stopped at the top for a breather and to admire the
views of the Lammermuir Hills and East Lothian. We then
cut a path through the nettles and thistles to make our way down past D’arcy
Farm, and along the road with good views of Edinburgh, Fife and the Pentland
Hills. Continuing on towards Spy Law Wood and then Windmill Wood admiring the
house that was once the windmill and gave its name to the wood. Following the
road down through the village of Edgehead, or Chesterhill to give it its proper
name which is built on the old Roman Road of Dere Street. It was also at one
time a mining village with the mine situated in Windmill Wood, but is now more
admired for the flowers.
Back to the trail and through more fields of
nettles and thistles, a machete would really have been useful, taking us down to
Dewartown built to house the workers on the Vogrie estates. Some people were
side tracked by the small ponies then missed the opening into Vogrie estate and
wandered back along the road to the car park. We all managed to meet up again at
the Cedar Tree Café for some well-earned refreshments.
Thanks to Alasdair and Jill for arranging this walk.
