Outing on Monday 19th August to Paxton House

71 people attended the outing to Paxton House on 19th August.  They enjoyed lovely big scones with their morning tea/coffe at the Carfrae Mill Hotel en route to Berwick.  Paxton house was very good - we had two guides and the group was split over four tour times: 12.45, 1 pm then 2.15 & 2.30. The weather was good and we did have some sun.  High tea at Kelso was good too and left enough time for some people to manage to do a little bit of shopping in the town.

Remember: Postal information is only mailed to those members who specifically requested details by returning the little form at the end of the notification of the Ayr outing back in April. If you did not do this and do not have an email address, please get in touch with any of our committee and ask them to send me an email at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com with your name and postal code, thanks.

Strollers Walk No. 171, Wednesday 24th July, Falkland

Outing Number 171:     Falkland - Pillars of Hercules
Date:                           Wednesday 24th July 2013

Distance:                     5 miles circular walk (well, more of a long rectangle actually)
Duration:                      3 hours approx.
Meet at:                       Pillars of Hercules Cafe (on A912 past Falkland, going north-west)
Twenty strollers came along to Falkland to take up the challenge of Hercules and move the Pillars. Given the weather the night before - thunder, lightning and heavy rain - and then passing the motorway signs on Wednesday morning warning of more heavy rain, it was a big surprise to get hot sunny weather for the whole walk.
Setting out from the Pillars of Hercules café along the very straight road and cycle path to Strathmiglo, we met with a horse and carriage out practising for an event. The things you see on a Strollers walk. All too soon it was time to stop for lunch; was Rory really setting that fast a pace or was Moira just so happy she was skipping along the road. Alistair took up residence in the willow hut to denote his position in the group while the rest of us sat round a picnic table or on the ground.
After lunch it was time to climb the hill up to the higher forest trail and work back towards the cafe, with time to stop on the crags and admire the views, without going too close to the edge for those that suffer from vertigo. Meeting up with a serious walking group with full backpacks, tents water panniers and big kettles made our small backpacks and empty lunch boxes seem rather inadequate. All too soon, but bang on the predicted time, we were back at the cafe with time for a cake or more before heading for home.
Many thanks to Drew and Eleanor for getting us out into unfamiliar countryside for this interesting walk. Here’s hoping the weather stays like this for the remaining walks.

Outing on Friday 26th July to the Border Union Show in Kelso

Over 60 members enjoyed a glorious sunny day at the Borders Union Annual Show in Springwood Park, Kelso on Friday 26th July. Highlights included horse show-jumping, sheep shearing, agricultural equipment, craft and food halls. Sophie, Countess of Wessex, apparently was there that day too, in her role as Patron of the Show, but I don't think any of us actually managed to spot her, although some noticed the additional security at one point.

Hight tea at the Kingsknowe Hotel in Galashiels was enjoyed by all and our two coach drivers dropped off many happy pensioners on the routes back into Edinburgh.

Thanks to all for their roles in organising this good day out.

Strollers Walk No. 170, Tuesday 25th June 2013

Outing No. 170:       Flotterstone to Loganlea (Pentland Hill Regional Park)
Date:                      Tuesday 25th June 2013
Start time:               11.00
Distance                  6.5 miles (or 8 miles if extended from Loganlea to The Howe)
Duration:                 4 hours
Start at:                  The Flotterstone Inn
Finish at:                 Flotterstone Visitor Centre

On what turned out to be very pleasant day for a walk, twenty one Strollers met at Flotterstone to walk to Loganlea Reservoir. Some felt the need to load up on carbohydrates before starting out and partook of coffee and scones in the Flotterstone Inn.
Meeting in the car park it was then the turn of the midgies to have a feast. Setting off at brisk pace to escape them we made our way up the path and then followed the road past Glencorse reservoir. Between the reservoirs we had to navigate past the herd of cows that had come out of their field to have a look at us as we passed by.
At 'The Howe' some stopped for lunch, while others walked on a little further to look at the waterfall and some decided a sit down lunch back at the Flotterstone Inn seemed a more comfortable attraction. Time to return with some taking a slight detour on the way back climbing a short distance up Castlelaw Hill to get a view down the Reservoir and walk back skirting the edge of the firing range.
Our thanks to Alasdair and Jill Niven for arranging the walk, scones and a nice day.

Outing on Wednesday 19th June to Trossachs and Loch Katrine

The second outing of 2013 took place on Wednesday 19th June, when more than 70 of us enjoyed  a full day trip to the Trossachs and a sail on Loch Katrine on the Sir Walter Scott. The weather for the trip was very good, making the visibility of the hills and loch superb. We just caught our 1pm boat trip at the last minute, after a delay on the shores of Loch Venachar while too many coaches squeezed past each other on too narrow a road. Great credit is due to our two coach drivers for getting us past unscathed. After the cruise we had some time ashore at Loch Katrine, before moving to Callander in time to visit the shops. Then high tea at the Dreadnought Hotel was enjoyed by all before the coaches returned to Edinburgh.

Many thanks to Carole and the others who were involved in organising this enjoyable day out.

Strollers Walk No. 169, Monday 20th May 2013

Walk No. 169 :     Almondell and Lin's Mill Loop
Date:                   Monday 20th may 2013
Distance:            4.75 miles approx.
Start Time:          11:00 am
Duration:             2.5 hours
Twent-six strollers ventured out to Almondell Country Park on what turned out to be a hot and sultry day. Gipsy Rose Lee would have been proud of the striptease acts as we went round the park.

After leaving the south car park we stopped off at the visitor centre for a comfort break and to view the Kirkhill Astronomical Pillar which shows observations made by Lord Cardross in the 18th century. A fortuitous stop, as the guide at the shop came out to advise us that the footbridge over the River Almond was being worked on, so we had to retrace our steps almost to the car park and take a different route to join our intended path.

Working our way along the path, over stiles, down steps, up steps we made our way to Lins Mill Aqueduct which is part of the Union canal, to stop for some lunch. We were delighted to be joined by three canal barges of the Seagull Trust, one of which was crewed by former work colleagues Dave Hoskins and Maureen Purdie. Some of us used this to advantage and rather than go down the steps and back up the other side of the canal we hopped on the barge and off the other side.

Continuing our loop back round via the Drumshoreland Moss where William Wallace is reputed to have hunted, we made our way back to the visitor centre where a great trade was done in ice-cream and ice-lollies!  A first for this year. Gail's Coffee Shop in nearby Veitch's Garden Centre also did a reasonable trade for tea and scones before the walk and some more refreshments afterwards.

Thanks to John Sharp for leading the walk and arranging a lovely day for it

Outing on Tuesday 7th May 2013 to David Livingstone Centre

46 happy pensioners enjoyed a glorious day out on Tuesday 7th May. The venues had to be hastily arranged after the original planned outing to Ayr Racecourse was cancelled when the scheduled race meeting was a abandoned.  Instead we had an interesting visit to the David Livingstone Centre in Blantyre, then a visit to the Whitelee Windfarm Visitor Centre on Eaglesham moor before having High Tea at the Fenwick Hotel near Kilmarnock. The weather sunny and hot (for a change) with very little wind, but the turbines at Whitelee were still turning.

Next outing is on Wednesday 19th June to The Trossachs and Loch Katrine, with a sail on the Sir Walter Scott. Details will be sent out soon. Let's hope for great weather then too.

Strollers Walk No. 168, Thursday 25th April 2013

Walk No. 168:      Coastal Walk from Gullane to Dirleton
Date:                   Thursday 25 April 2013
Distance:             5.5 miles
Duration:              3.5 hours
Start Time:          11:00
Start Location:     Outside Gullane Golf Shop, just as you approach the town from the west.
Finish at:             Dirleton Castle
Organised by:      Ronnie McAdam

Twenty Strollers came along to Gullane for a good day’s walk to Dirleton. As we stood outside the golf professional’s shop in Gullane putting on gloves and scarves, who would have thought that an hour later we would be sitting by the beach having lunch in the sunshine. But it was true and the end of the walk was completed in a mini heat wave, with people taking off jackets and waterproofs. A first for this year!

Ronnie led us on a walk down through the dunes at Gullane, then back through the dunes as he missed the turn-off. Too busy talking, he said. We then made our way past Muirfield, where the stands were already being erected for the Open Golf in July, and along the beach to our stop for lunch.

From there we walked along the beach admiring the many different coloured stones and patterns in them, which we had to stop Liz from carting off back home as souvenirs. With glorious views of Fidra and then the Bass Rock and Berwick Law, we made our way past the Renaissance and Archerfield Golf courses and climbed up to Yellowcraigs. It was then on to Dirleton village and, with Ronnie's precise planning, just in time to catch the bus back to Gullane or Edinburgh, although some stayed to visit Dirleton Castle before getting a later bus.

Thanks to Ronnie for leading the walk and arranging a lovely day for it.

Strollers Walk No. 167, Wednesday 20th March 2013

Walk No. 167:    Mortonhall Estate and Braid Hills - Circular Walk
Date :              Wednesday 20th March 2013
Distance:        4 miles approx.
Duration:         2.5 hours approx.
Drew says:     "This is a circular walk that is all about the views".

Fortified by coffee and scones twenty-two hardy souls braved the snow to do the walk round Mortonhall and the Braids. The main party started from the Braids Driving Range (after coffee and scones for some) and the rest from Mortonhall Garden Centre, where Alex also finished so he could do some pet shopping.

Whilst the paths were a trifle muddy in places (memories of Stow) the weather turned out better than forecast and once the snow stopped we could see Berwick Law and the Bass Rock. It was also fun wading through the snow to finish at the view point on the Braids, I’m sure someone made a comment like that. The views from there proved worth the walk.

Let’s hope the April walk finds us out walking in some hot sunshine as opposed to minus temperatures.

Strollers Walk No. 166, Thursday 21 February, Historic City Walk

Walk no. 166:     Historic City Walk - Saints, Sinners and Steeples of the Old Town
Date:                 Thursday 21 February 2013

Starting out from the warmth of the National Museum in Chambers Street 56 Strollers set out on a 'Saints and Sinners' tour led by Karen and Helen, our Blue Badge guides. Starting off at Greyfriars Kirk, down George IV Bridge, round Victoria Street, on to the High Street, down past St Giles and the Tron Kirk, and for the hardier people 'Old' St Pauls and the Trinity Apse down Carrubbers Close. Who knew there could be so many churches in such a short space from Greyfriars to the High Street.

In Greyfriars, as well as the tale of Bobby, the Covenanters, we learnt about Walter Geikie and the First Deaf Church, where JK Rowling got inspiration for John Riddle, heard about 'Bluidy Mckenzie' and his ghost, William McGonnagle’s last poem and discovered why an American flag flies in Greyfriars Kirk. We also discovered that Karen’s sister is coming over to perform a concert in Greyfriars Kirk in June along with about 180 other singers.

We then made our way down George IV Bridge with the Augustine United Church on one side and the Martyrs Free Church, now Frankensteins, on the other. At the Library it was time to peer over the bridge into the Grassmarket at the Magdalene Chapel now part of Edinburgh University.

Moving into Victoria Street there was St John’s Established Church, Kushtis as was, the Primitive Methodist Church (Ebenezer Chapel)  and the Quaker Meeting house set up by Major Thomas Weir, 'Angelic Thomas', who lived and held Sunday services at the top of West Bow.

Moving round from that draughty street to the top of the Lawnmarket where we heard about the St John’s Highland Tolbooth Church (The Hub), St Columba’s Free Kirk (formally Free St Johns), Church of Scotland Assembly Hall which was originally meant to be in the Hub and St Columba’s by the Castle (Episcopal). It was time to go down to Tweeddale Court, just off the High Street behind Gladstone Land, and hear about the Free Church College as well as the manufacture of Sedan chairs.

Moving to St Giles, with smaller groups as some had decided that the call of a plate of warm soup out-weighed 'food' for the brain, we learnt about the Tollbooth and Luckenbooths which used to be adjacent to St Giles. This made the High Street very narrow at this point. We discovered about the 1824 fire and the rebuilding of Parliament Square and about James Braidwood, whose statue is at the east end of St Giles, who founded the Edinburgh Fire Brigade in 1824 and then the London Fire Brigade in 1833..

Helen’s group then made their way down to 'Old' St Paul’s, is there a 'young' St Pauls?,  and discovered how the Mitre Bar got its name (from Bishop Spottiswoode's hat). Finishing up at Carrubers Close to view Trinity Apse which used to be of a church which stood on the site of Waverley Station. It was taken down, the stones numbered and stored on Calton Hill to be rebuilt.  Not a very good plan as most of the stones went 'missing' and only enough was left to rebuild the Apse, which is now the 'brass rubbing' centre. Time for cakes or hot soup in Carrubers Christian Centre.

Karens group meanwhile had stopped at the Tron and decided to go for Lunch. No staying power!

Hopefully next time we'll try and pick a warmer day. Our Thanks to Karen and Helen for leading us and to Drew for his organisation.

Strollers Walk No. 165, Tuesday 22 January 2013, Historic City Walk, George Square to Princes Street

Date:               Tuesday 22nd January 2013
Started at:         Edinburgh University Library, George Square
Finish at:          Playfair Steps at Princes Street
Led by:            Karen MacCormick and Helen Houston (Blue Badge Guides)


On what started as a very snowy morning but actually stayed dry but cold, 37 Strollers braved the elements to meet up with our 2 Blue Badge guides for a Historical tour of the “old” New Town. That is the area south of the High Street beginning at George Square (now the centre for Edinburgh University). George Square was not named after royalty but actually after the brother of the landowner! We found out the names of some famous former occupants, Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for example, and also other notaries who attended Edinburgh University, like Eric Liddell and John Sharp.

We saw Chapel Street, which should probably be renamed now for the new Mosque, and Bristo Square with the McEwan Hall and music centre. There were a lot of breweries around in those days, obviously a profitable business. Moving past the medical school down to Chambers Street, we passed the old drill hall for the Scots Guards Rifles and then the Bedlam Theatre. We took refuge in the museum to gather some heat while we were told that Chambers Street and George IV Bridge used to be a series of 5 squares of the “old” New Town, including Argyle Square built with the proceeds of money earned by the Duke of Argyle’s tailor on the death of King George. He had early notice of the death and bought up all the black cloth which he resold at inflated prices!

We then made our way past the site of the last public hanging in Edinburgh in 1864 at the corner of the High Street, and went down the Playfair Steps to end our walk at Princes Street (in the "new" New Town).

You can add the provisional dates for all the 2013 Strollers Waks to your diary now by following this link to open a document with all the dates.

Pensioners’ Association – Annual General Meeting – Wednesday 16 January 2013

The Annual General Meeting of the Pensioners’ Association took place on Wednesday 16th January 2013 at Heriot’s Rugby Clubhouse and was attended by around 80 members.

Follow this link to see the agenda for the meeting and to review the Chairman's 2012 Report.
If you would like to see a copy of the Minutes of the AGM held on 16/01/2013, please request a copy via email to our mailbox at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com

The cost of the evening was subsidised by the Pensioners’ Association and the attendees enjoyed an excellent supper of haggis, neeps and tatties, provided by Mackenzies Catering.

The Heriot’s Clubhouse proved to be a comfortable venue and met with general approval.

Thanks to all who attended the meeting and enjoyed a social evening. Thanks also to those who expressed their apologies for absence. Your support demonstrates your confidence in our committee and our activities. 

If you did not receive notice of this meeting (either by email around 20th December or by post around 7th January), please let us know by emailing sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com. Please also accept my apologies for the late delivery of the postal mailing. I can assure you that this was in the hands of the Company by Friday 21st December, although it seems the letters were not processed until 4th January. Christmas holidays contributed in part to the delay.

If you had difficulty with our email going into your spam or junk folders, see an item dated 3rd August 2012 on this blog for some advice on how to avoid this problem.

If you have not previously provided the Association with your email address, but would now like to receive faster (and much cheaper) communication, just drop a note of your name and postcode please to our mailbox at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com and I can record your email address for future use.

Best wishes to all for 2013,
Alistair Buchanan
Chairman

Strollers Walk No. 163, Cancelled Thursday 22 November 2012, Mortonhall Estate and Braid Hills

Walk Cancelled due to weather
Walk No. 163:    Mortonhall Estate and Braid Hills - Circular Walk
Date :              Thursday 22 November 2012
Distance:        4 miles approx.
Duration:         2.5 hours approx.
Start:             Choice of starting places -  Braid Hills Driving Range or Mortonhall Garden Centre
Start Time:    11:00 at Braidhills Driving Range or 11:25 near Mortonhall Garden Centre
Lunch?:          There is no suitable picnic stop, so it's  a snack "on the hoof" or wait until the end.
Meet at:        Braid Hills Driving Range (cafe available) on Braid Road at 11:00.
If you want to meet the walkers and start at Mortonhall, please go to the Garden Centre (cafe available), but then walk  up towards the Caravan Site, meeting at a sign post beside a field of highland cows (about half-way towards the Caravan Site) at 11:25.

Drew says "This is a circular walk that is all about the views", so here's hoping for a nice clear day. 

The full details have been sent out by email to the usual distribution list and postal details will follow in due course.

Strollers Christmas Lunch - Thursday 6th December 2012

Leaves are falling, the clocks have changed, and thoughts begin to turn to the Festive Season. For those Strollers who are on our email list, invitations for this year's Christmas Lunch have now been issued (see email dated 25th October from the SLPA Strollers Mailbox). If you did not receive an email, please check your junk / spam folders on email. If you still can't find that elusive email, drop a note to Drew at the Strollers email address - sl.pa.strollers@gmail.com and he will be able to check your email address and send it again.

For those not on email, postal invitations will be issued for us by the company in due course.

Strollers Walk No. 162, Tuesday 23 October 2012, Aberlady to Port Seton

Outing No. 162:    Aberlady to Port Seton
Date:                    Tuesday 23 October 2012
Distance:              5.5 miles
Duration:               3 hours approx.
Start at:                Aberlady Bowling Green (as you enter Aberlady)
Start Time:           11:15
Finish at:               Port Seton Harbour

Led by:                 Drew Young

Driving (or taking the service bus) from Edinburgh to Aberlady, the chance of the walk being on seemed pretty remote. The poor visibility and gloom made it look as if it would just be a quick tea/coffee and scone then back to Edinburgh. However, it was actually clearer on the coast than anywhere else. Given the slow service some people got in “Ducks-a-quick” (not quack) anything would have been a bonus. 

 

Twenty two Strollers, led by Drew Young, started out west on the walk along the John Muir Way before crossing over into the Gosford Estate, where we marvelled at the mausoleum, the glimpses of the main house and the chicken farm. Interesting titbits of information, such as how to get lorries through the gates of the estate or the use of the estate during the war, were provided by Alan. We left the estate grounds to rejoin the 'Way' closer to Longniddry Bents. At this point we became twenty three as Alasdair Niven joined us from Port Seton (something about being closer to his car at the end of the walk). Normally we would have had nice views here along the coast and over to Fife, but we just had to imagine what it would have looked like on a better day. Still, we did hear some geese! 

 

As we stopped for a picnic lunch, Mr Buchanan managed to produce a key which proved very useful in opening public toilet doors. After lunch we then followed the beach along to Port Seton just as the mist really started to come in and the Strollers went their separate routes to get home.

It was at this point the leader of the walk learned that having a phone in your pocket with a low ring tone is not a good idea. By the time he realised it was ringing, got it out and unlocked the keypad, Moira had left a message. But due to his ineptness with mobile phones, he thought he was retuning the call but got someone completely different! Under instruction from his wife he's now changed the ring tone (but not to the sound of migrating geese).

It was a worthwhile day out for those who braved the weather. 

Many thanks Drew, for organising this walk.

Strollers Walk No. 161, Monday 24 September - Vogrie Country Park

The September Strollers Walk was in Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian.
Date:            Monday 24 September 2012

Start at:       The Cedar Tree Cafe, within Vogrie Country Park

Led by:        Alasdair and Jill Niven

Details of this walk were circulated by e-mail or post. If you did not received these, firstly check your Spam or Junk folder in e-mail (it went into my Spam). Read the item further down this Blog to find out how to stop these e-mails going into Spam, and note that I have updated that item to show the correct address for Strollers e-mails. I had it wrong the first time around.

Report on the day:-

After a weekend of beautiful weather, anticipation was high, but the forecast was not good. However 20 brave souls turned out for the walk, more in hope than expectation.

After we had been fortified by tea and scones from the Cedar Tree Cafe, Alasdair and Jill led us round some of the paths through the Country Park. Sheltered by the trees the wind and rain did not seem too bad and the 'mud' factor was on the low side! Unfortunately the views were a trifle obscured and we couldn't find the old carvings on the trees that Alasdair was telling us about, even standing on tip-toe.

A nice leisurely stroll finished back at the cosy Cedar Tree Café to round off the day with a bowl of nice hot soup. With 11.5 miles of paths in the Country Park, there are still lots more to look at and hopefully next time the weather might be a bit better. 

Thanks to Alasdair and Jill for organising the walk and the parking for the mini-bus, driven by Alistair Buchanan.

Outing - Monday 17 September, Glasgow's Riverside (Transport) Museum and Auchentoshan Distillery

56 people attended our last outing of the year to Auchentoshan Distillery in Clydebank and then the Riverside Museum (Glasgow's Museum of Transport).

The coach left Waterloo Place, Edinburgh for a refreshment stop at Mackinnon Mills near Coatbridge before heading to Clydebank to visit Auchentoshan Distillery. We were split into smaller groups for excellent guided tours of the distillery, including a chance to sample a dram of Auchentoshan whisky. Apparently sales of their new Cream Liqueur took an upward surge once the sampling session was over! Then it was back on the coach in cheery mood to head for the Riverside Museum in Glasgow for the rest of the afernoon. Unfortunately, the heavens opened in time to soak everyone on their dash back to the coach after the visit. High Tea was at La Bonne Auberge (Holiday Inn Theatreland Restaurant) in Glasgow before our return to  Edinburgh.

Strollers Walk No. 160, Thursday 23 August 2012 - Duns Castle Reserve

Walk No. 160:    Duns Castle Reserve

Date:                  Thursday 23 August 2012

Distance:            3.5 miles approx.

Start / Finnish:    The Market Square, Duns, Berwickshire

The outing to Duns and the walk round the Duns Castle Reserve was attended by 33 Strollers.
Moira Turner, assisted by her border collie and Liz Staples, led us on this pleasant walk on a fortunate day weather wise, as it rained after the walk was finished. It was sunny and hot the rest of the time, although under the trees this wasn't so obvious. Whilst the strollers didn't stop for a picnic break there were some on the walk who were providing lunch for the local 'beasties'.

Given the nature of the recent weather, the 'puff' factor should probably be changed to a 'mud' factor as it seems very difficult to go anywhere without tramping through mud at some point.
The local hostelries were well sampled after the walk even if they did insist people removed their boots.

Many thanks to Moira and Liz for leading us and not getting us lost, even with a detour to see the Covenanters Stone and View Point, with panoramic views of the Borders and the approaching rain.

Note: Those of you on the e-mail distribution list should have received two emails regarding this walk, one from the company and one from Drew on sl.pa.strollers@googlemail.com.
If you didn't receive the second one, check your Spam or Junk mail folder.
There is an item on this Blog (just below this item) that gives you some guidance on how to stop these e-mails going to Spam / Junk.

Are our e-mails going into your Spam or Junk Folder?

We have started to use e-mail to send information out to our Strollers.
At first, it is likely that our e-mails will go into your Spam or Junk Folder.
To cure this, you should add two email addresses to your Contacts List. 

The addresses are sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com and sl.pa.strollers@gmail.com.
Note: I had the second of these addresses wrong in my first attempt to explain this.

You should also change the filter settings within your e-mail Account to indicate that e-mail from these two addresses should never go to Spam. How to do this may vary depending on which e-mail service you use.

One example is: Within your e-mail system choose "Settings", then "Filters", then "Create new filter". Type sl.pensioners.association@gmail into the From box and press "Create filter with this search". In the next panel tick the box "Never send it to Spam" then press "Create Filter".
Repeat this process to create another filter for sl.pa.strollers@gmail.com for e-mails that come from the Strollers coordinator

Another example, e.g. in Outlook, is: Choose "Actions" from the menu bar, then choose "Junk E-mail" and then "Junk E-mail Options". Click on the "Safe Senders" tab and click the "Add..." button. Put in one of the above Email addresses and click "OK". Click the "Add..." button again and put in the other Email address and click "OK". Then close by clicking "OK" at the bottom of the panel.

I hope you find this helpful and not too complicated. If in difficulty e-mail me at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com, but my reply might still end up in your Spam / Junk mail.

Outing - Friday 31 August, Dundee Flower & Food Festival

Around 75 of us ventured out in two coaches to the Dundee Flower and "Mud" Festival in Camperdown Park, Dundee. It was a chilly but dry morning when we assembled in Edinburgh. After a refreshment stop at Glendoick Garden Centre, we continued to Camperdown Park. Unfortunately, the rain started around 12:00 as we were entering the Festival. The ground underfoot was rather on the muddy side, depite enormous efforts by the Park staff to create walk-ways with tons of bark. There was plenty to see at the Festival, most of it in large indoor marquees, so everyone was able to enjoy their visit despite the weather. We stopped for High Tea at The Green Hotel, Kinross before returning to Edinburgh about 8pm. Many thanks to those who organised and assisted in this outing.