Edinburgh to Dunbar

Sat enjoying the last of the sunshine, showered but not fed as yet at a deserted campsite at Dunbar, down the A1 on the coast between Edinburgh and Berwick-Upon-Tweed. Really surprising as appears to be a large site, and the last week or so the campsites we have stayed at have been getting very busy, with tents as well as caravans and campervans. The two Australians Ross and Bev camped next to us last night (they're here with their daughter and her partner - but they're off to Ireland on the train and ferry today) are off to Cornwall on the train to meet up with some British friends they have made on their travels in the past - they're walking part of the coast walk. They very kindly gave us their email and address details - they live at Nethercote in New South Wales, 250 miles south of Sydney and not far from the border with Victoria. Had rained with a very wet and heavy drizzle overnight but stopped just about at the same time as we got up. An enjoyable ride into Edinburgh along lots of hidden snickets to a high level old railway that took us right into the centre. Cycled down a road parallel to Princess Street, and then turned off to cross over this famous thoroughfare by the Walter Scott Memorial, went into the Sainsbury supermarket there - photos of the missing woman all over the shop windows - had read about this in the papers last week but hadn't realised that the last photo they have of her is coming out of this particular Sainsbury's, after catching the bus to work, getting off it near the supermarket and calling in - then she just disappeared - amazing isn't it that you can go missing at that time of the day. I see they are suggesting it could be a very probable murder now - at lest that's what I presumed the paper sellers billboard headlines meant. A very vocal big issue seller stood outside the shop door - thought they weren't supposed to aggressively sell their magazines? - he's obviously doing OK for him self as he fished a mobile out of his pocket to take a phone call!

Crossed the road and found ourselves a bench looking up at the castle - still grey at this point and looking as though it might rain. Roger had purloined a jar of jam from the Freegon pile - I told him it was a disaster waiting to happen - and yes it had started to leak fro the carrier bag he'd put it in. In 1976 (so a very long time ago) I walked the Pennine Way (not sure how we managed it as in the days before proper gagoules etc. The days of H frame rucksacks, large and heavy tent and groundsheet, we carried eggs in a plastic egg carrier and had bacon and egg every morning, plus jam and bread- only the jam leaked all over my rucksack as we walked through the Kielder Forest - never walked so fast in my life as we pursued by the largest warm of flies and insects that you can imagine - boy did it take some cleaning up). Hadn't been able to make any jam butties in advance for our lunch at the campsite as we had run out of bread - decided it would look far too down and out to be sat on the bench on the main street of Edinburgh though making jam butties up as the tourists wandered past.... Made do with a shortbread biscuit or two instead.

Up The Mound to the castle area and across the other side of the city - not as well signposted - so would take a small snicket route that would bring you out on another busy road but with no sign indicating which way you went, and the new map I'm using now is not nearly as good as the ones we've used to date. Every time we stopped to look at the map we were pounced on by locals wanting to help, but as they were never cyclists they didn't know the answer either. Eventually one of us would spot a possible sign a few hundred yards down the road (usually Roger - eagle eyes). Learnt that you have to go right to the end when the signpost tells you to cycle down what looks like a dead end as the track we are looking for will invariably be there hidden away at right angles somewhere. Looked at one point s though we were going into the garages of a large block of apartments, near Holyrood House - but took you instead into a long long dark tunnel, 200 yards or more long - and leaving the busy city behind you, you popped out on a disused railway track in the middle of the country. A lovely long gradual downhill slope that seemed to et up the miles. We appeared to be following the route of the Edinburgh Marathon which is being held this weekend - they were busy putting out the 'no parking between Sat and Sunday' signs all along the route - hope it isn't as hot as today for them. Just outside Musselburgh we came across the Prestongrange Industrial Museum. Both Roger and I are interested in Industrial history, and when Roger noted that the museum was free(!!!), we stopped off in the heat and sun for lunch (yes, jam butties (lots of jam on them and then chucked the jar away) and had a cuppa before spending an enjoyable hour or so wandering around the site - perhaps one of the first 'industrial' estates in Scotland. Coal was mined around this area - the Cistercian monks in the 1100's were among the first miners. There was good coal, difficult to get and expensive so sold to the rich of Edinburgh and the easily accessible grotty stuff that stank and belched out bad gasses - and in fact became banned from use in the end. At various times over the centuries, along with coal mining here there have been glass making, brick making and pottery. Wouldn't warrant it now as it is a tranquil and grass and daisy covered site, with artists dotted around painting and drawing the scene. There was a very busy port on the site - but it has now been filled in - but in the past it was used by the local children to swim in as the water was warm from the discharge from the factory/coal mine complex.

Hard to get going again but over 20 more miles to go before a campsite. Every sort of type of surface this afternoon - including 4 miles gradually up hill on a gravelly track of a disused railway that seemed very hard work.

The sun is just going over the yardarm. As I've been writing this we've had tea and are now sat here drinking a cuppa, eating sweets (Haribo for Roger, miniature jelly babies for Sue) and listening to the birds all around us. All is well with us tonight.