Day 70 - Longyester to Crossgatehall

I always knew this was going to be a "van" day as we weren't sure of the parking places and whether it would be wise to leave the van, so I made sure I had a good book and was prepared to sit and wait. As it was, we were right; it's a pity they don't make better car parks for these newly-created paths.

So when The Walker had completed today's leg (in good weather) we set off to visit the Prestongrange Mining Museum. Unfortunately the heavens opened and, as it is an outdoor museum, we decided to head for the nearest pub! The visit will have to wait for another trip.

The pub is called "Mrs Formans" situated right next to the golf course and the racecourse. The odd name comes from the fact that George Forman, being an entrepreneur, saw the potential for a pub here, married and ran "Formans" successfully, then died early. That left poor Mrs Forman, with 8 children, to run the place for the next 40 years - and the name stuck!

Maggie: Lovely to hear from you. Shame to be back at work after a good holiday - I can recommend this retirement lark though. I am really enjoying visiting all the places, but I think I'll look forward to being at home for a while... then, with Bernie's new knees, who knows what will be our next project!


From Bernie:
Today's walk  13.8 miles     :     Cumulative  890.8 miles

I love these old, incredibly precise East Lothian road signs!

Not expecting much from today's walk. I imagined it would be something of a labour of love; a trudge along country lanes & an old railway line; the price I had to pay for the Borders' Abbeys, the Lammermuir Hills & my quest for the Union Canal. Turned out to be one of the most fascinating days of the whole journey & on a par with Llanymynech, SS Great Britain & the Pontcysyllte aqueduct!

East Lothian countryside - once littered with collieries

Highlight of the Day: 'The Pencaitland Railway Walk' which follows the route of the Gifford & Garvald Light Railway, finally closed in 1965. Now, I'm not a railway enthusiast but, as you may have gathered, I will walk a few miles out of my way to visit interesting industrial heritage sites. This 8 mile stretch of track is a treasure trove!
It runs through the old coal-mining area of East Lothian & each of the 11 pits that made use of the line is remembered with a stone plaque quoting output & employment figures - the last of these mines closed 50 years ago yet there are still mountainous slag-heaps climbing out of the wheat fields on either side of the line.

Even more special are the 11 'Memory Boards' - brightly illustrated reminiscences of local people who were children here in its heyday.

Love the story in the middle about deliberately damaging the barrels from Glenkinchie Distillery during loading!

But, to cap it all, I met Jack; a 94 year old ex-miner from the local Tranent colliery who was out for a short walk with someone I took to be a neighbour - he pointed out one or two things even the information boards didn't know!
A brilliant walk & to think that I only stumbled across it as I was planning my final 'perverse' change of direction & noticed a cycle-track that I thought might prove to be a change from roads!

Song of the Day: 'The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore' - Michelle Shocked (it's in the lyric!!)

As the manager has noted we finished the day at 'Mrs Formans', a pub beside Musselburgh's golf course. The owner was quite passionate about his golf history & the memorabilia on the pub walls. He told us that the British Open had been won on 11 occasions (that number kept cropping up today!) by Musselburgh men, 'a record that will never be beaten'! He showed us the window through which drinks were once served to golfers playing the 4th hole at the 'World's Oldest Golf Course' & told us that the the origins of the famous 'Claret Jug' were linked to 'Mrs Formans'!

Honours Board in 'Mrs Formans'

4th hole at Musselburgh, alongside the race course, & known as 'Mrs Formans'!

Beer of the Day: 'Golden Plover' from the Allendale Brewery back in Northumberland. Pale golden, sharp but with a slightly creamy flavour - enjoyable but not outstanding.

Slightly disappointed that heavy rain thwarted our planned visit to the Industrial Museum but that had been intended as a reward for what I thought would be a dull day.... !

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