Keep Moving - Week 18

Sunday started off at the Robert Burns monument on the Haddington to Bolton Road, a short walk along the woodland path to the Agnes Broun well and then down in to Haddington.  Looping back through Lennoxlove I met a lovely gentleman and his Border terrier who showed me some walks for future outings and gave me some other local suggestions.  He said it is worth visiting Lennoxlove early in the year to see the snowdrops planted in a Star of David across the lawn.  Monday was the bank holiday so I decided to take his recommendation, starting at Bara Loch between Gifford and Garvald which is a lovely peaceful spot, the banks are covered in bluebells and primroses at the moment.  That is quite a short walk so I then headed to his second suggestion which is the loop around the woods at Santa Maria Abbey.  It is working Trappist monastery and the monks do work the farm in their black and white robes but I didn't see another soul.  My third, and last stop was  White Castle which is an unexcavated, early Iron Age hill fort  on the northern edge of the Lammermuir Hills.  

Wednesday was a good five mile walk around Bowden with workmates.  On Friday Craig and I headed off to Bracken tree house, part of Airdit Hill, with a small stop en route at the Buffalo Farm to pick up supplies and pat the teeniest of pygmy goats (nano goats!).  On Saturday we did nine miles around St Andrews, we could have recreated the famous Chariots of Fire scene but it would have been more like Gorillas in the Mist.  We walked through the famous old course and along the West Sands where we met a seal pup, although it looked well and plump it seemed to be absolutely exhausted.  We called the SSPCA and they were already aware.  A stroll around the sights of St Andrews included the harbour, cathedral, castle and university.