Doddie Walks - Week 6

Sunday morning stroll around Ormiston Hall, stopping firstly at the Great Yew of Ormiston, said to be over 1000 years old with a girth of around seven metres, John Knox preached within it's secluded interior.  We wandered up to have a look at the Doocot and spotted the two quotes in the woods, then along to the Memorial to the Polish servicemen who trained and lived in Ormiston during World War II.  I have wondered why there was a trig point in a garden at Ormiston Hall but there is a fairly logical explanation.  Originally it was in neighbouring field but was getting in the way of ploughing, as they are mostly redundant these days it was pulled up and dumped behind the hedge.  The house owner asked the farmer if he could have it, ordnance confirmed it was ok and it now sits in the hedge acting as an unofficial barrier between the road and the houses oil tank, bad bend, occasional visiting car to garden...  I then found out that there are websites for trig point hunting and the lodge owners got lots of kudos for their trig saving and being welcoming! 

A yard get together in the afternoon around New Winton, the village was surprisingly busy and I nearly got swept up into a Full Moon yoga retreat with Gong bath and freshly brewed Yogi tea.  I have to say they were very welcoming but I retreated to the woods with Martha, Julie and the spaniels. 

I was up bright and early to catch the sunrises this week, apparently resetting my circadian rhythm, there is even research that morning light is an important way to encourage weight loss (sadly it probably does not offset the biscuits though.)  Then the final Doddie Aid walk was a trip to Woodhall Dean Nature reserve, a nice walk around the woods though I'm not sure I'd agree with another website which described it as "mostly flat"!  Woodhall Dean is a known stronghold for Adders so we will be back to visit in a few weeks in the hope of catching one basking.  We also stopped at the Innerwick Jubilee trough, commissioned to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.  The plaque reads A Man Of Kindness / To His Beast Is Kind / But Brutal Actions / Show A Brutal Mind / Remember! He Who Made Thee / Made The Brute / Who Gave Thee Speech And Reason / Formed Him Mute / He Can’t Complain / But God’s All-Seeing Eye / Beholds Thy Cruelty / And Hears His Cry / He Was Designed Thy Servant / Not Thy Drudge / Remember! His Creator / Is Thy Judge. 

So in the six weeks of Doddie Aid I've walked 210 miles, far from an all time record but a good effort for mid winter.  I've visited some new walks close to home and spotted some interesting sites, now need to keep going...

Happy Hacking

Pot of Gold?

 

Doddie Aid - Week 5

Week five started with a stroll around Roslin Glen, passing Roslin Castle, Rosslyn Chapel, Wallace's cave and the site of what was once Scotland's largest gunpowder mill.  Then after a few days plodding round the local woods and tracks I took another Wednesday off work, I could definitely be on board with a four day working week... We started at the gallery of modern art and did a loop round the dean cemetery and along the water of leith, spotting two of the Antony Gormley "6 Times" cast iron sculptures.  The Dean cemetery is fascinating with the most amazing mix of old, modern, beautifully simple and wildly ornate memorials.  Then after a coffee we headed up Arthur's Seat and across to Crow Hill, it was a bit of a scramble to the top and windy with it, plus I feel I have lemming tendencies so I clung firmly to the trig point and admired the views over Edinburgh, including the castle which is about a mile to the East.  A long lunch on Friday took me wild boar hunting in Butterdean and this time I found the Pictish pig which is based on a stone carving found in Scotland.  I also spotted the "Billy Witch" sculpture, a Cockchafer beetle suspended in the trees.  Just one more David Freedman sculpture to find another day.