Day 2: Gorebridge, Midlothian to Athelstaneford, East Lothian

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

6th January 2021: 106.51km virtually walked today giving a total of 180.41km of  8854km.3.5% of 460 people's totals submitting 3043.18km.

Route 1A: Edinburgh to Traquair

We cross Gore Water and head through Gorebridge, named after the bridge, built here to span the Gore Water. Stobsmill, Scotland’s first gunpowder mill was based here between 1794-1875 and coal mining also featured in the history of the village. We pass through Arniston Public Park at the other end of the village and cross the A7 onto Povert Road. Heading along our route north we pass through Newtongrange, Newbattle and Woodburn to join Musselburgh Road in the north of Dalkeith. Newtongrange, fondly called ‘Nitten by the Bing’ was Scotland’s largest mining village after The Lady Victoria Colliery opened in 1895, and was also linked to the Lingerwood Colliery, sunk in 1798. After its closure in 1981, Lady Victoria Colliery became the National Mining Museum of Scotland in 1984.

As we pass through Newbattle we pass it’s Abbey on the opposite riverbank. It was founded as a monastery in 1140 and became the Kerr family home after the Scottish Reformation. It remained so until 1937 when the family gave Newbattle Abbey to the people of Scotland. They chose that the building should become an adult residential college, during a period when times were changing, as large estate houses were difficult to upkeep. It remains a college today; you can book a tour of the Abbey and gardens adding refreshments to the booking for a full experience.

We pass the outskirts of Woodburn, an area of Dalkeith, to join Musselburgh Road to its north. The town grew up around Dalkeith Castle, now a Palace, and was an important market town. Dalkeith is the largest town in Midlothian and its administrative centre, twinned with Jarnac, France. History at the Castle/Palace goes back to the 12th century, having had a few Clan owners prior to being sold to the Duke of Buccleuch in 1642. The Duke of Buccleuch remains the owner today although the family haven’t lived in the current building, completed in 1711, since 1914. Famous visitors include Bonnie Prince Charlie, George IV and Queen Victoria. Oliver Cromwell’s officer, General George Monck, was Commander in Scotland from 1650 and governed the country from Dalkeith Castle. Since 1985 it has been leased to the University of Wisconsin for their study abroad programme.

We leave the road and head through Dalkeith Country Park, a 1,000-acre parkland part of the Dalkeith Palace estate, featuring woodlands, river walks, play parks and cafes. Hard to believe we are only a few miles from Edinburgh here. We take the riverside walk, through woodland heading north to the ‘Meeting of the Waters’; a place where the North Esk and South Esk Rivers meet to form the River Esk. We cross a footbridge nearby and continue north along its course for just over 3 kilometres to reach the outskirts of Musselburgh.

Musselburgh, a place well-known for its golf and racecourse formed from its development as a nice seaside location just outside the capital. Its name is Old English in origin; ‘mussel’ for shellfish and ‘burgh’ for town, as mussel beds were plentiful near the mouth of the River Esk. First settled by Romans in 80AD it is one of Scotland’s oldest towns. They were the first to bridge the River Esk, opening up access to Edinburgh from the south. The foundations of the Old Bridge are of Roman origin, hence nicknamed Roman Bridge. Today it is only used by pedestrians after a new bridge was constructed in 1806. After the Romans left it was the seat of the Northumbrian Saxons until coming under Scottish control in the time of David I. Like a lot of this area, it has seen change between English and Scottish rule throughout the centuries.

We continue to follow the river past Musselburgh Golf Course along the River Esk Walkway and turn left over the bridge onto Olive Bank Road in the town. We turn onto Newhailes Road which leads us to Newhailes House on the edge of Musselburgh. Newhailes House was constructed in c1686 by James Smith, an architect, who purchased the Whitehill Estate. He needed a large home for his ever-growing family; he had 32 children in total, 18 with his first wife and 14 with his second! Financial difficulty saw him sell in 1701, the house then coming to the Dalrymple family in 1709. At this point, it became Newhailes House, named after the family’s other property Hailes Castle. The family remained in ownership until 1997 when the widow of the last Dalrymple, having died without issue, gave the house to The National Trust for Scotland. You can take a guided tour of the house and wander the Pleasure Grounds, a trend among the aristocracy in the late 18th century. The House was used for filming ‘Outlander’ Season 4 scenes.

We walk through the grounds to access a gate which leads down onto the shorefront where we pick up the John Muir Way, which runs from Helensburgh in the west to his hometown of Dunbar in East Lothian. Previously the John Muir Way started in Fisherrow, Musselburgh, and ended in Dunglass until the new ‘Way’ was launched in 2014; we will be using sections of this route several times throughout this Challenge. If we turn left, we will be within Edinburgh city limits, so we turn right to explore East Lothian. Our view is of the Firth of Forth, and Fife over the water, as we head along the Musselburgh Promenade and Fisherrow Sands, past Fisherrow Harbour then Fisherrow Links Park. Fisherrow is the former fishing village of Musselburgh sited between Joppa and the River Esk. The harbour was based at the river mouth in the Middle Ages but as it was prone to silting, the harbour was moved to its current location in the 1740s.

Fishing had always been a part of life here and Fisherrow was a tight-knit fishing village community, as were they all. The Fisherrow fishwives were well known among the communities and wore distinctive striped skirts and aprons. Fishwives, married and unmarried, cleaned and rebaited the lines, gutted and cleaned the crews catch, then carried the creels 6 miles into Edinburgh to sell the catch at market! They did this along with raising their families but still found time to enjoy themselves. The fishwives would compete with other fishwife communities in golf and football, they formed a choir and arranged fundraising activities for the less fortunate in their community.

We cross Goose Green Footbridge to follow the coastline, passing near the racecourse and the Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course, one of the oldest in the world. The 9-hole course sits in the centre of the racecourse which dates to 1816; previously races were held on the Leith Sands though it started in Musselburgh in 1777. There is documentary evidence that golf was played on the Links in 1672 and Mary Queen of Scots was said to play nearby in 1567. We walk around Levenhall Links, an area reclaimed from the sea; pulverized fuel ash from Cockenzie Power Station was pumped into a series of lagoons here. The land has been partially regenerated with landscaping and wading pools for birdlife, making it popular with birdwatchers.

We continue along the coastal path passing nearby Prestongrange Museum, an open-air museum displaying some of the industrial heritage of this area. We rejoin the High Street and we are now in Prestonpans. As its name suggests, it was a particularly important area for salt panning from the 15th century, but other industries also featured greatly: mining, brewing, pottery, brick making, soap making and fishing to name a few. Newbattle Abbey was granted land here for the monks to ‘salt pan’ as far back as the 12th century. The fishing took place out of Morrisons Haven on the shore near Prestongrange Museum though little evidence remains. We continue along the High Street, turning at the Prestonpans War Memorial to head inland on Ayres Wynd then West Loan. We pass St Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church on our right before turning left into Glebe Gardens to see Preston Tower. The tower is part of an old tower house and the section remaining has certainly been here since the 1400s. It was damaged at the time of Cromwell and restored, to only be destroyed accidentally by fire in 1663, so the owners then moved into nearby Preston House. Nothing remains of that house today as it was demolished in the 1930s.

We follow our route around East Loan to see the Preston Cross before turning onto Preston Road to continue to Bankton House, just off John Cope’s Road. Colonel John Gardiner lived here from 1733 and took part in a very significant part of Prestonpans history. He lost his life leading British troops against the Jacobites at the Battle of Prestonpans, which took place within the sight of this house on 21st September 1745; a battle which the Jacobites won in 15 minutes. Though the house has been destroyed by fire twice since that time, Lothian Building Preservation Trust rebuilt and restored the property into apartments between 1988-1995. Although you can't visit the property, the west pavilion contains a small exhibit on the history and restoration of the house, and there is a monument to Colonel Gardiner viewable in the grounds.

We return to a roadside path which leads us past East Lothian Athletics Arena to the Prestonpans Battlefield Viewpoint. Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flag flies from the top of the pyramidal mound which features interpretation boards. The Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust are aiming to develop the site and their app ‘Prestonpans 1745’ is available from app stores with full of information on the Battle. The Trust also collaborated with others to have the Prestonpans Tapestry made, whose unveiling took place in 2010. The tapestry is formed of 104 embroidered cloth panels depicting events before, during and after the battle. It travels the country on exhibition and hopefully, one day will have a final resting place in a centre on this site.

We leave the battlefield behind and follow a path leading back to the shore, where we re-join the John Muir Way to head through Cockenzie and Port Seton, a now unified town. Cockenzie was created in 1591 and Port Seton Harbour followed in 1655-1665, both small fishing villages; a small amount of fishing still happens from the Port Seton Harbour today. As we walk along the coastline, we will pass the eyesore that was once the Cockenzie Power Station, a coal-fired station which operated from 1967-2013 and whose chimneys dominated the skyline. It was the supplier of the ash for the filling of Levenhall Links. The power station was demolished by the end of 2015. Historically, this site is believed to have been the hiding place of General John Cope after defeat at the Battle of Prestonpans. The East Lothian Council now owns the land, and it is being marketed for economic development. We progress past Cockenzie Harbour then Port Seton Harbour, still on the Firth of Forth.

Leaving the town behind we take a short detour to visit Seton Collegiate Church just a kilometre inland, near Seton House (which we may glimpse through the trees if we are lucky). In a woodland setting, it is one of the finest medieval collegiate churches of Scotland, its origin is that of a parish church dating back to the 13th century. Lord Seton brought a group of priests together in the 1470s to pray for his family’s salvation, a common occurrence at that time, changing its use to a collegiate church. The remains of the priest’s domestic buildings can also be seen. The church survived several difficult periods of Scottish history to enter state care in 1946; today it is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Retracing our steps to the coast, we continue past Seton Sands, a long sandy and rocky beach; a popular seaside destination so we pass a holiday village on the coast here. Passing Longniddry Golf Course, behind which is the village of Longniddry itself, we reach Longniddry Bents. The shallow bay is popular with walkers, bathers, horse riders and water sports enthusiasts. It is also common to see kite buggies here and, as a haven for birdlife, birdwatching is a popular activity too. The area is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar Site. We have great views over the bay to Edinburgh and of the Forth Road and Rail Bridges; you may even spot a grey seal!

As we move onto Gosford Bay, we take a lane off the main road and follow the path, crossing Redhouse Burn to reach Gosford House. A neo-classical mansion set in 5,000 acres of coast and parkland, it was designed by Scots architect, Robert Adam, for the 7th Earl of Wemyss who had owned it since 1784 and was completed in 1800. Its marble hall is its most outstanding feature, dating from 1891. The mansion replaced a tower house, which was frequented by James V in the 1530s; it was demolished in 1938 having sat near the current stable block. Due to social and political change, as well as a rise in income tax and death duties, many of these grand buildings were demolished as they were unaffordable to run. Gosford functioned as a hotel for a short time then, during World War 2, the parkland around the house was used as an army camp, the house becoming the Officer’s Mess. The north wing was badly damaged by a fire which broke out during an army function; the 13th Earl is still gradually repairing that section through fundraising.

The house can be hired as a venue for weddings and parties and is used as a filming location. You will see scenes shot here in ‘House of Mirth’ (2000), ‘The Awakening’ (2011) and most recently in ‘Outlander’, Seasons 2 and 3. An interesting note is that the family own a Horace Walpole piece, a white marble Roman eagle from the 1st century, which was acquired by Walpole in Italy and shipped home by 1747. They would have purchased the eagle during the dispersion of his collection in 1842. It used to stand in the south wing overlooking the marble staircases but is no longer at the house; having travelled south to be in an exhibit, I'm told it now resides in their residence in Gloucestershire. The house is open to the public approximately 5 long weekends a year, usually between April and September. Leaving the house behind we wander through the grounds, passing the Mausoleum and Pleasure Gardens featuring 3 ponds including a boating and curling pond and a smaller lily pond. Leaving the gardens behind we cross the road to take a path alongside the Craigielaw Golf Club into Aberlady. The Club belongs to the Gosford Estate, historically linked as James V came here to play golf. The estate owns 3 courses: Craigielaw, Longniddry and Monktonhall.

We continue through Aberlady, a coastal village linked with the monasteries of Iona and Lindisfarne since the 7th century and referred to as the Port of Haddington from 1633. People, however, have inhabited this area since as early as the Bronze Age; evidence of the Beaker People has been discovered in the area. As we walk through Aberlady’s pleasant main street we pass its Parish church whose tower dates from the 14th century; the remainder of the building was remodelled in the 1880s. Leaving the village behind we walk along the coastline through Aberlady Bay Nature Reserve, the first local nature reserve to be established in the UK (1952). The path leads us through a variety of habitats, including a freshwater loch, woodland, heathland and then dunes as we approach Gullane Point. We follow the coast on Gullane Bay, sporting one of the best beaches in East Lothian, then head inland over the Gullane Bents into the village itself. Gullane is another pretty village which is also famous for its golf courses, of which it has 3; they have hosted the Scottish Open a few times. Gullane also has ancient origins dating back to the founding of a church here in the 800s AD. We see the remains of St Andrew’s Kirk from the 1100s on the main street.

We leave Gullane behind and walk the busy country road for a short time before leaving for a path through the Archerfield Estate. Historically, the first occupants here were the bowmen of King Edward I, hence its name. Archerfield House, dating from the late 17th century, was eventually abandoned and became derelict; it was rebuilt in 2001 after new owners bought the estate and turned it into a luxury resort. The House is an exclusive hotel and there are 2 prestigious golf courses: The Dirleton and The Fidra. The public can walk the grounds, enjoy the fairy trail, cafe and 18th-century walled garden though; we walk through the estate to reach the next village of Dirleton.

The village grew up around Dirleton Castle, one of Scotland's oldest strongholds, built in the 13th century on a rocky outcrop looking out over farmland towards the coast. The ruins seen today are from its redevelopment in the 1400s. Its end came in the form of Oliver Cromwell during the Third English Civil War in 1650. He ordered the capture of the castle and, in doing so, it was badly damaged and subsequently abandoned. The castle and Archerfield estate were purchased in 1663 by the Nisbet family who built Archerfield House. They developed the gardens around the castle and added a bowling green to enhance the parkland around the house. The gardens have been altered several times in the centuries since, which included the erection of the 19th-century boundary wall to enclose the gardens. The castle and gardens were handed over to the State in the 1920s and today are in the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

After our visit, we cut across Dirleton Green and follow our route back onto Yellowcraigs Beach. From the shore you can see the island of Fidra whose name is believed to be Old Norse in origin. Although it is uninhabited these days, in the 1100s there was St Nicholas’ Chapel for the sick and Castle Tarbet on the island. The de Vaux family gifted the island to the monks of Dryburgh Abbey, the next in line then building Dirleton Castle and Castle Tarbet was abandoned. The lighthouse we can see was constructed on the east of the island in 1885 and still functions today, although now automated. Fidra is said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’, but Unst, Shetland, also shares this claim to fame! The island is now owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and is known for its large colony of puffins.

We wander along Yellowcraigs Beach for a short time before continuing along the John Muir Way into the centre of North Berwick. After walking along the North Berwick Bay seafront, we reach the harbour area situated on a rocky promontory, where we explore for a time. We pass the RSPB Scottish Seabird Centre and St Andrews Old Kirk to head back into the centre of the town. Very little of the Kirk is left today as a huge storm swept most of the structure into the sea in 1656. The North Berwick Witch Trials accused women of practising witchcraft in the Kirk’s graveyard in 1590. Over 100 were arrested around the region and tortured in the Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh, throughout a 2-year period. The famous names among them include Agnes Sampson, Barbara Napier, Euphame MacCalzean and Geillis Duncan. Only the fate of Barbara is unknown, who claimed to be pregnant which possibly saw her sentence deferred; the others were all executed following their ‘confessions’.

The name Berwick comes from the Old English for barley, ‘bere’, and farmstead, ‘wic’. Evidence shows that people have inhabited the area for over 2,000 years here. The town sits in the shadow of Berwick Law (187m), a volcanic conical hill, popular with walkers. At its peak sits a whalebone jaw; a replica since 2008 after the real one fell apart in 2005. This may have marked the fact that the harbour was involved in the whaling industry, but it is more likely that the jaw was from a whale carcass that washed up on the beach; whales do still wash up on the beach from time to time here. By the 1800s the town was a popular seaside resort and remains so to this day. In fact, it is the most expensive seaside town in Scotland in terms of property prices. Before leaving North Berwick a hike up the Law awaits! We follow the footpath up the volcanic plug to the peak where there are remains of an Iron Age fort and lookouts from the Napoleonic and World Wars. On a good day there are stunning views of the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock; more about that one later.

After descending the Law, we follow Tantallon Road out of North Berwick to the imposing Tantallon Castle which sits all alone on the cliff edge with fantastic views of Bass Rock. We are on the edge of the Firth of Forth here where it meets the North Sea. Tantallon Castle, a stronghold built by William Douglas (of Red Douglases fame) in the mid-1300s, was the last medieval curtain wall castle to be built in Scotland. Built to defend against trebuchets, battering rams, bows and arrows, later owners did increase defences after damage during conflicts. These were no match for Oliver Cromwell and his heavy cannon, however, that passed through in 1651 bringing about its demise! It is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland today and being home to the Red Douglas dynasty has a big history that you can read more about online.

From within the castle courtyard, given the cliffside curtain wall has collapsed into the sea, you have the best view of Bass Rock (107m); yet another volcanic plug standing 2 kilometres from shore. It is uninhabited today but, in its past, was home to a Christian hermit in 600AD, then a castle which was used as a prison from the mid-1400s. Jacobite soldiers were held here in 1691; soon after their incarceration they took control, holding the castle for 3 years until they were offered attractive surrender terms. It was a harsh place for a prison and was abandoned after 1701. The remains of the chapel and castle are still to be found on the Bass today. Robert Louis Stevenson’s cousin built the lighthouse (1902) which is still operating, and the island features in his novel ‘Catriona’. The rock looks white but is covered in white-feathered gannets and guano (bird poo) giving it this appearance! There are colonies of not only gannets, but puffins found here and, as a result, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). You can take trips from the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick to sail around the island or go ashore, although you need a strong stomach for that one as the guano has a very strong odour!

We move on down the coast to visit Seacliff Beach, a popular filming location used by ‘Outlaw King’ (2018), ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ (2018) and, a little further down the coast, ‘Outlander’ TV series (S5). We arrive on the beach and begin our walk westwards. The beach has the smallest harbour in Europe, hidden within a large rock feature known as ‘the Gegan’, and it may take you time to spot. It was constructed in 1890 by the then laird, Andrew Laidley, who used a steam engine and compressed air to cut the harbour out of the rock. Certainly, a labour of love! From this area of the beach, we also get another great view of Tantallon Castle perched on the cliffs across Oxroad Bay. We turn inland once more continuing on our countryside route to rejoin the John Muir Way following it to the outskirts of the village of East Linton (which we will pass through later).

We now head west toward Athelstaneford, home of the Saltire flag, stopping off at East Fortune en route to visit Scotland’s National Museum of Flight. Once home to RAF East Fortune during both World Wars, it now houses a world-class collection of aircraft including one of the remaining Concorde. The visit wouldn't be complete without a stop for a selfie pose in front of its unique nose cone!

We soon arrive at Athelstaneford where according to legend the original Scottish saltire - the white diagonal cross on a sky-blue background - was first adopted. On the eve of a battle between rival armies of Picts and Northumbrians in 832AD, Saint Andrew who was crucified on a diagonal cross, came to the Pictish King Óengus II in a vision promising victory. The next morning the Picts saw a white cross formed by clouds in the sky. They won the battle and attributed their victory to the blessing of Saint Andrew, adopting his form of the cross as their flag, and naming him as their patron saint.

Athelstaneford is home to the National Flag Heritage Centre which is within a lectern doocot behind the Parish Kirk. This doocot is one of the earliest Scottish examples of this type of doocot built in the 16th century by George Hepburn. It is a rectangular structure with a lean-to south facing roof and entry holes for pigeons down the slope. It was restored in 1996 and converted into an interpretative centre where we can find out about the origins of the Saltire.

Athelstaneford Parish Kirk itself has a connection with the author Nigel Tranter who was a prominent supporter of the Scottish Flag Trust. He married in the church, and in April 2008 a permanent exhibition of his memorabilia, including his old typewriter, was mounted in the north transept of the church.

From opposite the Saltire Heritage Centre, we take the path which heads south before turning west and passing Barnes Castle (also called the Vaults). This castle is thought to have been started by Sir John Seton Barnes in the mid to late 16th century but was never completed as construction stopped when he died in 1594.

Continuing from Barnes Castle we keep heading west until we arrive at a minor road from where we can see the 29-metre-tall Hopetoun Monument on top of Byre’s Hill. The monument was erected in 1824 in memory of John Hope the 4th Earl of Hopetoun.