Leisure/outdoor walks

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Leisure/outdoor walks

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There have been some really nice posts of things people have seen and done in the great outdoors - Stephen RB45, Jimboy and others, was it you Charlie who posted about the owl? - others too who I just can't remember. So I just thought I'd try to stir you all into showing us some more.

The idea is to describe a walk you take, with pictures, and share it with us. So I'll kick off with one I regularly take. A few minutes walk from home sees me heading down this lovely avenue of cherry trees past the crematorium. When in bloom they are absolutely gorgeous. Doesn't last for long and when the blossom drops it looks like it's been snowing!

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Reaching the end of this road changes the "ambiance" completely as I dumps me out on the, very busy, Ferry Road: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferry_Road Looking east, towards Leith you see this:

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The big block on the right is the one shown in the Wiki picture. Look west and you can see the flats at Golden Acre in the distance:

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The road takes a slight dog leg there but continues straight on oncew you are through the junction. In total Ferry road is around 4 miles long and almost straight all the way. If you keep going west on it you'll eventually be directed, Via Telford road, up onto Queensferry Road and if you keep following that you'll end up at South Queensferry - where the old ferry boats went across the Forth in my youth, before the road bridges were built. Now there are 2 and the old rail bridge you see in all the tourist pictures (and the 39 steps film) to look at, and quite a sight they are too. Well worth diverting into the narrow streets of South Queensferry and stopping for a close up look.

Anyway, my walk goes east, towards Leith, for a few hundred yards, briefly suffering the noise and fumes until I can turn left (north) into Craighall road:

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A wee way down it I can go into the park on the right and continue north parallel to the road:

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until I have to get back on the pavement for the next few hundred yards until I come to the junction with East Trinity Road. Craighall road continues, now downhill, to the seafront:

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And you can see the sea (Firth of Forth) in the distance. Sorry about the road works! what with the trams now being extended to Newhaven and the endless road repairs which seem to go on anyway, It's rare to find a road that's not being dug up in Edinburgh just now! I want to walk down through Starbank Park though so I don't go directly down this road but turn left and walk through the quite side streets, some pleasantly leafy, (I can go several different ways at this point) until I'm walking down Laverockbank road. Those of you living further south may be interested to know I took these picture just after midday. See how long the shadows are? That's as high as the sun gets at this time of year. Of course you'll be even more familiar with this effect Jimboy. Where this road starts to descend to the seafront is where the entrance to the park is. If you choose to go straight on you'd better have really good brakes! It's the steepest hill for many miles around - 1st gear needed in the Panda to climb up it and I wouldn't even contemplate a hill start! (in deference to the clutch). There's a very nice pub - Starbank inn - at the bottom of the hill and a wee bit along from it "The Old Chain Pier", another bar/restaurant, hangs out over the water.

But we are going right at the top of the hill into the park. It's one of my "special" places. Maintained by a voluntary group. There are several of them working here today so I passed a few minutes chatting before walking around in the top part of the park admiring all the winter weeding and preparation work being done:

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The park is very child friendly and there are features in the side borders, nursery rhyme figures etc, to attract and amuse them. Also there are two free libraries to borrow from:

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Walking behind the house you come, suddenly, upon a magnificent view of the Firth:

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Looking over the brow of the hill from the other end of the house you can see the very steep path I'm going to walk, carefully, down and the wee gate at the bottom I'll be going through:

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Through the gate, turn right and walking towards Newhaven harbour I realize I've just got to reveal Mason's Bakery to you and, Oh what the hell, I'll buy one of their excellent mince pies!

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Over the, quite busy, coast road, carefully carrying my piping hot pie in it's plane white paper bag - trying not to burn my fingers, it's much too hot to eat yet - I walk down the steps to the dockside in the harbour and take a picture of the harbour. You can see the old Fishmarket in red with the newer building all around. The fishmarket has been refurbished and now has restaurants etc in it and Welch's fishmongers - an Edinburgh institution:

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So, tell us more about the pie I hear you all saying. Well, the pastry is what is called "Cold Water Pastry" and the filling is often a closely guarded secret but mainly minced mutton. That description just doesn't even begin to describe the wonderful taste. I actually wouldn't thank you for a plate of roast lamb or any other lamb, but these pies! The only warning I would issue is that if you come to Scotland and decide to buy one ask some locals where to go first because they vary greatly in quality - I've had some pretty poor examples over the years, especially in the wee small hours, after having a good skinful, bought from an unknown back street chippie!

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Oh good, seems to have cooled enough to eat - there is a pretty Baltic wind blowing in from the Firth today. Oh yes, that sure tastes good!

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Now a walk up to the other end of the Harbour, where the slipway is, munching on the pie as I go. Hope none of Mrs J's friends are around to witness my "indiscretion" and report back. - She doesn't approve of the pies which she describes as "mobile heart attack food"! Where I take another pic of the harbour looking out towards the entrance from the firth:

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Not many fishing boats these days. The row of black stakes is where a, rather smart, floating pontoon is moored in the summer for the cruise ship tenders to dock to. In the summer the roadside parking is restricted for the tour buses which is an annoyance to some. Now where's that pie? Oh, is that all that's left? Oh well, all good things come to an end. Now where's my hanky to wipe the grease off my fingers!

Back across the road and through Newhaven village to the old "Newhaven Road" leading up the hill:

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Quite steep, wish I hadn't had that pie Ha Ha!

Then onwards towards Ferry road until I can turn into the other side of that park I walked down the edge of earlier. Across the park and up this avenue of trees:

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where there is a riot of daffodils and crocuses in the spring, to emerge onto Ferry road a bit nearer the Leith end. As I start to walk homeward there is one of the saddest sights on the other side of the road:

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This used to be a business. My pathetic excuse for a brain is failing me but I think it was called "Brakes and Belts" It was the only place I ever found where you could buy generically made DAF drive belts - even just one at a time, but you wouldn't want to do that (anyone that knows about Variomatics will tell you) - and far cheaper than DAF/Volvo sold them. He imported them directly from the continental belt manufacturer. For years these two old Mercs have laid here being steadily abused by local yobs but he wouldn't sell. There used to be an old Transit van too but it disappeared some years ago. I believe he's passed on some time ago but still nothing seems to be happening with either cars or house and I'm watching with interest every time I pass to see if anything has moved (maybe his widow, if he was married? is still there? I don't know, but the place looks very run down.

Then, a little further on, just a few hundred yards from the cherry tree avenue up past the crematorium, so not that far from home now, a glimpse of a car I've been aware of for a few years. It's often parked down the side road opposite where I came out of the park so I tend to notice it. Also it's in the same colour as my old "Toany" the Cordoba estate:

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It's an 05 plate Ibiza and it looks really "loved" - nice, not too "blingy" alloys, always clean, and it hasn't been "pimped" which is a plus in my book. It's the last of the ones before they started to look "pregnant" and "fat" and I would quite like to say hello to whoever owns it. I may just leave a note under a wiper blade one day.

On the last laps now, turn and up the road to the "CREM" nearly there now. Wonder if Mrs J has the kettle on, it's just about time as I've been out for over 2 hours now. Ooops, shouldn't have thought about anything to do with waters, better hurry!

I'm easy to recognize because, in the cold weather, I wear a red and black checkered Lumberjack type cap on these walks - No Monty Python jokes please - do feel free to say hello if you spot me.
 
Isn't that what we knew in the RAF as a 'Jock pie'? We often got them included in the in-flight catering pack-ups when we flew back from Scotland but I seem to recall them as being beef as opposed to mutton - and I'd know - I dont like mutton (say's he that likes Arabic Sharwarmas - similar to the Doner kebab).

Another fond memory of those trips which were invariably a night-stop at RAF Lossiemouth, was the opportunity to go off camp and take a taxi into the local town of Elgin to trawl the pubs and finish up with 'Haggis supper' from the local chippie. Happy days!



There was also something similar looking that pie that were known as 'Babies heads' but I think they were different- memory getting a bit fuzzy now - probably too much Ale quaffed at that time!
 
Isn't that what we knew in the RAF as a 'Jock pie'? We often got them included in the in-flight catering pack-ups when we flew back from Scotland but I seem to recall them as being beef as opposed to mutton - and I'd know - I dont like mutton (say's he that likes Arabic Sharwarmas - similar to the Doner kebab).

Another fond memory of those trips which were invariably a night-stop at RAF Lossiemouth, was the opportunity to go off camp and take a taxi into the local town of Elgin to trawl the pubs and finish up with 'Haggis supper' from the local chippie. Happy days!



There was also something similar looking that pie that were known as 'Babies heads' but I think they were different- memory getting a bit fuzzy now - probably too much Ale quaffed at that time!

Far as I know they've always been mutton filled (that's not lamb like you'd have for Sunday joint, but mutton which is from a full grown older animal) Mutton does have a quite different taste. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamb_...for lamb, hogget,colour, the older the animal. Probably a way to use up the meat people won't accept due to it's being "tough". Back in the late 60's when Mrs J and I were living around the Chiswick area, we would occasionally make a pilgrimage to Harrods in Knightsbridge which was the only place we knew of in London at the time where you could buy a genuine Scots pie. What a treat, we would look forward to it for days! I've never heard of it called a "Jock Pie" before though - quite like the sound of it, I think?

Oh yes, a Haggis Supper. That's haggis and chips, both deep fried in "proper" Lard and, in Edinburgh, doused with "Chippie Sauce" - a closely guarded secret concoction based on brown sauce pretty much exclusive to Edinburgh chippies. (Wasn't deep frying in lard the big thing with the English Harry Ramsden chain, who claim to fry in lard for extra flavour?) A nice greasy chippie meal was/is pretty much guaranteed to be incompatible with the excess quantities of "Heavy" you've been imbibing earlier in the evening!

Never heard of "Babies Heads" and neither has Mrs J (who confirms Mince pies are always traditionally made with mutton, and followed up with "what's this about mince pies?" with a suspicious look on her face). I'm intrigued though so I'll ask around some of my pals. Maybe not an "Edinburgh thing" though - Being reasonably civilized, we don't tend to eat our offspring here!
 
Interesting.

I think the term "Jock Pie" may be an armed forces term - if it was not the entire armed forces that coined this term, then it was a RAFism,
The same with "Babies heads" which to me sounds like a typical Army term that (probably) was adopted by the RAF

I think you're highly likely very right that the greasy chip-shop meal was completely incompatible with the evenings beverage consumption ...though I don't recall any untoward experiences personally, which is just as well, because I would have had to have been up at the 'crack of sparrows' to get the aircraft ready to fly out the next day.
The only time i did have a nasty experience was in Germany and I'm sure that was attributed to proper food-poisoning rather than a mismatch of drink and vittles
 
What an intriguing looking place!

Great photos - don't worry - they rectify themselves when you click on the thumbnail (y)

It's a nice walk, also long enough to exercise a toddler...but also short enough he can be carried if needs be.

Runs from the hall at one end (sadly gutted in the 80s due to dry rot infestation)
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To the old hall and attached castle keep at the other end which was left as picturesque ruin/feature when the new hall was built.
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The quarry between the two (where the stone for the caste was taken from was converted into a sunken garden and is spectacular at the right times of year.
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However I'm mainly there for the croquet lawn which is canny football/frisbee pitch. In a normal year the gardens are amazing as well obviously they kinda went to crap a bit with covid not allowing the gardeners in from March to June.
 
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Well we haven't hit tier 4 yet...Off to Alnwick Garden we go for the trail of lights before we go. Grand cascade especially was very well done. Only booked this in July, as my wife was determined to do some stuff around Christmas having lost the summer to lockdown 1..or was it 2?

 
Thanks for the spectacular pictures Steven, you make me jealous. Our botanic gardens have done it for the last 3 years, I think? By all accounts it's quite spectacular and we had been thinking of making a family outing to let the grandkids see it this year: https://christmasatthebotanics.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options

Unfortunately a number of events have conspired to foil us and it's not happening. Ah well, maybe next year.
 
The local one looks good and worth a look.

My really local one (as in 5 mins away) was a bit poor..no social distancing to speak of and not enough there to be worth the effort but this one was very good.

I wouldn't be too jealous...I had to drag round a certain tiny man and it was past his bedtime.

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He did enjoy taking part in his own music video though :ROFLMAO:
 
Well Tier 4 has cramped my style somewhat.

However doesn't stop me taking a 6.5 mile run round the Derwent valley.

Somewhat bleak up at the top which my run tracker informs me is at 881ft above sea level..the clouds in the distance are covering Consett


Then from there back down into the valley where it got sunnier and wetter..


Down not quite to the bottom of the valley (I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment) but down to 440ft where the sense of there being an immense amount of rain and melt water moving was palpable and noisy at points.


Every ditch was a river...every river a torrent...then back up to the house about halfway between the 2...my time was terrible about 12 minutes a mile cross country with photo breaks when on a good day I do 8 but was a nice break and didn't want to get home quickly when I was enjoying being out.
 
Wife was off today so out we went to the woods..

Was an interesting ride up...as I've said previously road is single track and steep. Saw quite a bit of evidence of people trying and failing to make the initial hill.

But we got there with the odd bit of traction control intervention to stop it spinning up, 5 other cars all the rest were 4x4s..normally you're lucky if there's 30 cars up here since lockdown.


Off we went lovely sunny day..


Then the weather came in again..


At which point my son ran away yelling "it's Snowing!!" which he has never said before...

Sun came back out though, and was lovely and quiet as most the dog walkers you normally see were stuck a mile away at the main entrance :ROFLMAO:
 
Helped clear all the snow off my wife’s car this morning, she left extra early as she has a 30 mile trip to work and wanted to have time to take it slow in the bad weather.

As I was already kitted up for the snow (it is my day off) I decided to take the dogs for an early morning walk.

Lovely walk with that weird sound deadening effect you get with snow making it extra peaceful, there is a nature reserve about 5 minutes walk from my house so we headed down there, one dog loved it the other dog didn’t. Came home and warmed up with a nice hot coffee.
There are worse ways the start the day.
 

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