This is an old thread I know but I thought it appropriate to revisit it for these observations as it involves a walk I've detailed on here before.
The sun was shining when I got up today so I thought I'd take a close up look at the damage the wind has done to my fence:
Well that's pretty depressing.
I might just cheer myself up and go a walk through the park and down to the sea front and take a look at why the bottom road is closed to traffic. Actually I know why but my nose was bothering me so I wanted to go take a look see.
Setting off along the Ferry Road and it's immediately obvious somethings up because the traffic's pretty much nose to tail as far as the eye can see. Turned off to walk down the side of Victoria park, rather than staying on the pavement, and looked down this avenue for signs of any crocuses - they should be appearing soon and this avenue is like a carpet of them when they come out. At first glance it looks like it's too early:
But walking further down you can see they are just starting to break through:
Great, I'm feeling happier already.
It's pretty chilly though with a bit of a wind driving it in. So no surprise that there's little going on at the playpark - we spend a lot of time there with the grandchildren:
On I go then, and ten minutes or so later I'm turning into the Starbank Park where it's very pleasing to see the volunteer gardening squad has been hard at work pruning and generally tidying things up:
Walking on across the park and down the right side of the park keeper's house I can look out over a somewhat raw looking Firth of Forth to the Fife shore line on the north side:
The building at the bottom left of the hill is the Starbank Inn, an establishment where I've spent time enjoying a nice pint in the past before my big tummy op put paid to my drinking days. walking down to the fence by the road here's a better shot of it and you can also see on the seaward side of the road, the white painted building with the balcony overhanging the sea?
That's The Old Chain Pier which, back in my earlier days had a bit of a reputation but is now a high class restaurant/bar.
Walking east, so with the sea to my left side, I'm now approaching Newhaven Harbour but just before I get there my attention is drawn to Mason's bakery where you can buy some of the very best Mince Pies (Scotch pies to you sassenachs) I bravely resist the temptation though and carry on to the harbour:
Interestingly, this year they've not removed the floating pontoon pier which is used by the tenders from the biggest cruise ships which are to big to dock in any of the Firth's harbours, even Leith.:
Walking on past the harbour I soon pass what used to be the Peacock inn, an absolutely legendary establishment which we visited regularly for it's splendid fish suppers - I don't like large "slabs" of fish but the scampi was the best I've ever tasted:
It was managed by our next door neighbour which made our visits extra pleasant but sadly now all gone and reinvented as an upmarket eatery.
A few minutes further on and the road's closed:
a few minutes further and the reason is revealed;
This big tenement building may, apparently, be in danger of imminent collapse! It's reported that it's walls have developed multiple cracks and everyone has been evacuated with the building sealed off and undergoing investigation. The whole road has had to be closed but the trams are still running, which is a bit ironic because one of the current theories is that it's been the tram works, and in particular the excavation needed to level the tram lines, which may be the cause. Right enough if the block, made from solid sandstone blocks, were to collapse it would make quite a mess.
Walking on and looking back it can be seen how deeply they had to dig for the rails to run:
Anyway, turning round and continuing towards Leith docks the Ocean Terminal shopping centre/mall with the Royal Yacht moored alongside soon comes into view:
It's a wee bit sad to think she'll never put to sea again but the visitor experience is a very interesting one and well worth doing if you're ever up here.
Getting close to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre/mall now and here's the dedicated cruise liner terminal:
Strange thing about it is there never seems to be much going on whenever I've walked past. The landing jetty/pontoon at Newhaven seems much more used? Maybe I'm just there at the wrong times?
Another 5 minutes and I'm inside the shopping mall;
It's like a ghost mall. Oh, but Greggs seems to have a customer:
I've called here to have a browse in the bookshop and take a quick look in HMV in case they've got the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in Blu Ray which I've promised for the two youngest grandchildren as they like watching this sort of thing on our TV with my, probably, over the top AV amp pumping out the sound effects - Actually I like it too! However the place is like something you'd see after the apocalypse. Almost noone to be seen:
That's walking down to Waterstones, but it's no more lively on the first floor walking back along to HMV:
In fairness to the mall staff it's not their fault. The construction of the tramway and associated work on roads and pavements made access very difficult for a long time and I think it put many people off going. Then some of the big stores shut down Debaenhams, BHS, GAP to name just 3. There's been a big notice over the front of some of the closed shops for a while:
But so far, that's all there's been. It's such a pity and I hope they get their act together soon before I get too old to take advantage of it! Mind you I actually really quite like the restful experience that it is at present.
Unfortunately no books I fancied and the very helpful man in HMV says the Blu Ray trilogy isn't out yet. So I wandered back, Via the loos, to the entrance/exit and came across an old chap who was looking slightly tottery on his feet. Stopped to ask him if he was all right and, because I thought he might be a bit lost, offered to walk up the road with him. We spent about a quarter of an hour slowly walking back up towards the main road and he turned out to be ever such an interesting chap. Now 92 years old, he'd been a foreign correspondent for a big national newspaper and traveled widely all over the world. We talked about many places we both knew, in Italy and the east coast of the U.S in particular and before we knew it we were almost outside the supported accommodation where he lives. He tells me he likes to take a daily walk so I've promised to keep an eye out for him when I'm down that way and I hope we meet again, I can't wait to hear some more of his experiences.
So, it was on up from there to the library on Ferry road where I browsed the SF shelves without any exciting success so out back onto the street and about a 15/20 minute walk back home. Traffic on the Ferry road still nose to tail due to the, parallel, bottom road being closed. I think this traffic problem will last for some time as I doubt that building's problems will be rectified speedily - feel so sorry for the residents who are all forbidden access and are having to live with friends/relatives etc. In the meantime, because there's no break in the flow, albeit slow flow, of traffic past our road end it's proving very difficult to make a right turn out of our road. Just have to put up with it I suppose!
