It was a long but easy path today, 16.2 miles along the John Muir Way. Such a well-marked and well-maintained trail. I’m writing this post very late at night because it has been such a full day of chatter, laughing, noticings, and more catching up with my friends I do not get to see enough. We have busy lives on opposite sides of the world, but the bonds made 26 years ago when our children were very young have never wavered. These days just to walk together, for miles and hours out in this beautiful Scottish coastal area, sharing meals, sharing rooms, sharing precious time is an enormous gift. I am spent, looking forward to sleep, and to enjoying another day tomorrow with these two people.
Here is a recap from today as best as I can do at this hour. We set off early from the hotel, skipping their breakfast and stopping at the CoOP to get a few lighter and quicker bites. We were nervous about how long it would take us to walk all the miles, and avoiding as much of the forecasted afternoon rain as possible. We sat to eat our makeshift breakfast at the beginning of the John Muir Country Park. This is very large park, and we followed the coast still in it for a very long way. We walked beside a golf course, sticking close to the red stick guideposts to avoid getting hit. It was very, very windy, and we were grateful for our walking poles to keep us steady. We came to the marshes of Belhaven Bay, and then the wetlands at the mouth of the (Scottish) River Tyne. We passed an animal park with exotic deer, farm animals, donkeys, llamas (alpacas?!)- including an adorable baby one. The path couldn’t seem to decide between field edges or coastal hopping; it didn’t matter to us, it was all lovely.
Interesting, but somewhat sad things, were the well-meaning interpretive board at the Tyne Estuary that has faded almost completely (things don’t last forever), and more concrete blocks left over from the WWII defensive wall to stop a German land invasion that line the entire course of the bay (I guess some things seem to). We had been walking for a couple hours by this time so we were happy to find a bench with a view to rest for a wee bit (we’re in Scotland, you have to pick up the dialect).
We kept going, turning inland and walking beside the river, crossing small bridges back and forth. We were looking forward to arriving in East Linton for lunch. As we reached the village we passed the quirky 18th century Preston Mill with its unique roof structure. Colorful flowers and butterflies everywhere were constant companions as well. We sat and enjoyed lunch at a small café for a good long hour. Rain came and went while we ate, and even though we donned our raincoats as we set off again, we were spared any rain falling on us the rest of the day.
There were many woods and more fields as we walked. There was a long row of horse pastures, one of which held a little furry pony. We passed a very smelly manure and grass pile, but the duck sitting on top was a cheerful counter to the stench. When the view opened up, we could see Berwick Law (law = conical hill) in the distance. We would be passing this as we walked into the town of our destination, and it seemed a long way off. We also saw a ruined tower of some sort. Just a typical thing to see in the British countryside!
After about 7 1/2 hours we came to the outskirts of North Berwick, walking between the tall and ancient hill and some really lovely allotments hiding behind a high wall. We walked to our BnB, and I collapsed for a while with my feet up, had a cup of tea and a shower. Later we walked down the High Street to a wonderful Italian restaurant, followed by some of the best gelato I’ve ever had just around the corner. Where am I, the shores of Italy or the Firth of Forth?! Enjoying my rose flavored ice-cream, we ventured to the harbor and caught the most fabulous evening sky. The water was ridiculously calm and the town so quiet, we felt we needed to whisper to each other as we strolled around enjoying the town’s architecture and shops’ window displays. Now tucked into my comfortable room, i can’t wait for tomorrow’s discoveries and joys.
