East to West Photos: Day 29

Sun 17 April (0750-0830;1015-1205; 1305-1510) (Below Lothian Edge to North Berwick)
Distance: 13.75 miles (Tot: 511.25)
Weather: a few high wispy hints of cloud in a glorious blue sky

 

Having been forced off Lothian Edge the evening before (due to a lack of water) we found ourselves a bit stuck for somewhere to pitch as we had entered farmland being used mainly for grazing livestock. Consideration had been given to carrying on to the nearest campsite (which would have been a 25-mile day), but, having found a trickle of a stream, we decided to investigate one likely looking area on the map. Where we ended up (pictured below) was notable for the facts that it was in a natural wind-tunnel (on quite a breezy day) and that it was only about 200 yards from the nearest house. We could have been seen by any vehicle driving up to that house, but by this point of the walk I had come to the conclusion that often passers-by simply don’t notice a tent pitched within their clear view quite simply because they’re not looking for a tent there. How else did the farmer on Day 10 miss us?

It was another gorgeous day and in case we had forgotten which country we were in the planes were giving us hints:

Our route took us onto the John Muir Way (JMW), which isn’t a route that’s marked on my (outdated) maps, but TVPS had lent us a cycling map that contained a wealth of useful information and saved us some road walking. I think that we were already on the JMW when we passed Preston Mill:

On the approach to North Berwick a really big chunk of white rock (Bass Rock), just off the coast, becomes a focal point. You can easily overlook it in this photo, but in reality it was a striking feature.

The other focal point of the walk into North Berwick is North Berwick Law. A bit like the Wrekin in Shropshire: you can’t miss it as it’s a pimple in a land of flatness. I only have two regrets from this walk: firstly that I ridiculously decided to switch away from my tried and trusted footbeds the day before we set out on the walk (I’m sure that my blister trouble wouldn’t have occurred if I hadn’t made this decision); and secondly, that I didn’t go up North Berwick Law. I wanted to go up it, Mick didn’t. I said that I would give Mick my half of the tent and the stove and would meet him at the campsite. Mick harrumphed and reluctantly said that he would come with me. I didn’t want to drag him up there against his will and so decided to miss the side-trip myself. It was a really bad decision. I now acknowledge that I’m going to have to return to North Berwick at some point to remedy this omission.

Back to the subject of Bass Rock, here’s a better snap of it:

The views from the campsite (which is where the photo above was taken too) were excellent. As well as Bass Rock, we could clearly see the other side of the Firth of Forth.

And as darkness fell we were treated to a good sunset – and the promise of yet another cold night.

The original blog post for the day can be found here.