Having worked out a route it was worth a reccie to get some timings. So Richard, Sandra and I headed out on Sunday round my proposed route. Three of us and daylight meant that we were round the route in 1hour 45 minutes. Which was fine for a 6:30 start and food on the table at 8:30.
The herding cats of the food and spreadheets was as normal but the 25-30 numbers were a bit ahead of the usual. My experience of previous endevours had me out last night working out how to cut 15 minutes off of our route.
So email for the food to the Original Rosslyn Inn sent and the Werewolf mask looked out, Witchy Moira and I headed to the meeting point.
Strange visions of weirdly dressed runners appeared from all directions and we set off only 5 minutes late.
A quick dart down main street to the Langhill dip and we entered The Bluebell Wood, passing my “Shinbanes Fields” where bones of fallen soldiers are still found, along the Kill Burn which ran red with blood, we crossed the (by now subteranean) burn and past the Dryden Ice house and on to the Memorial to the Battle of Roslin, fought in 1303. This was the battle that caused the bones in the field and the burn to run red, then we passed The Hewing. At the end of the field I stopped about 10 metres along the path until the 30 of us crossed the stile then headed off. We reached the new board walk over the worst of the mud where Mike lynch took a tumble. I noticed that we had lost 20 people. A search party was sent out and soon found the group. The lost group needed to sharpen their Followership Skills.
Passing “General Monk’s Battery” we descended towards Rosslyn Castle and passed under its spectacular bridge and crossing The Esk ran into Roslin Country Park.
After 0.25 miles of Tarmac we dived into the undergrowth and fought our way uphill to the Roswell- Penicuik railway path and after a brief stop at Rosslyn Castle Station to regroup in the dry, we headed on and descended to Roslin Gunpowder Mill.
Luckily there was some spare gunpowder left over and Richard Chandler and Fraser Gibson put on a short Fireworks display with the backdrop of the spectacular cliffs beside the mill.
The group then ran back to Roslin via Gunpowder Brae and Jacob’s Ladder to Roslin Cemetry. Some keen runners ran ahead and missed the circumnavigation of the Roslin Chapel and its spectacular red lightting, others lagged behind and visited the Castle by misake, but we all got back to the Inn for a well deserved meal.
Willie Gibson