On Thursday eight of us journeyed to Musselburgh to the east of Edinburgh. The name Musselburgh derives from the extensive mussel beds that lie along the shore of the Firth of Forth. Not surprisingly therefore the town coat of arms consists of three mussels and three anchors reflecting the fishing tradition of the community.
Our route began at the picturesque Fisherrow Harbour, home to a fleet of brightly coloured fishing boats, before heading into town via North High Street and the River Esk. We crossed the river via a beautiful old stone bridge, studied the shiny figure of the Musselburgh Archer and paused at the statue of David Macbeth Moir, a local doctor who saved many lives during outbreaks of cholera. Walking down the main High Street, we paused at Cafe Cammafi for coffee and hot chocolate but passed on the delicious ice cream from the famous S. Luca's ice cream parlour established in 1908.
Our route took us around Musselburgh Racecourse which contains the oldest golf course still in play in the world with origins back to 1672. Walking around the edge of these famous leisure facilities, we picked up a path across Levenhall Links through gorse bushes and small plantations of trees to the edges of a number of lochans populated by many varieties of birdlife that included a flock of curlews. We stopped for an alfresco lunch at a stone seat on a little bridge that provided some shelter from the wind. The final part of our walk was along the sea front. We were virtually blown up the coast by a brisk wind but enjoyed the emerging view of Edinburgh, Arthurs Seat and the Pentland Hills in the distance.