Dalmeny Dawn Dawdle

I seem to be doing a round of country parks near home in Edinburgh at the moment. This morning, a little before sunrise, I'm leaving the house for a run around Dalmeny Park near South Queensferry. I park up at Long Craig where there's a boathouse and pier, and take a moment to admire the Forth Rail Bridge in the early light. Looking north along the pier, across the Firth or Forth toward Fife, there are quite a few boats out on the water, including a large cruise ship.

Forth rail bridge in the early morning light

Long Craig pier, and boats on the Firth of Forth

The park is entered through a white painted wooden gate leading onto the tarmac of national cycle route 76. I soon make a sharp right and leave the road behind. Its a delight running on the soft earth here through the trees although the little used path is often overgrown. I can see the rail bridge to my right through the trees.

Long Craig Gate on national cycle route 76.

Leaving the tarmac behind ...

... the delight of running on soft earth through the trees ...

... where the path less trod is often overgrown.

The rail bridge appears through trees to my right.

The track soon takes me out of the woods and into farmland, where I realize there is something wrong, I'm not supposed to be here. There is a stone cottage ahead of me and to the right I can see and hear the traffic on the main road. I've come too far to the east, I've missed a left turn in the trees, perhaps because I was looking to the right for glimpses of the bridge and the water. Time to consult the map, for a course correction, the first of several today. There should be a track ahead to the left, over the fields, which will rejoin me with the intended route at the first line of trees. Reaching the trees, there are no footpaths to be found either to the right, the direction I should continue, or to the left, the direction from which I should have arrived. The Ordnance Survey maps are good, very good, but not perfect. Fortunately the markings for an obvious diversion are correct and I'm soon back on track ascending a small hill through more trees. I can just make out the distinctive tops of the rail bridge.

Diversion over the fields, the morning sun low in the sky ...

... back on track, ascending on soft earth, through the trees.

I can just make out the tops of the rail bridge from here.

The autumn hues are coming in here and some of the trees are a glorious riot of colour. There are little tracks everywhere and I take several wrong turns to dead ends, and stop to consult the map, and back-track. I got to the point where I was I just crashing about in the overgrown rough heading in the correct general direction, north-east, back toward the coast, to Hound Point.

Riotous autumn colours

The wrong turn and a very dead end, time to back-track ...

... at last the correct turn is found ...

... but after a while I'm just crashing about in the overgrown rough.

The beach near Hound Point, at last ...

... with offshore oil tanker berth.

The path onward south-east from here is a delight, soft and narrow through bracken and trees. The next landmark for me along the coast is Fishery Cottage, nestled between the woods and the beach. I really enjoy the view here over to Cramond Island with Arthur's Seat beyond. Cramond looks so far away at the moment, but that's where I'm heading, that's where I'll turn around this morning. There's another landmark along the coast before long, Barnbougle Castle (restored), and then the grandeur of Dalmeny House.

Delightful path leaving Hound Point

Fishery Cottage ...

... with enchanting views over to Cramond Island and Arthur's Seat beyond

Barnbougle Castle

Dalmeny House

The Shore Walk footpath continues south along the edge of the golf course. There were two cyclists here, the first folk I had seen out this morning. The view of the castle behind me is gorgeous. Now the path turns sandy through dunes and then back into the trees until I reach Eagle Rock. The sign reads "The worn carving above has been supposed to be an eagle carved by the roman garrison at Cramond. Whether it is an eagle or whether it is even roman is uncertain." There's a super view over the water to Cramond Island now, which, thankfully, looks a lot closer already.

The Shore Walk continues alongside the golf course.

Nice views behind toward the castle.

The path turns sandy over low dunes ...

... then back through the trees to ...

Eagle Rock, or Hunter's Craig

Can you see the eagle? Me neither!

Love the view over to Cramond Island from the beach!

I'm running along the beach to Cramond Ferry, the sound of the gulls fill my ears and the smell of the sea fills my nostrils. There used to be a ferry here, years ago, across the River Almond, that's where the name comes from, and over the years there has been talk of re-opening the ferry. There is no ferry today, which for me is perhaps a bit of a shame, there's a nice cafe on the other side of the water, and I'm feeling peckish. Ah, looks like the cafe isn't open yet anyway. This is my turning point, from here I'll head back toward South Queensferry, and my car parked at Long Craig, on a different route through Dalmeny Park. The route soon has me on Route 76 and an interminable section of roadwork. Two cyclists whizz past me and I can't even be bothered trying to overtake the runner ahead. I arrive once more at Dalmeny House, from the south, with bronze statue of horse.

Running along the beach to Cramond Ferry

The marina at harbour is pretty, but the ferry is no more.

I'm heading back now, at first on Route 76 ...

... back toward Dalmeny House from the south.

I guess my nav-fu is weak at this time, I'm confused about which of many paths to take, and the map isn't helping me much. There are too many features and too few contours for me here, and somehow the features and the map don't match. I see a sign "Welcome to the Garden Valley Walk", sounds nice, why not, no better idea here? Some more glorious autumn colours, and lots of birds, lovely. Then more tarmac, not so lovely, but I can see some fabulous footpaths through the fields, and I think they're heading in the right general direction. Suddenly I realize I've spent the last 20 minutes heading west when I should have been heading north-east. Aha, there's the problem, the internal compass is on the blink. I'm at the main road, drat, I do not want to run along the road, and I do not want to back-track. Luckily I find a farm track below the road and then I'm running over the open fields. The map says there is a track through the woods ahead, so I'm hoping for a gate. Its found, its clambered over, and happy old me back into the trees and at last heading in a reasonable direction, should not be long to go now.

Garden Valley Walk enticement ...

... some more glorious autumn colours ...

... and lots of birds, most of which run away ...

... these three trapped in a dead end.

Loving the narrow footpaths over the fields ...

... and tolerating the farm tracks below the main road.

Looking for a gate on the other side of the open field ...

... leads me back into the lovely shady woods.

I make another wrong turn, searching for a shortcut back to Long Craig, and I have to back-track once more, but I don't mind, it's such a pleasure to run over the soft ground, already with autumn leaf carpet, under the low branches of the trees. I have a little more roadwork which brings me to a farmhouse, with intriguing topiary. The eyes light up red when I move, perhaps these are motion-sensor controlled. Smiling at the hedges, and looking at the map, there might be another shortcut to the left here. Great view of the cruise liner on the Firth of Forth before I descend around the edge of the field, and more glorious autumn colours.

Sometimes its a pleasure to back-track!

Intriguing topiary ... I'm speechless!

Great view of the cruise liner on the Firth of Forth

Some more glorious autumn colours

Running around the field is draining me but I'm almost done now

At last the field yields to a track and then I'm on the tarmac back to Long Craig, I was here heading in the opposite direction a couple of hours ago. My old legs are much more tired now than I had expected, and I'm relieved to be on the easier surface of Route 76, in a couple of minutes I'm back at the car, I've had a mixed terrain mixed feelings run this morning, but its a run which is so much better out than in, I've wondered about this place for weeks already, so no complaints. I just wish my nav-fu had been working better, but hey ho, there you go, rough with the smooth and all that jazz.

Looking at the garmin tracks back home, I went a fair way off the intended route, a little under 19km distance and perhaps surprisingly about 400m of total ascent. It seems to have taken forever, about two and a half hours, a right dawdle this morning. There was maybe a little more than the usual amount of time spent on photo stops, plus an absolute age spent on map stops. I'm so familiar with using the ordnance survey explorer to navigate in the hills, with open views, and the changes in elevation and folds of the terrain to guide. Here in the woods, with closed views, and many tracks, only some of which are marked on the map, and then there are some on the map which cannot be found, its a different kettle of fish. I see a few learning opportunities in my future.

Enjoy!