Scotnatrail 8-9 Pentland Hills- Slateford + EDINBURGH . I don’t like cities even if theyr brilliant?

Day 8 - Pentlands Hills to Slateford- on Pentland hills paths and Water of Leith Walkway

There was torrential rain last night, shattering on my tent, it felt as if it would never stop. Around 6 I here a runner puffing past my tent - an early waking for trail runner to have already made it up here! In the morning Edinburgh is hidden in low cloud and drizzle accompanies my breakfast (though doesn’t last long), wrapped up against midges. My coffee is from the hotel- two sachets of Nescafé two packets of sugar and a little milk pot. I thought I w as faster this morning but I wasn’t! 8:45 when I leave so nearly 2 hrs again.

Then down the Pentlands hills, singing. The hummocky ground glitters with the droplets strung out on the long grass. Some sorry looking sheep walk down the path - they’ve had a miserable wet night. I warm up in my waterproof s as the sun comes out, and meet two mountain bikers who guess I’m doing the Scottish National Trail- cool that people know about it.

The walk leaves the track and cuts across a long straight path following a line of telegraph poles. that could be boggy, though wooden planks help with the worse bits. The drizzle isn’t enough to put back my waterproof top, though my bottoms are a blessing when I have to fight through long wet grass over the path. Another trail runner. Then the path transitions into a very very long straight road.

I chat with a lovely old gentleman outside his house - ‘don’t ye worry about the foxes getting in in the night?’ - hadn’t thought of that one, though I do put all my food in a dry bag in case a rodent wants to bite through my tent. Road walk for kms, into Balerno.

I’d thought to stop for tea but no where’s open, so get water from a restaurant and head to the start of the Water of Leith Walkway. It’s a popular route, walkers and cyclists, tarmacced and broad. It passes stone walls that apparently were once climbing practise for local climbers, including Dougal Haston who apparently was the first Brit to climb Everest. The rain comes down pouring - lots of soaked people, and a road bridge over the path gives shelter.

I stop at Kinleith pub for a rest, cup of tea and toilet. I was pleased that it was my first tea below £2 - was a bit shocked by how much tea costs - was charged £2.90 in Carlops , but then again your really paying for the facilities and the service not for the tea. Leave at 1 and head on for the last 5km on the trail.

A path closure at Colington dell really confused me but I loop around and get onto the main walkway through Colinton tunnel, full of brilliant colourful murals (I think it used not to be as nice so maybe that’s why the guide took an alternative, now shut route). It is all designed to Robert Lewis stephensons poem - from a railway carriage, that I vividly remember reciting in Speech lessons in mundel court: ‘ Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches ……’

I decide to stick to the ‘Slateford via canal’ popular route rather than the ‘Slateford via dell’ route of the scotnatrail guide, and finally, a lot of plodding and exceptionally sore feet latter, cross an aqueduct and take steps down to the Water of Leith visitor centre. I treat myself to a hot chocolate for finishing my first stage of the Scottish National Trail. The centre has lots of really interesting information boards on the Water of Leith. It was described as ‘perhaps the most useful of any river in Scotland’ in the 1800s, powering hundreds of mills despite its narrow size - powering the Industrial Revolution. Deceptive - it would be hard to perceive the extent of its importance from the pleasant trail.

Then I take a bus to Edinburgh and make my way to my hostel. (Failing again to get a vaccine - seems like it’s eight weeks in Scotland). It’s a nice neat hostel, but really isn’t meant for my type - no drying room or places to hang things, and the funny bed setup. But I manage to dry everything enough I can hang it in my bed’s shelf, then head for dinner on the Royal Mule - which has a wonderful atmosphere, I’m just to tired to really appreciate it. I wanted to join the Arran zoom meet up but the WiFi here wouldn’t support it. Spectacularly the beautiful sound of a female opera singer is drifting into the room, I can’t see where she sings but somewhere very nearby, and keeps going through the night.

Day 9

I lie in my ‘pod’ - which are rather nice - feels private and cosy, till late. In the morning I rewash my socks as they have not dried overnight and smell bad. I feel awkward and out of place. The other people in my room are I think here for nights out and dressed so well.

While I’m procrastinating, a girl in my room asks if I want to go for a walking tour - what have I got to lose? So go out and join one of those ‘free walking tours’ on the royal mile. It starts to pour increadible intensely. The guide is good she talks about geology :) Fringe street things going on. I get fed up of the rain and leave. I go round Gladstone’s house quickly as you can get in with National trust (interesting g, three rooms decorated for different time periods of the building( then realise I really need food. Wrapped completely in dark waterproofs and face hidden behind my mask. Find a pub, feel faint and strsssed this rain is horrible, and so worried about my maps that haven’t arrived.

I stop again in a beautiful church with panels on the life of st Columba. The gentleman looking after the church is lovely - he’s walked at cuthberts way. It’s a real sanctuary there.

I check in at the library and they say they can print, go to Waverley station to pick up my knife - thank goodness they have it, they were planning to send it back to Amazon due to problems scanning in! I phoned in advance and only one shop /- tiso had gas so go their and treat myself to three freeze dried meals too (£5.50 each though!) also manage to get a 3 for 2 on boots stuff due to an error, so feeling more confident as I tick off my tasks. Edinburgh really is an impressively grand city - if it was planned in a fantasy no one would have the audacity to imagine something quite so imposing. The castle, on its jagged cliffs, and spiking towers and steep stairs and dark stone. I explore the graveyard of st cuthberts church

Walking. To library enter early. Computer session ends with finally breaking through tears as the computers fail to function. I’m so desperate with the map situation. I go to one ‘internet cafe’ the Internet cafe but doesn’t exist though they print, but they can’t do the format and it would be unbelievably expensive. I go to another print shop. He sys ‘yes we could do that. But we closed at 5’. Tears phoning mum. I’m just overwhelmed by the intensity of the city and of the things I need to do. Later the hotel says they can print I figure it out, dad will do some and post me stuff just so much emotion to process, Very hungry. It’s 6:30 still so much to do. Buying groceries. Shower. Dinner!

Sainsbury’s. Ready meal . It’s pretty pathetic how quickly the urban area drains me, I just can’t with all this. - all of Edinburgh and I get a ready meal!

Lots of washing. Sorting maps. Bed after 10

I felt so exhausted today, and so out of place. Nan Shepard talks of feeling tired in low places, and only really gaining exhilaration with height, and openness. This may be a bit coarser; the peace and freedom of country against the tumult of towns and cities but I feel so sapped by it.

My favourite moment today was the unexpectedly wonderful five minutes when I took rain shelter in the beautiful sanctuary of St Columbas church. Calm within the storm.