December 17, 2022 9:00 pm
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We left Montrose after no more than the visit to the pub. We may regret that, of course, having been led there pretty much by accident, but we were not aware of any particular reason for being there … other than the pub… time was getting on and the church looked closed for the day. And anyway, we were both disappointed at not making it as far as Boddam after all… and dinner was a long drive away. Nor had we any idea where we might be going to stay that night. We would see where we ended up.
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The snow ceased and the hawks returned almost as soon as we left Montrose, so we were pretty sure we had made the right choice. Taking the coast road for a while through Arbroath to Dundee the sky softened to pastel and dinner or not, we had to stop. Just so I could take the odd picture of the changing light…
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We crossed the Tay for the second time that afternoon then slipped, just for once, onto a slightly faster road and headed south towards Edinburgh. Both Stuart and I have friends in Leith, a district of the city that sits on the southern bank of the Forth of Firth so we decided to head that way in search of somewhere to eat… and left a message to see if one of our friends was free to join us.
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Of course, we had to find the Quays first… the bit my companion remembered where he knew we would also find dinner. This proved a little problematic, but after all, you can only go so far when one part of the town meets the water. Finding the place we needed, we set off to walk beside the Water of Leith where the old port buildings and pubs have been given a facelift.
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My companion sought a source of stout while I took a few opportunistic photos. We finally settled on the Kings Wark, on the waterfront… and old building with walls thick enough to withstand pretty much anything. Guinness and orange juice being duly provided… there are downsides to being the driver… we finally settled down to await a perfect meal of fish and chips…
“Happy Birthday,” I said… for yes, it was his birthday.
He raised his glass.
I raised my camera. It was a fair exchange.
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Sadly our friend was not able to join us, so we went back to where we’d parked the car.. then I decided I needed to get a photo of the lights on the water. We walked to the end of the street and had the gift of a long-legged young fox unconcernedly walking right by us. I snapped… and got a mere ghost of two of the creature against the lights of the cars… but it was enough for us.
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Musselburgh… there used to be a hotel… though given my luck so far they’d probably demolished it. It certainly wasn’t where it used to be. We’d go on to Prestonpans… Nothing. We stopped at the Wemyss Hotel in Longniddry… they had no rooms but kindly recommended a B&B. We tried another on the way… but both were full. In January?
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“You could try Aberlady…” said the woman at the last of the two. It was late… we discussed parking by the beach and using the duvet I’d packed…But we’d try Aberlady first. It was on our way… and not far until we saw a hotel. But of course, I had shot past it in the dark and had to find somewhere to turn round. Pulling into a side street we passed another, simpler place… we decided to try there first.
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The Old Aberlady Inn is a proper old Inn, sympathetically modernised and with roaring fires. We were greeted with warmth and smiles and escorted to comfort. There was everything we could need, even chocolates and little flasks of sherry with proper glasses in the rooms…Which was perfect and proved itself to be the water of Lethe. Before bed, however, I wandered down to the car to get something and caught sight of an information board about the village… Wandering over to have a look, I thought we might just have to explore a little before we left. Apparently, there was an old market cross near the church…And thus ended the sixth day… and I can’t believe it has taken me 15 posts to write about one day! How did we manage to fit it all in?!
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Posted by Sue Vincent
Categories: Albion, ancient sites, Art, Books, symbolism, TOLL, travel
Tags: Aberlady, Angus, Inn, Leith, Montrose
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Quite the long day… Of course, the winter sun went down too soon so you didn’t get Sunshine on Leith (I’m talking Proclaimers, not some movie),but the changing light was pretty. I’m not sure if I see even a ghost of a fox in the photo.
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By trentpmcd on January 2, 2021 at 2:20 am
It was more of a Moonlight Serenade 😉
No, the fox photo was so poor I didn;t include it.
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By Sue Vincent on January 2, 2021 at 8:35 am
What an incredible day! I am amazed you remember it all. I love the place you found for the night.
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By Darlene on January 2, 2021 at 10:08 pm
Thankfully, the photos help keep memory on track 🙂
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By Sue Vincent on January 3, 2021 at 7:51 am
If that’s one day in 15 post – just think how much you will fit in in three to six months!
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By Mary Smith on January 3, 2021 at 5:55 pm
AS long as they let us out to play 😉
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By Sue Vincent on January 3, 2021 at 8:13 pm
You have the most wonderful adventures, Sue. A pleasure to tag along!
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By Eliza Waters on January 4, 2021 at 2:36 am
I am missing adventuring at the moment.
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By Sue Vincent on January 4, 2021 at 6:17 am
I think we all are, given the times. But you have even more restrictions, I imagine. Sending you healing thoughts and hugs for a brighter tomorrow. ❤
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By Eliza Waters on January 4, 2021 at 6:11 pm
I honestly feel as though the last of my life is being ‘stolen’ by this damnable virus.
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By Sue Vincent on January 4, 2021 at 7:34 pm
I have thought the same, Sue. This is the time you should have your family and friends close by and around you. It is a cruel thing. I’m so sorry. 😦 ❤
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By Eliza Waters on January 5, 2021 at 12:23 am
There are so many people struggling with this now. Most of my family are within a few minutes of my home, which makes it even harder somehow…
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By Sue Vincent on January 5, 2021 at 7:40 am
Can you mask up, bundle in a blanket and sit outside to visit at 6 ft away? It’s the only way I’ve stayed somewhat sane through this. ❤
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By Eliza Waters on January 5, 2021 at 3:05 pm
We’ve been doing that, across Nick’s pond or through windows… it is good for keeping you going, but it really isn’t good enough when you are unlikely to survive the latest lockdown measures.
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By Sue Vincent on January 5, 2021 at 5:10 pm
Where is the magic wand when you need one? I’m sorry that you have been dealt this hand, Sue. It is truly heartbreaking. 😦 ❤ ❤ ❤
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By Eliza Waters on January 5, 2021 at 9:26 pm
I have lived, Eliza.It is the younger ones that hurt the most. My only regret is that it happened in a covid year ❤
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By Sue Vincent on January 5, 2021 at 10:07 pm
[…] Continue reading at France & Vincent […]
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By Discovering Albion: The Water of Leith… | Stuart France on January 4, 2021 at 9:03 am