Dunfermline Friday 05 June 2015
Start: Carlops
Finish: Dunfermline
Miles walked today: 27
Total miles: 762
There's a piece of grit in my left boot. It's annoying, but not enough to stop and sort out. Airbusses periodically cross the sky in front of me, having been catapulted off the runway of nearby Edinburgh airport. Traffic thunders past on a road leading towards the Forth road bridge, also my destination. The grey sky threatens rain, which doesn't actually fall. The day started very differently...
At breakfast at the Alan Ramsay Hotel - named after the Scottish poet who was once as famous as Burns - Rosie and Kenny look after me very well. They send me on my way with lots of treats to eat as I walk. The Pentland Hills lie between Carlops and Edinburgh and the climb up and over is pleasant due to the warm weather and lack of wind.
The next few miles to the bridge are a strange mix of villages, industrial areas, motorways, building sites, and road works. I'm quite excited about the walk over the road bridge. The Genesis song Firth of Fifth comes to mind:
as the title is nearly appropriate. A new feature now - a video of my own! The sound is bad - apologies, but it matches the shaky picture :-)
If you're interested, the saga of the cables is quite interesting.
I also posted a video of Cauldron Snout in the entry for Dufton on the 28th of May. It's taken me this long to get a fast enough connection to upload video. Looking at these two videos I can't help thinking of Paul Whitehouse:
As I crossed the bridge, a fellow pedestrian asked me:
"Wheer are ye headed?"
"John o'Groats" I say
"Ye'll nae get there faer tea time!!"
Perhaps not, but I do get to the City Hotel in Dunfermline in time for my dinner.
Dunfermline is a fine town. It has an abbey, a massive park, interesting architecture, and a karaoki night at the City Hotel. Fortunately for me, I can't hear a thing in my room. Fortunately for Dunfermline, I'm not going to sing...
