Beer Volunteer

I've been a member of CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale) for close on two decades. I love the unique flavour of unpasteurised cask beer and drink it wherever possible. Although I've attended a few festivals as a paying punter, I had never signed on as a helper. That changed after a visit to the Fife CAMRA Open Day in Wetherspoons, Dunfermline. It became clear that the committee were on the lookout for volunteers to staff the Glenrothes event and I thought to myself, why not?

If you haven't been to a beer festival before, here's how it works. You pay an entrance fee - typically around a fiver for an afternoon session and double that amount in the evenings - pick up your pint glass and then purchase beer tokens. These are redeemable at the bar and one token is worth a half pint of your chosen ale. Soft drinks and ciders are also available. You retain the same glass throughout the day. CAMRA members typically receive a discount of a couple of pounds on the admission fee, upon production of a valid card. Afternoon sessions tend to attract the beer geeks looking to savour different ales in a convivial atmosphere. The evenings can be a bit more boisterous, usually featuring live music. Food of some description is on offer at most festivals. I put my name down for the Saturday afternoon slot. Doors opened at noon but I was asked to report at 11am. The venue was the Rothes Halls, just a short walk from Glenrothes bus station, to which I could travel directly from my home village. Perfect! Additionally, there was an Andrew Carnegie exhibition in the halls that I'd been hoping to catch so I arrived with plenty of time to spare. Various photos and information boards about the famous philanthropist were on display. Interesting enough, but perhaps not enough to justify the trip on its own. Combined with the beer festival, it made perfect sense. After a browse of the exhibition and a visit to the cafe, I passed through the hallowed doors into ale heaven.

The event had begun a couple of nights previously and everything was set up. I was introduced to my fellow volunteers - a warm friendly bunch. The first job was covering the metal casks in cold wet towels, their function being to keep the contents cool. Festival organiser Grant gave me a tour of the bar area and explained how things worked. A lot of information to absorb in a short time and with no practical experience whatsoever, I was naturally a little apprehensive about my first stint as a server. One of the guys had been doing it for 20 years, another had just started the previous evening. We had a mix of different skillsets and experiences. I attempted a couple of practice pours. The angled racked barrels were simple enough, just a case of opening the tap and letting gravity do the work. All festival glasses have white lines indicating measures of a half pint and a full pint. Customers are also permitted a little taste of an unfamiliar ale. The sponsor's beers were served from a row of six handpumps on the bar. I was literally pulling my first pint at the age of 47! A complete action dispensed exactly half a pint and I was advised to give a wee scoosh afterwards to ensure the liquid was just over the line. One of the most welcome instructions of the day was the invitation to have a sup of any beer at any time. Well, we don't work completely for nothing you know! Thankfully all casks were numbered and racked in sequential order. Customers are asked in the programme to state the number upon ordering. It certainly would have been bewildering for a newbie to do it all by name only. I made a quick trip to the loo before the proceedings began and saw around 20 people queued up at the entrance. The fun was about to commence.

The early shift suited me ideally as the punters initially trickled in and spent some perusing the lists before coming up to order. I was therefore able to ease myself into the operation. One thing I've done myself at festivals is forget to take my glass to the bar. Does this fate befall others? You bet it does! There were a surprising amount of ciders available and trade was brisk. It was mainly women who were interested in the apple produce although I did spend a while chatting with a bloke who was a self-confessed cider nerd. The crowd seemed pretty familiar with the routine although one bloke and his wife must have wandered in off the street as he asked whether I worked for a brewery and was promoting any particular beers. More importantly, what was the buying procedure? I explained I was a mere volunteer and that he could collect his tokens and tell me exactly what he wished to sample.

All went well and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, wondering why I hadn't done it years ago. I poured myself a full pint at the end of my shift and relaxed at the end of the bar. Then I headed off to do a circular walk around Glenrothes. Or at least that was the plan. I had only taken a few steps when the heavens opened and I scurried into Wetherspoons next to the bus station (excellent town planning). I opted for a pint of Deuchars IPA which was ok at best. Was it an anti-climax after trying more exotic stuff or was the beer simply not in prime condition? I'll never know. That's one of the great things about drinking a living product with a limited shelf life. It is what it is. When you get a great one, the sensation is unbounded.

Capital City Walks

Edinburgh once boasted a network of suburban passenger railways and a comprehensive tram system. The latter was removed in the late 50s and the trains disappeared a decade later. The trams made a 20th century comeback and - after a protracted (and expensive) construction phase - have gone on to win public approval. A welcome development, but the reality is only one core route has been built. Much of the city-centre railway trackbed survives in the form of walking and cycling routes.

These trails pass through some very busy areas yet perhaps aren't well known to non locals. As to why the old lines weren't completely lost to developers, I would hazard a guess that they were already hemmed in by the city's infrastructure and what exactly do you do with a long narrow strip and no room to expand sideways? The first walk I planned was around the Restalrig loop, starting at Easter Road and finishing on Leith Links. I had actually done half of this before but on that occasion had proceeded along the promenade to Portobello. This time I would almost double back on myself before passing through Leith to seek out another old line. But first on today's agenda was a trip to the Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street. I have been fascinated by this place since I was a child and endeavour to visit at least once a year, always keeping an eye out for special exhibitions. The collection is vast and varied: science, natural history, early Scotland plus much more. There are two buildings, the original Royal Museum premises being augmented by a modern extension around the turn of the century. It's the old place that really grabs the attention though. The entrance hall - flooded with natural light - is simply stunning and it's easily worth going in for a wander around the ground floor alone. Admission is free and I firmly believe that national museums should be accessible to all. However, these places also need financial support and I am perfectly happy to shell out a tenner for a special event, or purchase food and drink from the café. I've always believed you should put something back in. En route from the station, I stopped at Piemaker on South Bridge, one of my favoured haunts and enjoyed a snack on the steps leading up to the old museum entrance - the famous revolving doors. Disability regulations now dictate street-level access.

The temporary exhibition on robots was informative from a computing and engineering point of view, as well as having enough interactive features to keep the kids amused. I had a wander around a few of the permanent galleries but my enquiry about the UK birds display revealed it had been scrapped during renovations a few years ago. I suspected this was the case but it would have been nice to see some of my feathered friends, now that I actually know who most of them are! I often make a point of climbing up to the roof terrace on a nice day to take in the Edinburgh skyline. I enjoy descending to the basement to look at the recreation of a Highland forest from centuries past. Featuring wolves, bear and wild boar, I could never tire of looking at this scene. It was time to move on and I was working to a loose schedule, having arranged to attend the German meetup in the evening and meet organiser Peter for a pint and something to eat beforehand. Heading down the Royal Mile, I had a quick look at the Parliament building before going up and over Abbeyhill to reach Easter Road and find the starting point of my railway trail. Now traversing the tarred trackbed, I wound my way past the football stadium (Hibernian FC) and passed under the usual assortment of bridges carrying the city streets over the old line. After rounding the lengthy curve, I enjoyed walking along an elevated section which offered extensive views of the sprawling Seafield Cemetery to the left and the Firth of Forth on my right. The path petered out at Leith Links and I set a course for the Foot of the Walk (and the Wetherspoons pub of the same name). As a solo wanderer, I often enjoy a quiet refreshment stop and love tucking myself away somewhere. After a leisurely sup, I negotiated the main streets of Leith and picked up another railway route. The path soon brought me to Fiveways Junction - where the stated number of rail tracks actually did converge. The web is now fully walkable.

I worked back on myself and paralleled the Water of Leith as it flowed down to the Shore. One thing I had planned was a visit to an old graveyard on Coburg Street which features stones with skull & crossbones motifs. Apparently nothing more sinister than a symbol of mortality but a spooky sight nonetheless. I had made good time but now faced the long uphill hike back to the city centre. With legs wearying, I was glad to find a table in the George Street 'Spoons where I'd arranged to meet Peter. Some stimulating sporting chat ensued and we headed over to the meetup a couple of streets away. The usual mix of native speakers and those with other connections to the German language. I returned to Edinburgh a few weeks later to undertake another railway walk. Again beginning at Waverley Station, but this time pushing north to the Granton waterfront. I made a quick breakfast stop at Snax Cafe, just a stone's throw from the station steps yet concealed behind the Princes Street shops, basically just around the corner from the legendary Guildford Tavern (now there's an ale palace!) I do like the fact that a tiny greasy spoon continues to trade right in the heart of the city despite assaults on all sides from popular fast-food chains. I reached King George V Park which is interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was once the home of St Bernards, the great lost Edinburgh football club. The team competed reasonably well before the war, reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final in 1938 yet never resumed after the hostilities had ended. Another highlight is the (now gated) railway tunnel that runs up a steep gradient to Waverley. This was worked by rope hauling and had a short operational lifespan.

In the other direction, the 200-yard Rodney Street tunnel heralded the start of the trackbed excursion proper. The underground space is well lit and the path hosts a steady stream of walkers and cyclists. Prams, wheelchairs and mobility scooters too. The Water of Leith is crossed on a viaduct and I decided to branch off here and pay a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens. A quarter-mile detour brought me to the entrance gate. As I walked along Eildon Street, I looked down upon the

Warriston Playing Fields where a baseball match was in progress. Certainly not an everyday occurrence in Scotland! I've never followed the sport and wasn't able to determine what was happening in front of me. Admission to the gardens is free although a charge is levied for the hothouses. I enjoyed a pleasant stroll among the trees and shrubbery and there was plenty blossom in evidence. Back on the old railway, I approached Fiveways Junction and wandered through another tunnel as I continued northwards. There are a few remnants of old stations on these city paths and you have to question the wisdom of closing the system, particularly when you consider just how well patronised the Glasgow suburban lines are. Infuriatingly, one live loop for freight does still exist in Edinburgh but passenger traffic has never been reintroduced, despite regular campaigning.

Eventually I emerged on the waterfront at Granton, where the railway once ran to the harbour. Nice views are available across the firth to Burntisland - easily identified by the TV transmitter above the Fife town. Ferries operated here until 1952, my dad informing me the next day that he could remember using the service as a boy. Granton has seen some attempt at redevelopment but has a rundown feel overall. The pier juts out a considerable distance into the Forth but I'd been all the way to the end before and decided to omit the wander today. I did resolve - on a whim - to drop into the local Go Outdoors branch as I was on the lookout for a pair of walking shoes. My trusty boots are still in good nick but rather heavy for the summer months and long flat treks. One pair caught my eye at £50 but the size 11 was way too tight and the 12 rather loose. Upon advice from Nicole, I plumped for Merrell whose range is rather pricey but apparently of excellent quality. I anticipate doing a lot of walking this year so I splashed the cash. I can confirm the shoes performed brilliantly on their maiden tramp (another railway trail, this time in Dundee) and proved to be a very snug fit. It was time to cut back inland towards the city centre. I passed by a derelict factory with a couple of wide open windows at ground level. Too tempting to ignore, as I don't mind a bit of the old urban exploring malarkey.

I never take any great personal risk and stick to places that are easily accessible. I find it thrilling to discover a location that has been more or less abandoned. It was easy enough to hop into the building and the interior was surprisingly bright due to glass panelling on the pitched roof. Just a basic shell of the factory remained and the upper floor was a large sparse area. Later research revealed I had found a vehicle plant constructed right at the end of the Victorian era. It later became a wire works. As I left the site, a group of youngsters made their way inside. None of them were old enough to pose any threat but I had thought to myself beforehand that I would never attempt to visit this place after sundown. This ain't the most salubrious part of Edinburgh, to put it mildly. The next part of the walk was a shared-use path alongside a busy road. The original trackbed had probably disappeared under the highway. However, I was soon back in the leafy cuttings. Most of the Edinburgh lines must have been below street level, as I didn't encounter many embankments. The quiet sense of semi-isolation returned and I saw Murrayfield Stadium while crossing an overbridge. Eventually I reached the jumping-off point for the pavement back to Haymarket Station. However, a new cycle route hugs the tram tracks leading to the same destination and I decided to stay with the rail theme of the day.

Dundee Rail Trail

When planning my previous Dundee walk, I noticed a railway path beyond the northern extremities of the city. This proved to be part of the old line to Newtyle, an Angus village which itself has an excellent network of walking trails based around dismantled railways. I had a wonderful time exploring there a couple of years ago. The new Dundee option was put on the list and plans began to firm up as a bank holiday approached. By then I had heard about another section of the old line open to walkers. This leg was closer to the city centre and the aim was to traverse both routes plus a swathe of Dundee streets in between.

Firstly, a bit of background on the Dundee to Newtyle Railway. The line dates back as far as 1831 and originally had three rope-worked inclines powered by stationary steam engines. There was also a tunnel under the imposing bulk of the Law (incredibly, the bore still exists). This incarnation of the railway was expensive and time-consuming to operate and by the 1860s a sweeping deviation had been built around the extinct volcano to allow traffic to progress more efficiently. Off I headed on the Stagecoach express. I was using my weekly commuting pass and it made financial sense to travel by bus today. The Fife Megarider Plus ticket offers good value at £30 for seven days travel. Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Stirling, Perth and Livingston are also included in the zone. You simply wave your pre-loaded smartcard over the reader and step on board. I was also breaking in a new pair of walking shoes. Therefore I wanted a decent test on firm dry surfaces but didn't plan to overdo things. The first stage began almost two miles from the bus station and I decided to cut that distance out by hopping on a service that passed close to the starting point. Being a Stagecoach route, my Megarider was again valid.

The path is known as The Miley and is part of a rewilding project. Overgrown old railways are ideally suited to the job as they harbour a great deal of wildlife within an urban environment. Simply cut back enough vegetation to allow walkers and cyclists a safe passage. This particular stretch passes through mixed residential and industrial terrain but - curiously - you're not too aware of all that as the line sits in a cutting which shields you from much of the surroundings. A green artery running through a bustling city. The mighty Cox's Stack was visible at certain points. Must go for a closer inspection of this old chimney some time. The Miley ends at Clepington Road where you climb to street level and are faced with the concrete mass of a retail park. Clearly no future extension of the walkway is viable. I now faced a trek to the northern limits of Dundee, crossing over the Kingsway en route. The weather had been holding up well but I was hit by a couple of brief hail showers. The sun was soon shining again and you never know what to expect in Scotland. As soon as I left the city, a rapid switch to rural countryside occurred and the Sidlaw hills rose in the distance. A road sign indicated I was entering the Council Area of Angus which of course does not tie up with the historic county boundaries - something I feel people are not always aware of. It's sensible that large cities do govern their own affairs and of course Dundonians have their own strong identity. However, Dundee is traditionally part of Angus (or Forfarshire as it was once known) and I'm hesitant to airbrush the borders of the various shires which have been in place for centuries.

I quickly reached the pleasant hamlet of Bridgefoot then turned left along a quiet minor road towards the start of the railway path. The two-mile section of trackbed wound its way through the countryside and I had a very peaceful lunch on a bench. I couldn't dally as I wanted to catch a bus at the end of the route and it was an hourly service. I knew I would make it but had to keep moving. Passing though the remains of Dronley Station was interesting. The crumbling platform is extant and I don't think anyone would venture out here with the intention of committing vandalism. I pushed on towards the end of the trail and emerged at the cottages on the main road with a good 15 minutes to spare. The bus trundled along and whisked me back to Dundee. I supped a couple of welcome pints in Wetherspoons. The pub chain divides opinion but there is always a good selection of ales and I like to find a quiet corner at the end of a lengthy walk.