Two weeks off work and a few days left to my own devices while Nicole worked upstairs in the home office behind the clothes horse. We had a holiday in Dumfries planned over a long weekend but I wanted to get some walking done beforehand. Or should that read get back into walking? I must admit I'd been a bit lazy in that department lately and it was time to get back into the saddle (Shank's Pony naturally!). A little local wander that had long been on my list was the path from Blackness Castle along the southern shore of the Forth. A trek of just under two miles would take me to the edge of the Hopetoun Estate from where I could cut inland and make my way towards Midhope Castle. Both buildings had featured in the ever-popular Outlander TV series - a time travelling romp that has gained a worldwide following. Off I set on a blustery October afternoon.
The West Lothian village of Blackness has less than 200 residents but attracts a healthy number of visitors due to the castle and its coastal location. The place was quiet today as I pulled into the car park and popped a couple of postcards into the mail box. I've joined the Postcrossing scene which enables you to receive cards from all over the world. Every one you send sees another wing its way back to you. I was also pleased to see the village pub clearly under new management after sitting empty for a decade. It has been reborn as the Lobster Pot and painted in colourful shades of yellow and orange. Covid seemed to have enforced a temporary closure and let's hope the virus doesn't kill off ventures like this. A glance at their website informed me the village shop is also located within the building. Perhaps offering additional community services is the future for many licensed premises off the beaten track. Certainly handy for pensioners and those without access to a car. Despite its proximity to the Forth crossings, Blackness has only limited public transport and that too operates only as a result of a community scheme. I'm all in favour of such projects but the bottom line is they must be used otherwise they are lost. An administrative quirk means that Blackness has been within the Falkirk Council area since 1996. The true identity is of course West Lothian and one has to wonder if the village was placed within "Falkirk" simply to bulk up its territory. I doubt if the locals were ever consulted and I still find it strange when people refer to Falkirk as some sort of new county. It is a town! (within Stirlingshire incidentally). I appreciated the views across the water to Fife as I walked past the harbour. This is also a good spot for watching birds but today the tide was well in and the best time to arrive is when the rock pools on the shore are exposed. That's when the waders come to feed.
I swerved around the castle towards the beach. I had visited the historic building before and in any case it would almost certainly be open only to limited online bookings today. I had some nice views of the elevated structure from sand level and I followed the contour of the water's edge around to a wooded area where the path took me into the trees. I now found myself upon part of the John Muir Way - a 130 mile coast-to-coast trail stretching from Helensburgh in Dunbartonshire to Dunbar in East Lothian. Like many of these long-distance walking routes, it was largely formed by stitching together existing paths, with some new sections created to fill any obvious gaps. I had inevitably been on some parts before, particularly the canal towpaths across Central Scotland. Nicole and I have done an 8-mile stretch from the end point of Dunbar, reaching the village of East Linton. I've already decided if I make any further progression I'm not allowed to skip any stages on the basis that I've already walked this path. This personal philosophy applies to all official trails. I was now paralleling the Firth of Forth and the foliage opened up in places for a glimpse of the estuary. I eventually arrived at the boundary of the Hopetoun Estate and took a steep path leading away from the water. All good for the fitness recovery programme. I couldn't see the grand Hopetoun House but its a place I'd like to visit when normality resumes. The vast estate throws open its doors each year for a free snowdrop walk but stormy conditions had scrubbed this year's event. Are we really talking about recent history? You know, when you could jump in the car and just attend an event of your choice. How quickly we adapt to this new way of living, even though it's not desirable in the longer term. I then found myself walking high above the Midhope Burn before descending and following the banks until I emerged in the car-park for Midhope Castle - my second historical site of the day.
I hadn't done any research on this castle and had no idea whether it would be in ruins or occupied. What I did notice straight away was a pay booth near the entrance. The cashier said entry was by prior online booking only so I shrugged and headed back the way I came. For some reason, I didn't whip out my camera and take a quick photo over the barrier. The photo to the right is a rare instance of me relying upon Google Images for a shot. But since 99% of the pics on my blog and in my walk descriptions are taken by yours truly, I think I can safely plead fair usage of the Google catalogue. Midhope Castle is known to Outlander fans as Lallybroch and the Hopetoun Estate permit viewing of the exterior. It is a Category-A listed 16th century tower house and was last inhabited in Victorian times by farmworkers on the estate. The semi-derelict remains were made secure in 1988 and the castle now attracts a steady stream of visitors. I made my way back to Blackness, where the castle also features on the Outlander tourist circuit. It posed as Fort William in the first series. Patrons can roam within the internal walls and look out to sea from the battlements. The 15th-century fortress has a chequered history and became crown property back in 1453. At this time, Blackness was the main port serving the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow, one of the main residences of the Scottish monarch. The stronghold functioned as a state prison and was involved in a flashpoint as Oliver Cromwell's army sailed up the Forth in 1650. It eventually fell out of military use after the First World War and is now a scheduled ancient monument in the care of Historic Scotland. Incredible, when you think about all that history around you, just waiting to be discovered. But you have to get out there to see it and today's expedition was certainly a step in the right direction.
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