A walk in Edinburgh - of a different kind!

Today was the first day for a relaxing stroll with hubby after a work- and Fringe-manic summer. It seems July and August just whizzed by, shrouded in drizzle and cool air, while the annual summer shenanigans at work took their toll on my writing/editing/critiquing time. Although I must admit, a recent visit from friends and the associated nightly outings into the city to explore the various delights (and horrors) the Fringe Festival threw at us also took their toll. Three weeks of constant evenings out led our cats to turn into moody monsters and our bank accounts ransacked.

But now it's September, everything calms down again, and suddenly we get a sunny, warm Sunday to enjoy. So off we went earlier (me a little tired after writing till nearly 3am) to stroll along the Braid Hill Hermitage trail. I've past the entrance to the council-owned park numerous times, not least to repeated vet visits last week, but I've never spotted the delightful woodland behind the high walls.





Through the gates we went, entering a peaceful, calm oasis of trees, with a narrow stream flowing alongside a path. Guess the stream was there before the path was created but what a perfect setting. Within a minute you couldn't hear any traffic and the number of smiling dogwalkers, their charges happily chasing around, was surprisingly high. As was the number of families out and about, proof that the traditional 'Sunday family walkie' still exists in some parts of society.

Ice House

I wish to share a few snapshots of our stroll which only encompassed part of the whole area that covers the 'Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Local Nature Reserve'. I guess we'll return for more explorations along the trails.

Hermitage House