Mid June, and it does not feel like June with the variable temps and showers most days...
Thrift...
Good to get back to basics and the simple pleasure of a bike ride locally and a few pics on the phone and no video editing...
it's a Monday and G is away in her van for a few days as a week off and bagging some more Munro's while I'm at work mid week, so I got out a wee solo cycle on the Pugsley around John Muir Park,
it was mid tide so could not get out too far across the mud flats after I crossed the salt marsh under a chorus of Skylarks stopping at the remains of the Matilda tank wreck, parked out here for live fire practice after WW2 there is not much left of the wreckage. Supposedly there were 3 tanks used but were cut up for scrap once destroyed. Who knows if some of the wreckage is buried in the sand dunes behind last Spike Island grew in size in the last 80 years, maybe stuff will appear again after storms etc...
Wrecked pillboxes and anti glider pole bases are scattered around the bay and if you look around you should find a souvenir from the live fire practice that went here from WW2 until the 1950s...
A .303 was todays find...
The point is roped off for birds nesting for summer so it was down a softer than normal beach and back through the park as the tide came in filling the bay...
No film today, just a back to basics easy bimble cycle and chill out Monday, Scottish Open Golf championships is in 3 weeks time so one more weekend pff before things get real busy for a couple of weeks....
Back out cycling again!, had a real sore shoulder which was probably a trapped nerve/muscle in neck/shoulder but its one of those injuries that your better just trying to keep moving and just get out and about and put it to the back of your mind - too much to get on with in life to sit about doing nothing!
Today we rode around John Muir Park, an easy peddle in no rush and I had another Pugsley I recently stuck together and gave it another rattle can spray job!
These pics are in reverse order but cannot be bothered to sort them around anymore, here is really just somewhere to store all pics and links to films I make and I know a lot of people still come on here for a read and still enjoying reading a blog type format, thank you all and I will try and keep weekly posts coming!
Will do a post on this size large Pugsley., it will probably be up for sale along with another couple of bikes in the future so get in touch if interested!...
Good to get out on the Pugsley again as been neglecting Fatbikes lately, but sometimes its good to have a wee break as when you return to doing a hobby you really appreciate it for what it is, I took the Fat BOB trailer and we did a loop around John Muir Country Park, and I gathered some wood for the garden burner, its fun and a wee workout doing so a win win thing to do!
We have been busy and not wasting time when off on Furlough and we have been researching the history of the war time artefacts at John Muir Country Park. This is still on going and this post like my WW2 XT Class Submarines wrecks post will be updated as more history is obtained...
Here to get the ball rolling is G`s latest social media write up on what we uncovered yesterday after research and information by several people;
The A and the F.
About two years ago someone uncovered an 8 foot A at Youngs Knowe at Hedderwick...
I met G through a FB message after I had posted a picture and again mentioned that I would love to know the history of this - I presumed it was for aircraft during WW2,
After G had also discovered the A while out cycling she has spent hours trawling through old photos, maps and generally all over the internet in an attempt to find out what it was.G also always had a notion it was some sort of aerial target.
The trees you see today in John Muir Country Park at Hedderwick Plantation were planted in the late 1950s, so it’s difficult to visualise the area without trees. rewinding time there was a golf course on the land now planted with pine trees and there was a race course in what is now 2 fields to the west of East Links Family Park. The Military go back a long time in Dunbar with Cavalry barracked in the Town,
During WW1 trench systems were built for training and defence and firing ranges built.
During WWII the area was requisitioned by the War Office for ranges, along with coastal defences built along the shore and across the bay. There were two separate ranges.
Map from the 1940 Bylaws
The first being Field Firing ranges for anti-aircraft, small arms and anti-tank weaponary and the second being for Battle Shooting practice using mortars and grenades.
A walk around the Park with a local Archaeologist who lives in the town and is a keen war time researcher gave us a lot of answers to questions both of us had, including most of what we see today around JMCP is actually from WW1. The trench systems you see in the title photo, the rifle ranges, and mortar/grenade ranges. He was unsure the actual reason of the letter A, but the answer to it would come from the help of someone else and things started to really fall into place a week ago when G was pointed to a link to a 1940 document entitled West Barns Ranges Bye-Laws. We were both astounded to find reference to the A within the document!. G printed it off to add to her growing local history book;
And on Page 3 F and A which explains the hinges on the A you can see today were indeed for covering it up from Aircraft...
And you read that right there was also a large F marker for aircraft for when the Mortar range is in use...
And other information...
So we now know the A was an aerial marker to warn aircraft that the Field Firing range was in use. However the document also mentioned that an F aerial marker was built to warn aircraft that the Battle Shooting range was in use.
So the hunt for the F started...
A while back a chap called David mentioned to G he recalled playing in an underground shelter with steel doors as a child. He gave us vague directions. We went looking for this a few months ago but had no luck finding it. However if there is such a bunker in the plantation it is yet to be found.
After about a week of further research and making an intelligent guesses where the F could be we went for another poach about yesterday. Much to our surprise, not far from the area we were searching for David’s bunker, we spotted a chunk of concrete sticking out the ground...
This was all you could see...
We initially thought we had found the bunker...
But after a little excavation we uncovered the bottom of the F...
Painted in the same style of red white and back as the A...
I did a bit further excavation to expose a bit more of the F and the hinges that were used to cover the marker when the ranges were not in use. They still work...
We popped home for a bit but returned a bit later with the newly recruited battle field detective Spider to help with further excavation. Later the same evening online we were told by a local resident that he and friends as kids had dug out a Den underneath and they were warned to be careful incase it collapsed which it finally did after heavy rain, so we also know how it has broken up.
We gave it a brush down and the lifted turf has been laid around the marker as we originally planned to cover it up if there is a hoo ha about it, but with the excited response of so many locals already to us finding this and G putting all the links together to tell a story of an important part of the towns link to the military were going to leave it uncovered for folk interested to come and see.
Were now relying on the memories of elderly local people now to help find the last few pieces of the jigsaw that I have give a massive credit to G for all her research...
The red arrow marks the F, the A is on the north side of the former sand quarry at Young`s Knowe...
Both of us have cycled past this undiscovered 80 year bit of history unknown to most visitors to the Park, it's great to share local history on here and via social networking to interested folk...
Midnight on January 5th 2021 the whole UK was put into Lockdown. Only essential Supplies shops are now open and essential travel only is advised. Exercise is as before last year allowed staying in your County Region, So again it's back to the coast staying safe and away from most other folks out and about... JMCP will be my go to loop for the next few days, enjoying the recent MK1 Surly Pugsley i recently got from friend Chris in a bike swap/deal. Done a few more tweaks I will post up soon in an update, today was just a short wee solo ride and G should be out alongside soon... Were back to the old bubble again, stay safe, save lives, don't get bitten...
This wee fellow has not made it through the winter...
Hour or so cycling and the legs stretched and lungs full of fresh winter air, beach riding is my Yoga, and soon I was home buzzing for the rest of the day....
Here is a wee film from this mornings ride, Song is `White Cyclosa` by Boards of Canada,
I live in East Lothian, S.E. Scotland.
I fill my time with my hobbies, interests and passions. Often cycling along the coast here. I ride steel bikes with big wheels, I like to enjoy all interests of the coast, Its scenery, wildlife, local history, with my other interests in art and music when out and about...
I was diagnosed with Relapsing remitting Multiple Sclerosis in August 2018, it`s early days but i plan to continue to live my life as i have and show that having a medical condition like MS does not mean you need to stop enjoying your life,
Please excuse the bad grammar, i am working on it!
