today i went to john muir park as havent been there for about a month..i rode on tarmac to belhaven as the trails are saturated this now,i thought pugsley was flying until i walked off the `bridge to nowhere` at belhaven rode into a strenghting north westerly..ah so im not that fast then!, so i cut across to the car park for john muir park to ride through the woods and then clockwise around the tideline to get the tailwind back to the bridge at belhaven, would have to watch the time though as the tide had turned 3 hours ago...
theres a lagoon on the east side of the park seperating the pinewoods and the beach...
but it wasnt always there as this 1700s picture on an information sign shows...
one of 3 remaining WW2 buildings in the woods...
beside the park is east links family park with lots of animals including these lama`s...
theres also a narrow gauge steam railway that goes round the farm...
onto the coast at hedderwick sands and plenty driftwood here...
there was supposedly a golf course here in the 1800s on what is now this flat area of beach, it was a slight hill here as the woods name hedderwick hill suggests...sand was removed from here for building work and so all traces of the course are gone and claimed by the sea, a rough sketch of some golf holes drawen by a soldier from the nearby barracks were in a letter that was was found...maybe alister you know anything about this?...
wonder where this tree once grew...
not seen this since before i got the pugsley...part of a tracked machine...maybe from WW2..its reappeared again...
back down to belhaven enjoying an empty beach and tailwind..
it looked touch and go wether i would get over the bridge with the incoming tide...
lucky..just in time...there 2 big mesh squares of rocks about a foot under,i freewheeled over and made a big step for the concrete plyth...dont want to miss, about 2 feet deep off the sides...
the cliff top trail round to dunbar harbour has great views...
this is where the firth of forth becomes the north sea...
its lovely here at sunset in summer...
at dunbar paths run along the cliff and the cliff is terraced...
these are from victorian times when there was an open air swimming pool with just a sea wall...brrrr...no wonder they wore wooly swimsuits...
on top overlooking the sea is a restored (for display!) WW2 25 pounder gun...
the old castle ruin and the victoria harbour...
and the old harbour..pity the swing bridge was up as couldnt get over to the old battery ruins...
a sign having a hard time with the sea air...
dunbar is famous for the birth place of john muir the world famous conservationist but theres another dunbar born genius who only in recent years has has been publicly credited for an invention which revolutionised ships...this memorial is for robert wilson who invented the screw propulsion propellor...
riding home i passed by the wooden chalets again at belhaven..they have a european look about them...
i popped round to take a pic with the tide now 3/4 in to show why we call this
`the bridge to nowhere`...
UPDATE; just got an email from tommy via some googling found this link on info about the tracked wreck at john muir park,its been identified as a matilda 2 tank
thanks tommy!
and heres a pic of one...not on the beach here but in egypt!
