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"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful we must carry it with us or we find it not."

R. W. Emerrson

Entries in Joppa (1)

Monday
Aug042014

The John Muir Way - South Queensferry to Prestonpans

The seventh and eighth sections of the John Muir Way cover 25 miles which we enjoyed with stops in a diverse selection of Edinburgh's many neighborhoods: Cramond, Murrayfield, Newington, and Joppa. We paused briefly in Prestonpans for energizing food and drink before pushing on to Longniddry where a fantastic little garden cottage awaited our arrival. Having sampled the many castles, palaces, and estate homes that dot the landscape, we redirected our attention to Scotland's extensive natural beauty.

The hiking path was peppered with abundant acorns, spiky beechnuts, and young green pinecones; its perimeter painted with the most splendid colors of summer. Spectacular yellows, purples, and pinks were on display in the heather, rosebay willow-herb, and foxglove. We discovered thorny bramble bushes rich with ripe raspberries and blackberries and we enjoyed sampling their sweet and refreshing flavors. Nature's diverse buffet of nuts, flowers, and berries attracted a variety of birds, bees, and butterflies with chipper squirrels joining the bountiful feast as well.

The John Muir Way continues to impress us with its stunning diversity. During this leg of our journey we have literally taken the time to smell the wild roses, and are better off for the effort.