Treasure Hunt

Ello Mates,

This isn’t a regular blog post it’s just a fun little story I felt like sending out.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

12:49 PM

My Room, Dalkeith House

Jacket, Check

Hat, Check

Bag, Check

Phone, Check

Pedometer, 2,031 steps, damn I really need to walk more, but check.

Today I had some time to kill. Lunch was over, and it would be a few hours until Dinner. Time to go treasure hunting. I made my way down the tartan staircase, through the servery, and down the rickety metal stairs that lead to the shed-like structure that housed the spare bikes. I sighed to myself, vaguely resenting the fact that the only one with properly pumped tires was purple and its breaks were a bit dodgy. I hopped on the bike, and began riding towards the bridge. The bridge wized by, as the ground beneath my wheels transitioned from pavement to a wet dirt that had enough small pebbles in it where it probably was once gravel. This part of the trip was relatively smooth except for occasionally having to swerve around horse manure.

I eventually made it to my first turn, here the road changed again to a thick sticky mud. Nothing that was too dangerous for biking on, but it was nice to have something to keep me off the ground. I need to get me a nice pair of wellies but for now the bike works well enough. This path snakes through the woods for a ways until it comes to a steep downhill slope. I learned the last time I did this that it was imperative that I keep my hands clenched on the rubbish breaks the whole time or I’d end up covered in mud. Lessoned learned, I made it thought the little valley and around to the small walking bridge that crossed the one of the two rivers near the point where they merged. I left my bike by the bridge, and went down to the shore.

Beneath this bridge there were large piles of washed up rocks rounded by the river, despite these piles yielding the very best skipping stones I have ever found, they are full of rubbish. But not just any rubbish, very old rubbish. Namely, rubbish from the 18^th and 19^th century. This amounts to hundreds of random shards of pottery, and who knows what else.

Ohh was it great fun. I followed along the first rock bed for about 15 minutes, before moving upstream about 100 meteres to the next one. Here I again spent a bit of time, before heading to the next pile.

My bag was getting a little heavy with my finds (which by the way people, if you want a souvenir there is a strong chance this is the type of item you’re getting.)

I eventually decided to backtrack, and go across the river to check some of the rock piles on the opposite shore. I made it to the nearest one with virtually no difficulty. However, as I continued up stream I began to get rather worried about an ancient fence. This rusted metal fence, once divided the park a really long time ago, now it was in disrepair, and only standing in some spots. Actually impressively in one such spot I saw a tree literally growing through it. Anyway, this fence ran along the river in this part and just as the bank was beginning to get very steep, the fence started standing up. I feared that If I crossed the fence here where I could, I wouldn’t be able to get back over it.
So I instead chose to brave the steep muddy bank of the river, blazing my own trail through un tamed branches, and nasty thorn bushes. Luckily I am very sure footed, and I almost never make a step without a hand hold. This cam especially handy on one moment, where I noticed the ground give way beneath my feet. As the dirt fell into the river below, I found myself hanging from a tree branch with one arm. Something like that should probably bother a guy, but it didn’t really. I just swung back to the ground and continued on.

Now in the woods of Scotland there is nothing like poison Ivy to worry about. However, this is a plant that I find almost more annoying. (although I am grateful that this doesn’t leave an itch) There is a tree-like-bush thing (I suck at plant biology so take this with a grain of salt) I asked Cameron what it was called, and he told me and I have since forgotten. All I know is that it’s leaf looks vaguely like an oak leaf only they’re smaller, and they are sharp. Really sharp and prickly. And it wouldn’t be such a big deal if they weren’t everywhere. And I mean everywhere. The other plant that Isn’t a annoying but rather is quite cool, is the wild leak. They’re tiny, but ooh are they good. And They’re everywhere. On these muddy hillsides, if you didn’t know better you’d mistake them for grass. Apparently there is also wild garlic here, but I have yet to find some.

Anyway, I eventually make it to the long awaited rock pile, and here I find a grand total of nothing. Yep. Nothing. So I climb up the hill to see if there was a quicker way around the fence. There was. It involved absolutely zero Indiana Jones style tree branch hanging. Basically, I took the hard way for nothing. Annoyed I trudge back to my bike, and decide to head back. I have a good amount of little treasures for now. I could always come back later.

Should I mention my detour on the way home? I think I’m going to skip on the details, because this one may get its own blog post on a later date, but just know that I stopped at the ruins of (I believe it’s from the 1600’s or maybe a little more recent than that) tower-like chapel. The whole building is gutted out, but there are some intentional holes in the walls and the archaeoastronomer in me really likes that. So if I get the chance I may do a little research project on this tower, maybe camp over night in it or something and see what the stars do.

That is very blog post worthy.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this wee post, tomorrow I’m off to Glasgow and that should be a tail that will inspire a full post. You should hear from me again. Until then.

Cheers!

---Anth