Bob Law’s Blog: Musselburgh, walking and photography

Buy Autohighography by Bob Law
The town of Musselburgh lies just to the east of Edinburgh and is worth a day trip at any time of year. Apart from visiting the town itself, which has a harbour, shops, sandy beaches, a fine community theatre and old period buildings, the area is also good for walking.

The Sandy Beach at Musselburgh
Shoreline Walk

Portobello Beach. Joppa End
Number one is an easy and enjoyable shoreline walk from Musselburgh to Portobello. This can be done both at high or low tide (if the tide is in walk through Joppa). The walk is only 4km or 8km return, if you prefer you can catch the bus back. Another option if travelling through by bus is to go back via Portobello. Buses run to Edinburgh from both seaside towns.

Canada Geese. Musselburgh. River Esk.
The River Esk
Walk Two is up the River Esk from the coast. The river flows through the town centre – it is very scenic with plenty of bird life. There are good paths and cycle tracks to take you inland along the river banks.

River Esk Reflections
Coastal Walk to Prestonpans

Wild Flower Mixture. Prestonpans.
Walk Three is past Musselburgh Racecourse along the shoreline and the old ash lagoons to Prestonpans. This is another great coastal walk and Prestonpans has some fine period buildings.The town is famous for its colourful murals, flower displays and salt making history. A nature reserve now lies where the ash lagoons once stood.
Getting there from Glasgow
Catch the Edinburgh Bus from Glasgow’s Buchanan Street Bus Station to Edinburgh. The Local Number 26 Seaton Sands Bus will take you to both Musselburgh or Portobello. If travelling by car you will find Free Car Parks at the coast at all three places.

Bob Law: Autothighography
A quirky and humorous account of a “fictional” outdoor club featuring a tight knit cast of characters and their shifting relationships over several decades from the 1980s to the present day. Part autobiography, part novel, part travellers tale, part unusual love story. It is character driven throughout but all the action and intrigue takes place against a backdrop of stunning mountains, lochs, islands, caves, wild seas: in bothies, hanging off rock climbs, budget skiing trips across city parks, island hopping in boats, kayaks, on foot, and occasionally, underwater throughout the wilder parts of Scotland and Europe. It is both a novel yet also an accurate travel book of places, conditions and landscapes that the author has actually visited with friends over the years and contains a collection of stunning colour photographs that enhance the various chapters to give readers a greater insight to the areas described. Many of these locations are spectacular but little known to the general public and will surprise even keen outdoor enthusiasts of Scottish scenery as they are far removed from the normal tourist hotspots.
A unique and very different memoir full of vivid personalities, unexpected locations, and twisting surprises that should appeal to armchair adventurers and veteran outdoor lovers alike. Bittersweet, poetic, touching, funny and poignant. Although an ordinary urban city dweller and 9 to 5 worker this is snapshots from a life lived outdoors, savoured every weekend and holiday period.
A unique and very different memoir full of vivid personalities, unexpected locations, and twisting surprises that should appeal to armchair adventurers and veteran outdoor lovers alike. Bittersweet, poetic, touching, funny and poignant. Although an ordinary urban city dweller and 9 to 5 worker this is snapshots from a life lived outdoors, savoured every weekend and holiday period.
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This section: Bob Law: photographer, walker and writer
Filed under: Bob Law: photographer, walker and writer
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