Walking in the New Year

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Ah, a new year has begun. It’s such a wonderful feeling – especially when you’re boring like I am and don’t imbibe in booze the night before. (I like to start the New Year sans hangover!)

I quite like to get out into the fresh air on the first day of the year so that I can feel a bit energized, and that’s just what I managed to do today. After all, I believe the first day of the year sets the tone for all the days to follow.

Of course, I’ve been battling a cold for a few days so wasn’t quite up for a long and hilly hike, so my friend-and-housemate, Adrian, took me to a local country park instead for a short (5K, maybe?) walk instead of the longer one we’d originally discussed. (And I skipped the 3-mile morning run, too. I don’t want to push myself too far until I’m feeling better!)

Our walk was through part of the Roslin Glen Country Park and the ruins of the old Roslin Gunpowder Mill. The mill operated from around 1804 to 1954 and was at one time the largest mill in Scotland. There was also an old carpet factory in the area, making this seemingly peaceful glen a highly industrialised area!

We were out for about two hours and finished up just before the weather turned a bit wet. I’m hoping that this cold continues to improve and maybe tomorrow I’ll be up for another scenic walk.

I’ll leave you with some photos of my day now, whilst I go and enjoy some nice healthy vegetables, and maybe some left-over holiday cheeses!

Happy 2014 to you!

9 Replies to “Walking in the New Year”

  1. Wow! Beautiful pictures. And I was thinking that I would be able to walk that park…until I saw the mossy steps. I would definitely need a walking stick of some sort. I am impressed with the powder mill and look forward to seeing more photos of the carpet mill and the cave. Put Roslin on my list!

    And I am very glad that you were feeling well enough to get out and about on this first day of the new year!

    Reply

    1. Most of the mossy step photos were of ones off the path. The only steps we had were very long (2-3 strides per step) and easy. Parts of this trail were muddy but I think you’d be able to manage most of the park’s walks.

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  2. It looks exactly like here, scotch broom, damp mist and all! The beast box looks like a mason bee home. Cool. I will try to get out for a walk later today too. It won’t be an historic one like yours, but will certainly have the damp, foggy glen feel to it.
    Happy New Year! I hope it is a great year for us all.

    Reply

    1. I identified it as a mason bee box, but Adrian thought it was maybe for little bugs called lacewings. Further investigations show that the boxes are often dual-purpose, meaning we were both right. (But I think mason bees is more right!) Hope you enjoy your day’s wander!

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  3. This post has made me want to get out to the Maple Valley/Ravensdale area and do some ghost town hunting. There’s one out by Celeste’s friends home in particular I’d like to see…the ruins of an old mining town named Selleck…supposed to be a big tower that you can see from the road. The photos I’ve seen so far put Blewett to shame!

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    1. You should definitely make your way out/over there. A bit of fresh air will do you a world of good! And it’s a great way to spend time with Celeste and the kids, too! x

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      1. Selleck is definitely on our list of places to visit. And we’ll return to Green River Gorge, too, and the ruins found nearby. With Selleck, we will need to locate the property owner to get closer access to the site, but some of it you can see from the roads.

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