That was an exhausting day

Day 1 hiking. Thursday June 2. 
Royal Mackintosh Hotel, Dunbar to The Wing B&B, New Berwick
7 hours.  45,459 Steps.  18.9 Miles.  

Eggs Benedict for breakfast (not very good).  Carol my hostess looked a lot like Edithe from our PBS Danish series Seaside Hotel. All she needs is the black dress, white apron, head gear, and she could begin bickering with Otila. 


Located bike shop to purchase John Muir Way passport to get stamped along the route.  

Found the JMW path along the North Sea.  



The trail went around St Margaret’s golf course.  There were signs that golfers “had the right of way”, but as I don’t know golf I couldn’t tell which way they were headed.  They had to wait for me to pass. 




Learned the reason all the trees were blown over in the Hedderwick Hill Plantation - Storm Arwen - which affect  England, Ireland, and Scotland.  Over 8 million trees were blown down that day in November 2021 all over.  












Lunch from the CO-OP/post office.  Plus I requested they fill my two water bottles from the faucet in the back room as both had been sucked dry.  



After sitting on a bench to eat took off walking and made my first mistake. Hadn’t realized the signs could have 3 directions so when I saw one point left, I went left.  Wandered through a fancy subdivision, realized that I there were no JMW signs.  Stopped to get directions from a man trimming his privet.  He looked at my map and it showed I had spent a long block of time going in a circle and the CO-OP was just around the corner.  Went in and told the clerk of my silly mistake. 




Found the sign where I went wrong and then saw the 3rd pointed up hill.  Climbed up and down, and again missed the turn and crossed the side of a field blazing a path through thigh high grasses. Finally saw a man approaching about 10 feet off to my right.  He was on a real path which I was able to scramble up to and continue north.  

Met two women completing the JMW.  One from Utah and one from North Carolina. 

The dogs here are friendly, well behaved, and calmly walk by their owners off leash/lead. 







Preston Water Mill







Path I took through the grasses.  Not really a path. 







Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee 











The Wing B&B in North Berwick







“The power of imagination makes us infinite”.
John Muir

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