A 2.5km walk (40 ish minutes) from Eskbank station on the Borders Line to Dalkeith Country Park and Dalkeith Palace where Visual Arts Scotland Centenary Show (part 2) takes place until 25th August.
Eskbank station, set in a cutting, panoramic skies and Pentlands from the footbridge and car park:


There are various routes you can take from station to county park, have a look on the O.S. or Google maps to choose. I made a circle, there on quiet streets and traffic-free paths through new housing in old estate land, back along a main road past interesting Dalkeith shops. I love exploring like this.
Or just follow the signs which start immediately outside the station, on the side the trains stop at:

New and old, spot the unicorn:

Into Dalkeith town centre:


And there you are, at the park:

Dalkeith Country Park is always open.
Visual Arts Scotland Centenary exhibition ends on Sunday 25th August, 4pm.

www.visualartsscotland.org/exhibitions

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Trains to Eskbank depart Edinburgh Waverley hourly, sometimes more frequently.
Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk


-------------------------------------
Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog. Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.
Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionAugust 2024
#ScotlandByRail #CommunityRailChampion on facebook, instagram, twitter

 

4-5km walk from Longniddry station to Aberlady village and Scottish Ornithologist's Club's Waterston House gallery to see a Visual Arts Scotland exhibition.

Starting with an early morning walk from our home to Burntisland station:




At Waverley station, enjoying the plantings between my trains:




Glimpses of the sea as the train sped towards Longniddry. Across from the station I found The Filling Station and the Village Shop, unfortunately I'd already gathered my lunch in Edinburgh.

Ten minute walk along a leafy suburban pavement, look out for the grand West Gate of the Gosford Estate:



Soon you're at the shore:





With views to Fife, the three Forth bridges, Arthur's Seat:







Time for a sketch at Gosford Bay:




sunwindgullssea





The tide was out and my hair blew everywhere as I walked across the sands at Gosford Bay:




Coastal treasures at Gosford Bay. Sea sandwort (correct me if I'm wrong):




Over the bridge and into the woods:



Past wartime tank defences:




The most incredible tree people. Sycamores:









Along the John Muir Way and the SOC's Waterston House appears beyond the cabbages:










I detoured past Waterston House and continued on to Aberlady village and down past the graveyard to the shore at Kilspindie, Aberlady Bay. Spot the (poorly photographed) dragonfly.














Then 15 minutes at the shore sketching this lapwing and watching a grey plover:




At last to Waterston House for my first visit in far too many years. The same lovely friendly welcome as always, it was so nice to be back.
In the meadow, for the first time this summer I saw a semi-decent number of butterflies - peacock, red admiral, whites:






Finishing with Visual Arts Scotland's exhibition in the beautiful setting of the Waterston House gallery space.
'Hope' is the thing with feathers
the-soc.org.uk/pages/exhibition/hope-is-a-thing-with-feathers








My piece in the exhibition is
Isle of May, seabird colony
watercolour & ink on paper 




The exhibition runs until 15th September. Wed - Sun 10 - 5.

visualartsscotland.org/exhibition/scottish-ornithologists-club-partnership-exhibition

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Trains to Longniddry depart Edinburgh Waverley hourly, sometimes more frequently.
Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk


-------------------------------------
Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog. Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.
Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionAugust 2024
#ScotlandByRail #CommunityRailChampion on facebook, instagram, twitter

"The £116million Levenmouth Rail Link, which was funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by Network Rail and ScotRail, reconnects Leven and Cameron Bridge to Scotland’s railway network for the first time in more than half a century." www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/Levenmouth

It is so exciting to have a whole new area opened up to me and my outdoor art practice - thank you ScotRail, Network Rail, Scottish Government!

This post covers just one of lots of different walks possible from Scotland's two brand new stations.

Here I am, a very very happy customer alighting at Leven station on Scotland's newest - ie !!brand new!! - stretch of railway line. 
Leo at Leven

A sketching exploring nature day with fellow Burntisland artist illustrator Alice Melvin Illustration.Follow Alice on Instagram for lots of out and about sketches and descriptions. Look for her beautiful newest book in all good bookshops - thamesandhudson.com/mouse-on-the-river.

A circular walk:- from river mouth along wide wide sands, litter picking as we went. Alice is an absolute champion litter picker; - wildflower filled dunes;- woodland, walled garden, pond and cafe at Silverburn Park;-lushly bordered path above golf course, whitethroats singing scratchily, yellowhammer shouting out 'little bit of bread and no cheeese'... so people say;- back through town and along High Street to the station.

Sketch spots:- Where river met sea we watched sand martins and swallows and sketched gulls and cormorants and mallards.
- As we lunched in the dunes we sketched sand and sea and sky and coastal vegetation.
- In Silverburn walled garden we sketched old estate gate and green green green. Great tits, blue tits, coal tits, robins, house sparrows, jackdaws, a greenfinch, a yellowhammer all delighting in an odd ferris wheel bird feeder and back and fore on the ground just feet in front of us. We watched a bedraggled great tit pair feeding high-pitched cheeping chicks in their nest in a gap in a dry-stone wall.

The walk in photos:
The River Leven runs alongside much of the new stretch of line. Here looking over the fence at the station the river is already tidal and in its final metres before flowing into the sea.
Our first sketch subject was ducks and gulls and seabirds, where river became sea.
Stunning Fife beaches. See the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law far across the Forth
And turning to look upriver to the west, the wind turbines at Buckhaven.
Huge sweep of sands between Leven and Lundin Links Largo - and continuing far beyond.
Largo Law is the hill.
So many L's.
Up onto the dune path, Lundin Links and Largo Law in the distance.
About to turn 180 degrees and start heading back towards Silverburn Park. 
Second sketch spot. Our subject was dune and sand and sea and sky.
A wonderful carpet of thyme. Two Garden bumblebees enjoying it as much as we were.



old concrete anti-tank defences, found on beaches and dunes up much of Scotland's east coast 
Having just crossed the golf course - don't worry, a well used, safe, official path across.
Allotments at the entrance to Silverburn Park.
sheds and water butts

A full there and back railway day from Burntisland to Glasgow via Edinburgh, Bathgate and Caldercruix. 

I had to be in both Bathgate and Glasgow and hoped I had an hour or two of spare time in between. I wanted to explore somewhere new to me so studied the Ordance Survey, looking at every station stop between Bathgate and Glasgow. There are a lot! I especially look for nearby green spaces. Caldercruix sat on the National Cycle Network, Route 75 and was just to the west of an enticing large area of water - Hillend Reservoir.

I started in Burntisland as usual. Warm low cloud colours reflected on damp mossy wall as I looked down on the roof of my studio at Burntisland railway station. My studio is open by appointment - just get in touch - and on various Open Studio days. Looking across the docks, across the Forth, to Arthurs Seat and Edinburgh visible on the horizon.

I looked for seals on the rocks between Burntisland and Aberdour. A well known sight to those who use this railway line often. Today there were none but I spied a lovely little huddle of redshanks standing tight against the wind and rain. I jotted down what I could remember of them in my sketchbook.



Bathgate. View from the station bridge:



Back on the train, I love the view along this moorland stretch, National Cycle Network Route 75 running alongside. There must be a lot of wildlife to spot out there, I hope to return with my bike. 
A kestrel was flying over the moor, it's the almost invisible speck in this photo:


Cyclepath & footpath runs alongside. So tempting.


Hillend Reservoir, east end. From the train I saw cormorant, goosander, great crested grebe. My Bathgate appointment had run late so I had only an hour ahead of me for my Caldercruix walk. I wished I had three.



In Caldercruix
Walk east along Station Road to pass the Village Inn then the village shop. Cross the B825 to this fence decorated by Caldercruix Community Council. Countryside starts here!


Lovely Sustrans Route 75 sign. These signs bring back so many memories from so many family childhood walks.


Now just explore! The reservoir is close. 
I decided to take note of all wildlife I saw and heard while there and to record it afterwards on the British Trust for Ornithology BirdTrack app afterwards - citizen science contributing to conservation knowledge and policy. And it's fun!


North Calder Water:


Approaching the reservoir:


Very impressive after so much rain.





Reaching the reservoir, unfortunately only ten spare minutes:





I got out my binoculars, scanned all round, spotted a white blob - a dipper's chest! I got my stuff out and made this speedy watercolour:




Then a fast walk back to station, wishing I had time to stop and paint this beautiful tree group too:


And to cycle to some of these places:

Glasgow:
The day finished with a late afternoon - early evening few hours in Glasgow. Delivering a couple of newly finished paintings to a gallery and enjoying half an hour with my book in a cosy bookshop.




Glasgow Queen Street station, then home: 


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Caldercruix is very easy to reach on the Bathgate line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Trains are frequent although not all stop at Caldercruix. 

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk


Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog. Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionJanuary 2024

#ScotlandByRail on facebook, instagram, twitter

October! It must be time for Postcards from The Line! 

Postcards from the Line is an annual exhibition at the Line Gallery in Linlithgow - my lovely hometown gallery and the first gallery to ever exhibit my work, at least 20 years ago.

There are usually well more than 200 artworks, all sized A5 or under, all unframed, huge variety of media, 2D and 3D, all £100 or under. It is a really really really exciting exhibition. I delivered my ten yesterday and was allowed a sneak preview as the sorting began:

The exhibition begins with an opening celebration this Saturday 21st October at 2pm. 
Then runs until 4pm on Sunday 19th November at:
The Line Gallery
238 High Street, Linlithgow, EH49 7EF

Opening Hours:Thurs - Sat 10 - 5
Sun 1 - 4
- thelineonline.co.uk- facebook.com/linlithgowline

If you're interested in buying any of my ten works please contact Gail and Elizabet at the Line by emailing all@thelineonline.co.uk or phoning +44 (0)1506 670 268.

 

A Scotland By Rail trip to Aviemore.
This blog post doesn't explore the town itself but travels straight out to Rothiemurchus forest at Coylumbridge for wildlife, walking in prime Scottish native woodland, mountain views.








I live in Burntisland and the journey north from here to Aviemore is so good. (Even better from Edinburgh as you get to go over the Forth Rail Bridge) The gorgeous Fife coast, Lomond Hills, views across the River Tay, Perth, Dunkeld, Pitlochry, through/over the Drumochter Pass - the highest point on the UK mainline rail network at 1,484ft. Through Kingussie, past Ruthven Barracks, Loch Insh. Then arrive into Aviemore. If you're lucky a Strathspey Steam Railway steam locomotive will be there to meet you, sharing the lovely wooden chalet-style station with ScotRail and other operators.



Once you're in Aviemore you can easily get to our walk start spot - buses leave Aviemore hourly and the journey is only a few minutes. Get off in Coylumbridge and you're pretty much in the Rothiemurchus forest. We took the Glen Einich track which starts on the west side of a small woodland campsite. Or you could walk to here from Aviemore station, an approx 3km walk, not quite two miles, pavement all the way.

We spent the afternoon in the forest, just walking there and back along a main footpath.
Scots pine, ash, silver birch, rowan...




At a small lochan we watched a pair of common sandpipers and their full-size but still slightly fluffy youngster. We sat near to the lochan and watched them do their stuff. I took shaky videos including the young one among the grasses. At one point one of the adults perched in the branches of a Scots pine - listen to the sound on that video and you can hear the sandpiper's call.





















listen to the call in this one

We watched a young bullfinch, a young robin, a young wren, young long-tailed tits. We heard and saw a great spotted woodpecker and a crossbill as they flew (separately) over our heads. Willow warblers sang loudly in quite a few places. We saw lots of moths and once there was the flicker of a lizard as it darted off a lichen covered rock.
We watched a wood ant slowly and jerkily pull along a metallic blue beetle, dead, many times the ant's own size and weight. A bit later we stopped at a wood ant nest, the whole large brown rounded mound alive with movement.






We looked at orchids and other flowers all alongside the track. We ate from the blaeberries which were growing in great numbers amongst the heather. Juniper lined our route a lot of the way.
An is-it-a-golden eagle quickly became a buzzard. For that first moment its wingtips had looked so long and spread, then it mewed and became the buzzard that it really was
One of our stops was looking over open land - pine and other native trees regenerating rapidly thanks to deer being fenced out. Imagine if we had wolves back here, doing it naturally.




I worked in soft pastel looking looking over the open land and past the pine tops to the exciting jagged sheer scree of the Lairig Ghru.





Many thanks to Maurizio De Vita Photography & Storytelling for the photo of me working.




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Aviemore station is easy to reach by rail from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Inverness...

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk



Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionJuly 2023

#ScotlandByRail on facebook, instagram, twitter

A railway day out to Cupar earlier this year. A damp day, but I like that. What an interesting place I found Cupar to be and what a lovely walk out into the countryside and over the hill to the village of Ceres, footpath all the way.
Cupar is just what I like. Historic, old and interesting buildings pulling my eyes all over, alleys and wynds to explore. Good charity shops, cafes, bakers. A museum & heritage centre. Countryside nearby and a riverside walk through the centre of the town.
Before I caught the train I was in my studio (Burntisland Station Studio) - contact me to find out when next Open Studio will be or to arrange a visit) looking at one of my favourite art books - The Coast Road Diaries by Kate Downie - knowing I was going to be visiting her (stunning) studio in Ceres later on. This day I was especially drawn to a large painting, The Burren Lime Path. The colours and the cool fitted well with the weather. 

Kate Downie, The Burren Lime Path, oil on linen, 85x130cm.
The Coast Road Diaries published by The Scottish Gallery, 2009

On the train I made my own sketch through rain streaked window, later I realised the colours had turned out very similar to those in The Burren Lime Path. 






Alighting at Cupar. Note the signal box.




Cupar is part of Fife's Artline, as is my own Burntisland Station Studio. Read more about us here - www.theartline.co.uk/venues/cuparAnd in the latest edition of artwork newspaper, page 4 - www.artwork.co.uk




From the bridge by the railway station, looking down on the river Eden, note the riverside walk.




But I didn't go down there yet, I explored the town first.












Four or five charity shops later, down to the river.




Blackthorn was in full blossom (sloes follow blackthorn blossom, I grow them in our hedge at home).






Here stalked a heron.




And a small furry mammal.




Then walking south out of the town, past a big Tesco and an ALDI and onto Ceres Road. Stay on the pavement as you pass the entrance to Cupar Golf Club then whole length of cemetery.




Shortly after the cemetery wall ends the road angles slightly left and you cross carefully over to get onto the footpath. Next stop is Ceres village, off road all the way from here.




This blackthorn was glowing in the damp. Blackthorn flowers come out before their leaves do so you seem them set strongly against dark spinkey wood. Hawthorn flowers come out after their leaves do so you see them set against a background of green.




Walk uphill uphill. At this first junction continue straight on, not right. Detour right to explore old earthworks. A short while later you can detour left to explore Owlet Wood.




Further up, now field on my left, in the woods on my right I spotted...




Can you see it now?




Now? There are two...
Scroll to very end for the answer.




I stopped to sketch again, oil pastel in sketchbook.




A red van drove past.








Between the gorse.



And down into Ceres.





In Ceres is the Fife Folk Museum- www.fifefolkmuseum.org
A mile or so from Ceres is National Trust for Scotland's Hill of Tarvit Mansion and Garden- www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/hill-of-tarvit-mansion

I hope to go back and make these the subject of future Scotland By Rail blog posts.


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Cupar station is easy to reach by rail with direct trains from Edinburgh and Dundee.

Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk



Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionJune 2023

#ScotlandByRail on facebook, instagram, twitter







*** nature quiz answer - two Roe deer!
 

goosander, Edinburgh Park, pastel, 24x30cm
Leo du FeuCommunity Rail Champion

A walk from Edinburgh Gateway station, alongside the trams, past the Gyle, through Edinburgh Park business parky sculpture parky area, past Edinburgh Park station, along the Union Canal to WHALE Arts Agency in Wester Hailes.

As I've talked about before, wherever possible I try to work nature and walking into my day.
Because, well, nature, you know, it's great. 
And because I'm not a gym person.
Though I can do about 8 push-ups. Maybe 10 on a good day. 
Though that implies I do them every day.
Walking is my exercise. 
So when I was asked to stand in running an art session at WHALE Arts Agency I knew that although I could get the train to Haymarket then change onto another one out to Wester Hailes station I would much rather get a bit of a walk in.
So I got off at Edinburgh Gateway and had a very happy time walking my route, looking at the sculptures and plantings and wildlife of Edinburgh Park (the area, not the station), coffee and twenty minutes reading my book near Edinburgh Park (the station, not the area), enjoying the canal and hoping hoping to see an otter there as I did last time. I didn't this time.
Then two hours of lovely chat while painting birds with palette knife and acrylic at WHALE.
Then the walk back to Edinburgh Gateway, getting a bit of shopping done along the way.
Here's the walk.

tramlines seen from Edinburgh Gateway station
concrete sculpture & poetry @ Edinburgh Gateway station.
the grassy areas around here are brilliant wildflower meadows in summer.
sculpture and tram stop, The Gyle
through Edinburgh Park area the trams run off-road across lush green turf
Edinburgh Park is a place of offices - and water, reedbeds, trees, public art. A really inspiring area. Everywhere be planned so thoughtfully, bringing people into such close contact with nature.
poets' walk. Norman MacCaig
poets' walk. Naomi Mitchison.
In this photo there are also five waterbirds from four different species

male goosander, pastel, 24x30cm
Also:
female goosander
mallard
moorhen
black-headed gull




I love these tall tactile ceramic sculptures 
Paolozzi
Vulcan
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
1999
trees, hedges, grasses, everywhere.
Everywhere should and could be like this
On the right, poles and metal cabling designed specifically to allow climbing plants to wind their way up and form a green screen. 
Edinburgh Park future plans
spot the grey wagtail.
Hint, grey wagtails are bright yellow underneath
Under the railway by Edinburgh Park station (you can also go up and over the railway via steps and bridge in the station
five minute walk uphill then onto the Union Canal
This feels like childhood. I grew up by the canal so I always love being back on one.
nature-painted shipping containers by the canal
edartfestcommunityengagement.com/wester-hailes-canal-connections
At exactly this spot, a year or few ago, I saw an otter.

I spotted bubbles in the canal.
I walked fast to the edge and stood at the very front of what you see in this photo.
The bubbles came right up to me and at the same moment that something about the bubble trail and swirling of mud made me think "otter..?..!", an otter head popped out of the water a foot from my foot.
It got a very great shock and splashed straight back in.
Gone.

This time I saw no otter.
3 bullfinches in this photo - two rusty red males & one female the same colour as most of the photo.

And a hanging poo bag, that obligatory decoration on shrubs and trees all across Scotland.
can you spot them?off the canal and across the bridge for the last few minutes to WHALE

you can get here by bus tooWHALE Arts Agency
then avian acrylics with palette knife,
a lovely session for Art in Healthcare's Room For Art social prescribing project

gull
great tit, male (females have a much narrower black vertical chest stripe
brimstone butterfly on lavender
robin
puffin
And back onto the canal

www.edinburghpark.com
www.whalearts.co.uk
www.artinhealthcare.org.uk

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Edinburgh Gateway and Edinburgh Park stations are both in Edinburgh and trains are frequent.
Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk


Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionMarch 2023

#ScotlandByRail on facebook, instagram, twitter

An icy afternoon visiting Stirling Castle.

Leaving coastal Burntisland where our snow of several days ago had melted within hours of falling, I forgot to think that more elevated, non-coastal Stirling might still have some. As got off the train onto crunching platforms our five year old was delighted - as was I! We love snow and ice in our family. Winter is meant to be cold. The world looks fresh and new under snow.



We skated our way up the steep and picturesque old streets to the castle, me enjoying being back in this place we explored often as children. I pushed and pulled the baby and buggy and thought what a good toboggan the buggy might make on the way down. Oren made the most of every treacherous patch of iced over snow we came to.





The lovely little park sandwiched between Spittal Street, Baker Street and Bank Street (can you have a sandwich with three slices??) half way up the hill was looking especially beautiful, a great arena to play in.





Reaching the top the Ochil Hills looked stunning with their snow tops, Wallace Monument dark in front of them. Oren found lots of snow mountains to climb in the car park while I looked down freezingly at that rather wonderful Old Town Cemetery and wondered how it can be that children don't feel the cold.
- www.oldtowncemetery.co.uk/stones/the-star-pyramid/









I made this pastel piece in my studio a few days later.





Inside the castle we explored and played. As dusk fell the Great Hall looked stunning from the outside and stunning from the inside, Christmas tree in place and stage all set up for a performance of A Christmas Carol with a very nice wintery snowy scene.





In the Royal chambers a French courtier - dressed for the part and holding her needlework - pointed out some of the eleven unicorns in and around the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries. The tapestries took years to weave and cost £2 million. I remember watching them gradually taking shape on visits to the castle when I was much younger. 
The costumed courtier brought alive for us what it would have been like to visit this room for an audience with the Queen. We'd know we were really important if the Queen invited us next door, past her guards, for a private hearing in her bedchamber, at the desk beside the four poster bed - where she probably didn't actually sleep.



In the vaults we played with musical instruments, interactive screens, a court jester. Learned about where pigments and dyes came from in the 1500s...

Views from the castle down to the Queen's Knot and King's Knot






Stirling Castle is a great day out. Entrance is free to Historic Scotland members. Booking is recommended but not always necessary.

www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/stirling-castle




Trains to Stirling are three an hour from Edinburgh, journey time 40-50 minutes. Even more frequent from Glasgow Queen Street and journey time of only around half an hour.
Check before your journey at - www.scotrail.co.uk


Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionDecember 2022

#ScotlandByRail on social media 

National Mining Museum Scotland, acrylic, 16.5x25cm

A family railway day out to Newtongrange on the Borders Line, to visit the National Mining Museum Scotland.
Each time I go on the Borders Railway Line I remember so strongly the first time I travelled on it as a newly (re)opened line back in 2015 - 2015/09/scotland-by-rail-new-borders-railway.
I can't describe how exciting it was to suddenly have a new railway line to explore! I can't wait until another new bit, the Levenmouth Rail Link, opens in hopefully not much more than a year from now:
- scotlandsrailway.com/projects/levenmouth 
- levenmouth.co.uk

Here are a couple of my past Scotland By Rail Borders Line trips:
1 - Tweedbank - Abbotsford House, nuthatches, kingfisher, Robin's Pincushions, Darnick...
I loved this walk.
2 - Stow - sheep, river, well, 5 dippers, up into the hills
(There seem to be puns flying everywhere in this one. It must have been before having children)


Anyway, back to Newtongrange:
In Edinburgh, Waverlying goodbye to uncle Roan:



Then on to the Tweedbank train, destination Newtongrange and the National Mining Museum.
brothers in love (one of them not given much choice)

It was a cold day at last. We played spot the frost as we travelled along the line. Little pockets visible here and there in shady spots where the pale yellow winter sun hadn't ever reached.
Newtongrange station. Spot the roof of the Mining Museum.


Newtongrange station, zigzaggy footpath past the car park and up to the village.



And off to the National Mining Museum Scotland, a lovely hedged footpath leading directly to it from the station car park. The museum is about a minute away.










But I like to explore a place when I first arrive, not just head straight indoors. And we were hungry. So about turn, up that zigzaggy station footpath and into Newtongrange village. A main street of red-brick miners' cottages, red-brick miners cottages leading perpendicularly off it. Go onto Google Maps satellite view and have a look at the layout of the village centre, it's quite remarkable.



beautiful yarrow and pithead winding wheel
Miners Memorial and Newtongrange Church
naughty doggy
Welfare Park, a great big green space


Then to the National Mining Museum:





The two display / exhibition sections of the museum are top class. If I was going by myself (without young children!) I'd want to spend a couple of hours reading and looking at everything before then touring around the pithead itself.

Many remarkable images:



Models helping it all feel real:


Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace, a Historic Environment Scotland site and another Scotland By Rail day - Taynuilt station on the line to Oban.
I thought I'd blogged this years ago but it appears not. Oops.
My closest is Loch Awe - walk to Cruachan Dam and special St Conan's Kirk


More models to explore, buttons to press:




Now the National Mining Museum Scotland

Not a model. A huge long elevated tunnel.
nb the miners are models.

A lot of things really terrible to imagine:





A model of Coaltown of Wemyss, a picturesque mining village on the coastal bus route north from Kirkcaldy. Another great day out with estate parkland walk down to the shore and Fife Coastal Path. I must blog it.





In the pub with Sir Harry Lauder.



!!

At the pithead:


The actual lift used to transport miners down and up:



Looking out. Imagine what it felt like seeing sky again after a day hundreds of feet under ground. Especially imagine what it felt like for those young boys.


National Mining Museum Scotland, acrylic, 16.5x25cm





Mining family. Spot...?


At the coalface. Pit supports. Compare these to the photo of a miner slithering between stubby wooden struts




the outside of that elevated tunnel (model miners inside)


other Midlothian Things To Do

The National Mining Museum Scotland is open daily.

There are tours you can book on or you can go around entirely solo. We spent about two hours there but I could and would like to spend much longer than that

The museum has a nice cafe but you should check which days it is open. If you need food on a cafe-closed day there is The Dean Tavern only a ten minute walk away down the main street (name - Main Street) of Newtongrange. Really nice to do that as you get to have a feel for the village as in my pics above. Along that street there is also a Scotmid (with hot food), a Coop and a Best-one newsagent. 

There are lots of festive things at the museum this December (2022), such as screenings of the Polar Express, The Snowman and more; Santa's Grotto; a panto... - https://www.nationalminingmuseum.com/experience/whats-on/

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Getting to Newtongrange:
Trains from Edinburgh Waverley are half hourly Monday to Saturday and hourly on Sundays. The journey takes about 20 minutes. 
Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk
-----------------------


Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.

Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionNovember 2022

#ScotlandByRail on social media 

Diver & Inchkeith Island from Granton breakwater, Wardie Bay, Edinburgh. Soft pastel on pastel paper

Wherever I go and whenever possible I try to make some time and space for nature. I'm almost always travelling by public transport and I believe that makes it easier, not harder, to get yourself into a little bit of green. By car it's so easy to step out of your house and straight into your car bubble then out of your car bubble and straight into wherever you were going, no experiencing anything along the way.

By public transport it's different.

If it's a place I've never been to, perhaps to attend an appointment or run a workshop in a new place or deliver work to a new gallery, I make a point of checking the Ordnance Survey map and Google maps (on Satellite view - look for green) for places near to my route which I could walk to or through. Rather than doing as Google tells me I'll get off the train a stop early, or the bus five minutes early, have a bit of a walk to complete the journey. Or after my appointment I'll give myself half an hour in a local park with my lunch or a book or my sketchbook, or just my binoculars.
Being like this makes such a difference to my day, to my contentment levels. To my life.
If it's a place I'm familiar with, such as Edinburgh which is 'my city', I already have a strong idea of what's where and where I might detour to. I likely don't need to check a map, just think, "I'm due in 'x' at such and such a time, I'll catch the train an hour early so I can walk along rather than get the bus. But I still get surprises, find spots I never knew. This time it was Wardie Bay and the Granton Harbour breakwater.
I had paintings to deliver to the Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show, raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, in the Tattoo Office at the bottom of Cockburn Street, right by Waverley Station. And paintings to collect from St Columba's Hospice, 2.6 miles to the north (Google says so), right on the shore at Granton.
I knew I could get the no.16 bus the whole way down, taking maybe 40 minutes depending on traffic, or I could walk down, taking maybe an hour, depending how many cafes and charity shops I stopped at. It was a truly gorgeous autumn day. Edinburgh looks perfect in that weather. 

Here's what I ended up finding, a spot I never knew. 3min 40sec video:

And this is my walk:

From Waverley Station I walked through the new pretty impressive St James Quarter and down Broughton Street.

Past Mansfield Traquair, have you ever been in?

You should to see the Phoebe Anna Traquair murals inside

East Claremont Street and Bellevue Terrace
here you can go straight ahead down Canonmills or right onto Broughton Road to join the network of old Edinburgh railways - now brilliant walk and cycle ways

This is turning right and onto the path network. From here it's traffic free, and green green green almost all the way to the shore.




But I felt like walking the Edinburgh streets while they we were looking so beautiful, and there was a charity shop I wanted to visit a bit further on. So I continued down Canonmills:


over the Water of Leith at Canonmills
Inverleith Row. People allowing trees to be trees! I love this.
Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, East Gate
Botanics entrance and signposts showing so many places to walk and cycle

Wonderful! We all need to be much more like this.
Still Inverleith Row. It's a lonnnnnnnnnng, straight road with very picturesque buildings, good gardens...
great side streets too
at the end turn right onto Ferry Road.
(good charity shop just visible on the right here and cafes not far behind me)
then left onto South Trinity Road, and straight on until pretty much at the shore
passing another way down onto the Edinburgh railway path network
path network - connects so many parts of Edinburgh. trees all the way
still on South Trinity Road, a lovely place to walk
South Trinity Road becomes Stirling Road
past St Columba's Hospice Care
(they have a really nice cafe, - The Iona Cafe - open to all)
and down to the shore.

I emerged onto the shore road and wide traffic free path, spend a good while just looking then noticed a breakwater sticking out on the left, and that people were walking on it. I had to go, never mind about getting home later than planned.
panoramic photo showing the whole spread of shore.
Granton Harbour on far left, Newhaven on far right.
Walkway and cycle path runs along here for miles.

Brilliant wildlife watching all along the shore and all along the breakwater.  Seals, dolphins, porpoise and whales all might, at times, be seen from here.
I sawoystercatcherredshankturnstonedunlinheronherring gullblack-headed gullred-throated diverblack-throated divergreat crested grebecormoranteider duckrock pipitgrey wagtailpied wagtailcrowmagpiejackdawstarlingferal pigeon
Probably more but I forgot to consciously take note of all species until on the bus back to the station.
Still, 20 bird species without trying. 
Have you ever tried noting all the wildlife you see on a walk / in a day / in your garden / from your office window? 
It's amazing how high the list can get. It's amazing how it makes you start to notice more.
oystercatchers
grey wagtail (yes, they are bright yellow underneath)
grey wagtail hopping for flies
at least four turnstones in this photo
what can you spot?
grey heron
red-throated diver



Look, I like this a lot.Not fencing off a wonderful asset to the community, just trusting people. And lots of people were using it. Sensibly.

Looking to Newhaven from the breakwater
along the breakwater. Fife across the water.
Inchkeith island and waterfront buildings at Newhaven 
two thirds of the way along the breakwater! Stunning
looking back to the shore, Arthur's Seat just visible
Berwick Law, North Berwick
I stopped and sketched. Diver, buoy/beacon/marker thingy, Inchkeith island. Soft pastel.


Here are some of the islands of the Forth you can see from the breakwater and shore:
Inchmickery
Inchcolm and Inchcolm Abbey.
Visitable April to October - https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/inchcolm-abbey/
Inchkeith island and lighthouse

Wardie Bay Residents Association on
facebook - www.facebook.com/WardieBayinstagram - www.instagram.com/wardiebaytwitter - https://twitter.com/wardiebay





Eventually I dragged myself away and headed home. Lothian Buses number 16 goes all the way from the shore at Granton, heading east, eventually coming along Commercial Street, up the shore (very nice to wander around), up Leith walk and to Princes Street, right by Waverley Station.
Newhaven Harbour, from the top deck of no.16 bus
past the Royal Yacht Britannia
Over the Water of Leith at the Shore, still on the no.16 bus


Why not try a bit more public transport and a bit more room for nature :)

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Getting to Edinburgh:
Trains from all over Scotland!
Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk
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Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog, supported by ScotRail.
Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out.
Leo du FeuScotRail Community Rail ChampionNovember 2022

#ScotlandByRail on social media


 

This year my calendar is called 'Space for Nature' and features a selection of places and wildlife happenings which have inspired me. Ten of the thirteen images have been created out and about, the remaining three painted in my studio.

calendar is same format as usual:- folded & stapled with hole for hanging- A4 (21x30cm) closed, A3 (42x30cm) open- printed sustainably in the UK on 100% recycled paper- includes UK Holidays, various dates of interest, solstices, full moon, new moon...
£11 each£10 each if you order five or more.
+ p&p

Click here to order - https://forms.gle/Y9wZUssamX4GbkR29






Here are all the images:


























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Six winter / Christmas card designs are also available:
1 card = £1.5010 cards = £1220 cards = £20 
**Mix & Match between all designs. Let us know how many of each.
Details are here - http://landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.com/2022/11/winter-christmas-cards-ready-to-post




_________________________________________________________________


What about a wood engraving for a Christmas gift?
My four wood engravings are hand engraved in my studio and each hand printed in my studio in an edition of 100. 
They are unframed and unmounted but do get in touch and we may be able to offer them mounted or framed.

**NB - engravings may take longer to reach you than cards and calendars. 














winter owl, 3x8cm£25 per print, includes UK p&p. 

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studio wren, 7.5x5cm£60 per print, includes UK p&p. 


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ocean giant£40 per print, includes UK p&p. 


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ocean life£40 per print, includes UK p&p. 



______________________________________  


To order please fill in the google docs form here- https://forms.gle/Y9wZUssamX4GbkR29


Many thanks :)

- cards are 7x5inch / 5x7inch (c.175mm x 125mm)

- blank inside- white envelopes- printed sustainably in the UK on 100% recycled card
1 card = £1.5010 cards = £1220 cards = £20 
+ p&p
**Mix & Match between all designs. Let us know how many of each.**
Click here to order - https://forms.gle/Y9wZUssamX4GbkR29


garden wren


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winter pond


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hillfort in winter



























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woodland deer



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king penguin



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winter woods



























_________________________________________________________________


2023 CALENDAR ready now too- £11 +p&p.- details & all the images here - http://landscapeartnaturebirds.blogspot.com/2022/11/2023-calendar-now-ready-to-post.html







_________________________________________________________________


And what about a wood engraving for a Christmas gift?
My four wood engravings are hand engraved in my studio and each hand printed in my studio in an edition of 100. 
They are unframed and unmounted but do get in touch and we may be able to offer them mounted or framed.

**NB - engravings may take longer to reach you than cards and calendars. 

















winter owl, 3x8cm£25 per print, includes UK p&p. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------






















studio wren, 7.5x5cm£60 per print, includes UK p&p. 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
















ocean giant£40 per print, includes UK p&p. 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
















ocean life£40 per print, includes UK p&p. 


______________________________________  


To order please fill in the google docs form here- https://forms.gle/Y9wZUssamX4GbkR29


Many thanks.

It's time again for Postcards from The Line at the Line Gallery in Linlithgow - my hometown gallery and first gallery to ever exhibit my work (about 20 years ago

 Previous related blog posts

- Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

- Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

This blog post - a 6km ish circular walk starting and ending at Rothesay ferry terminal.

The ferries to the Isle of Bute are so frequent and the journey time so short that you really can nip across for just a couple of hours. I had about 5 hours. I started with an hour exploring Rothesay town - cafes, some excellent charity shops, gallery, this tourist info centre in old Winter Gardens pavilion, a moated castle... Then I bought picnic lunch and headed west, climbing a steep road up out of the town. Countryside was lovely, gentle farmland moorland with tree patches here and there and views of mountains (Arran and mainland) in the distance. Lots and lots of bird life. Quiet country road and traffic free footpath took me north and gradually downhill all the way to the shore at Port Bannatyne. From there a couple of kilometres walk back along the coastal road to the ferry, stopping for supplies at Ardbeg village shop. A great, easy walk to give a bit of a feel for Bute.

Here's the walk:

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Getting to Bute:
Trains from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay are hourly and the journey takes about 50 minutes.
Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk
Ferry from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay.
Check Calmac timetable and website - www.calmac.co.uk/article/7826/Bute-Wemyss-Bay---Rothesay



-----------------------
Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Please spread the word and do let me know of any of your favourite railway days out. 

Previous blog post - Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

Next blog post - a 5km circular walk from Rothesay.

This blog post - Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

What a station.

I've been visiting recently in preparation for a set of commissions I am soon to undertake for the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station who have their bookshop and gallery in this part of the main station concourse:




And here is the inside of the bookshop and gallery space. Full of interest, history, books, cards, gifts to buy:

Mostly Wemyss Bay station is a place you travel to to:

- see the station, bookshop, cafe...

- travel onwards to the isle of Bute

Even while you're still in the station you hear and see the sea. Walking down the (stunning) covered ramp between station concourse and ferry ticket office I could hear and smell seabirds, wonderful. From the windows shags and gulls and other seabirds were visible:

pair of shags

same spot, zoomed out

Now on the ferry, about to depart:

The end of the ferry opens to allow cars in and out. I had to video it for our son:

On MV Argyll soon after departing Wemyss Bay.
Isle of Bute & Rothesay town ahead & MV Bute just visible forwards left.

The journey to Rothesay on Bute takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay, run by Calmac. There are two ferries, MV Argyll and MV Bute. They pass each other half way across.

MV Bute passes MV Argyll (which I was on), Bute heading for Wemyss Bay, Argyll for Rothesay



Toward Toward Lighthouse (yes, that's correct) on the Cowal peninsula

Bute already



looking north-north-west towards Loch Striven, Kyles of Bute...

now sadly derelict bath house

Note the Winter Gardens (sage green with terracotta roof).
Now Isle of Bute Discovery Centre (ie Tourist Info +)

Rothesay with mountains of Arran behind




And don't forget the Black guillemots:











Rothesay Ferry Terminal

marina

Rothesay Ferry Terminal + ferry.

Next blog post - a 5km circular walk from Rothesay.

Previous blog post - Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

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Getting to Wemyss Bay:
Trains from Glasgow Central station are hourly and the journey takes about 50 minutes.
Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk

Ferry Wemyss Bay to Rothesay:
The journey takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay
Check Calmac timetable and website - www.calmac.co.uk/article/7826/Bute-Wemyss-Bay---Rothesay



-----------------------
Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Please spread the word and do let me know of any of your favourite railway days out. 

On my way to Wemyss Bay and the ferry to Rothesay (see future posts) I broke my journey in Port Glasgow. I wanted to see John McKenna's newly installed 33ft tall sculpture, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow. I had half about half an hour before my next train and the walk to the shore and Shipbuilders is no more than five minutes, so fifteen minutes to enjoy looking out over the River Clyde, at the not-yet-finished ferry MV Glen Sannox, at the colossal Shipbuilders, at other public art I didn't know was there, and at a black guillemot. 

The Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow are truly outstanding. Here they are:

Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, John McKenna

Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, John McKenna

And here they are again in this short video / video blog / vlog I put on my:- facebook- instagram- twitterTake your pick!


The Clyde:
The River Clyde, looking north-west towards Helensburgh, the Rosneath peninsula and beyond.
Click here for previous Helensburgh Scotland By Rail blog post.)

MV Glen Sannox, under construction..

Black guillemot. Living on the east coast I rarely see them.
The moment you get to a bit of west coast shore - there they are.
DYK they have bright red feet and inside-mouths to match?


Another shipping sculpture:




And other public art:




An excellent set of murals at Port Glasgow station:




I'll go for more than half an hour next time.

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Getting to Port Glasgow:
Port Glasgow is 20 miles west of Glasgow. The journey takes roughly half an hour from Glasgow Central station with three trains an hour on weekdays and Saturdays and two an hour on Sundays.
Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk



-----------------------
Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.
Please spread the word and do let me know of any of your favourite railway days out. 

So sorry it's taken such a time to get this online. Several other Scotland By Rail days to follow soon!


My last post was a really enjoyable and almost all traffic free walk along canal and river to Redhall Walled Garden. This one shows the garden itself. Please note these photos were all taken back in February and March.
SAMH's (Scottish Association for Mental Health) Redhall Walled Garden is "a therapeutic horticultural project based in a beautiful walled garden." It certainly is beautiful. I've only been in winter and spring when bulbs and tubers are poking their way through the leaf litter then turn by turn opening flowerheads wide. The woodland garden corner especially was an absolute dream. By now, the start of summer, the whole garden will be looking so lush.
Visitors are welcome at Redhall Walled Garden from 9am - 4pm Monday to Friday. The garden is closed at weekends apart from special open days. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates - www.facebook.com/RedhallWalledGarden




But I must warn you that Redhall has: