Curious

Today I spotted a path going into the woods that seemed new to me. It led to the weir on the (North) Esk, and has probably opened up due to people swimming there this summer. I soon realised that it's a path that the Estate had made about ten years ago to the site of a planned footbridge over the Esk. It hadn't been open long when a big landslide cut it in two, temporarily damming the Esk. I regret that I never went to look at it before it was cleared, as I would have done if I'd been on Blipfoto then!

There's no sign now of where the path continued beyond the weir, so I decided to force my way back up the site of the landslip along the course of a small stream. Django and I were going to get wet and muddy anyway on this walk [see extra], so it didn't matter. It was also a bit smelly, as much of what had slipped was tipped waste from the paper mills for which Penicuik was once famous. [Hence the weir from the days when they were water powered.]

By the time we'd regained the usual path, it was pouring with rain, and on the way back we managed to lose the yellow ball in the wet and vegetated ditch into which it had fallen. We both had a good look, getting wetter and muddier still!

Back home, it was time for a shower and the postponed shopping trip.