Three out of phour

It's phinally Phriday and I had a day off, so I pedalled into town in the sunshine and visited a few more milestones to see what I could see.  The first one isn't in its original place – in fact I think most of them have been moved – but its writing is still beautifully clear, and tells the traveller that it's only 9 miles to Carlops, along the road to Biggar, and 12 miles to West Linton.  Interesting that even then it was "West", for there is also an "East", but once upon a time it was just Linton.

I visited a very eroded Post Horse milestone that it turns out @flumgummery spotted ages ago, and then another which is very well kept and whose writing is almost perfect.  And then another, towards Redford and Colinton, but that one is very eroded too.

Into town along the old railway to Balerno, and then along the canal, where I departed and headed for Dalry where I had previously seen a cluster of phone boxes.  The absolute state of them.  I think these are the KX+ model, because they have those red fibreglass tops.  Each still has a phone but judging by the piles of cans and cushions and things inside, I think they have been...requisitioned.  Beside the three phone boxes is, or was, one designed for an ATM.  But that's been taken away and the thing boarded up good and proper.

From Dalry it was a spin across town to Portobello.  No real reason, except I had cycled all the way along Princes St and realised the route I really wanted to take was the Innocent Railway out to Brunstane, and that route is a mile or two away and up the hill.  So I tootled down to the beach and had some lunch in one of the cafes.  Homemade veggie soup and a coffee hit the spot.

The Brunstane route took me past the old Freightliner terminal, whose sole remaining Herbert Morris container crane is looking very sad now.  From there I rode over to the hellscape of Fort Kinnaird so that I could visit the toy shop.  I was very disappointed though, and I think I need to find somewhere that is more like a proper old fashioned toy shop, not a warehouse full of plastic.

I could have cycled straight home but I diverted to have a look at what's left of Shawfair Bing, which I've been meaning to do for ages but the access paths were always very hogweedy before.  Of course there wasn't much to see, because it's a huge grey, levelled expanse of slag, with lots of buddelia.  But I'm happy I was able to see it.  It'll probably get bulldozed into nothing one day as they expand the Shawfair metropovillage.

I'd had enough of saddles by then, so made haste and cycled the several miles home, steamed in the bathroom and within half an hour was heading out on Madame Fidra for tea at Mum and Dad's.  We even had a little slideshow afterwards on their big TV!