new year

I am not a big fan of jumping around while a page in the winter calendar turns. I can get excited about butterflies returning in April but not about the drunks of Leith staying up late at the end of December and falling over in the street to a firework theme tune. So when I heard Graham and John were going to bring in the new year at the top of Allermuir, I thought that might be the best way to distance myself from Leith and the banality of the TV.

Turns out I wasn't the only one and Helen and Alex were also at Graham's when I cycled over there. We had a beer then put our hillshoes on and headed up the hill. Dress codes varied from shorts (John) to trousers and duvet jacket (Alex). And there was suitable weather for both those and everything between. It was unseasonably mild leaving Bonaly, but by the time we got to the top of Allermuir there was a hoolie blowing that made you put all the extra clothes on in your back pack and wish you too were wearing a duvet jacket. It was also misty, rather we were in low cloud. 100 feet lower and there was a good view over town but up there huddled below the trig point you only caught glimpses of the lights below coming and going. Mostly going. No fireworks tonight then.  

We timed it a little poorly arriving at 11.45 with a 15 minute wait, stomping and rubbing hands to keep warm. To my surprise, headtorches came up the hill from Swanston and we were joined by 20 or more folk. Everyone standing about in the damp, howling dark passing round hip-flasks or paper cups. The wind was whipping the fizzy wine out the cups as you lifted it to your lips. After an age Willie eventually gave us the countdown from his phone, and there was cheering, happy-new-yearing and more drinking. I wondered out loud how long we had to endure, before we could descend. There was a reluctance to leave first but as soon as someone broke that taboo we all shouldered our packs and skedaddled. 

A short distance back down the hill and the lights of Edinburgh re-appeared with fireworks randomly dotting the townscape spread out below. It was a considerable improvement on upstairs, and we chatted and joked on the way back to chez-Nash. Lots more chat and fun, a few drinks, and then a cycle home; delighted to have missed all the shenanigans that have tourists coming from miles to spend thousands to experience. I had a very enjoyable evening with a small group of like-minded folk, who would rather be in running gear up a baltic hill than surrounded by a drunken mob in Princes St. 

Consequently I was a bit late out of bed next morning. Mary was keen to go for a run at Gullane and by the time we got there, my head had just about recovered. Sort of to be expected, there were loads of folk out walking dogs and hangovers. Mary needed a pee, the public loos being closed to celebrate the new year. The JMW was busy with fellow travellers, so we took a route we don't usually, in search of a quieter spot. We ended up at the ruins we only ever see from a distance and had a look round before checking out the woods we only ever see from the other side of the field. It was fun but we returned to the JMW as there wasn't a particularly good line over to Aberlady car park which was totally full with cars parked all up the road either side.

I really like the windows of the Aberlady toilets.

The sun had been threatening to come out from behind these clouds all afternoon; but never really made it. There were some nice crepuscular moments and the beach was fairly spectacular. But it then fizzled out rather than giving us a nuclear sunset. All quite nice though. I've had worse new years!