best part of the day: LND 2 NB

28th Sept.

And a really good run along what is fast becoming a regular 14miler. A slightly different route on this occasion and running with small cameras rather than walking with large ones, but another great day out.

train to Longniddry

large white high in the trees before we got to the coast

slightly warmer than anticipated
so Mary had her long sleeve top off before long

peacock on coastal path

curlew by driving range

We had a quick mosey round the SOC garden just before Aberlady. This has become mandatory on the days it is open. (Weds~Sunday). The sun was out and it was the best butterfly spot of the run. Whoever chooses and maintains the plants and shrubs for Waterston House does a great job and there is always something in flower that attracts the butterflies. Today it was these asters which were well attended by at least 4 admirals and as many peacocks. A very cheerful sight. We hoped it might be the start of a great butterflying day but sadly the sun didn't stay out long and the next few hotspots we checked were abandoned.

Aberlady Parish Church

fox moth caterpillar

Hebridean sheep impersonating buffalo on the Savanna

on Aberlady beach this juvenile gannet was looking a bit wobbly

When it saw us it flopped into the sea and I felt the best thing was to move away and not increase its panic. It looked tired and may have been struggling to get enough food but I didn't have my phone to call anyone.

surprised to see Hazel's ice cream van in Gullane car park
although the forecast was better than the reality

I put in a vote to check out a particular back garden along Marine Terrace (next to the car park) where 3 clumps of asters have been mobbed with admirals in previous years. Cloud cover was probably the reason there were none there today. We kept having to remind ourselves the point of today was continuous running rather than the usual wildlife safari, although we did a reasonable job of combining both aspects. Our running careers were on hold for so long (through injury, covid and laxity on my part) that sometimes we forget we are top athletes and not just acclaimed photographers! 😜

sunflowers
or, in Scotland, flowers

pear tree!

the only butterfly at hotspot number 3, Archerfields gatehouse

The notion to check out Marine Drive and then Archerfields had us divert from the usual coastal paths through dunes and along the coast East of Gullane, to following the road further inland. Mary also remembered the yellow buddlieas in the garden as you come into Dirleton which is a fantastic spot for late season butterflies. Unfortunately the weather killed that notion (there were still a few plumes in flower) but we enjoyed the change of scene and the hard pack trails and tarmac sections made for a faster pace than on the beach. We took the direct line past what used to be Dirleton Gallery. It is now closed and there is a holiday home development planned.
"A report by planners revealed that they had received eight objections to the plans, although five of them came from the same two people, and including an objection from Dirleton Village Association." Bad grammar courtesy of East Lothian Courier.

Around Yellowcraigs we seem to have got involved in a Orienteering course. I took photos of the checkpoints but refused to dib.

Don Naylor keeping an eye on the competition

There was no race to the station in time for the usual train. In fact we were something like 90minutes faster than previous attempts and well ahead of the two twenty-something train. It hadn't even pulled into the station when we arrived and so there was time to divert up to check out the platform-parallel-path for buddleia butterflies. Last hotspot of the day and another lost cause. The sandwiches bought at Aberlady were FANTASTIC and covered M's protein requirements.