Biggar Ramblers - 23/6/17
It was a lovely evening for the annual 'bring a dish ' meal which was preceded by a short two mile walk just to sharpen appetites! The group met at Candybank and walked down the country lane towards Elsrickle. Consent was very kindly granted to enter the grounds of Edmonston House. This splendidly proportioned historic building is hidden away and many of the group were unaware of its existence. The main objective though was to cross the Candy Burn as there is an ancient dam here that backs up a very scenic fishing lake that beautifully reflects the battlements of the big house. From here a short woodland walk led to the main objective of the evening - the 'cattle creep' under the A702. There have been temporary traffic lights here for several months as some restoration work is required to ensure this unseen feature on the main road can continue to support the ever increasing volume of traffic. It was a surprise to all as no one was really aware of its existence! The seized gate suggested this route had not been used for a very long time. The group now crossed the fields of Brownsbank Farm to reach the route of the 'old Roman road' marked in the OS map. This in turn lad back to the farm road that passes the 'writers cottahe' of Hugh MacDiarmid fame. The walkers now made their way back to the main road for a much more treacherous crossing to Candymill and their return to Candybank for a now well deserved casual evening meal. Lovely dishes had been brought. We ate well. It was a lovely evening informal get together with plenty to discuss and a final video slide show summary of our previous year's outings. A good time was had by all as they looked forward to continuing the summer programme (details of which are posted on the Biggar Ramblers web site and in the Lanark Gazette).
