John Muir Way Part Two. Ash Lagoons. Ash Mountain. Wildlife Reserve. Leith Docks. Turbine Platforms.

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The second half of my Seaton Sands to Musselburgh walk along the John Muir Way was equally interesting. From a small park in Prestonpans I could see in the distance over the trees and across the Firth of Forth Leith docks current mega structure. The huge yellow turbine platforms, situated here during most of 2026. Assembled at the docks before being moved out to a new offshore wind farm.

When I came here over 20 years ago another mega structure was my prize back then. The Cockenzie Power Station was still in operation and three large ash lagoons occupied the space between Prestonpans and Musselburgh. It was a stunning site back then. Huge pipes carried the used spent waste of coal ash underground to here then dumped it into the ash lagoons. This is one of the pipe outlets into the largest lagoon and beside it on the left of the photo was ash mountain. Everything in sight was grey, just like the surface of the moon, stretching to the horizon. Not expecting this at all I was shocked and amazed. Nobody around to stop me so I immediately seized my chance and climbed ash mountain to the summit. A very special hill bagged. For obvious reasons it reminded me of the Lonely Mountain in the Hobbit, sleeping dragons within, and the wastes around Mordor and Mount Doom. ( which was based on JRR Tolkien's personal experience of the destroyed landscapes he witnessed fighting battles in the First World War. (and in Ukraine and Gaza today unfortunately... and now the new threat of wasted lands caused by human induced climate change, world water shortage, and the mass extinction of flora and fauna yet to come. Unless it is reversed quickly....but there will always be wars or other issues happening so I am not hopeful of that occurring. Nature can bounce back though- given a decent chance to recover.)

A zoomed view of Edinburgh's Royal Mile leading up to Edinburgh Castle with Portobello Beach ( Edinburgh's seaside town) and its two distinctive bottle kilns clearly visible. An ash mountain view. Even back then this area was destined to be a nature reserve ( according to info boards I looked at then) and over the next 20 years I watched it happening, gradually transforming from grey to green during my infrequent visits here.

This is one of the ash lagoons slowly being drained and covered over. Taken years later when the Cockenzie Power Station had stopped operating. So I felt really privileged to have seen this area and climbed ash mountain that one single time. Nothing else in Scotland like it... or in the UK maybe?

The edge of the dry ash lagoon being covered over by summer weeds taken around 10 years ago. Even 20 years ago with the ash lagoons in full swing they had purpose built nesting holes in the ash in certain areas for swifts, swallows, housemartins, etc... and loads of these birds using them. The irony being now that it is a fully established nature reserve, all these fast bird populations have crashed. Never seen a single one this time. I used to be out in my garden at night every summer with the sound of hunting swifts overhead and elsewhere in Glasgow you would always hear them soaring high above the city streets. That distinctive joyful scream. Not seen or heard any for the last 10 years though. Swallows are also thin on the ground in the Scottish city parks and meadows. Once a common sight here.

On a previous visit I did get good photos of  bird life from the handful of hides in this area so I thought I'd try again. Redshank and sandpiper here. Two older photographs from that time.

 Wagtail chasing flies and other small insects.

Finding the best hides was the hard part. Around a dozen of them scattered wide and not always easy to discover on a brief visit. The former ash lagoons in 2026, now drained and covered over with grass....

....but again it was worth it. The tide was high so most of the Firth of Forth estuary birds had moved to here for extra inland feeding and resting before flying back out for another low tide forage. Shelducks and Canada geese here.

A different hide nearer the coast. Looking across at a similar hide.

Male and female pheasants.

Two Shelducks. Long time favourites of mine. A large duck, goose sized with handsome colours.

Oystercatchers and Greylag Geese.

A different hide view.

Took this one as this is the JMW path but also the edge of the former largest ash lagoon, now covered in young trees. Ash mountain was presumably used to create the various islands and small mounds in this vicinity in a major reconstruction project after the power station closed. Lochore Meadows in Fife may have been similar 30 to 40 years ago but I never witnessed that place before transformation, only visited the after version.

And after that it was just a matter of walking the JMW to Musselburgh. River Esk and swans here. Then 26 bus back to Edinburgh. 

A closer view from the 26 bus window at Joppa of some of the off shore platforms gathered at Leith Docks. Edinburgh's latest mega-structure in 2026. 

Scott Monument on Princes Street. I always look for different photo opportunities and a different angle of view. Everyone has a camera or camera phone these days but it's still up to the individual to create interesting or unique shots in places where millions have already taken photographs. That's a challenge I enjoy... and good motivation.

Edinburgh on a summer evening. Fortunately everyone here is looking away so I took it. If anyone had been facing front I would not but I couldn't resist this as it sums up the unique beauty and appeal of Edinburgh. One of the great cities of the UK/world.

And I liked this as well. Might have been Harvey Nichols shop at a guess as it was between Princes Street and the bus station at St James. This is the closest I will ever get to Harvey Nichols though as I get most of the things I require from charity shops these days. Princes Street and some of the surrounding streets have a lot of scaffolding work ongoing so that's what this sign is about and from past visits they do have eye-catching widow displays, month by month. The End.

And one of Sigrid, a talented young Norwegian singer songwriter with many good videos already. Worth seeing. Catchy... as are the rest of her songs/videos. And an important message for young people, especially young woman, but some young men as well. Self worth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7lr7pU9fYA&list=RDE7lr7pU9fYA&start_radio=1

John Muir Way. Seaton Sands to Musselburgh. Edinburgh. East of Eden.

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Oil seed rape fields near Bathgate. Both the red shale heaps and the yellow flowers produce oil. Paraffin from the shale collected in the past, the large red bings of discarded (post oil production) shale in this area which still gives it a distinctive look... and the vivid yellow of the rapeseed fields ( called Canola in some other countries, like Canada, the USA and Australia. Canada Oil is the long full name for Canola as that country managed to produce an edible version of oilseed rape. So less waste in their vast fields of it. Every part of the plant used.) It likes a dry growing climate so you rarely see this colour over on the Scottish west coast but on the east coast, with half the rainfall and more sunshine, it thrives. I still remember many decades of past trips just to see these yellow fields and climb these substantial red bings each spring. To walk up them or cycle through long lasting dazzling fields of bright yellow on a spiderweb network of minor tarmac lanes. My own wizard of OZ/ Yellow Brick Road love affair 'inside this golden triangle.' One of the highlights and main differences of the east coast. They have a grain and hay harvest all along this flatter coast as well from Inverness, Aberdeen, Fife, down to the English border and beyond. Bare fields in autumn covered in hundreds of straw haystacks. many different types and shapes. Very few hay stacks in the soggy mountainous west.

 So once again, in spring 2026 I took the three hour bus ride to Edinburgh and the Scottish east coast. Again a solo trip as friend Alan didn't fancy sitting for six hours on buses. Bus from my house to Buchanan bus station. City to city bus 900 to Edinburgh. Then 26 Seaton Sands bus to Longniddry... or just before it. The 26 is a handy bus for Portobello, Musselburgh, and in this case Seaton Sands. I took Chris Beckett's Dark Eden to read, A remarkable book ( eventually a trilogy of stunning books)  about stranded human life existing on a cold distant planet without a sun. You get the 26 bus on Princes Street not far from the Scott Monument, seen above.

Which drops you off at Seaton Sands. A holiday park. The end point of this bus journey. From here I would walk the coastal path ( part of the John Muir Way) back to Musselburgh.

This is a walk I have done before but not for a long while. Keeps it fresh that way. The route passes through a collection of small towns and villages so this gives it extra interest.

26 bus. You can also get it outside Edinburgh Zoo or Haymarket heading east but I usually get it after I've used the bus station toilets in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and have an empty bladder just in case of any unseen delays on the way. Traffic Jams, breakdowns, whatever.

As you can see from this photo Edinburgh is a good distance away now. Arthur's Seat and Edinburgh across the Firth of Forth. This walk I'm taking is along 'the sunshine coast.'

You pass through various coastal communities and harbours on the John Muir Way. Cockenzie and Port Seaton Harbour here. Twin heritage centres linked by fishing, farming, and industry in the past. The massive coal fired Cockenzie Power Station was still in action when I first travelled through here over 20/30 years ago. Exploring this east coast then was a revelation and a game changer. Like the Munro bagging and Scottish island hopping before it... a brave new Eden to discover.... mostly alone. (Couldn't drag many bagging friends away from hills but that didn't matter.) Like John Muir, equally happy with my own company as long as I had an entire brand new environment/ world to discover with each passing visit.

Now all that's left is this small mosaic of the chimney stacks and a large vacant space where the power station once stood. The pulverized coal, once reduced to fine dust in the process, had to be disposed of somehow and this resulted in one of the most remarkable and unique landscapes I've ever witnessed in Scotland. ( but more of that later... in part two.)   

This is one of the grinding rings plus balls of the old power station used to break up the coal chunks.

Grinding ring info board.

Coastal Map. Cockenzie.

Coal, Salt, Fishing, Farming and D.I.Y soap making.... all gone in this area nowadays. Except farming.

Just the history left now mainly... although a few locals keep old traditions going in a smaller way. 

The various harbours add interest along this coastal walk.

The boatshore mystery.

Beautiful clear water. Spotted fish ten feet down from this sea wall.

King coal mural. Doing it the hard way in past times. Horse and human power.

Looking back at Cockenzie and Port Seaton from the empty power station vicinity.

The John Muir Way path skirts round it...

Cockenzie Power Station detour... The empty plot where it once stood.

Approaching Prestonpans. John Muir Way path.

 Prestonpans. any place with pans or salt in the title, usually means in Scotland/UK sea salt and coal production in past times.

Bright colours. Sea wall plant.

Spring window boxes in Prestonpans.

Another small coastal town with a long history.

Cooking salt mural.

This small park in Prestonpans holds a hidden mural you could easily walk past.

Contained within this small building. A Robert Burns tribute mural.

Using some of his famous poems, especially Tam o' Shanter. A late 1700s tale of witches, hobgoblins and the devil having a party when a human intruder, Tam, unwisely views it, then has to run for his life on his faithful horse... with the angry witches close behind.

Somewhat ironic when these east coast communities, with strong sea links to major European ports caught the witch trial bug/ hysteria even more than the west coast. Dozens tortured, hanged or burned along the sunshine coast back in the day usually taken to Edinburgh, the capital, for final punishment.

A witch grabbing the horse by the tail as it clatters across the bridge ( old running water myth.) We all know modern witches can have baths or showers of course. Times have changed.

This Prestonpans walkway can be exciting at high tide.

I've walked it in strong winds. An old photo...

I've also walked across it at high tide. Tricky and wet... but still worth it. Only knee deep on this occasion.

But this time it was fine. No wind. Just enough sand left to make it across. ( You can walk along the main street easily enough without trouble but where's the fun in that?)

John Muir. USA conservation pioneer but born and raised in Dunbar in Scotland by a very strict religious family. Once in North America however the vast wilderness there was always where he found God in his own mind...not just in carefully memorized scripture.

Ornate gate decoration. Back view. Prestonpans Park.

Town info board.

After Prestonpans the route becomes more open and wilder. A nature reserve... but I'll keep that for part two...