On Saturday, 6 March, 1971 five of us took off on a spring adventure - Ali Douglas; Les Ramage; Boo-Boo Hanlon; Iain and Peter Hoffmann..
Ali Douglas; Iain Hoffmann; the Author; and ‘Boo-Boo’ Hanlon in front of
Mons Meg, Edinburgh Castle, 1971
We took the number 27
bus to Edinburgh
Castle
to explore our heritage.
It was always good
fun going out together, great company with
many laughs. Although we had a
rough outline of the day ahead,
we
never quite knew what would
happen or who we
might meet along the way.
Iain Hoffmann; the
Author; and Boo-Boo
Hanlon - Soldier unknown
Iain Hoffmann; Boo-Boo
Hanlon;
and the Author 43 years later at
Swanston Golf Club, Edinburgh
From the
castle
we
walked all the way down
the Royal Mile and
then up and over Arthur's Seat.
We
were in no hurry and
walked at an easy pace,
calling in at one or two of the
shops along
the way. There were fewer tourists around
then and the Old Town still had a significant population, so it was local
people and workers who were in the area.
Iain Hoffmann and
Ali Douglas Boo-Boo Hanlon and Les Ramage
Arthurs Seat
Although we were young
and
fit the climb up Arthur's Seat was a stiff one and
we
quickly built up a sweat and the beginning of a sound appetite. At one stage, whilst running
through the
long grass, we unknowingly
came to the edge of a sharp
precipice which
would have been
all too easy to
have fallen over.
Ali Douglas and either Les Ramage or Boo-Boo dangerously close to the edge above Holyrood Palace
We had a general
sense of direction now. Once we had reached
the summit and taken in the 360 degree panoramic view of Edinburgh,
we
traversed
Arthur's Seat and
got
sight of Duddingston Loch in
the valley below; we'd
found our bearings. It was downhill now. We leapt like
hares and galloped like horses,
occasionally crashing,
rolling and laughing, as we ran
and tumbled down the hill.
No
matter the weather, Holyrood Park
and Duddingston Loch are quite magical with
quiet parts where you
can completely escape the city.
Duddingston Loch,
Charles Lee, 1853
A century before, Robert Louis Stevenson
enjoyed it in all the seasons too. He writes in the
winter of 1874,
of looking down on the frozen
loch, at the skaters flitting around,
under the light from
the
moon and lit torches.
Skaters, Duddingston Loch, Charles Lee,
1857
A fantasy in dull
school lessons was to
visit
Duddingston Loch
on a spring or autumn Saturday afternoon with a rubber dinghy and gently
float around the loch, whilst listening
to a football commentary on
my miniature radio.
Duddingston Loch
After the excitement of Edinburgh Castle,
the Royal Mile and
Arthur's Seat, the long road through
Duddingston to
Durham Road was the least enjoyable
part of the journey, particularly because by then,
we
were hungry.
Boo-Boo Hanlon, Duddingston Golf Course,
1971 the
end in sight
Afternoon tea awaits for five hungry boys
We hadn't planned ahead
or notified our grandparents, but
we
knew from old, that there was no trouble turning
up
announced on
their
doorstep. There was a warm welcome and
a massive tea soon followed bacon and eggs and scones and
buns were soon drummed
up for us to
enjoy.
Grandfather (Gaga), buying the Ford Zephyr, Hawick with the Author
After tea, we got
a lift back home from Portobello to
Oxgangs in our
grandfather's large stylish Ford
Zephyr car with
its
American
styled
tail fins. It easily
accommodated three in
the front and three in the back.
I suppose we
were cheeky in requesting a
lift back by 6.30
pm, but Ali had to get home to see an
Aunt and Uncle. Even
after the day’s adventures, we still
had the energy to
play a game of singles and dodgy
ball well into the evening.
Happy,
timeless and seemingly endless days of friendship
and companionship.
