An IPA (International Police Association) day out

In 1966 as a new recruit to the then Lothian and Peebles Police, whilst at the Scottish Police College our class was given a talk on the benefits of the International Police Association ( IPA) after which I decided to pay my pennies and join up - and have paid my annual membership ever since. The IPA is now a worldwide organisation for Police Officers and it is possible through the National Headquarters to arrange holidays, meet new friends, pen pals, take part in the Police seminars, and use the many IPA houses around Europe (plus much more). Over the years I have had varied degrees of involvement and more recently very little. However, while I was in hospital over x-mas my son, RGB met two German Police Officers who came into the Mercat Bar for a meal, along with their dogs !!
On Sunday last, RGB told me that the two visitors were back in town again and by pure chance I met them on Monday morning in the Bar but only had a short time to talk to them before heading for an appointment with the medical folks. In conversation it transpired that Horst and Sylvia ( both detectives) were members of the IPA and even had their current (and old) cards with them.

I later arranged to meet them on Tuesday morning when we headed off eastwards from Leith Links and headed along the foreshore through Portobello and down to Fisherrow Harbour , Musselburgh.







Next, past Musselburgh Race Course, and our stop was at Prestongrange to see the big beam engine which was erected by a Cornish mining company who took over the Prestongrange mine in the mid 1800's. The miner had been operating since the 1400's when it was opened by the monks from Newbattle but then changed hands several times, however with the constant flooding 400 feet underground it was not until the beam engine was up and running that the mine became viable. The engine, with its wooden beam was only stopped twice in seventy years and that was only for maintenance. ( and my washing machine has broken down three times in five years !!!).

This site is now a museum and there are various items for the visitors to see, but in its time it was a very big and busy complex with the mine, railway yards, and a brick works.
In 1524's there was a record of a harbour there which eventually was filled in in the mid 1990's. The harbour, known as Morrisons Harbour or at one stage when owned by the Acheson family as Acheson's Haven. Acheson, a very keen mason formed a lodge in Prestonpans, and has the oldest set of records held, dating back to 9th January 1599.

Despite the land fill it is possible to make out the pilings , etc of the old harbour.

Next stop was the harbour at Port Seaton, but with the tide out it was a bit of a sorry sight, and also a reminder of the demise of the small shipbuilders who operated along the coast.

We then stopped at the "Bents" past Seaton Sands where I took the photo of the twin chimneys at Cockenzie Power station ( one of the chimneys which Grant @ photogenics has to climb up).






Our next stop stop was at the Green at Aberlady which looks over the Aberlady Bay, now a nature reserve - but way back it was the site of Luffness Harbour ( see old painting)

We then made our way through Gullane, home of Muirfield Golf Club, one of the Open Golf Venue's, to North Berwick most famous for the Bass Rock, home for millions of seabirds, Berwick Law, with its whales jaw bones on top, and a popular place for visitors. The visitor's Centre has live CCTV feeds to the colonies and is a very popular venue for tourists, bird watcher's and school children.

The once very popular open air swimming pool has been filled in and is now a car park, but with nice views of the harbour (tide out) and the Islands of Fidra, bass rock and in the distance the May Isle. North Berwick itself is steeped in history being one of the original Scottish ports, the site of the old St Andrews Kirk, etc - well worth a visit and more research.

With time running out it was homewards at a fast rate of knots, along the A1, stopping for a snack at The Dolphin Inn and then a quick detour via the Hillend Ski Centre before reaching the centre of the City.

Hopefully Horst and Sylvia enjoyed, their day out, have had a safe journey home and we look forward to seeing them again in a few weeks time when they return.