With sunset times becoming ever closer at this time of the year, you don’t need to venture out during the wee small hours and can enjoy an after-dark turf in the park from around 10 o’clock onwards. Even at that relatively early hour the park in question, Dalkeith country park, is fairly quiet with only a few vehicles entering and leaving the closed entrance at the Dalkeith town gate, probably from the camping area. Of course, after 7.00pm this means the pedestrian gate is also locked. However, a wise turfer who enjoys the peace and solitude that comes with turfing in a country estate alone and out with the usual times might have a cunning plan.
That plan is available to all turfers for the price of only 12 credits per annum. The Friend of Dalkeith Acorn membership gives you 24-hour access by means of a swipe card which opens the pedestrian town gate. You can also request, by email, the gate codes for the Smeaton or Monkton entrances should you want to approach from those directions. It does not include parking and is for foot and bicycle/kick scooter access only. Hmm, I suspect I’ve mentioned that before. Probably more than once but there you go.
As I’m on foot, due to some annoying lower back ache that has put a stopper on cycling or kick scooting for the time being, I opted to take the car from the house, parking outside the town gate and thus saving the 5-mile round trip between home and the park. My walking route this evening is around 6-miles, taking in most of the zones other than those at the Smeaton side of the park. That circuit alone is about 6-miles, so I’m keeping that for a separate turf session another night. By the way, the time was around 10.00 pm.
First take was zone HolyCharger, outside the St Mary’s Scottish Episcopal Church. I’m always a bit uneasy about taking this zone at this time as the duty security officer might be watching me on the CCTV and wondering why I’m going into the church area at this time of night. Then, just to add further suspicion I vanish from sight off to the right into the path through the beech woods. However, thankfully, no screeching of tyres or sight of Ford Transit vans with fake yellow and blue police-look-a-like decals along the side.
Next zone was Restoration, another zone I always feel uncomfortable taking at night under the revealing glare of floodlights and the numerous all-seeing eyes of the CCTV cameras. And to add further suspicion to any watching eyes, I walk across the lower car park to the old laundry block and vanish from sight. A suspicious act if ever there was one! However, I’m simply picking up the footpath that circuits the old oak wood, to pick off a couple of zones along the route, namely BridgeOfFaith and ToEdinburgh, the bridge at the former zone having been demolished. So, you will need more than faith to cross the River North Esk there.
The walk around the old oak woods at night is rather pleasant, as long as you don’t mind the mysterious rustling in the undergrowth, death’s head hawk moths attracted to your torch light and drunken goblins cursing as they stagger past you. But those pale into insignificance what a male roe deer barks an alarm a few meters in front of you and crashes off into the night. Times when you almost, but not quite, need a change of underwear. I always try to leave my imagination at home when I venture out turfing in the woods at night and watching Game of Thrones earlier is most definitely not wise.
The moon made an appearance as I crossed the open field to zone ParkOfSteel, only one night away from a partial lunar eclipse* which I had hoped to witness the following night but that was not to be due to rain and cloud cover. Zone ParkOfSteel used to be a good location for sky watching but the adjacent parking area has been upgraded and lighting installed, so dark skies are no more. But still, a magical place to be alone at night with your thoughts.
Next, a clockwise circuit of the Lugton side of the park, taking in zones SneakyPlace, LugtonCross, LugtonBrae, RexEntry and finally HowlandsPark. More rustling in the bushes and no badgers which is unusual as I’ve almost always encountered them in this part of the park. However, I’m visited earlier than usual and see them more often around silly o’clock rather than before midnight.
The air was feeling chilly now, a dense low-lying layer of mist hovering over Westgate Park, that’s the field beside zone LugtonCross. The mist not actually very obvious unless you switch on the torch but I could see my way better using the moonlight and prefer that way anyway. I use the torch on a low setting only if necessary. My dad once said I take after his uncle Tam who regularly went out at night and which probably explains why we often had salmon for lunch when visiting my grandparents in Selkirk, when I was a wee lad.
I was surprised to see a vehicle approaching as I walked back along the tarmac road from zone RexEntry, at another entrance to the park called the King’s Gate. It was driving suspiciously slowly and I suspected it was the security, hopefully doing their rounds and not checking up on me. I cannot imagine they get many visitors in the park between 10.00pm and 1.00am. Well, gives them something to do, I suppose. Probably a rather boring and tedious job for security on the night shift.
I was half expecting them to stop and ask what I was up to but they didn’t. I gave them a wave as they passed and continued on my way. Could not see in the glare of the headlights if they responded. The van then stopped at the gate and just waited, not even turning round. In fact, I was at zone HowlandsPark before they passed by on the tarmac road.
I would heartily recommend night turfing here in Dalkeith country park though only 14 zones overall, all well spread out, does take some time on foot, much quicker on the bike or kick scooter. I would also say, for those who have some trepidation about such things, is that there’s really nothing to worry about. No bears or dire wolves, the locked gates keep the riff-raff out and you are never far from the town. Nice to have the car waiting for the drive home and not having to walk another 2.5 miles. Back soon.
*Did return for another session a couple of nights later to pick off the two remote zones, TheUnknown and YouAreTheAce.
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