Wallace Cage (from Rosewell to Roslin)

I was walking through the forest when fairy appeared: ´You´re in forbidden fairy-tale land, no many people access this different realm.´ Do you like fairy-tales as I do? Scotland is full of them. Let me tell you about one of them.

There is one place not far from Edinburgh and very well known for Down Browns movie – Roslin. Today I don´t want to talk about the chapel although one day I will get there too. I would like to talk about the trip from Rosewell across the hill to Roslin and passing by legendary William Wallace cage.

That was quite rainy day when I took a trip from one village to another. My main goal was to find Wallace cage as I tried it once but I wasn´t successful. I have to admit I wasn´t prepared that time and that was very last minute idea once we went to visit Roslin chapel. This time my goal was very clear I went on my own and enjoyed very rainy scottish walk through fields and forest to find William Wallace cage. There is actually not very easy walk there. Without nowadays technology I would never find it, well I didn´t even have a map just navigation in my phone.

Firstly I couldn´t cross B&B what is just above the cage so I took it through the fields. I had to cross some fence to actually get to the path walk. Once I was on the path walk things were supposed to get easy, but they didn´t. I got lost as the path walk just disappeared. After couple of circles in rainy forest where I imagined how it actually was when William Wallace was hiding in the forest I got to actual cage. There led steps down the clif what gave it a feeling of very well-known attraction. I spent there almost an hour on my own outside and inside of the cage just listening rainy earth and random distant voices from other site of the river. I just love this peaceful places and moments where nature plays its music. Again images went through my head (if the legend is based on truth) how Wallace sat outside of the cage listening the very same music as I did that day.

I got my inspiration there and started walking towards Roslin. The path walk just disappeared couple of times again and I could enjoy very innocent and untouched fairy tale forest around. I felt there could jump out of the tree some elf or fairy in any minute. I even thought that might be them who fools with me and makes the path walk disappear all the time 🙂

I walked through some meadows where I found herbs and finally got to more maintained path walk where I met some dog walkers and runners and got to Country park close to Roslin. There I enjoyed old Mill ruins where again I was lucky to be on my own for a while and get to breath atmosphere of the place. Ruined places have always very strange atmosphere and so did old mill. I would like to go back to do some painting there one day as weather stopped me this time.

There left only walk through old gun powder factory on my journey where I was very impressed about the fact that there is no sign there have ever been such a place as factory. Almost fairy-tale nature got through its way and there is no remain about such a thing as guns or factory.

Close to Roslin chapel I met many tourists enjoying small chapel in the middle of what some people would call nowhere. But another magic place in this country is definitely not ´nowhere´.

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