Singed Fringe

Salisbury Crags fire

My newsletter has fresh weekly photo stories of Edinburgh & beyond sent direct by email if you subscribe - free if you choose or pay a wee bit to give me a regular pat on the back, and get freebies, discounts and access to live Zoom sessions.

You suggested I add a wee tips payment option - for when you don’t want, or can’t afford to subscribe but would like to offer something as a “Cheers mate, enjoyed that” gesture. So here is a link to do just that.

We were out for an evening stroll in the Meadows on Sunday when Mrs D spotted wisps of smoke towards Arthur’s seat. By the time we got up to Bruntsfield Links it was obvious that something was on fire in Holyrood Park.

The flats in Dumbiedykes were getting a Dress Circle view of the performance. I craved the Upper Circle perspective so shouted up to one of the residents who was kind enough to buzz me into the stairway so I could hold my camera around the corner of the building.

The whin (gorse) was alight - the darker green on that steep talus slope below the crags - and the flames were slowly eating their way in 2 directions.

Spot the tiny figure on the cliff top.

Getting down for a closer look in the Stalls there was a small crowd camped out watching the fire.

The drone that you can see on the ground was soon airborne to get a view of the fire’s progress - visible in the upper middle of this frame.

Hardy helmeted lads & lassies were laying down a watery fireguard on the steep rocky slopes - fighting an uphill battle with water running down as fast as they sprayed it up. This was the easternmost flank of the fire. Remember this was one of the hottest days this year.

In the gathering audience there was an atmosphere like a public execution - oohs & aahs when larger trees & bushes caught fire whooshing flames suddenly skywards. Impressively dramatic, sad to witness but impossible to turn your eyes away from, until we were bustled away by the Polis armed with reels of Blue & White DO NOT CROSS tape.

The view from above must have been pretty impressive. As much of the nation sat down to watch Spain barbecuing Argentina in the World Cup final I sought some height myself and headed to Calton Hill.

The view from the north was even more apocalyptic. It was very sobering to see the heart of the Old Town with Canongate Kirk and some of the oldest buildings in the city juxtaposed with creeping fiery monsters chewing their way across our landscape.

As dusk fell the flames became more obvious and the fire seemed to take a faster grip around the corner to the south, as well as chewing steadily eastwards towards Dynamic Earth and Holyrood.

There was the usual scrum of folk on Calton Hill for sunset views and I was struck by the contrast in perspectives - in one direction lay a beautiful city centre that people were (quite justifiably) wanting to capture images of themselves in front of - and a 60 degree swivel away, our inner city mountain burned in a barely controllable conflagration.

Please don’t read any implied criticism of our guests in what I say, or interpret from the images I took. I don’t mean to imply any disrespect on their part and I would have been doing the same in similar circumstances.

The power of a long lens brings these two scenes smack together.

This one seems quite disturbingly apocalyptic to me, but maybe that’s because I was there.

This one with the Canongate Tolbooth and Huntly House (home to Museum of Edinburgh) and those smoking tendrils behind has a slightly haunted feel to it.

The day after showed the scorched slopes and the continued graft of the Fire Service laying down water to prevent a resurgence of flames.

These guys were busy at the bottom of the slope

Along at Hutton’s Section on the Radical Road a hose was spraying out over the edge of the burn zone - check out the darker colour of the sprayed area and the edge of the greenery that was spared - only because of these efforts.

We owe a huge thanks, again, to the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. Sweating away in heavy gear through the night while most of us sat on our arses watching football and climbing into bed for a comfortable night’s sleep. We owe you a pint or two.

Let’s hope the rain comes soon to make your job easier.
Maybe see you out there.
Tom