My Housesit in Scotland, in Musselburgh

One of our seasoned housesitters and regular bloggers Tiera St Claire shares her story of a recent housesit in Scotland, where she was caring for two rescue greyhound dogs. She shares some of her favourite discoveries, some stunning and many evocative, some purely by happenstance as she walks the lanes near her housesit in Scotland. Read on to learn more.

My Housesit in Scotland, in Musselburgh

walking with my hostess on my housesit in Scotland — On the first day of my housesit in Scotland my hostess and I walked the dogs together

Photo by Tiera St Claire

This is my last day of a two week housesit in Scotland (can you say that aloud from the back of yer throot? 🙂 and I’ve had the privilege to dogsit or rather stay with two darling rescue Greyhounds in Musselburgh a town near Edinburgh.

Where is Musselburgh?

Musselburgh is a small town, a short High Street sparsely filled yet well served with essential shops, including a few charity shops, a Tesco and a Holland and Barrett. The town is surrounded by the most amazing countryside.

Located close to the Firth of Forth and with a river running through, walking with the dogs proved a real pleasure.

The Dogs in my Care at the Housesit in Scotland

Irish Greyhound lying in his bed — At first he was nervous, but eventually he warmed to me and we become friends

Photo by Tiera St Claire

Both dogs were Irish Greyhounds, and rescue dogs at that. They are gorgeous dogs, and by coincidence this was the second time I had cared for Greyhounds in Scotland.

More importantly I have cared for many rescue dogs while housesitting, and every single one has been a unique experience. They require different ways to connect with them. When I arrived on the first day to be with them the girl came right up to me for a rub and a hello. The boy held back. He went to sit on his bed after a time, his eyes wide open as if in high alert. His body was lying down but he seemed tense.

I went and sat on the sofa about five feet away from him. I looked back and softened my eyes. And slowly he began to soften too. Within a couple of days he was asking to sleep on the bed with me. Do you know how fully grown greyhounds are? Pretty big, he took up most of the bed but he was relaxed with me, and we had made friends.

Local visits as a housesitter

greyhound in a field at sunset — On my housesit in Scotland, I would walk with the greyhounds once or twice daily. They had favourite walks

Photo by Tiera St Claire

During this housesit in Scotland, I managed a couple of day trips that I am more than happy to recommend.

Visiting North Berwick

North Berwick is on the same Trainline as Musselburgh from Edinburgh. It takes only about half an hour to get there on the train. A lovely town with many shops, it is by the sea and known for being near to the little rock of an island where Puffins live and congregate!

I‘ve been a big fan of puffins ever since I saw a YouTube video with my daughter when she was small. These little birds are so funny we laughed till our sides ached!

However, much as I love puffins, I am not a big fan of boats. So, I did not take one of the sea tours to see them. But that is a great option if you’re happy in and around boats.

The Law – Iron Age Hill Fort

View from the Law at North Berwich — The climb up the Law was worth it for the view

Photo by Tiera St Claire

I climbed up a hill called The North Berwick Law (no idea why this hill is called that) for some great views, which is over 600 feet and the site of an Iron Age hill fort because of its dominant position and excellent views. It was actually a bit scary, steep in some places, and especially scary climbing in the fierce winds that day. I wish I had worn better shoes for this adventure!

Visiting The Roslyn Chapel

The Tower near Prestonpans was an unexpected highlight of my housesit in Scotland

Photo by Tiera St Claire

I also went to Roslyn chapel which would have been trickier to get to on the train/bus. A friend drove us there. Unfortunately, we arrived just as it was closing time. It used to be available to visit any time, but I imagine after its fame from The Da Vinci Code, it has become more commercial and it is now only available to visit during official visiting hours and costs £12. We did, however, walk around it and I could feel the energy of this special place.

From where I was dogsitting I walked to the sea and then along the coast for awhile until I came to a little town. I’d no idea what it was as I had not consulted the map before venturing forth.

Turns out I was in Prestonpans, which, being an Outlander fan (I had read all the books long before they were made into a series), I knew as a site of a real, famous 18 Century battle.

Indeed, there is actually a museum dedicated to this battle. Here I met Simon, who works there. He is a kind, gentle giant of a young man and when he asked where I was from and I said the states, he actually jumped up and down and clapped his hands! He says he’d like to marry an American lass!

Simon at the Prestonpans museum — Simon at the entrance of the Prestonpans museum

Photo by Tiera St Claire

Discoveries by Happenstance

I also walked up the hill and saw a tower from about 500 years ago. Whilst walking around the tower I saw something protruding from one of the walls, went to take a look and it was a children’s book in a plastic bag. It had a message saying the local school children love reading and want to share that love. The instruction given was to read the book and then leave it somewhere else, for someone else’s pleasure. I was charmed by this and did just as I was asked.

Walking back to Musselburgh, along some delightful meandering foot paths, I found wild raspberries and cherries growing randomly along the way! Delicious and what an unexpected find!

Entrance to Sherpherds House Gardens — This was a truly unexpected delight – the Shepherd’s House Garden

Photo by Tiera St Claire

Also, along one of my strolls I cam upon Shepherd House Gardens which are gorgeous. All donations the entry sign said, go to support a local charity which was a super invitation to contribute for visiting.

Visiting Edinburgh

Edinburgh itself is fabulous. It’s a awash with history on every street, fascinating architecture, world class museums and hotels and all manner of hills to climb. And of course there is an impressive castle right in the centre, great shopping and food and drink galore.

Without hesitation I can recommend The Scottish National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The People’s Story Museum and The Georgian House Museum. This last one gave me a real historical perspective on everyday life of the normal person. I felt so incredibly happy to be living now instead of then when women were thought only as a possession, something to be married-off, or to worked grindingly to the bone. And of course they were not educated; a hard life indeed.

While you are visiting the city, I also recommend stepping into some of the Luxury hotels for a cuppa or just a look around. The Caledonian has been converted from the old Train Station and retains much of its history and splendid architecture. The Balmoral is lovely for its old-world charm; The Witchery for its gothic atmosphere; The Grand is gorgeous and all rooms have kitchenettes so you can stay awhile with affordable self-catering options!

The Edinburgh streets are so lively and fun, there is so much to see and do

Photo by Tiera St Claire

Transportation to Housesit in Scotland

To get to my housesit in Scotland and Musselburgh in particular, I took the train from Kings Cross, London. LNER trains have loads of options throughout the day. It’s a bit pricey and I recommend going first class if you can afford it as the second-class seats are not terribly comfy. It takes about 4.5 hours and the scenery on the second half is wonderful. Sit on the right side of the coach to see the sea.

(Today I take the Lumo Train to return to London and can report on that later)

I stopped for a quick 30-minute walk in York, what a delight. So now with expectations built I really want to see more of this historic town in the north of England!

Next time I go to Scotland my hostess recommended that I take the West Highland Railway train from Glasgow to Fort William as I hear it has some of the most stunning scenery in the world.

Edinburgh Monument - Edinburgh's disgrace — This is an unfinished monument on Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Photo by Tiera St Claire

This is the National Monument of Scotland, located on Calton Hill in Edinburgh is I hear often referred to as “Scotland’s Disgrace” or “Edinburgh’s Disgrace” because it was never actually completed. Originally designed to commemorate Scottish service men who died in the Napoleonic Wars, and intended to be a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens. Funding ran out after only 12 columns were built, leaving it in this state. It’s still pretty spectacular!

Final Thoughts on My Housesit in Scotland

Even though I had been housesitting in Scotland before, this trip really whetted my appetite making me want to return over and over again.

So now I am actively looking for housesits in York and the Highlands, or perhaps next time I come to or near Edinburgh I’ll add a few more days to see more of the sites of bonnie Scotland. I know this housesit in Scotland has only allowed me to scratch the surface. You know I’ll be back!

Tiera St Claire in Scotland Selfie — Tiera is a seasoned traveller

Tiera St Claire, author of this blog ‘My housesit in Scotland’, is one of our regular housesitters, a seasoned year round traveller and contributor to this blog. She is an expert on Human Design and loves travelling and teaching as she goes all around the world.