Land Slippage at Ironmills Steps

There's not much to report from my woodland these days. The hens are fine, the trees are fine, we are fine. But the steps from Cemetery Road down to Ironmills Park below? They are not fine. There's a significant area of land slip that has resulted in closure of the steps.

It all started with a fairly insignificant bit of land slip, half way up/down the steps. There had been some activity prior to the slip, to repair a hand rail, and I guess the first thought was that some earth shaking machine might have caused damage. Apparently not the case.

Then there was a smell of gas around the gap areas opening up before our eyes. The slip was also starting to look much more significant. People using the steps were rightly very concerned. After much to-ing and fro-ing the gas board found a live gas pipe and a leak. There was also a dead gas pipe that served gas lamps but that was a red herring so to speak. It wasn't the cause of the odour. It did however establish where the old gas pipe was and the fact that the replacement electric supply was surface mounted. That will need to be sorted.

Gas issues dealt with, the steps were re opened. But not for long. The slip started to get much worse and a gaping hole was opening up on the councils' land on the opposite side of the steps from water tower wood. 

What has caused the land slip is anyones guess. The root cause may be water from a leak or from an underground spring, or it may be due to some man made feature that may have de stabilised the bank, for example the construction of the steps. Who knows. Water seems to be the most likely candidate because there has been land slip in other areas of Midlothian this year, as well as a major slip in Lugton last year. All probably caused by a very wet summer.

Here are some photos of the area of concern. I can still crawl through from my side of the woodland but frankly, I am staying well away!

..... that railing used to be straight!

The gap on the hill side opposite us.

The hens are not perturbed.

The ever increasing gaping hole in the land. The crack can be followed along the land, across the steps and then further across land beyond the steps. Its quite some length but this is probably the deepest section.


Interestingly, the old land slip area that is evident to the West of our house at water tower wood is very similar in appearance to what is happening now on Ironmills steps. This photo shows the area below the corner of the tennis courts, where efforts have been made to increase light levels to allow regeneration.

Land slip is not a new phenomenon in Midlothian. It happens. Yet again nature is the one in control and we should respect that at all times.