THE Musselburgh Forest Church trail suffered a major setback when its signs and craft materials disappeared.

The trail initiative got under way on Sunday but most of the ‘stations’ along the route at The Grove were taken down overnight from the first day, leaving just four out of 12 in place.

Lorraine McBrearty, one of the organisers, said: “They were all tied on very tightly and string was still attached to the trees when I went to check, so I guess it’s been malicious.

“Eight signs disappeared – I couldn’t see them anywhere. I checked the bin that is there.”

The trail was organised by Musselburgh Forest Church in conjunction with Lothian Presbytery and was due to run until this Saturday.

Taking place at The Grove, the trail was scheduled to get under way at noon each day at the entrance to Eskmills Business Park, through to the clearing of grass at the bottom of the hill down from Inveresk.

There were several stations to stop at along the way, with either a prayer, reflection or action such as bark rubbing and twig raft making, with materials provided by the signs.

Participants could also just pause and listen to the sounds of nature.

Lorraine said: “We are going to try something else in future, possibly a day event where we don’t have to leave stuff out.

“The people that did do the trail seemed to enjoy it while it lasted.”

She said that people could still try to complete the trail, adding: “I’ve put the photos on the Facebook page (Musselburgh Forest Church) of all the stations and people could walk it and check the station photos as they go. They’d need some wool or string, a crayon and a bit of paper for bark rubbing.”

Musselburgh Forest Church offers an outdoor worship experience for all ages to enjoy and appreciate nature in the town.