Stirling 7th - 11th December 2019

The weather forecast didn't bode well for our trip to Stirling this week. We have been very lucky on our trips away so far this year, so I suppose it all had to end sometime! We set off on a rather grey day - and it didn't get any better. Horrible drizzle eventually led to rain by the time we arrived at our hotel.
Sunday didn't start any better - it was already raining - and continued all day! We did visit a craft fair and took the 'scenic route' back, via Callender. We would have stopped and had a walk up and down the shops but it was pouring by then - so no! Dobbies Garden Centre & Lakeland Ltd did tempt us in for something to eat/drink but as we came out it was still pouring down, so back to the hotel was all we could come up with to do!
Monday dawned with sunshine - yes I did say sunshine! We had to take a second look to check, but it was definitely sunshine, and blue sky! Straight after breakfast we were out - just in case the sun disappeared! Having been to the Kelpies several times we went to find the other sculptures Andy Scott had produced for the local area.
Andy Scott is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art and produces landmark artworks that are sited all over the world. Famous for the Kelpies in Falkirk, he has also produced set of unique pieces for the Andy Scott Sculpture Trail in Clackmannanshire. Stretching from Alloa town centre to the surrounding villages there are six amazing sculptures to be seen.
'This Journey's End' is installed on a roundabout and features two figures standing on a steel arch, with their hands bridging the gap between them. The male figure holds a crown (from the Clackmannanshire coat of arms) and the female figure holds a circle of 23 stars (solidarity & harmony with the people of the European Union) The statue was designed to mark the opening of the new Clackmannanshire Bridge.

'River Spirit' was actually the first of Andy's statues in Clackmannanshire and inspired the council to commission the other five pieces that make up the trail. This statue shows a female figure emerging from a tree base. Her foliage hands hold the ribbon shape of the nearby River Forth. It stands almost six metres tall and is again situated on a roundabout.

'Lifeline' is even taller at just under eight metres tall and is shaped as a giant hand (taken from the gauntlet on the Clackmannanshire coat of arms). The hand supports the figures of a woman and child and pays tribute to all the emergency services who put their lives in danger to help others. A Scottish poet created a simple piece of text which has been incorporated into the statue - 'Life-line Reach Out, Hold, Close, Cradle, Cushion, Shelter, Protect, Support, Lift Up' Yet again this statue sits on a roundabout.

'I Can See for Miles' emulates Alloa's regeneration and looks forward to an exciting future. The statue depicts two figures, an adult wearing a flat cap and a youngster depicting potential through the next generation. This statue sits at Station Square in Alloa.

'Air Spirit' - on another roundabout - strides towards the Ochil Hills.(hence its nickname of the Striding Man) It is four metres tall and is a partner piece to River Spirit, reflecting the natural landscape of Clackmannanshire and the rich biodiversity of the area.

The final sculpture on the trail is 'Fox Boy' installed in Nova Scotia Gardens at Menstrie. The statue is dressed in trainers and a hoodie top - reflecting local youth. The fox's head and tail is a reminder of local children in bygone times who kept foxes as pets. There is also a maple leaf  under the hand of the boy (as a tribute to Nova Scotia) and a buzzard (as a reminder of those seen in the local woods)
Some local wag had even put a santa hat on the fox! We thoroughly enjoyed finding the sculptures and the fact that you can get really close to them means you see them in great detail and appreciate their height and detail.

On our arrival on Saturday, via the M80 we had also seen another of Andy's sculptures - Arria. This statue was commissioned as an icon for the town of Cumbernauld and overlooks the motorway. As we were so close it seemed a pity not to find this one too. It is a female figure with two large swooping arcs from the upraised palms of her hands  to the hem of her dress.

Her name, Arria, comes from the name of the mother of the Roman Emperor who built the Antonine Wall (further north than Hadrian's Wall) She is commonly known as the Metal Mermaid and was built as a way of using the past to look towards the future. A Scottish poet was commissioned to write some verse which is inscribed around the base of the sculpture.
Arria is lit up at night but unfortunately we were too early during the day to see her illuminated. People are able to stand directly under the statue which makes you realise just how big and beautiful she is and what an achievement it truly is.

The sun continued to shine all day so we had a really good day and there were stars to be seen on the way back to the hotel.
Well that was a one-off. Rain again this Tuesday morning - and if anything it was even heavier rain. Christmas shopping in Stirling looked to the best option this morning but we did find the Engine Shed, a dedicated building conservation centre & museum.

Part of Historic Environment Scotland it is a hub for conservation professionals to learn about conservation of materials but is also open to the public with exhibitions exploring traditional buildings around Scotland. The building used to be a goods transfer shed, built sometime between 1896 and 1913, but has been saved, restored and developed into a modern building hoping to inspire future generations to continue to care for Scotlands buildings. Film presentations and interactive exhibits detailed many of the buildings cared for in Scotland and the methods used to protect them. A really interesting place to visit. (photos from web site for The Engine Shed)

The only drawback was the dash across the bridge over the railway lines we had to make to get there and then get back in the abominable weather!

Leith and the Amazon! 17th - 20th Nov 2019

We travelled to Leith, via Hawick, with friends on a rather grey day. Some trees still have leaves left on them but they are looking really brown now. A lack of wind lately has kept them on the branches longer than might be expected and we are hoping that these few days away will be just as calm. After pausing for lunch we arrived at our hotel and unpacked before heading off into Edinburgh. The bus stop is right outside the hotel and riding upstairs we see many sights on the way - including all the road works, and the congestion this produces! It is really nice not to be the driver in this situation but to sit and look out the window at the chaos with no stress whatsoever!
The Christmas Markets began yesterday so Princes Gardens is full of stalls selling a huge range of goodies, both edible and drinkable as well as for presents. There are some scary-looking rides too - the screams are very off-putting and the height they reach is very scary!

The crowds thronged every avenue and it would have been very easy to lose each other.
After a stop for refreshments we ventured back into the throng to find the Christmas Lights had been  switched on!

Some fireworks were let off but the official firework display was not due until much later in the evening. The centre of Edinburgh now sparkled with all the lights on rides, stalls, traffic and shops.

There was a murmur among the people too as they moved around. Catching the bus again the streets and roads were just as busy as they were hours earlier.
Monday dawned dry but cold and we decided to use public transport and go to Musselburgh. This meant a change of bus partway through the journey but the front seats upstairs gave us another good view of the city and its people as we travelled through Portobello towards Musselburgh. It seemed very strange to suddenly see a beach in Edinburgh but of course Edinburgh sits on the Firth of Forth. The sandy beach is only 2 miles from the city centre but looks quite long and inviting! Another time.
Eventually reaching Musselburgh we walked along the main street and on to the race course before turning and following the river back. A very pleasant walk in the winter sunshine.

A return ride on a different number bus, so we weren't seeing exactly the same sights, took us back to Princes Street. We found a volunteer-run church café to have something to eat before yet another bus ride back to the hotel.
Tuesday was a big day as we were going up the Amazon! Although cold and frosty the sun was shining so a walk around Pittencrief Park in Dunfermline passed the morning very comfortably.

A visit to the greenhouses was a very good way to thaw out while we were there and the Peacock Rooms café provided essential refreshments. We even saw the peacocks in the park this time too!
It was soon time to go to Amazon - we had booked a tour of their Fulfillment Centre, also in Dunfermline. Security was very much in evidence from the moment we got out of the car. We had to be buzzed in and our identities checked before we hardly got inside the building.

There were about 30 people on the tour so we all had to wear headphones, to ensure we all heard what was said, and bright yellow high-viz jackets, but after a short intro we were off. What a fascinating place! No-one knew what to expect or what we would see but the tour leader took us all round the building (which covers the equivalent of 17 football pitches) and showed us the whole process and journey of an order from beginning to end. The technology that ensures a smooth operation is amazing and apparently has never gone wrong! The sight of shelves full of merchandise stretching as far as the eye could see and the miles of conveyor belts moving boxes of orders around the building was incredible to see. Some of the machinery was quite mesmerising to watch and everyone on the tour was full of chatter about the whole visit. An hour passed by very quickly before we were presented with a free gift and allowed out of the building - after passing through security of course! There was so much to discuss about the visit the return journey didn't seem to last very long but we all agreed it was well worth the trip and was worth recommending to others if they get the chance - especially as it was also free!

We were still talking about going up the Amazon the next day as we travelled home and would definitely be spreading the word to friends and family.

Glasgow & Greenock 1st - 4th Nov 2019

A miserable time as we travelled to Glasgow, with constant drizzle for most of the day. We did stop off at Drumpellier Country Park, thinking we could have a stretch of our legs here but as it was so miserable we just had coffee and moved on. The park sounds interesting, having 2 lochs with trails and walks and a variety of wildlife. Perhaps another time.
We reached our hotel in the continuing drizzle and checked into our room overlooking the airport. Not many flights tonight and as the room had double double-glazing we didn't notice them anyway!
Saturday didn't look as if it was going to be much better weather-wise - thick fog in all directions.

We stayed at the hotel for the morning as the Rugby World Cup Final was played this morning. Unfortunately England were beaten by South Africa.
Moving on after the disappointment we headed for Ardrossan, planning to travel slowly up the coast.
Arran had just about disappeared under the cloud ….

but we sat and watched the birds on the beach - and the ferry - for a while.

No wind meant the water was calm and moving on we called in at a couple more villages down on the shore to see what birds were about before the tide came in.

Largs gave us a good view of a pair of dippers where a waterway enters the sea.

We spent a while talking to a local man about dippers who also suggested we might be interested in the 'Greenock Cut' where he had also seen dippers. The 'cut' is an aqueduct that was specially built to carry water to industries in Greenock and supply the area with drinking water. In use until 1971 it then became a Designated Ancient Monument and now has a Visitor Centre and a selection of  walks with scenic views, as part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. We went to investigate and followed narrow roads, with passing places, through the hills to eventually find the visitor centre. Stunning scenery on the way with a patchwork of colours on the hills.

We decided we didn't really have time for one of the walks today, so made do with tea and cake before moving on to our hotel in Greenock, thinking ourselves lucky that the weather had stayed dry all day.
Having enjoyed our visits to various villages on the coast yesterday we thought we would continue the trend and visit some more along the coast from Greenock today. We began at Lunderston Bay which is also part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. It is the nearest sandy beach to Glasgow and has a mix of sand, pebbles and rocks and a footpath goes in both directions above the beach. There are great views over the Firth of Clyde towards Dunoon and the Isle of Bute, which were definitely visible today with the very calm weather we were experiencing.

There were a flock of male and female eider ducks drifting along the shore. We love the sounds they make as they communicate with each other.

Having enjoyed our walk by the shore we moved on to Lochwinnoch and Castle Semple.

We have visited the RSPB bird sanctuary here on several occasions but today we called at the Visitor Centre by the watersport centre on Castle Semple Loch. This is also part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and is a 1.5 mile long inland freshwater loch with trails and walks. There was actually a craft fair on today with some interesting stalls. The sunshine we had been experiencing so far today deserted us as we set off on a walk by the loch and the grey skies soon turned to rain.

The weather now became very showery so a last walk on the beach near Ardrossan was quite short - but the view between the showers was worth it!

Home today - but continuing the theme we travelled down the Ayrshire coast, which is one of our favourite journeys. A stop at Lendalfoot to see the seals on the rocks, the view of Ailsa Craig and any wildlife that may be around,  never fails to disappoint us.

Dundee Sat 26th - Mon 28th October 2019

It was a dull, grey, morning as we set off for Dundee, but the weather man said the sun would emerge later - and they are always right aren't they?? As we travelled up the A74M towards Moffat the clouds were very low over the hills, making it rather spooky-looking, this pre Halloween weekend. Along with the browns and greens on the hills and the oranges and yellows of the trees  it was feeling very autumnal. The weather man was right though - as we travelled on the sun did come out to shine very brightly.

We crossed the Kincardine Bridge heading from Stirlingshire towards Dunfermline in Fife. The bridge was built in 1936 as a swing bridge, allowing ships to pass as they sailed along the Forth, but the lack of shipping in later years meant it was permanently sealed shut in 1989.

Pittencrief Park in Dunfermline has been a destination of ours before and as we knew it had a café we searched it out today for a stopping off point for lunch. Delicious home-made soup and sandwiches and a scone big enough for two of us to share solved the lunch problem! Time then for a stroll around the park in the sunshine.

The park is huge, covering 76 acres, and was given to Dunfermline by Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American business man. He became one of the richest Americans ever, but was a philanthropist and gave away millions of dollars in the USA and British Empire to charities, foundations and universities. There are paths heading off in all directions leading to all sorts of nooks and crannies, up steps, down slopes, round corners - never quite knowing what you will find. There are numerous grey squirrels running about all over the park and the occasional glimpse of Dunfermline Abbey and Palace.

Although we had been before we still managed to find pathways we hadn't explored before. The outcrop where Malcolm III's Tower was originally built is just an impressive lump of rock now.

We saw Wallace's Well, where William Wallace might have sheltered on a visit to Dunfermline ….

... and passed along close to an ancient route under Dunfermline Palace.

The Laird's Garden and the glasshouses looked very well maintained although not at their best at this time of year. Unfortunately the glasshouses were closed today too, so they will both have to wait for another visit.

Pittencrief House which houses a museum wasn't open either, but the outside of the house is quite impressive - in colour if nothing else!

The house brought us back to where we had begun our wander and time dictated we needed to move on.
A trouble-free journey from Dumfermline to Dundee soon passed and we were suddenly crossing  Tay Bridge and looking at the city of Dundee. It is becoming a favourite city of ours so we were really looking forward to the weekend.

After a day of brilliant sunshine we had to remember to turn back the clocks before bedtime! Not looking forward to the dark nights that stretch in front of us until next springtime but felt better next morning on opening the curtains and finding more sunshine! Rather than wander around Dundee - no matter how much we like it, we just had to find a walk in the local countryside in this sunshine.
Crombie Park consists of 200 acres of woodland around Crombie Loch.

There are numerous walking trails around the area along with playgrounds, picnic areas and an orienteering course. The Main Lodge has permanent displays about the area, its walks and its wildlife and Countryside Rangers are available for help and advice. There are also a coupe of wildlife hides and deer, woodpeckers, waterfowl and red squirrels are regularly seen. Although we didn't see an awful lot of wildlife the scenery was as beautiful as the weather.

Having enjoyed our walk we moved on to the Scottish Wildlife Trust site at Montrose Basin in the hope of seeing more than the mallards and moorhens we had seen at Crombie. The Basin is part of the estuary of the River Esk and an important roosting and feeding area for a variety of migrants and  important for wintering waders and wildfowl. There were only a couple of visitors in the centre when we arrived who were vastly outnumbered by the volunteers on hand! We soon discovered why - it was just half an hour before high tide! A very high tide was already flooding part of the site and had chased off any birds that had been on the shore. Obviously not our day for wildlife! However the staff were really friendly and we chatted for about an hour while looking out the windows for any activity.

Tree sparrows on the feeders just outside were a real bonus although the volunteers did manage to spot a snipe through the telescope - which I couldn't make out because of its fantastic camouflage!!  As we prepared to move on they did suggest another spot opposite their site where we would be looking towards their shore and might therefore see birds. They were right, there were more birds but the bright sun was shining right in our faces! We did manage to spot flocks of turnstones and oystercatchers who were there in good numbers.
Going into Montrose itself we meandered around the harbour and then found the prom where the sea was really whooshing up the sea defences and throwing spray around. The wind was so strong you could see it blowing off the tops of the waves out to sea.

Heading back down the coast now towards Arbroath we found Lunan beach. Another wonderful sandy beach to wander along. As the tide was now out there were lots of smooth pebbles left on the beach looking very pretty, as they were still wet from the sea.

Arbroath of course is famous for its smokies - a type of smoked haddock. Local legend has it that a store caught fire one night destroying the barrels of salted haddock stored there. The fire 'cooked' the haddock and when the locals tasted it  - the smokie was born, or so the legend has it!! We found a more traditional fish and chip shop and bought our tea to eat while watching the tide recede from the shore. We could even see Bell Rock Lighthouse on the horizon, the world's oldest sea-washed lighthouse. Built between 1807 and 1810, by Robert Stevenson, it sits 11 miles east of the Firth of Tay, is 35 metres tall and its light can be seen from 35 miles inland!

It was really lovely to sit watching the sun go down - remember the clocks went back last night so sunset is now earlier.

We continued to watch the sky change colour form pink through yellow, red and orange on the short ride back to Dundee.

Yet another morning with brilliant sunshine, although chilly. Setting off on our journey home we crossed the Tay Bridge and headed for the coastal road home, passing through Leuchars and then St Andrews - where we had a short, brisk walk along the beach. The tide was so far out it made the beach look huge and almost empty despite other people walking along it.

The villages along this stretch of coast are wonderful little fishing villages and always worth a wander and today we paused at Elie. A curve of sand gave us a short walk before we sat on a bench on the headland watching the birds get moved off their rocks by the tide slowly starting to come in. A very picturesque village that I am sure is very popular in the summer.

Crossing the Queensferry bridge we headed for the Edinburgh bypass, with a stop for refreshments along the way, before heading home through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. Finally reaching Moffat we joined the motorway home. Stunning scenery all the way today, the trees and hills a range of beautiful colours.