UK 2 Firth of Forth and North
Friday, 7 September 2018 5:06 pm
Into Edinburgh today and a quick visit to the castle.
If you are a gun collector then this is the one to have !
Mons Meg is the most famous medieval gun, the ultimate of mass destruction in her day.
While we are still on cannons.
The term..
“Bang on time’
came from the firing of this cannon , or the ones before way back into the 18thC. It is fired across the Firth of Forth Estuary so that ships could log the exact time for navigation.
It is still fired every day a exactly 1.00 PM
One engineering marvel.
It is the world’s second longest cantilever bridge, and was the longest up until 1917.
Useless information:
It contains 4,200 tones of rivets !
It was built in 1886 and is a World Heritage Site.
And another engineering marvel...
Stirling Castle, the largest and most important in Scottish History
Camp E7: Bracklinn Falls Car Park Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 141 metres
Today : 219 Kms.
UK Total : 1405 Kms
Friday 7th September 2018
Behind gates we explore another pass over to Lock Lyon then down a glen that Sir Walter Scott noted as “the loneliest and loveliest glen in Scotland” .
At the end of the glen in the quaint town of Fortingall is Europe's oldest tree.
A 2,000-3,000 + year old yew tree.
In 1769 its girth was measured at 16metres. In 1833 many of its limbs were carried off to make drinking cups.
Planted in 1745 this hedge is noted in the Guinness World Records as the tallest and longest on earth.
30 metres tall and 530 metres long.
It is trimmed once every 10 years.
Driving up the A93 towards Balmoral Castle to have lunch with Mrs Queen
Camp E8: Alpine Valley Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 420 metres
Today : 225 Kms.
UK Total : 1631 Kms
Saturday 8th September 2018:
Alpine mountain roads across the Cairngorm Mountains.
The area around Dufftown is THE whisky producing area and perhaps the most prominent is that of Glenfiddich.
Tried all of the above..
Definitely the older the better !
They did have one bottle 50 years old for GBP 27,500 ( A$ 50,000 )
BUT no free samples !
Camp E9: River Spey Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 210 metres
Today : 195 Kms.
UK Total : 1827 Kms
Sunday 9th September 2018:
Up to the top of the Cairngorm Road and the skiers were skiing but they forgot it is Summer and no snow !
Lyn really wanted a Sunday roast at a local Pub but everyone we passed was closed on Sunday !
We did manage to buy some venison for dinner tonight.
Urquhart Castle on Lock Ness.
We managed to catch some pics between the rain clouds, but the bitterly wind was still there.
Before the Brits and before the Romans, and before the Nords ( Vikings) and before the Scots
were the Picts.
( short for Pictures because of their tattoos)
Described by an early Roman in 297AD as ‘wild natives’ they lived here and thrived between 200 and 850AD.
All that remains of their civilisation are rare carvings on vertical stones.
Camp E10: Lock Ness Bush Camp
Cost: Nil
Altitude: 121 metres
Today : 214 Kms.
UK Total : 2042 Kms
Tomorrow we head into the Northern Highlands and beyond to the islands