Scotland 2019 part 5 ~ The Borders and England ...!!!

A drive south to the Scottish border region to visit my mother’s cousin in the village of Chirnside. This is a beautiful hillside village located in Berwickshire, Scotland, 9 miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed and 7 miles east of Duns. Chirnside is notable as the final resting place of Jim Clark, former world champion Formula One racing-car driver.

During this visit south we were taken out on a sight-seeing drive which took us over the border into England. We crossed into Northumberland the northernmost county of England via the 200-year-old Union Chain Bridge suspension bridge, the oldest surviving iron suspension bridge in Europe, which spans the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland and Fishwick, Berwickshire.

Our brief visit to England included two stops ~ Norham Castle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Norham Castle located on the English side of the border, is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument dating back to the 12^th century. The castle saw much action during the wars between England and Scotland.

Berwick upon Tweed just 3 miles from the Scottish Border, a coastal town with sandy beaches and beautiful riverside walks This peaceful town is now a far cry from its turbulent past; captured or sacked 13 times before finally falling into English hands in 1482, Berwick’s great Elizabethan walls were built to keep invading Scots from entering the town. We walked part of the defending walls, taking in the spectacular views across the River Tweed estuary and of Berwick’s three bridges, including the iconic Royal Border Bridge, built by Robert Stevenson, one of the finest bridges of its kind in the world. From 1881, the town was home to The King's Own Scottish Borderers, where today the Regimental Museum is located in the Berwick Barracks.

  

Back into what some would describe as the better side of the English/Scottish divide, we continued with stops at Eyemouth and St. Abbs ~

A Dry Stane Dyke separating farmers fields along the border

Next ~ Scotland 2019 part 6 ~ "Largs and Nardini's”

Scotland 2019 part 4 ~ The Motherwell game

It was with delight that our Scottish adventure was accidently planned, in such that we could see Motherwell who were playing at home on one of our two Saturday’s.

Motherwell Football Club were established in 1886 in the town that bears their name and for most of that time they have played at Fir Park.

In August 1971 as a young lad of ten, I was dragged to my first game. Not long after I was hooked and became a regular fixture at both home and away games throughout the 1970’s and early 1980’s.

It is a punishing existence being a ‘Well supporter, the ups, the downs and constant inconsistences would test and challenge the best of us, but they do have a place in my heart.

The game we attended was against Scottish Premier League opponents Ross County from Dingwall in the Highlands in what was a bright and warm afternoon.

My first observations when entering Fir Park after many years of absence was the carnival, family orientated atmosphere, which in no way is close to what it was in my past. Back then one had to be careful, cautious and always on guard for the hooligan element.

It was a great day out with 4618 others in a fun packed ambience ~ The final result, well does it really matter …? (see that last photo …!!!)

Next ~ Scotland 2019 part 5 ~ " The Borders and England ...!!!”

Scotland 2019 part 3 ~ A day in Edinburgh

No visit to Scotland would be complete without at least one day in Edinburgh, but if possible more actually be much better.

It was a day of with lots of walking in Scotland's compact, hilly capital with its medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town, beautiful gardens and neoclassical buildings. Looming over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny which was used centuries in the past for the coronation of Scottish Kings. Arthur’s Seat an imposing peak in Holyrood Park has sweeping views of Calton Hill topped with monuments and memorials. A beautiful city packed with traditional Scottish culture and lots of foreign tourists, who I am sure would be equally overwhelmed by all of Edinburgh’s splendour.

We started our day in picturesque Dean Village. Formerly known as the "Water of Leith Village", it was the centre of a successful grain milling area for more than 800 years. At one time there were no fewer than eleven working mills there, driven by the strong currents of the Water of Leith. Today it is quiet, tranquil with a feeling of being miles away from the normal bustle of Edinburgh, yet it lies just ten minutes from the end of the city’s main shopping district, Princes Street.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the Queen in Scotland.

The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana.

The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic, formed in coloured granite cobbles, built into the pavement near the West Door of St Giles High Kirk in the High Street section of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

It is traditional when passing to spit on the Heart of Midlothian which supposedly brings good luck. It is a custom which goes back several hundred years, originally done as a sign of disdain rather than luck. The heart marks the entrance to the now-demolished Old Tolbooth prison, which was where Edinburgh’s public executions took place. It is thought that locals would spit on prisoners as they were led from the prison entrance to the gallows to show their disgust.

A statue to Greyfriars Bobby near to Greyfriars Pub ~ Bobby a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died himself on 14 January 1872.

Next ~ Scotland 2019 part 4 ~ "The Motherwell game"