Not sure what happened last night but I slept like a log - perhaps it was the red wine, etc, but there I was at 7 .30 .a.m. still dozy !!!
Up and off to see the nurse who drew lots of blood - enough to keep a few vampire bats going for a while, then home and a quick run into town to drop Graham off at The Mercat.
May be able to add photos later.
I had no idea where I was going but having promised Mrs. B. a day out , we set off - also clutching a few pound which Graham had donated to help pay for lunch.
Off we went heading north , but I soon turned off and went down into South Queensferry where we stopped , in bright sunhine at the pier opposite the Hawes Inn ( mentioned by Robert Louis Stevenson in his book "Kidnapped") and took some pictures of the two bridges, The Forth Railway Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, lots of sailing boats and the ferry which goes out round Inchcolme Island. Into the centre of the village and stopped to look at the harbour, and also the Jubilee Clock which was erected in 1877, and beneath it on the wall a plaque to thank the Earl of Rosebery who gave the residents a "bleaching green" and fresh water supply in 1817.
It was then off and over the forth road bridge , now minus any tolls, through Dunfermline and then out into the country past the motor racing Circuit at Knockhill, which is getting all set up for the racing this coming weekend - through Glen Devon and eventually arrived at Gleneagles Hotel where we were going to have some lunch. There was a lot of activity with tents and marquees but I was not sure if they were still taking down the tented village from the last major event, or putting more up - there was a "Johnny Walker" sign. Had a look up the Kings Course and watched a few teeing off from the 1st.
Into the hotel, had a wee browse through their shpping arcade and then into the restaurant. the place has been changed around since I was last there, but it is very nice, there are cold meat, fish and cheese counters with chefs, etc, who cut your choice up and hand it over to other chefs for cooking. Out of curiosity I had a ribeye steak, which came with three tomatoes and a mushroom , the chips were £4 extra, and not being biased - I honestly think that Claire does a better ribeye in The Mercat Bar, plus trimming, for half the price I was charged. Mrs. b. had a small glass of Rose wine which cost £9.99p - Having said that , the place is a five star hotel and if we could not have afforded it we would not have been there.
From Gleneagles we headed further north heading for Crieff, and en route passed through a small villagge, name of which escapes me at the moment, where there were several stuffed dummies, dressed up along the main street. The one at Sweeney's Garage was good as was the one outside the pub.
Not sure what to make of Crieff today , being Wednesday many of the shops were closed half day, but there was the Stuarts Crystal and a few other places to go. We had tea, with scones, jam and cream then had the cheek to buy some mixed bags of sweeties.
Off we went and past "The Grouse Experience" which was previously Glenturret Distillery, one of the smallest in Scotland, but it has been bought over - along through St. Fillans, along the side of Loch Earn to Lochearnhead before turning south and stopping at Callander in the heart of the Trossachs . William Wordsworth the poet visited the area in 1803, and in 1810 Sir Walter Scott wrote his poem " The lady ofthe Lake" about the area , with a part description !" Each purple peak, each flinty spire was bathed in floods of living fire" describing the rugged mountains and cliffs for which the area is famous , with Loch Katrine, and The lake of Menteith, sitting on either side of Aberfoyle.
Callander and the surrounding area was the stomping grounds of Rob Roy McGregor a famous outlaw, and by the looks of things he has plenty of relatives still carrying on the tradition !! - shop was charging £2.15 p for an small ice cream cone , and the local council had pay and display machines on every possible parking area. Looks like the tourists are funding everything.
Our car park was next to an archeological site known as the "Tom Na Kssaig - Hill of St Kessog" , St Kessog was a follower of St Columbus who preached in the area in the sixth century.
Eventually off again, (still in bright sunshine) eastwards, past Blairdrummond Safari Park, where there were crowds at the gate waiting on buses for Stirling, then past the Deanston Distillery, now part of Scottish Leader Whisky, before getting onto the M90 motorway and heading south back to Edinburgh.
I stopped off at PC World and eventually bought a new DELL lap top to replace the old one as my promised replacement has never arrived.
So home, a round trip of about 180 miles, and now to bed - photos later.
Up and off to see the nurse who drew lots of blood - enough to keep a few vampire bats going for a while, then home and a quick run into town to drop Graham off at The Mercat.
May be able to add photos later.
I had no idea where I was going but having promised Mrs. B. a day out , we set off - also clutching a few pound which Graham had donated to help pay for lunch.
Off we went heading north , but I soon turned off and went down into South Queensferry where we stopped , in bright sunhine at the pier opposite the Hawes Inn ( mentioned by Robert Louis Stevenson in his book "Kidnapped") and took some pictures of the two bridges, The Forth Railway Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, lots of sailing boats and the ferry which goes out round Inchcolme Island. Into the centre of the village and stopped to look at the harbour, and also the Jubilee Clock which was erected in 1877, and beneath it on the wall a plaque to thank the Earl of Rosebery who gave the residents a "bleaching green" and fresh water supply in 1817.
It was then off and over the forth road bridge , now minus any tolls, through Dunfermline and then out into the country past the motor racing Circuit at Knockhill, which is getting all set up for the racing this coming weekend - through Glen Devon and eventually arrived at Gleneagles Hotel where we were going to have some lunch. There was a lot of activity with tents and marquees but I was not sure if they were still taking down the tented village from the last major event, or putting more up - there was a "Johnny Walker" sign. Had a look up the Kings Course and watched a few teeing off from the 1st.
Into the hotel, had a wee browse through their shpping arcade and then into the restaurant. the place has been changed around since I was last there, but it is very nice, there are cold meat, fish and cheese counters with chefs, etc, who cut your choice up and hand it over to other chefs for cooking. Out of curiosity I had a ribeye steak, which came with three tomatoes and a mushroom , the chips were £4 extra, and not being biased - I honestly think that Claire does a better ribeye in The Mercat Bar, plus trimming, for half the price I was charged. Mrs. b. had a small glass of Rose wine which cost £9.99p - Having said that , the place is a five star hotel and if we could not have afforded it we would not have been there.
From Gleneagles we headed further north heading for Crieff, and en route passed through a small villagge, name of which escapes me at the moment, where there were several stuffed dummies, dressed up along the main street. The one at Sweeney's Garage was good as was the one outside the pub.
Not sure what to make of Crieff today , being Wednesday many of the shops were closed half day, but there was the Stuarts Crystal and a few other places to go. We had tea, with scones, jam and cream then had the cheek to buy some mixed bags of sweeties.
Off we went and past "The Grouse Experience" which was previously Glenturret Distillery, one of the smallest in Scotland, but it has been bought over - along through St. Fillans, along the side of Loch Earn to Lochearnhead before turning south and stopping at Callander in the heart of the Trossachs . William Wordsworth the poet visited the area in 1803, and in 1810 Sir Walter Scott wrote his poem " The lady ofthe Lake" about the area , with a part description !" Each purple peak, each flinty spire was bathed in floods of living fire" describing the rugged mountains and cliffs for which the area is famous , with Loch Katrine, and The lake of Menteith, sitting on either side of Aberfoyle.
Callander and the surrounding area was the stomping grounds of Rob Roy McGregor a famous outlaw, and by the looks of things he has plenty of relatives still carrying on the tradition !! - shop was charging £2.15 p for an small ice cream cone , and the local council had pay and display machines on every possible parking area. Looks like the tourists are funding everything.
Our car park was next to an archeological site known as the "Tom Na Kssaig - Hill of St Kessog" , St Kessog was a follower of St Columbus who preached in the area in the sixth century.
Eventually off again, (still in bright sunshine) eastwards, past Blairdrummond Safari Park, where there were crowds at the gate waiting on buses for Stirling, then past the Deanston Distillery, now part of Scottish Leader Whisky, before getting onto the M90 motorway and heading south back to Edinburgh.
I stopped off at PC World and eventually bought a new DELL lap top to replace the old one as my promised replacement has never arrived.
So home, a round trip of about 180 miles, and now to bed - photos later.
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