31st July, Sunday: Jedburgh

After a minor re-arrangement of my rear nearside trim J, H & I set off in a mini convoy to Jedburgh.   Nice camp site walking distance from the town.  Pitched the tent for me so they could sleep in the Van.  While not a by-pass as such, the A68 has always by-passed the centre of the town and I have driven up and down the A68 many times in the past but have never stopped to look at the town.  The town has almost the full hand of cards: Mary Stuart, Robbie Burns, Walter Scott, Bonnie Prince Charlie.  Just need to scratch around to find associations with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce…..

It has a lovely ruined abbey as well as a house lived in by Mary Stuart and castle with a jail.

King David I (Scottish) wanted to show the English how rich & civilised the English were so encouraged abbeys to be built on the borders, hence Jedburgh, Melrose, Kelso and Dryburgh Abbeys.  As this part of Scotland changed hands on several occasions, they were all “devasted” (I want to say “slighted” but I think that is just castles?)

So the next few blogs are about abbeys.  Helen and I were discussing scoring them….

1. Melrose is the “poshest” as Melrose seems to be smart and wealthy and the abbey is on the edge of town and caters for coach loads.  Photos on another day.

2. Kelso is the biggest market town and there is very little left of the abbey so the abbey is not on the tourist circuit – and only merited the one photo:

3.  There is very little settlement at Dryburgh and the abbey was made into a “romantic ruin”.  It is next to a very desirable house on one side in which I suspect someone rich and maybe famous lives.  On the other side is a posh hotel. Again, photos on another day.

4. Jedburgh Abbey is right in the middle of the town and Jedburgh seems to be the most economically challenged – there are some empty shops and a few charity shops (and an embarassing Red Cross property.)  Both Mary, Queen of Scots’ House and the Castle Jail are free – I suspect that is to encourage tourism.  This one gets my top marks

West End

East End

Looking East

Looking West

A Roman inscription from an altar used in the construction of the Abbey

While out of date order I will “do” Jedburgh now.

As mentioned Mary Stuart lived here – not quite sure for how long, but it seems to have been “living” rather than being held captive.

Jedburgh from the castle

The castle…

  is really just a posh jail

Chemical make-up of Rayon

North British Rayon arrived in Jedburgh in 1929 and employed 850 people.  However this only lasted until 1956.  Also Lyle & Scott, Willian Laidlaw, Stewarts – all been and gone

 

I had difficulty taking this picture – it is an object gifted BY Queen Mary in 1928 which I thought remarkable as she is renowned for demanding things to be given to her.  Perhaps this is something she was given and didn’t want to keep..?  It was auctioned and achieved £120, funds for refurbishing Mary Stuart’s house.

Hutton’s unconformity at Jedburgh: he presented a paper observing that on the river Jed Water horizontal bands of red sandstone are lying on folded bands of rock, challenging the Bible.  I will write more about this.

 

A rather nice looking shop, sadly closed

29th July, Friday: West Lomond Hill + Loch Leven

My grandmother lived in Gateside, in the Kingdom of Fife and the West Lomond Hill lies to the south of the village. 

I’m pretty sure I never climbed the hill but remember going to the Hermit’s cave at the bottom of it.  I also recall that rosebay willow herb was always in bloom, particularly along the old railway line.  I also recall the interminable sermons at the kirk on Sundays.

I persuaded my cousin, Jim and his wife, Helen to climb the hill.  He didn’t know about the Hermit’s cave and had been lucky to not have to experience the sermons.

I had no recollection of the shape of the rock outcrop which is called the Bonnetstane

 

The entrance to the cave

 

Gateside; the old village is behind the trees and the kirk is for sale so no more long sermons there.

We then went to Kinross to catch a boat to Loch Leven Castle where Mary Stuart had been held prisoner.

Much needed Willow Herb

 

The castle is on the right.  On the left is a cemetery which may be part of Kinross House

A boat from the castle

 

Kinross House from the castle.  The  castle was the focal point of the view when house was built by Sir William Bruce of Balcaskie after buying it in 1672.  He rebuilt Holyroodhouse in the 1670’s

It has been called "the most beautiful and regular piece of Architecture in Scotland".  The house, which is considered the most important early classical mansion in Scotland, retains most of its original internal decoration. It was occupied as a family home until 2010. It has been sold and is to become a hotel.

The only pictures I took in Edinburgh on the Saturday (no, I didn’t go to see Zara + Mike) was of one of Anthony Gormley’s figures in the Water of Leith, from the bridge at Stockbridge:

28th July, Thursday: Stirling

Overcast day with occasional drizzle.  Never (knowingly) been to Stirling Castle so did that on the way down to Edinburgh.

 

Apologies – I didn’t take a photo from afar showing the castle up on its rock but this is the Wallace monument from the Castle:

and the view the other way

An instructive lintel

Lintel with a cheery message

The interior of the castle has been “reconstructed” – new facsimiles of the tapestries (now in USA) and ceiling bosses.  Her Maj had been not long before me and cut some tape or pulled a curtain.

A alchemist called Damian was trying to impress King James IV by flying to France using wings made of chicken feathers.  He got as far as the dung hill below the castle and he blamed the wrong type of feathers.