We set off at 9.45 and made good time. Straight on to M9 which leads on to the A9….a very straight forward route. Good roads and easy driving. Leaving plenty of time to enjoy the wonderful scenery.
Our first stop was at Blair Atholl station for John to photograph a train. We also had a very nice cup of coffee….scored 10/10!!, at The Atholl Arms Hotel
The scenery was fairly dramatic
With patches of snow…
Contrasting with beautiful vibrant bluebells …
We continued on our way passed Drumochter Pass which is the highest point on the UK rail network.
We stopped of at Kingussie.
There were still a lot of Daffodils out.
We sat in the station carpark having our sandwiches.
From here we dropped in at Avimore. It would have been rude to pass by and not call in at the station and the toilets !!!!
On we went up to and passed Slochd one of the steepest climbs on the rail network and also a place of mass humiliation for me……many, many years ago on my first time to Scotland with John we stopped here to have a picnic lunch….I asked John if any trains were coming and he assured me there were none due…so I walked along the line side footpath and found a nice big bush which shielded me from the road….bursting for a wee I squatted down…..mid flow a steam train appeared over the rise with a viewing platform on the back of the train, this was full of oriental tourists and their cameras….they were not shy in clicking away at me in mid-wee!!!!! Talk about embarrassing….Johns only excuse – to this day- is that in those days they didn’t put “The Specials” on the internet timetable …..ummmm…I haven’t quite forgiven him yet…of course he found it hysterically funny…so every time we go by John takes a picture of it…just to remind me!!!!
Just after Slochd you can see the dramatic viaduct at Tomatin
We continued on through the countryside.
Around about 2.30 we arrived in Inverness and easily found our AirB&B – a very nice ground floor of a period house. 2 double bedrooms, one en-suite and the other next to a bathroom, a large lounge with two big comfortable settees and a well equipped kitchen……The washing was soon on and we rested before going our for supper.
We went to The White House because we were meeting my sister and her husband for the evening. They just happened to be here on holiday at the same time as us. We had a very nice meal before returning to our accommodation for a much needed good nights sleep.
We had a slower start to the day because it was Sunday….The daylight streamed in early dawn but soon turned to black rain clouds.
The 3 of us breakfasted in our room. My son Jak phoned from Spain….rubbing salt into the wounds as they had bright blue skies, high temperature and were about to walk the dogs….whilst we waited for a dry moment to bolt to the car.
Today was a ‘Jackson’ mystery tour….John had the map and directed us up into the hills. There was an absolute palette of colours…the most striking being the vibrant yellow gorse, sparklingly bright from the rain…what a picture..
There was also beds of bluebells in roadside woodlands….
…clumps of daffodils still bloom…
Lambs of various ages all added to our belief that Scotlands cooler climate allows its nature to flourish at what we call ‘the normal time of year’. Where as down south our daffodils and bluebells were over a month ago.
We were also amazed at the most beautifully kept gardens in the little hamlets and villages. The array of wonderful colourful rhododendrons were absolutely stunning.
We stopped at a view point…one side was bright sunshine whilst the other was grey low cloud…I just managed to get a couple of shots before the heavens opened …
We drove on enjoying the views in the dry warmth of the car.
Around lunch time we arrived back at The Kelpies, where we ate our sandwiches and used their conveniences.
Then we dropped John at Falkirk High Station so he could go and train spot, while Dad and I went back to the hotel.
We picked John up at 18.20 and went straight to the Beijing Banquet again….we had enjoyed it so much a few days ago we decided to do an “eat, repeat” experience..
Yesterday evening we decided not to go out for supper…too much restaurant food is never good….especially when it’s all much the same….PLEASE someone teach our hospitality businesses that there are more vegetables in the world than just peas and carrots!! So an earlier in the day, trip to Tesco had precured two lasagnes for the boys and a Paella for me, some bananas and some cheesecake for the boys. I used the hotel staff microwaves to heat everything up and they provided us with additional chairs so we could all eat together in our room……a good option…we’ll do the same tomorrow with some different ready meals before resuming our eating out regime….its the first time we’ve ever done this but it worked very well and we were all happy.
Day 5 – Out and about around Falkirk
I dropped John at Falkirk high station and then returned to the Premier Lodge for breakfast in out room with Dad. Cornflakes, Albran and a yoghurt…. great for the constitution !!! We then went to Tesco and selected meals for lunch and the evening. After which the good old Waze Sat. Nav. got us to Callendar House.
Callendar House has a 600 year history and, during these years, it has been host to many important historical figures, including Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell, Bonnie Prince Charlie and Queen Victoria. The mansion is set within the grounds of Callendar Park. The current building is by far the most historical in the area. It has an impressive 300ft frontage. It was redesigned and extended, in the style of a French Renaissance Chateau, fused with elements of Scottish Baronial architecture, during the 19th century. The main core of the building is a 14th century tower house.
The House is completely free to visit. On Entering you are greeted by some extremely friendly staff who issue you with a self guide brochure and point out where the lift is to allow you easy access to the 2 higher floors. We wandered around the ground floor which was covered in information boards and displays.
The guide book took us on to the Kitchen…what a place..
The breakfast menu brought back fond memories… i reminded Dad of how my Grandpa had liked to have Devilled Kidneys, Ham and Eggs for his breakfast and Dad said that it was his favourite whilst he was doing his National Service.
Next to the kitchen was a small snug where an interactive film brought you into the kitchen and taught you what it was like to be a kitchen maid…
We took the lift upstairs and encountered a few more displays.
By now we were ready for the coffee shop… scones with butter and jam and Americano coffees were the order of the day….
After refreshment we decided to leave Callendar house…a bus trip had arrived and it was getting very busy.
We drove into Lanarkshire and enjoyed the beautiful countryside. The gorse was in full flower as far as you could see was amass of bright yellow…..
For those of you who know me you’ll know I have a strange sense of humour and I had it in my head I wanted to see Fannyside Loch !!!!No explanation offered…. The route took us along some very narrow lanes surrounded by peat bogs and moorland….little lambs frolicked in the fields and on the scrubland….small hamlets with impressive farmhouses and beautiful scenery across the horizon…Finally we came across a small sailing club on Fannyside Loch…however that was the only view of the loch and there was nowhere to park to enjoy the view…
Having appeased my curiosity we headed back …it turned into a “Sumner” mystery tour, because waze had gone on strike and Dad was on the map. With us both a bit uncertain as to where we were we suddenly came upon the outskirts of Falkirk and realised we had done a giant circle..
Traversing the town to get to our hotel, It was very busy with crowds of people mostly young men streaming along the pavements ….it soon became apparent that Falkirk had been playing at home to Rangers and as it had been a 12.30 kickoff we were catching the after match crowds…
The hotel receptionist confirmed this as she had come straight from the match, disappointed that Falkirk had lost but pleased that Celtic had won the Scottish Championship…
Another lovely day exploring the area…more tomorrow
We finished Day 3 with a little treat a meal out at “BEIJING BANQUET – ALL YOU CAN EAT, ALL YOU’LL EVER WANT.”… about an eight minute drive ( mainly due to the road works), this restaurant is situated next to the Travel Lodge. It’s a self service predominantly Chinese restaurant, although it also had some English, pizza, Indian food….probably more but as we wanted Chinese I didn’t really explore the other options….the Chinese food was good quality…delicious duck pancakes, huge king prawns, nice chicken satay, beef in black bean etc etc…The desserts were also delicious…pineapple and banana fritters, fresh fruit, cheesecakes and numerous other choices…very yummy…all for the price of £21,99 Monday to Thursday and £23,99 Friday to Sunday….
We returned to the Premier Lodge with happy full tummy’s.
Day 4 – Out and about in Falkirk
Unfortunately the room had quite a lot of light…a flashing fire alarm system, a green emergency light, two lights in the bathroom which stay on and shine through the door cracks and street lights which shone around the window blinds….not great as I like a very dark bedroom…about 2.39 am I fashioned an eye-mask out of a clean hanky and two hair bands!!!!! Sleep at last….
John rose early and proclaimed it was a great shower. He is having the next 3 days chasing around the Glasgow and Edinburgh railway lines seeing as many trains as he possibly can….I called him an Uber to take him to the Falkirk High Station…alas the App kept saying it was cancelling my order….I later found out that 5here is no Uber in Falkirk..!!!! So dragging on my clothes I set the ever faithful Waze sat nav and off we went. It took about 10 minutes or so to get to the station where I dropped John….I reset waze to the nearest Tesco and headed off. We had brought cereal with us and the picnic hamper, so only needed milk to provide Dad and myself with our preferred breakfast. We had also decided to take advantage of the Premier Lodges microwaves and fridge….so Tesco provided us with microwave ready meals for the evening meal and sandwiches for our lunch and yoghurts and milk to complete our breakfast….job done…On returning I collected Dad from his room and we breakfasted together in our room. After breakfast I had a lovely shower, before Dad and I headed out.
We headed out to the Falkirk Wheel. This is the world’s one and only rotating boat lift. A marvel of engineering, the Falkirk Wheel links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal 35 metres above. It allows vessels to sail through the sky thanks to a unique fusion of art and engineering. The half turn only uses the same power it would take to boil eight kettles.
Transforming the contaminated site of a former tar works, The Falkirk Wheel opened in 2002 and replaced a flight of 11 locks that once stepped the Union Canal down to the level of the Forth & Clyde, more than 100 feet below. Whereas weary travellers once had a day’s heavy work opening and closing lock gates to complete the journey between the two canals, The Falkirk Wheel allows vessels to transit between the two waterways in just a few minutes.
Today it is one of Scotlands main tourist attractions. Dad and I have been on it before but one can never have enough of this strange phenomenon…. The boats enter the cradle, or gondolas and it is lowered, while the opposite one rises, keeping the vast, 1800 tonne boat lift in perfect balance. At only £16.50 for over 65’s and £17.95 for adults it is extremely affordable. There is plenty of parking and blue badge disability parking is right next to the visitors centre.
We purchased our tickets and had a cup of coffee in the cafe while awaiting our time slot and watching the previous tour boat being raised.
We had only ever seen one boat at a time being raised and descending however today we witnessed the tourist boat and a long boat coming down together…
Once our boat had reached the top level we continued through a tunnel up to the next lock before turning around and coming back.
The return trip is equally as fascinating, with the Captain pointing out all the sights on the horizon.
Back with our feet on terra firmer we enjoyed looking at this feat in engineering and the information on display.
After showing our blue badge at the visitors centre the barrier was lifted and we headed away for our next stop…..The Kelpies.
The Kelpies, are a pair of 30-meter-tall horse head sculptures located in The Helix park Falkirk, inspired by the working Clydesdale horses of Scotland’s past. The Kelpies stand majestically above all around them and pay homage to the working horses of Scotland which used to pull barges along Scotland’s canals and worked in the fields in the area where they now stand. Towering over a new canal extension which links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the North Sea, The Kelpies are the result of a unique collaboration between the partners and Glasgow-based artist Andy Scott. Almost a decade in the making, the project has transformed 350 hectares of underused land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a vibrant parkland, visitor attraction and marine hub with the canal and The Kelpies at its heart.
Once again it is an area which allows disabled parking right next to the visitors centre. We used the very tidy toilets before sitting in the car and munching our lunch. After which we walked up to the sculptures and looked at the lock.
Dad photo bombings the Kelpies!!!
They used to do tours up the inside of the Kelpie, I think the viewing gallery was from its mouth….but there was no evidence of this today..
We returned to The premier Lodge for a hot coffee and one of my Dads favourites- choc-chip mini muffins !!!!
Yesterday evening we took an Uber to The Crows Nest …a Greene King Pub, with good old fashioned ‘pub grub’. We didn’t want a posh restaurant just some decent food….thats what we got…Dad had hunters chicken, John had gammon steak, pineapple & egg & chips. I had 3 Cumberland sausages, mash, peas, gravy and a Yorkshire pudding …we each had a soft drink and the bill was less than £35…. Half the price of the night before and more tasty….a great choice.
Day 3 – time to leave Newcastle and head for Scotland
John walked up to the station and brought back 3 bacon butties which we had in our room with coffee. Heading down to reception to book out we meet a delightful receptionist. When he heard how old my Dad was he rushed across to shake his hand and chatted to him while John and I went to fetch the car. The Leonardo Hotel discounts your car parking which was a very pleasant surprise…if you stay longer than 2 nights it would be cheaper to buy a week’s parking.
Returning to the hotel the lovely receptionist assisted us with our bags and then gifted us some wonderful fruit jelly pastilles, which he said he and his wife enjoyed on their trips to Scotland….he was right we did enjoy his kindness and the jelly pastilles……what a kind gentleman….I must say we would definitely stay there again….we were made to feel very welcome and the Northern Kindness shone through.
We had a good steady trip up the A1… until we saw……
We crossed into Scotland and headed for South Queenferry a favourite haunt of ours. Filling with petrol at a garage with a Marks & Spencer’s we picked up sandwiches and sausage rolls for the boys and a wrap with yoghurt for myself. …we sat in the carpark almost beneath The Forth Bridge eating our lunch. I fetched a couple of coffees from the Forth Bridge cafe & Bistro….we spent an enjoyable hour watching the world go by…trains, boats, ferry’s etc…
We headed on to our hotel in Falkirk. It’s not the Premier Lodge’s fault that their lodge is in the middle of massive roadworks at the moment. We are here for 4 nights so that John can go to Edinburgh and Glasgow stations, while Dad and I see the tourist sights….so we wanted somewhere cheap and cheerful….. that is exactly what we got …we were greeted by two delightful receptionist who went beyond the norm to give us information and to make us welcome. A lift deposited us on the 2nd floor. The rooms have double beds ( we’re used to kingsize so we will be very snug!), a kettle and coffee and a hanging area, a tv, desk and en-suite. Everything we need…there are 2 communal microwaves and fridges near the reception…..so all good…basic but clean and ok for what we need.
We’ll need to negotiate the road works again tonight to find somewhere to eat….more about that tomorrow.
2 J's World of Adventure 