Friday, June 25, 2004 (Blair Castle, the Hermitage and Dunkeld)

Today was the social program day in the Edinburgh School of English. We met at school at 9:00 h and left Edinburgh with the bus and then went northward.

THE FORTH RAIL BRIDGE
Yes, we saw the huge railway bridge over the Firth of Forth it was the first larger Railway Bridge. Its three huge cantilevers span 1447 m and it took 59’000 tonnes of steel, 8 million rivets and the lives of 58 men. The well-known local landmark has dominated the local view since it was opened in 1890 by the Prince of Wales. The plans for the bridge began with a work by Sir Thomas Bouch; his proposal was soon rejected, however, due to unforeseen events. A previous bridge built by Bouch collapsed in 1890, and seventy people lost their lives as the Tay Bridge gave way in stormy weather. www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/queensferry/forthrailbridge/

THE FORTH ROAD BRIDGE
We used the Road Bridge with the bus. It opened on the 4th of September 1964. The bridge connected the North and South Queensferry, replacing the regular ferry service that had been existance for 800 years. Work began on the approach roads for the bridge in 1958, with the bridge being nicknamed the "Highway in the Sky". At the time, the bridge was Europe's longest suspension bridge at one and a half miles long. http://www.feta.gov.uk/

Sitting side by side, the two bridges contrast starkly the engineering feats of two different centuries and no doubt shall continue to do so for years to come.

BLAIR CASTLE
Dating from 1269, Blair Castle has been the home of the Atholl family for over 700 years. Set in the dramatic scenery of Strath Garry, it commands a strategic position on the route north. Today, 32 rooms of infinite variety display beautiful furniture, fine paintings, arms and armour, china, costumes, lace and embroidery, masonic regalia, Jacobite relics and other unique treasures.
But for us, the big problem was the amount of available time, we had just two hours for visiting the Castle, including lunch and the beautiful nice view around the building. So we had to miss the 18th century walled garden. www.blair-castle.co.uk/



Blair Castle

THE HERMITAGE
Situated just beside Dunkeld, the Hermitage is a National Trust for Scotland property. What was believed until recently to be the tallest tree in the UK stands in these woods. Then someone got round to measuring it and it lost its title to a tree in Moniack near Inverness. From the car park, we walked under the railway bridge on either of the two paths and followed the riverside to a delightful stone bridge and victorian folly known as Ossian's Hall overlooking the waterfall. It was another break for taking pictures. Was that a salmon?
www.nts.org.uk/web/site/home/visit/places/Property.asp?PropID=10071&NavPage=10071&NavId=5121



The Hermitage - some Friends

DUNKELD
The little town of Dunkeld is one of Perthshire’s gems. Nestling beneath thickly-wooded hills, its Cathedral and beautifully restored 17th century buildings have an air of timeless tranquillity. We strolled by the mighty River Tay (Scotland’s longest river) and took pictures of the Thomas Telford`s Bridge. This is an ideal centre for lovers of history. www.visitdunkeld.com



Thomas Telford's Bridge - River Tay

THE DUNKELD CATHEDRAL
For a short period, Dunkeld played a leading role in the history of the early church in Scotland. In the middle of the ninth century, King Kenneth brought some of the relics of St. Columban from Iona to Dunkeld. The Cathedral is a mixture of Gothic and Norman styles, and was built in several stages over a period of more than 200 years from 1260 to 1501. www.dunkeldcathedral.org.uk



The Dunkeld Cathedral

After our dinner at "home", Elsa and I went shopping. We looked for some special gifts from Scotland to bring home. But so much is very expensive and what we bought, that is our surprise ... ;-)