Heading North, Scotland, 2013

27 April 2013

Today we said a sad farewell to Edinburgh as were heading north to start our circuit of Scotland.  Our first stop, only 14 km from Edinburgh, was at the impressive Forth Bridges and the nearby Marina as Tom wanted to visit the chandlery. 

Dominating the vista  at this stop was the cantilevered railway Forth Bridge which spans 2,528.7 metres (8,296 ft) over the Firth of Forth  connecting the north-east and south-east of the country. The bridge was begun in 1883, took 7 years to complete, used nearly 1,600 tonnes (3,500,000 lb) of metal and 10 times as much steel as the Eiffel Tower. It also cost the lives of 63 men. Interestingly, the design was deliberately chosen to look strong, due to the collapse 4 years earlier of the first Tay Railway Bridge. 

Up until 1917, when the Quebec Bridge was completed, the Forth Bridge had the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world and is still the world's second longest single span. The newer road Forth Bridge is alongside and together they make a challenging "photo shoot".

(Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them)

The Forth Bridge (Rail)

Both of the Forth Bridges

The Forth Bridge (Road)

Port Edgar Yacht Club

Poert Edgar Marina. Note the Mud!

Tom didn't have much success finding the parts he wanted at the Chandlery so we settled for a satisfying morning tea at the Marina Cafe  before driving to Kinross to check into our accommodation, dump our bags and head out to the famous St Andrews (of golfing fame). 

Market Street St Andrews

We meandered our way towards the ruins of the Cathedral of St Andrews which was founded in 1158c and became the centre of the medieval Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. It took over one hundred years to complete because the west end was blown down during storms in 1272  and 1279 and so had to be rebuilt. Eventually it was completed and dedicated in 1318 in a ceremony before King Robert 1.

It was used until 16th century when it was sacked during the Scottish Reformation. The sheer size of the ruins indicate that the building was about 100 metres (391 ft) long with a central tower and 6 turrets 30 metres high. What an amazing building it must have been! 

There are many modern gravestones in the grounds of the Ruins.

St Andrew's Cathedral Ruins

St Andrew's Cathedral Ruins

As we wandered along the coast we came to the ruins of St Andrew's Castle in  a picturesque setting overlooking the North Sea. The castle was built around the 12th century and was in use until 1689. It had rather a dramatic history as during the Scottish Wars of Independence the castle was destroyed  and rebuilt several times as it changed hands between the Scots and the English.

St Andrew's Castle

After such a busy morning it was time for a quick sandwich eaten from the boot of the car ready for our afternoon activity. Note that John and Roslyn and Tom are rugged up in "winter kit"