In Border Country

There are some people who believe that the Scottish-English border runs along the line of Hadrian's Wall, however that has not been the case since the Romans left. In fact the border line has changed many times over the last two millennia and if you want to see the most recent evidence of this you must pay a visit to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Back in October we did just that, taking Vannie for another trip over the border (just) to Berwick on the banks of the River Tweed. We stayed in Seaview campsite in Spittal (just across the river from Berwick) and it really did have a sea view:

Looking over Spittal to the North Sea from Caravan Park

Mouth of the Tweed from Caravan Park

One of the first things we did was to explore the little village of Spittal (named after the medieval hospital that stood there) and in particular it's spectacular esplanade:

Moira on Spittal Esplanade

Looking out towards Lindisfarne from Spittal Esplanade

Looking back towards Berwick from Spittal Esplanade

It really was a beautiful beach with miles of golden sands, but too cold to fully enjoy it, so we had a hot coffee in the little seaside cafe rather than a cold ice cream.
The views across the sea to Lindisfarne (aka Holy Island) and Bamburgh Castle were stunning, this video might give you some idea of what I'm talking about:

I can imagine it would be a very popular beach in the summer, but in October we practically had the place to ourselves.
Later that day we took a walk along the banks of the Tweed, on the southern side, across the river from Berwick. This gave us some good views of the town and the bridges that connect it with Tweedmouth , Spittal and the rest of England:

Berwick on the mouth of the Tweed

The Old Tweed Bridge to Berwick

New Tweed Bridge and Rowing Clubhouse

Railway Bridge carrying Edinburgh-London Train

The railway bridge (or Royal Border Bridge to give its proper name) was opened by Queen Victoria in 1850 and carries the main east coast line from London to Edinburgh and beyond.
The original stone-arched road/pedestrian bridge (known as The Berwick Bridge) was built between 1611 and 1634 and would have obvious been designed for horses and carts as well as pedestrians. It now carries cars, but only one way i.e. only when leaving Berwick heading south.
The newer road/pedestrian bridge (known as The Royal Tweed Bridge) was opened in 1928 and is made of Ferroconcrete ( a concrete re-inforced with metal bars).
So just like South Queensferry, Berwick can boast three major bridges built in three different centuries. The rail bridge is probably the most impressive (just like SQ) and it was built by the Stephenson family (mostly famous for lighthouses):

Royal Border Rail Bridge

Happy 150th Birthday

Posing by The Tweed

Later on that afternoon I was intrigued by the large chimney down in the village of Spittal which was clearly visible from our view out the motorhome window:

View over Spittal (large chimney to right of church)

As the weather had improved in the late afternoon I decided I would go down to investigate what this large chimney was. When I got down to Spittal Point, where the chimney stood I discovered it was simply a large chimney, with no evidence of what it was used for?

Large Chimney at Spittal Point

Spittal Point did however proof to be a good place to view and photograph the area around the mouth of the Tweed.

Berwick from Spittal Point

Breakwater and Lighthouse from Spittal Point

Looking towards Spittal

Spittal Point Chimney at Dusk

I later discovered that the chimney was most likely associated with one of the chemical manure factories that existed there about a hundred years ago. Not sure I would have dwelt so long in this area back then.
I did enjoy my hour or so down at Spittal Point and with my binoculars I could see something (which I think was a Dolphin) swimming in the sea near to the lighthouse. I tried to capture it on video but it was very difficult, especially with the bright sunshine at my back making it hard to see clearly in the camcorder viewfinder:

Did you see it?
The next day we decided to take a walk along the ramparts (or defensive walls/battlements) that surround Berwick. Now these are quite substantial structures, which have developed over many hundreds of years, so it is only fair I give you a bit of history which will shed some light on their reason for existing.

• Many moons ago Berwick was a Royal Scottish Burgh
• In 1296 it was besieged at captured by Edward I (aka Longshanks or Hammer of the Scots) who proceeded to build a new castle and defences
• In 1318 the town was regained by the Scots, during the reign of King Robert the Bruce 
• The town changed hands several times over the next hundred and sixty years before English rule was permanently established by Edward IV in 1482
• Additional defences were added in the 16th Century to ensure town stayed in English hands
• There were less Scots/Anglo tensions after the Union of Scottish and English Crowns in 1603 (apart from the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 of course)
• Thereafter the defences were used more to protect against foreign invasion from the sea than Scots/Anglo rivalry
• The barracks inside the walls were built during the Jacobite rebellions and they served as home to The King's Own Scottish Borders from 1881 right up to 1963
• By 1964 there was no longer a military presence in Berwick 

So here are some views from the ramparts surrounding Berwick upon Tweed:

Cannon on Berwick Ramparts

Barracks within Berwick's Defences

Love the Serpent Benches

Cannons Built into Defensive Structure

At the north-west end of the Ramparts stands Megs Mount were you get some good views back down towards Berwick:

Down Towards Golden Square

Looking over the Rooftops of Berwick

Berwick Railway Viaduct

Towards the Mouth of the Tweed

This little video clip probably gives you a better idea of the panoramic views from the Ramparts and from Megs Mount:

One thing that did intrigue me when we were looking down from the ramparts was this little half-timbered building:

What is this?

When we got back down to the lower level closer examination revealed that is was a very early example of a public toilet.

Berwick's Oldest Public Toilet?

Information Plaque on Quaint Public Toilet

Unfortunately it was closed!!
After our walk along the town ramparts we headed down to the riverside and enjoyed a coffee by the water in the late afternoon sunshine:

Sitting on the dock of the bay

Lovely View of  Three Bridges

Enjoying a Coffee and Watching the Swans

Lovely coffee, lovely cake and lovely views, what's not to like about Berwick?
I never really did much wildlife watching on this trip, apart from the Dolphins and Swans of course....... and a few waders/waterbirds near the old bridge:

Berwick is also a good base for visiting other places, with regular trains to Edinburgh and Newcastle (and all stations in-between) there are lots of interesting places to visit. We took a bus ride (as the train doesn't go there) to Alnwick and enjoyed a good few hours walking around the town and had a nice pub lunch in the Black Swan.

Alnwick Town Archway

Horses Head outside posh clothes shop

Alnwick Railway Station, now an excellent Bookshop

We didn't go to the Castle or the Gardens as we did not have a lot of time and like any true Scotsman I wasn't going to pay all that money for an hour or so visit. We did go into the bookshop though and I bought a second hand book about the Steamers of the Forth (it wasn't just the folk fae Glasgow that went 'doon tha water' on a day trip you know!).
That about sums up our few days at Berwick.......... very enjoyable.......... would definitely do it again. I will leave you with a little video of a lifeboat exercise I filmed from the campsite, where the inshore rib left the main lifeboat and headed up river:

Good to know they are there if you need them.

Take Care

TeddyEdward

Oban and The Hollow Mountain

Back in August we treated ourselves to a little trip to Oban in Argyll without the motorhome. Yes we splashed out and stayed in a small guest-house called 'Sutherland House' at the north end of Oban Esplanade:

Sutherland House where we stayed

It was a lovely little guest-house and the guy who run it was very welcoming and helpful. We were given a lovely room on the top floor..... no lift unfortunately..... but we did have a fantastic view out the window:

Our Top Floor Room

View of Oban Bay from Our Room

Once we got unpacked we decided to go for a walk along the esplanade towards the town centre so we could grab a cup of coffee and check the place out. At the southern end of the town is the railway station and also the main ferry terminal where you can get to lots of exciting places like Mull, Barra and Colonsay (we didn't go to any of these places though):

View From Ferry Terminal Towards North Pier

Looking back towards Oban (McCaig's Tower on skyline)

Moira on Oban Harbour Wall

It was starting to get a bit late now so we headed back towards the guest-house so we could freshen up before we went out for a meal. I did take a couple of photos on the way back though:

Oban Bay from Town Centre

Looking North Towards the Churches

That evening we had a lovely meal in a posh fish and chip shop, followed by a stroll along the esplanade to aid digestion and enjoy the pleasant evening sunshine:

Oban Harbour Front in the Evening

Oban Bay (with incoming Black Guillemot)

Yes we did see a Black Guillemot, it was nesting in a hole on the harbour wall and made several feeding trips whilst we watched it (no I didn't have my camcorder with me!). But I did capture the lovely sunset with my phone camera:

Sunset over Oban Bay

I thought I would celebrate a beautiful evening with a pint and an Oban whisky before returning to the guest-house; conveniently Markie Dan's pub was next door:

A hauf an a hauf

........and so to bed.

The next morning was not as stunning as the previous evening; in fact it could simply be described as dreich, as viewed from our guest-house window:

Ferry steams in to Oban harbour on a dreich morning

Not to be put off by the wet weather we chose to jump in the car and drive to the Oban Sea Life Centre (which is at least 15 to 20 minutes drive north of Oban).
Last time I visited this Sea Life Centre was back in the late 1980's and I'm afraid some parts of it haven't changed much. It did have a nice cafe (which wasn't there in the 80's) and it also was still doing sterling conservation and animal rescue work............ so worth visiting and supporting it.
Here are some photos I took with apologies for the poor quality of my images:

Little Seahorse

Larger Seahorse entwined with a rope

After the Sea Life Centre we headed north over the Ballachulish Bridge and on to Fort William where we had some lunch. The weather hadn't improved much and the town centre of Fort William wasn't the most picturesque place I have ever been to, so we decided to take a leisurely drive back south towards Oban.
We stopped at the Castle Stalker View Cafe near Appin on the way back for a coffee break and it did indeed have a view of Castle Stalker:

View towards Castle Stalker

This 14th century castle featured in films such as Highlander Endgame and more famously as 'Castle of Aaarrrgggghhhh' in Monty Python's Holy Grail. It started raining again so I didn't walk nearer to get a better picture, I did however capture some geese flying overhead:

Geese Flying Overhead

The weather didn't improve much for the rest of the day. We managed to get out for a meal in the evening without getting soaked, apart from that we had a quiet night in.

The next morning couldn't have been more of a contrast as we awoke to lovely sunny day:

Sunny Day at Oban Bay

Compare the following view from our window of the ferry arriving with yesterday's photo and you will notice the difference:

Ferry steams into Oban Harbour on a sunny morning

What a contrast!
As it was such a nice morning we decided drive up to McCaig's Tower to enjoy the view (far too steep for us lazy, auld yins to walk). Perch on the hill above Oban McCaig's Tower (aka McCaig's Folly) is certainly an impressive structure and does have commanding views:

Inside McCaig's Tower

View from McCaig's Tower

Moira at McCaig's Tower

Eddie at McCaig's Tower

This 200m circular tower was constructed in granite sourced from the nearby Bonawe quarry by wealthy banker John Stuart McCaig as a monument to his family. It was based on the Colosseum in Rome and was built between 1897 and 1902, providing sorely needed work for local people over the winter months.
I think the video below provides a good panoramic view of the incoming squall which forced us back to the comfort of our car:

Lovely rainbow though!
After visiting McCaig's Tower we drove a few miles along the A85 to Dunbeg, where we stopped for a spot of brunch at the cafe in Poppies Garden Centre. They do great food and the view from the cafe is not to shabby either:

View from Poppies Cafe

In fact the views from the car park at Poppies are quite picturesque as well:

Pond at Poppies Car Park

Dunstaffnage Marina

View across Ardnucknish Bay

A little further along the A85 takes you to Connel Bridge, which you cross if you are heading North to Fort William. We however were heading East towards Loch Awe, but we did stop briefly to capture the phenomenon that is the Falls of Lora.
These 'Falls' are the result of a geological fault which has led to a rocky shelf being created under the water at a narrow point where Loch Etive discharges in to the Firth of Lorn. At low tide the water level in the loch is higher than that in the firth effectively creating white water rapids.
Connel Bridge has obviously been constructed at this narrow neck as it is the shortest crossing point.

Connel Bridge and The Falls of Lora

I think this video will probably represent the power of the 'Falls' better than a photograph (although it can be a lot more turbulent during spring tides):

The Falls of Lora are apparently a favoured spot for thrill-seeking kayakers to ride the white water!.............. not my idea of fun.
We headed East along the side of Loch Etive, passing by Taynuilt and through the Pass of Brander (where Robert the Bruce was reputed to have won a famous battle). Here the River Awe, The A85 road and the Glasgow to Oban railway line all weave a similar path through the narrow pass:

The Pass of Brander

The other side of the pass lies Loch Awe, a large L-shaped body of water that claims to be Scotland's longest inland loch (if you measure round the 'L' that is). Either way it is a large loch, surrounded by hills and contains several islands, some with buildings on them:

Across Loch Awe from A85

Sunshine on Loch Awe

Kilchurn Castle on the Shores of Loch Awe

The Mountains Surrounding Loch Awe

Loch Awe and the surrounding area is green, lush and simply stunning............. the reason being it rains a lot.......... and where there is lots of rain water there are hydro-electric power stations. We had organised a visit to one such hydro-electric power station, namely Cruachan Pumped Storage Scheme, which sits on the edge of Loch Awe at the foot of Ben Cruachan.
Cruachan power station lies 3/4 of a mile underground, built inside a huge James Bond-like cavern within Ben Cruachan (commonly referred to as the Hollow Mountain). Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photographs of the underground power station, however I did happen to work there some thirty years ago so can share some old 1980's photos with you:

View of Units 1 & 2 from Overhead Crane

View of Pony Motors on Upper Level

The power station has four Generator Units, each comprising a water inlet valve (the big blue thing in the top picture), a water turbine, a high voltage generator and a pony motor. Each unit can generate a 110 Megawatts of power and work a bit like this:

1. Water from the upper reservoir (on the top of the mountain) flow down a pipe to the inlet valve
2. The inlet valve is opened and turns the impeller on the water turbine
3. The impeller is connected by a shaft to the rotor of the generator, which also turns
4. The rotor generates electricity (at 20,000 volts) in the stator of the generator, which then goes through a transformer which converts it to 11,000 volts which then connects to the National Grid

What about the pony motor I hear you ask?

Well because Cruachan is a pumped storage scheme, it generates electricity when it is needed at times of peak demand (e.g. kettle on when Corrie finishes) and when demand is low (such as the early hours of the morning) it pumps the water back up to the upper reservoir using the Pony Motor ready for the next peak demand.

Back to 1980's when I was in charge of a team of engineers, fitters, electricians and winders refurbishing Unit 1 and Unit 2 in Cruachan. Here is a black and white photo of some of my team back then:

The Winding Team at Cruachan (circa 1986)

No I am not in the photo but it represents an international workforce of a Scottish Engineer, a German Engineer and six Brummie Winders. For those who followed the description of how a generator works, they are standing above the stator, with the 170 tonne rotor removed of course.

I also gained vehicular access to the upper reservoir at the top of Ben Cruachan back in 1986.............. not something the public are allowed to do............ you can walk up the mountain if you wish (it's only about 2,500 feet above Loch Awe).

The road to the upper dam (Loch Awe in background)

Ben Cruachan Dam (circa 1986)

Ben Cruachan Dam and Reservoir (circa 1986)

View down The Pass of Brander from Ben Cruachan

Enough of this nostalgia, back to 2018.

At the Cruachan visitor centre they have a lovely little cafe with nice cakes and things.......... anyway in this cafe they also have a sign saying that Pine Martens occasionally visit the bird table outside the cafe window. Having tried to spot Pine Martens for many years and never ever having had a glimpse of one, I thought........ "what chance of seeing them here?" 

Oh boy I was wrong....... so wrong! We were approaching the tables outside the cafe (where the bird table is) when I saw something moving in the nearby hedge:

It disappeared as quickly as it arrived, but we got absolutely brilliant views, I could hardly believe our luck. So I thought why not sit at the table near the bird feeder in case it comes back......... and ten minutes later........ they did:

Yes there were two of them!! Double joy!!
So you know where to go if you want to see great engineering achievements and rare wildlife............ Cruachan Visitor Centre.
We headed back to Oban for our evening meal, then wrapped up a very enjoyable day with a pleasant walk along the North Esplanade:

Isle of Kerrera in Oban Bay

Moira on Oban Esplanade

Eddie on Oban Esplanade

Sunset over Oban Bay

Dunollie Castle

Drammatic Skies over The Sound of Mull

What a fantastic few days we had: gorgeous scenery, good food and drink; great views of wildlife; historic sites; engineering marvels; etc.......... highly recommend you visit this area.......... never mind the weather!

Take care

Teddyedward