Queensferry Crossing Walk

Cast your mind back to March this year when I posted a blog about the construction of the latest bridge across the River Forth, called the Queensferry Crossing. Well, as you have probably heard in the news recently, this new bridge is finally open........... and I was lucky enough to be allowed to walk across it before the Queen performed the official opening ceremony.
I was part of a group of volunteers from Echline Community Woodland who (together with thousands of other groups and individuals) were given the 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to walk over this new bridge.
Unlike the original Forth Road Bridge, there are no pedestrians or cyclists allowed on the new bridge so this meant the traffic used the old bridge whilst we did our walk.
This is a brief story in pictures and video of our walk across the Queensferry Crossing:

Huw, Keith, John and Janet at the start

 

Huw and Janet

John raring to go

There were five of the ECW volunteers (me, Huw, John, Keith and Geoff) to start with and we met up with Huw's wife Janet and Geoff's wife Brenda, who had come with another group.
We were given an hour to cross the 1.7 mile long bridge, but we weren't in a hurry so took our time and enjoyed the experience. Some of our group wanted to cross a bit quicker so we were happy for them to go ahead.

Plenty of people were crossing the bridge

We took plenty of snaps

I was there as well

The views from the bridge were pretty good as well, considering it was a bit of a grey day:

The Inner Forth Estuary

Rosyth from Queensferry Crossing

The views of the bridge were pretty spectacular, and as we approached the first tower you really got a feel for the scale of this engineering marvel:

Web of cables on first tower

Information Board at first tower

The cable work looked like the strings on a giant harp.............. however there was no giant there to play a tune............... that would have been impressive!!
The sign says 'you should be 20 minutes into your Queensferry Crossing' but in reality it took us 40 minutes to get there............... nobody was chasing us along so we were not bothered.
At the mid point between first and second tower, the cables for these two towers crossed over and resembled some sort of giant fishing net:

Criss-cross of Cables

Towards the second tower

Can you spot the Storm Troopers

I meant to say that as we crossed from South to North there were also people crossing North to South on the opposite carriageway, including a small band of Star Wars fans dressed as Storm Troopers.
We stopped for a short break at this point so I took the opportunity to take some photos and videos of the surroundings:

Midway between Tower 1 and Tower 2

John calls time-out

As well as enjoying the scenery and the bridge construction, there was also plenty happening down on the water............... we saw a Police Rib (rigid inflatable boat) milling around under the bridge and a cargo ship leaving Rosyth dockyard....................... it was all going down as they say:

As we approached the second or central tower you got a real feel for how high this bridge is.......... and the stats confirm that at 210 metres it is the highest bridge tower in the UK:

Approaching the Central Tower

Heading in the right direction......North

Central Tower.........pretty high

More useful information

I can't understand why they use London buses to represent the height of the tower on this bridge??
Buses are not allowed on this bridge, they are supposed to use the original Forth Road Bridge.............doh!
I also can't remember them lifting elephants during construction?
Meanwhile we carried on with our walk:

John and Huw forge ahead

We might not have had Storm Troopers to accompany us on our walk across the bridge but we did have Supermen (no I don't mean Huw and John):

Superman and Superboy

As we approached the third tower I noticed that the Fred Olsen cruise ship that was docked at Rosyth was on its way out:

Cruise Ship leaves Rosyth

Cruise Ship steams towards bridge

 

There are several cruises that leave from Rosyth, I think this was one which visits various Norwegian Fjords, so anoraks and warm clothing required.
After we passed the third tower we were on the home stretch, in fact we stopped for a little break with only about two hundred yards to go:

Only Two Hundred Yards to go!

As well as this sign and several huge information screens there was also some very useful Health and Safety signage on the bridge:

Useful to know

We refrained from any of these activities, including the walking hand-in-hand.
At this pit-stop we noticed that the Fred Olsen cruise ship 'Black Watch' had sailed right up to the bridge.......... and that all the passengers were on deck waving to us (and others on the bridge). They even blew the ship's horn as they passed under the bridge, how cool is that!:

Buoyed with our reception from the cruise ship we pushed on with the final leg of our journey, crossing the finish line in a record breaking 2 hours ..........................We were so pleased with ourselves:

Huw and John at the finish line

A look back along the bridge showed that we were not the last to finish:

Looking back, but not in anger.

OK they might have started later then us, but we did it!!
Who knows the next time they will close the bridge for people to walk across, so I am glad I was given the opportunity to do this 'once in a lifetime' walk.

Take Care,

Teddyedward

Red Kite Delight

It has been more than seven years since I last visited Argaty Red Kites near Doune to watch these fantastic birds in action; and as my sister from America (who is a keen birdwatcher) is in Scotland just now, I thought it would be an ideal time to revisit the Red Kite feeding station. So me , my wife and both my sisters went along to Argaty Farm last week and this is the story of our visit:
Once everybody was in the bird hide Lynn from Argaty Farm arranged for the food spread to be out on a clearing on a nearby hillside. The food consisted of a few scraps of venison (most of which was still attached to the bone/skin) as they do not over-feed these wild Kites, merely provide a light snack.
As we waited for the birds to gather I videoed this Juvenile Kite perched on and electricity pole:

You could here the Kites 'whistling' at each other as they started to gather in the trees near to the feeding station:

You can also hear my sisters (amongst others) talking over my video.................. I must invest in a directional microphone.
Meanwhile the Kites were starting to get a little closer to where the food had been spread out:

Despite their large size, Red Kites are surprisingly lightweight birds and are also a little timid. This is especially evident when feeding, as they don't like to land on the ground but prefer to swoop down and snatch their food whilst in flight. They also like to wait until other birds (such as crows or buzzards) land near the food, demonstrating that it is safe for them to feed.
After a Crow visited the food on the ground, one brave Red Kite decided it was time to grab some venison:

Sorry but I mucked up the filming of this feeding............. I didn't zoom out quick enough and got an out-of-focus video!!
Never mind I thought.......... as after one bird comes down there is usually a feeding frenzy............ I will be ready for that!
Suddenly there was a swarm of Red Kites in the sky, all egging each other on with loud whistles:

One Kite seemed to break away from the others and headed towards the hillside where the food was......................... only to land on a nearby tree:

Perhaps the Kites were too timid to come down today, perhaps they had eaten enough carrion that they had found by themselves earlier in the day, who knows they were not for dining on our venison scraps anyway.
As I never had a long lens camera with me I thought I would try some digi-scoping by using my mobile phone and my telescope to capture some images of this bird on the tree:

The first image wasn't too great but my second attempt was a little bit better:

Not brilliant, but not too bad for a mobile phone - telescope combination.
Although no other birds (other than crows and magpies) decided to come and feed it was far from boring as there was plenty of action in the skies, were the Red Kites demonstrated their fantastic aerobatics:

In essence it was just like a bunch of teenagers 'mucking about' and trying some talon grappling, either way it was fun to watch.
Everybody agreed that although there was no 'feeding frenzy' it was still a very enjoyable afternoon.
Red Kites are such brilliant birds on the wing you cannot help but enjoy watching them.

Until next time.

Take care

Teddyedward

Cure For The Summertime Blues

I can think of no better cure for the summertime blues than getting out and about in our wonderful British Countryside. We have been fortunate enough to get away a few times this summer (come rain or shine) and I would like to share some of our adventures with you.

Pitlochry
Back in June we took our motorhome to Pitlochry for a few days and were joined by my sister and brother-in-law. We stayed at Milton of Fonab caravan park on the outskirts of the town and it is safe to say that the weather wasn't too great to start with:

Milton of Fonab in the rain

Vannie at Pitlochry

The caravan parked at the back of our motorhome looked a bit older than our 'van' and it definitely needed a bit of work:

Showroom condition?.......... I think not!

Although the weather was not great it didn't seem to deter the Rabbits from coming out to munch the fresh green grass:

No they didn't number the Rabbits from one to a hundred, the 91 in the video is a caravan pitch number!
As well as the Rabbits braving the weather there were lots of Swallows darting about the caravan park, hoovering up insects from just above the grass. There was at least one Swallow nesting in the barn near our motorhome and we enjoyed watching it flying in through the gap at the top of the barn door with a mouthful of insects to feed its chicks.
I managed to catch this on video and I have slowed down the speed so you can see it negotiating the barn door gap:

The showery weather didn't put us off going out either; we just put on our summer anoraks, grab a brolly and headed out. One trip we made was a riverside walk along the River Tummel to the new visitor centre across from the hydro-electric power station and dam. This visitor centre was financed by SSE (Scottish & Southern Electricity) and tells the story of the construction of the dams, reservoirs, power stations, aquaducts, etc. which form the Tummel Valley Hydro Scheme:

New Tummel Valley Visitor Centre

Faskally Dam and Power Station

On the Visitor Centre Balcony

We then had a walk across the dam to the power station, giving us good views of Loch Faskally and the River Tummel as it discharges from the dam:

Loch Faskally from Dam

View down the River Tummel

There is always plenty to do in Pitlochry during the day and in the evenings; we went out for meals in the town and also went to the fabulous Pitlochry Festival Theatre to see 'High Society'. I had only seen the movie version of this musical in the past, but I thoroughly enjoyed the stage version.
We also took a drive up to the Queen's View just a few miles northwest of Pitlochry, which gives fantastic views along the Tummel Valley:

Loch Tummel from the Queen's View

The Girls at Queen's View

The 'queen' in question is reputed to be Queen Victoria who visited this spot in 1866; however there are some who believe it was already named the Queen's View after Queen Isabella (Robert the Bruce's wife) who use to rest here during her travels in this area.
Either way it is worth a visit for the views and the café................. there were a couple of people however who had ideas above their station:

Royalty?........... I don't think so!

After the Queen's view we had a trip along the shores of Loch Tummel to Tummel Bridge, then headed down to Aberfeldy before returning to Pitlochry (thanks for doing all the driving Danny!).
That about finishes our Pitlochry story.................... I will leave you with a short video of some other visitors to the caravan park.............. a pair of Red-legged Partridges:

.......and not a pear tree in sight!

Barnard Castle
Our next trip out with Vannie was in July when we visited Barnard Castle in County Durham; our first motorhome adventure outside Scotland.
Barnard Castle is a lovely market town in Upper Teesdale and the campsite was just over a mile outside the town. There was a short-cut in to the town but it was along a steep and muddy path (which we only used once), however a bus from the end of the campsite road took you to the town in less than ten minutes.
One of the first places we visited in Castle Barnard was the Bowes Museum which houses the paintings, furniture, ceramics and artefacts collected by John and Josephine Bowes in the 1800s.

Bowes Museum

Bowes Museum Gardens



Moira at Bowes Museum



Strange Creature with Goatee Beard

There was lots of interesting things to see at the museum; the star attraction was probably the Silver Swan. This musical automaton is a swan (made of silver) which appears to swim along a river of glass and then bends its neck down to catch a small fish in its beak. Might not sound too exciting but it was made in 1773 and is still pulling in the crowds:



Silver Swan Automaton



Silver Swan



Silver Fishes

Sorry I was unable to get a video of the Silver Swan catching the fish, but there was a bit of a crowd and I would have only got a rear view (which isn't very dramatic). It was however worth seeing.
Barnard Castle sits on the River Tees and there are some nice riverside walks to be had, including this one which starts at the aptly named Green Bridge in the Thorngate area of the town:

 

Eddie on Green Bridge

River Tees from Green Bridge

From this bridge you can see what used to be an old cotton mill, but is now some pleasantly situated apartments:

Old Mill (now apartments)

We crossed the Green Bridge and walked alongside the river to an area known as The Sills, stopping to have a picnic by the river:

River Tees from The Sills

Towards Barnard Castle

After our picnic (a sandwich and a drink of juice really) we continued along the side of the river until we came to Barnard Castle Bridge, the only road bridge in to the town:

Barnard Castle Bridge

Looking across Barnard Castle Bridge

The Tees from Barnard Castle Bridge

From this bridge you get a good view of the ruined castle which gives the town of Barnard Castle its name:

Barnard Castle Walls

Taking the pathway running beneath the castle walls we got some dramatic views before heading back in to town:

Beneath Barnard Castle Walls

The ruins of Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle Tower

The campsite was also surrounded by some lovely countryside, ideal for leisurely walks. One walk we did included crossing through farmer's fields until we reached a disused railway line, which in turn took us to the little village of Lartington then back to the campsite.
Here are some of the photos I took during this walk:

Country Lane

Old Massey Ferguson

Cow Stare

Open Moorland

When we reached the disused railway line there was little evidence that it once formed part of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, we did however find an old signal box:

Disused Railway Line

Disused Signal Box

Just beyond this signal box the line would have crossed over Deepdale Beck using a cast iron viaduct designed by Thomas Bouch (infamous for designing the original Tay Rail Bridge). The viaduct was no longer there.............. whether it fell down or was taken down, who knows?
Along the sides of this old railway track there were plenty of wild flowers to enjoy:

Betony

Common Spotted Orchid

Foxglove

Meadowsweet and Soldier Beetle

As well as some pretty flowers to enjoy there was also some decent birds to see, including breeding pairs of Curlew, Oystercatchers and Lapwing............ all protecting their breeding territory:
I managed to capture a video of this Lapwing pair:

The male Lapwing seemed to be getting a bit upset about something ............there was a small flock of Jackdaws in a nearby tree............. so when he took to the air I thought he would try and chase them away:

Nope! It turned out I was the one who was upsetting him, so I beat a hasty retreat.
The field where I saw the Lapwings was only about 100 yards from the campsite and there were also plenty of birds in the nearby trees and hedges:

Dramatic Evening Skies near Campsite

Flycatcher Lane

I christened one of the nearby tracks Flycatcher Lane as it played host to a small group of Spotted Flycatchers, which would perch on the rails of the gates and fly out to grab an insect before returning to their perch. I managed to catch at least one of them fly-catching on video:

Whilst watching these Spotted Flycatchers I noticed another bird which was also feeding on insects, both on the ground and in the air, it was a juvenile Redstart:

That was both enjoyable and unexpected.
Normally when we go to a campsite with the motorhome we park-up for the duration and walk or use public transport to get around. This time however, during a day of heavy showers, we uncoupled Vannie from the awning and drove to Middleton in Teesdale for a spot of lunch.
After lunch we headed upstream along the river to High Force waterfall. we parked in the car park, bought our ticket and walked along the riverside path towards High Force. It was a bit like walking in a fairy glen, with the high cliff sides and small stone bridges making the path very 'magical and mysterious'.

River Tees through the trees

Moira in Fairy Glen

We could glimpse High Force waterfall through the trees:

High Force through the trees

As we got closer the noise from the waterfall got louder, then we reached the viewing point below the falls:

High Force Waterfall

 
These photographs don't really portray the force and the noise of the waterfall at High Force so here is a short video to give you the full dramatic picture:

After popping in to the High Force Hotel for some coffee and cake we drove the scenic route back to the campsite where we re-coupled Vannie back on to the free-standing awning. We concluded sometimes it is worth the hassle of taking the motorhome out of the campsite for a day visit somewhere (just not everyday!!)
For our last day we headed back in to Barnard Castle and took a walk to Egglestone Abbey. As with our previous walk this began at the Green Bridge, however rather than turning north after crossing the bridge we turned south and headed down river. This road meandered through the outskirts of Barnard Castle before joining the Teesdale Way:

Love the Dipper

After walking through fields, crossing stiles and squeezing through 'kissing gates' we reached a country road that led to the ruins of Egglestone Abbey:

Ruins of Egglestone Abbey

The abbey was founded in the late 12th century by Premonstratensian monks (known as White Canons because of the white habits they wore) and like many other monasteries was 'dissolved' by Henry VIII in 1540. Parts of the abbey was used as private dwellings until the 19th century, after which it fell in to ruin.
From here we crossed over Abbey Bridge, which was surprisingly busy with traffic, so we had to hurry across when the lights were at red:

Abbey Bridge, Egglestone

Moira Crossing Abbey Bridge (not Abbey Road)

River Tees from Abbey Bridge

Once across the bridge we had a choice of taking the low path alongside the river (which looked very muddy) or the high road (which was a busy road with no pavements). Not really much of a choice but we opted for the high road, we were however rewarded with some lovely views of the river and the abbey:

Egglestone Abbey and River Tees

The sun decided to come out and it started to get quite warm so by the time we reached Barnard Castle we were quite thirsty. We decided to pop in to the café at the Bowes Museum and grab a cold drink..........I will let you decide who had which drink:

Refreshing Drinks in Bowes Museum

Mine was of course the pink lemonade..................... .....fibber!!..........I had lashings of ginger beer.
So that was it for our camping adventures so far this summer, hope you enjoyed them, we certainly did.
Who said that there aint no cure for the summertime blues??

cheers

Teddyedward