EDINBURGH TO PERTH
Masonic Jewels Tour - UK Day 7 - Edinburgh to Perth
When near the Firth of the Forth a visit to the Forth Bridges is obligatory. So our first stop on the way North was, after 20
minute drive, to the shores of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry, and the old ferry loading rampalmost underneath the
famous Forth rail bridge.
Tour to be continued in next update - Perth to Inverness
Whereas the old Rail bridge is a cantilever bridge and the 1964 road bridge is a suspension bridge. The new bridge now being built upstream of the old road bridge, will be the longest three tower cable-stayed bridge in the world. This type of bridge is stiffer and stronger than a suspension bridge, it does not need large ground anchorages at either shore, it can have multiple towers (three above), and single cables can be removed, inspected and replaced when required.
Crossing the Old Road bridge the bus entered the ancient Kingdom of Fife onto the Fife on the M90 motorway
Food For Thought
After turning off the M90 motorway on to the A91 we passed close by the small town of Falkland, nestling under the Lomond Hills. This small town has the ruins of the summer palace of the Stuart Kings. It was here that Tennis was invented. This was Real Tennis from which lawn tennis was developed. The original Real Tennis court is very well maintained and fully operational, and ready for play. It is well used.
On to the market town of Cupar with its world renowned shop Luvians. We paid it a visit, as it has one of the largest collection of single malt whiskies in the world for sale - some 800 in all, and among them are two bottles of the oldest - over 73 years - Mortlach at £10,000 per bottle, and the last 62 bottles of lowland malt Rosemount.
There was even a train crossing the rail bridge which built in 1883 to 1890. It is 2.5 kms long and 46 metres above the water and it is still the second longest cantilever bridge in the world. Recently it was estimated to have another 100 years of life. While the Forth road bridge (left in photograph) was built in 1964, and is now within a handful of years from the end of its life, with a second road bridge under planning (now in 2015 in construction).
The next town was Scotland's old capital, the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews, on the Coast. The bus drove us up Northe Street, past the old University buildings, and dropped the group off close to the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral.
Building the Cathedral started in 1160 and the east end was completed 1238. The West end was finally completed in 1296. It was then 140 metres long, and at the time it was the largest building in Britain, York Minster and Durham Cathedral are 150 metres.
Even today when one stands amongst the ruins it is difficult to conceive how big it is. Its length is the greater than a rugby pitch from Western door to the altar in the east.
This huge building was consecrated by Robert the Bruce in 1318, 150 years after work was begun. It was truly a magnificent complex well worthy of a Capital city.
The Cathedral proved to be at the bleeding edge of the stone mason technology then. The Nave is believed to have been designed for 14 bays, but was reduced to 12 when the West front collapsed in 1270.
Even today when one stands amongst the ruins it is difficult to conceive how big it is. Its length is the greater than a rugby pitch from Western door to the altar in the east.
This huge building was consecrated by Robert the Bruce in 1318, 150 years after work was begun. It was truly a magnificent complex well worthy of a Capital city.
The Cathedral proved to be at the bleeding edge of the stone mason technology then. The Nave is believed to have been designed for 14 bays, but was reduced to 12 when the West front collapsed in 1270.
The Cathedral is placed on a cliif top at the Eastern end of St.Andrews, and while in the grounds if one looks to the East out to sea, one gets a distant view of a thin white pillar on the horizon. This is the Bell Rock Lighthouse. It is still one of the greatest feats, if not the greatest, of lighthouse building. The Bell Rock lighthouse was built by the freemason Robert Stevenson over the period 1807 to 1810, The rock was above water for only 2 hours at low tide, and submerged 12 feet at high tide twice a day. The men including Stevenson were housed in a ship moored a mile away. It is 11 miles off the coast and its light is visble 35 miles inland.
The party then walked along the cliff top path to St. Andrews Castle. This is a ruin after the battles of the reformation. Much of the stone from it, like that from the Cathedral, has also been recycled into buildings in the town.
The Castle has one of only two bottle dungeons in the world, shaped like a roman amphora. It also has a very fine example of mine and counter mine tunnels.
The Castle has one of only two bottle dungeons in the world, shaped like a roman amphora. It also has a very fine example of mine and counter mine tunnels.
Architectural fashion also changed during the protracted works and there is an obvious change of design in the windows from simple round-headed shaped at the east end to the wider, pointed form with “Y”-tracery at the west end.
In 1378 a great fire destroyed part of the west front, which was rebuilt. The windows that replaced the original again changed in design.
The Cathedral had been built to replace the small St.Rules church, the remaining tower of which can be seen in the background of the photographs above. In addition to the Cathedral was a priory that was built against the South wall. This provided the living quarters for the Augustine canons who maintained the cathedral's services. This facility sported a large Clositer, refectory, kitchen with the Chapter house coming off the south transept. There is even a warming room in the complex.
Surrounding the Cathedral is a high wall, with large areas of grass, which has been mostly used as a graveyard, without the unsightly wrought ironwork of later graveyards. It is said that the Cathedral has one of the finest collections of post reformation gravestones in Scotland, many are ornate, among which is one to one of golfing's early greats 'Tom Morris.'
On can but wonder at the industry emplyed in its construction, and the sophistication of the work that was emplyed at that time.
The Cathedral must have been magnificent in its hey day.
No stop in St.Andrews is complete without seeing the Royal and Ancient Golf Course, which is the most famous golf course in the world and the best according to greats such as Freemason Arnold Palmer. We walked down North Street, behind the old univesity buildings - St. Andrews is the 3rd oldest university in Britain after Oxford and Cambridge.
A group of us walked across the famous 18th and 1st fairways, to get a closer look at the adjacent West Sands beach which was featured in the opening scenes of the film Chariots of Fire.
On walking back to the bus we passed near the old gate way into town, called the West Port.
A group of us walked across the famous 18th and 1st fairways, to get a closer look at the adjacent West Sands beach which was featured in the opening scenes of the film Chariots of Fire.
On walking back to the bus we passed near the old gate way into town, called the West Port.
The famous Rail bridge to right, and Road bridge to the left
An artist's impression of the new road bridge to the left of the 1964 Road bridge on the right
Another artist's impression of the three Forth bridges
After some 20 miles the bus passed the famous Loch Leven. Loch Leven has two claims to fame the first that Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there in 1567 in the castle on one of its islands. The second is that it is and has been for over 100 years Scotland's best trout fishing loch, and has the unique attribute of having its own breed of trout. Naturally called Loch Leven trout. This loch has been the venue for many international fly fishing competitions.
Looking towards the Lomond Hills across Loch Leven, with its famous island, and famous Loch Leven trout
Falkland Palace, Real Tennis and the original tennis court
The shop Luvians, part of the wall of malt whiskies and the most expensive bottle of whisky in the world
An artist impression of St.Andrews Cathedral in earlier times, and what it is today
Looking from outside the West entrance to the distant altar, from just inside the entrance and from midway
The north wall of the Cathedral has gone, gravestones are in the ground and against the northern part of the town wall.
The Bell Rock lighthouse today, it builder Robert Stevenson, freemason, and a drawing of it under construction
St. Andrews Castle
On the Way to Dundee the bus travelled through Leuchars village famous for its RAF station and its 12th century Norman Church. We reached the River Tay and made our way over the road bridge, built in 1966, and so different from those over the Forth. It is a low bridge some 2 miles long, and goes right into the centre of Dundee.
The famous Old Course and Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the West sands close by, and the Westport
RAF Leuchars from the air (St.Andrew in top right hand corner), Leuchars church and Tay road bridge
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, and his ship RRS Discovery and Ernest Shackleton
On leaving the toll booth we turned westward to Discovery point where the RRS Discovery is displayed. RRS Discovery was Capt. Robert F Scott's ship on his ill fated journey to the South Pole. This ship was built in Dundee, and so it was brought back to the city to display it with the museum to that ill-fated adventure.
The RRS Discovery helm, the wooden decks and officers mess
After looking around the museum we went on board the vessel, and could walk freely around. The ship's wheel on deck must have been very exposed in the southern ocean. Below deck the officers mess had the cabins directly off the room was well appointed, and featured much wood.
The crew's quarters were much less grand, and hammocks were strung up. The cook had a solid fuel stove, and it looked rather a handful for the inexperienced to work, while there was little separating living quarters from the boilers pressure guages. It would have been quite warm in Antartic conditions, but umbearably hot in the tropics.
After visiting the displays in the museums we loaded ourselves onto the bus, and made our way along the waterfront to the West. We passed under the rail brodge, and a keen eye could easiy see the ruined piles of the first rail bridge, built 1871- 1878 which was destroyed in the Tay bridge disaster in 1879, beside its successor 1883-1887.
The road to Perth is a fast one, and it did not take too long to reach our hotel.
After our dinner we had a talk on tourism in Scotland by Mrs Helena Bell, and then a talk on Crannogs, by the world's leading authority, Nick Dixon. This prepared us for our visit the following day.
After visiting the displays in the museums we loaded ourselves onto the bus, and made our way along the waterfront to the West. We passed under the rail brodge, and a keen eye could easiy see the ruined piles of the first rail bridge, built 1871- 1878 which was destroyed in the Tay bridge disaster in 1879, beside its successor 1883-1887.
The road to Perth is a fast one, and it did not take too long to reach our hotel.
After our dinner we had a talk on tourism in Scotland by Mrs Helena Bell, and then a talk on Crannogs, by the world's leading authority, Nick Dixon. This prepared us for our visit the following day.
The crew's quarters, steam pressure dials and the Tay rail bridge with the ill fated bridge piles alongside