The day started foggy and ended foggy with a bit of mist in between. We saw sod all when we left and in fact saw sod all when we arrived and in between it was sort of ok. The sun did its best to burn off the mist but failed miserably.
We set off and took the road east to Alloa and then picked up the signs for the Forth Road bridge. Having been across it on a motorcycle recently, I was telling Debbie to get her camera ready for the spectacular views of the old road bridge and the rail bridge.
This is what ensued.
The temperature dropped 4C as we crossed the bridge and then recovered the same amount as we left the other side. Clearly the effect of the water below was cooling the air above and the water vapour condensed into blanketing cloud and we saw very little. Oh well. On we went.
The road skirts around the south of Edinburgh. It is Saturday and I had to resist the temptation of going through the city centre. The traffic in Edinburgh is awful at the best of times. I turned off the motorway to take a break, give the dog a chance for a walk and get a coffee. To get back on track we motored cross country and as I have said before and will say again, get off the motorway to see the best of the country. We passed through the delightful little town of Haddington.
Its majestic architecture harks back to prosperous days. Honey and rose coloured buildings, parks and open spaces attest to the fact that once upon a time it was the fourth biggest town in Scotland after Aberdeen, Roxburgh and Edinburgh. Clearly this was a wealthy place. I think it still is. I loved the place.
We continued on to Eyemouth passing though the golf country of Dunbar. Golf courses everywhere.
Eyemouth had been mentioned to us by a friend as a place where something rather special lay. Eyemouth itself is a small fishing town with a lovely harbour, a great fish and chip shop (ask me how I know 🙂 ) and the site of the Widows and Bairns sculpture. I was moved by this poignant piece of art. Bairns incidentally is children.
The fact that each bronze figure represents a real person I found really moving. The artist has captured the dreadful event in the faces and poses of the wives and children of the lost fishermen. The figures are only around 10- 20 cms tall and I wanted to spend a lot longer looking at them. But the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped and I was standing in shorts and a T shirt.
We crossed the border into England and passed through the delightful town of Berwick Upon Tweed. From there it was a short hop to our campsite for the next two nights at Beal Farm just a few miles away from the causeway that links Lindisfarne, Holy Island to the mainland.
It has been another wonderful day of exploration. Our van trip is drawing to a close now but still we have Lindisfarne to explore and one more place before we head home. I will leave you with a doggie picture. Leia the border collie was waiting for mum to return to the van with fish and chips from Eyemouth chippie.
Todays Distance : 115 miles
Total Distance : 2404 miles.
Woodend Wanderer 