Day 245 - Sandsend and the geology of Whitby Bay

Marking the 
Cleveland Way

A work day for both Ange and myself, but again with the weather so nice we thought we would squeeze in a morning walk to the nearby village of Sandsend that lies to the west of Whitby at the other side of Whitby Bay.  As usual we set out first to the bakery and then to Clara's coffee kiosk on the West Cliff.  

Looking west toward Sandsend

From there we walked the West Cliff sea wall until it stops and the rocky cliff takes over.  Because the tide was in, we couldn't continue along the beach at the bottom of that cliff, so we followed a path up through a cleft in the cliff (say that quickly five times) which took us to the Cleveland Way (more on that in a latter post) that runs along the top. Our thought was that we could take this route to Sandsend and by the time we got there we would be able to walk back the entire way along the beach as the tide will be on its way out. Eventually the path runs along the road between Whitby and Sandsend as it makes its way around the Whitby Golf Club and then runs down into the village. 

The Sandsend valley

Sandsend had its beginnings as one would suspect ... as a fishing village. It was actually two villages, Sandsend and East Row, but they eventually grew and merged. It is an idyllic spot on the coast, with rows of pretty cottages running inland along a creek that empties into the bay. No wonder it is known for being the most expensive real estate on the northeast coastline of England. As we expected,the tide had gone out enough for us to begin the walk back along the beach below the cliffs. This allowed as us well to explore the rocks at the base of the cliffs, many of which contain a variety of fossils.

Ammonite Fossil

Fossilized Clam Shell

So excuse me for putting my geologist hat on and providing a brief background on the geology of Whitby Bay. First of all, Whitby itself lies where the Esk River runs into the North Sea. On either side of the river are what are known as the East Cliff and the West Cliff. The former is quite prominent, running vertically about 200 feet or so with relatively flat-lying layers of limestone, dolomitic sandstone and shale and extending easterly and southerly towards Robin Hood's Bay. These rocks are of the Jurassic Age (Yes that Jurassic!) and dinosaur fossils have been discovered here. The West Cliff is what we are wandering below today and while there are some solid layers of limestone and dolomite at the bottom near Whitby, the balance of the western cliffs are made up of unconsolidated gravels and clays, which have made the slope very unstable. The reason for the difference is that the River Esk actually follows a fault line, with west side of the river having been moved down relative to the east side and eroded further before covered with younger unconsolidated materials that we see today.

Looking east to Whitby and it's Abbey from Sandsend

Some of the fossils we did find are in rocks that were likely re-deposited at the base of the cliffs.  Angela was quite adept at finding them including a fossil clam shell and an ammonite. This latter fossil is well known to exist in the cliffs around Whitby. Unfortunately it was too big to carry around and we were not inclined to figure out a way to get it back to Canada. But as we got back to Whitby, Angela "the Fossil Hunter" was already planning her return via the beach to Sandsend.

Ale of the Day: Black Sheep Best Bitter, Masham, Yorkshire

Day 244 - Captain Cook meets Hans Solo

Oooh Donuts.......

We've settled into our morning routine here in Whitby.  Having found the local bakery, Botham's, we make it our early morning target. We spend a few minutes choosing from a large selection of scrumptious baked goods to take with us to the park above the cliff by the James Cook monument (more on him in a second).  The park has a number of benches and a coffee kiosk called "Clara's"  from where we get our lattes to accompany our freshly baked selection of the day.

Captain James Kirk....I mean Cook

Now back to the historical connection of Whitby to James Cook. The good Captain was born in a suburb of Middlesborough in 1728 and came to Whitby as a teenager where he began his naval training in the merchant navy. At the age of 27 he joined the British Navy and spent the next few years sailing around Canada's east coast.

Cook was quite the cartographer and during the siege of Quebec in 1759 he mapped most of the mouth of the St. Lawrence River as well as the coastline of Newfoundland.  This skill led to him being granted a commission on His Majesty's Bark Endeavour out of Whitby with the goal of leading an expedition to the far reaches of the Pacific. He mapped most of Eastern Australia and New Zealand. In total, he led three expeditions to the Pacific, all of which resulted in a complete circumnavigation of the world. Each took about three years and he did them between 1768 and 1779, meaning he didn't remain home long. His third expedition led him to British Columbia and all the way up to Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

The Whitby Pavilion

When we stood at his monument, I noticed that he only lived to the age of 50. It turns out that he was killed on his last expedition when he arrived in the Hawaii Islands, settling into a harbour on the largest island, Hawaii. There he encountered hostile locals and in his attempt to kidnap the King of Hawaii (or so they say) he and his landing party were assaulted and killed. It's claimed the locals treated his body with "respect," meaning they disemboweled him so that they could bake the body to remove the flesh and then have his bones cleaned as religious icons.  One might say they cooked Cook [Editor's note from Ange: "I can't believe he just said that"]. Anyways, this year marks the 250th anniversary of his sailing out on the first expedition and in July the town of Whitby will celebrate.

Just down from the monument is the Whitby Pavilion and we noted that in addition to hosting musical events they use it as the local cinema. It was built in 1878 as a theatre, and also houses a gym and the entire complex rests on the side of the cliff leading down to the sea. One of the interesting things about the latest renovation is that it allows the lower seating in the theatre to be removed so that it becomes a dance floor as it once was during the 1940s. Tonight they were showing the latest Star Wars film, Solo. The film was well attended by the local community, many of whom appeared to know each other, and we enjoyed the experience particularly as I could have a pint along with my popcorn.

In regards to the quality of the film it gets a 3 out of 5 on the Ange and Phil meter. So we can say that today started with the Captain of the Endeavour and ended with the Captain of the Millennium Falcon.

Ale of the Day: Whitby Whaler Bitter, Whitby Brewery, Whitby, North Yorkshire

   

Day 243 - Bram Stoker and Dracula

While Whitby is noted for quite a few key historical facts, there may not be any that have captured the public's attention as much as it's association with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

For most of his adult working life, Abraham Stoker (Bram to his friends), was actually a theatre manager for the Lyceum Theatre in London, and personal assistant and business manager of actor Sir Henry Irving. Following a rather arduous theatre tour in 1890, Irving suggested to Stoker that he take a break in Whitby.

6 Royal Crescent in Whitby where
Bram Stoker stayed on several visits
to Whitby while writing Dracula.

Stoker stayed at a guesthouse at 6 Royal Crescent, while he waited for his wife and children to join him. He had a week to himself before that happened, and wandered the town with its magnificent seaside views. Stoker had written two books prior to this, both taking place in his native Ireland. The Gothic style of writing prevalent at the time favoured novels set in foreign places, and were filled with spooky castle and ruins. The eerily beautiful silhouettes of Whitby Abbey high on the cliffs of the headland above the fishing town and the steps leading to it and the graveyard of the church built in front of it, provided just the dramatic setting Stoker was looking for in his next writing assignment. Bats could be seen sweeping from the heights of the abbey and over the surrounding moorland. The local pure black stone known as jet was used by the Victorians in mourning jewelry. It all had the feeling he was looking for.

The 199 steps leading to
the Abbey and the church.

But he needed a character. A visit to the library in Whitby would provide him with this. He found a book published in 1820 that mentioned a 15th-century prince called Vlad Tepes who was said to have impaled his enemies on wooden stakes. He was known as Dracula – the ‘son of the dragon’, but it also means devil in the Wallachian language. Many of the character's manners were also based on Irving, who was noted for an high brow bearing and over-stated way of acting.

About five years before Stoker arrived in Whitby, a Russian ship called the Dmitry ran aground below Witby's East Cliff. It was carrying a cargo of silver sand. In the book, Dracula is carried on the ship Demeter along with a cargo of silver sand and earth.

The Dimitry wrecked on the sands near Whitby.

Stoker spent several more years researching his characters and mythology around vampires, crafting his character, but keeping Whitby's location as the inspiration behind the story's setting.

In the story, the ship's log charts the gradual disappearance of the crew during its journey to Whitby. The captain is lashed to the wheel and the only person remaining when it runs aground. That is, except for the "large dog" that runs from the wreckage and bounds up the 199 steps to the church. Dracula has arrived, and the story is just getting started ...

In 1897, the story was published as a play called The Undead. Irving tested for the lead, but hated it and didn't want to be a part of it. So, Stoker redrafted it into a novel in the form of the ship's log, letters, diaries, and newspaper articles.

And the rest is history, as they say. Today, it is the connection to this great Gothic Novel that two times each year, Goths meet up in Whitby, once in the spring and again closer to Hallowe'en. Whitby has certainly embraced its connection.

Day 242 - Sedentary Father's Day Sunday

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful hubbie. After the FitBit telling us we walked 120 kms last week, we figure Sunday and Father's Day are good reasonsas any to kick back and put our feet up.

We did take a short jaunt down to the beach to enjoy a Father's Day coffee and bacon bap, where we had the whole outdoor patio to ourselves. Great to listen to the sea crashing against the break-wall below us. Even the seagulls where having a bit of a lie-in, so we had no fear of our baps being stolen when looking away at the scenery.

A day of catching up on work, and then another brief walk up on the coast road above our cottage in the evening. Discovered that the local theatre also shows movies, so we'll be heading to a couple of those of the next two weeks. We'll keep you posted.

Now, a bit about the town we're staying in. Whitby has become primarily a fishing and tourist location by the sea, but it wasn't always that way. People have been known to have been living in the area since the 6th century. The town itself grew out of the building of Whitby Abbey in 657 AD, by the King of Northumberland. The Abbey played a central role in the creation and power structure of the early church, particularly as it related to accepting the Roman calendar of festivals. The king's granddaughter, Hilda, was made the first Abbess of Whitby Abbey and she help in the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. It was Hilda who worked with the Celtic faction from Iona and the Romans to agree on a date for the celebration of Easter...the calculation that still confuses most of us to this day, which is the Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring solstice. Sounds to me like the contingent from Iona had more of a pagan sway at the meeting with Hilda than the Romans did.

The remains of Whitby Abbey

Examples of ammonite fossils.

There are quite a few ammonite fossils to be found in the area. Local legend claims that the Hilda rid Whitby of snakes by throwing them off the top the cliff near the Abbey and the heat of her anger turned them to stone.

Caedmon's Cross.

Hilda had many devout followers who found her to be holy, wise and kind. Her opinion on issues was sought by many people, including royalty and businessmen of the time. The earliest known English poet was a herdsman in Hilda's time. His name was Caedmon and it is reputed that one night he had a dream in which God came to him. Without any previous musical talent or literacy, he awoke to find he could compose music and poetry. Hilda encouraged his talent. Caedmon's Hymn is his only known work to survive, one of the earliest examples of Old English poetry.

Hilda was made a saint, and is one of the patron saints of learning and culture, including poetry, due to her patronage of Caedmon.

Day 241 - Off to Whitby

Time to continue our circumnavigation of Britain...well, sort of. We head south to Whitby in North Yorkshire. Getting there from Edinburgh requires three trains...usually. Today, a train broke down on the track near York so we were unceremoniously dumped off the train in Newcastle and made to find our own way from there with all the other people trying to get to points south, too.

We decided to have a quick sandwich and wait a bit while the crowd on our train crammed themselves into the next available train that was taking a route around the stuck one. We then managed to get a local train to Middlesborough. However, there are only a couple of trains a day from there on to Middlesbrough, so we arrived to find we had missed the 2:00 train and would have to wait until 5:45 p.m. for the next one. As luck would have it (if you want to think about it positively), the last time we went to Whitby with the kids, a train strike had occurred on the same line, and so we had to take a bus. We thetefire knew we could do the same this time. It was actually a lovely ride through the North Yorkshire Moors.

We had a bit of difficulty finding our cottage at first as it is down one of the narrow streets that are common throughout the town. Eventually we found it and were settled it.

I'll tell you more about Whitby in the coming days, but for now I'll let you know these two things:

1. It's known as the fish and chips capital of the UK. You only need to ask my son Alex if you need this confirmed. Don't tell him it was our first meal here.

2. Bram Stoker was inspired by Whitby when he wrote Dracula. So, it was perfectly fitting that when we decided to take a quick walk around town, we were met with a short but violent thunder and lightning storm.

A perfect beginning!

Day 240 - Edinburgh

Holyrood Palace

I really like Edinburgh. As cities go, it seems to have all I admire: proximity to the sea, rolling hills, tons of history, old mixed with new architecture, and a youthful vibe. One of my earliest visits here was with my sister where it was the starting point for our tour of Scotland by car. We had a great room in the Renaissance Hotel replete with dark wood, plaid, tea, shortbread and views over the rooftops of the city. While wandering after dinner on our first night, we were walking by a pub across from the hotel and poked our noses in the door. A singer/guitar player waved us in to join the party, which we did. It was a fantastic start to our adventure and left me with a great feeling about the place. I always look forward to going back.

Phil at the entrance to Fleshmarket
Close, which is the name of a book
by one of his favourite authors,
Ian Rankin, who writes extensively
about Edinburgh.

Today, Phil and I decided to walk the Royal Mile and have a look around, before spending a few hours meandering through the National Museum of Scotland. The Mile has Edinburgh Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace (the Queen's official residence in Scotland) at the other, with lots of interesting historical bits in between.

Across from Holyrood is the modern (read: ugly) building that is the Scottish Parliament. We wanted to get Alex a lapel pin from here, and to do so required that we head into the main entrance past the semi-automatic carrying guards and go through airport-level security. Everyone along the way was very friendly, however. Alex: if you're reading this, you better appreciate this pin when you get it!

At Edinburgh Castle, they were setting up the huge stadium seats used for the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo...something I have never been to...yet! Note to those who may attend: the seats overhang the walls of the castle in a sort of cantilevered manner, so your are hanging very high in the air, although you may never realize it.

Edinburgh Castle

The Lewis chessmen are a group of  12th-century chess
and other gaming pieces, most of which are carved
from walrus ivory, which were discovered on the
Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

The museum was really quite interesting. Huge, so we focused on the areas dealing with political history for the most part...although we did see some early versions of golf and curling equipment, to Phil's delight.

After having lunch in the balcony area of the museum, we went to see the film Edie at an arthouse cinema called the Filmhouse. The film is about an 83-year-old woman who decides she is going to climb a mountain in Scotland. She meets up with a young man who has a business selling mountaineering equipment and agrees to "train" her for the climb when he can't talk her out of doing it. It's a bit predictable, and a good idea poorly written.

Oh, and Mom, if you are reading this, don't get any ideas about climbing a mountain. The one thing about this woman was she never had a hair out of place or a sweat mark despite doing that last part of the climb on her hands and knees! It would hurt a lot more than she made it look.

Ah, the magic of film.

Day 239 - End of the canal

Moving day.
Sore feet.
Chance of rain.
Gale-force winds.

Pick any of the above as the excuse we used to change our plans and walk to the end of the Forth and Clyde Canal today rather than the diversion along the Union Canal into Edinburgh.

Phil at the end of the Forth and Clyde canal.

After checking out of our Glasgow hotel around noon, we made our way by train to our hotel on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The sky was supposed to clear and the winds die down toward the end of the afternoon, so we waited until closer to 5 p.m. before heading back to Falkirk High and resume where we had left off two days ago in order to pick up the Forth and Clyde canal again and finish walking it until it reached the Clyde. 

The initial part of the walk took us through Falkirk, which started out quite nice at the top of the hill, then progressively went down hill literally and figuratively as we neared the canal. Perhaps this is why the suggested walk online had us diverted onto the Union Canal at this point. But we had a goal, damn it, and we were going to walk to the end.

All was not lost. It wasn't long before the canal path was in flatter, open countryside. And we really didn't have too far to walk until we reached our goal. And it was a spectacular finish ... for here lies The Kelpies.

Approaching the Kelpies.

The Kelpies are two 30-foot high sculptures of horses heads, the largest equine sculpture in the world. Each horse weighs 300 tonnes and is made from steel. They're really quite beautiful, and Phil was truly and unexpectedly blown away when he saw them for the first time.

Designed by Glasgow School of Art (which unfortunately, just burned down) artist named Andy Scott, the sculpture was unveiled in 2013, and is already a must-visit location in the area.

The Kelpies are meant to pay homage to the contribution of work horses to the life of those in the Falkirk area. A kelpie is a mythical creater that possesses the strength and endurance of 10 horses...and in turn, that is much like Scotland.

Day 238 - Union Canal: Falkirk to Linlithgow

This morning we went back to Falkirk High Station from where we had most interesting start to our walk for the day: we had to walk through the damp, dark, 630-metre-long Falkirk Tunnel. While it is illuminated now, one can only imagine what it was like to travel through it at night, particularly in the day and age of the murders Burke and Hare who transported their victims through it in containers labelled as industrial chemicals and then on to Edinburgh University for dissection. 200 years ago, it was lit only by oil lamps ... spooky stuff.

The entrance to the Falkirk Tunnel beckons.

Inside the tunnel.

We came out of the tunnel into sunshine poking through high trees...much nicer environment than the dripping tunnel. However, a young man was only about 30 seconds behind us coming out of the tunnel. Neither Phil nor I had noticed or heard him following us.

As we continued on, we passed the walls of HM Young Offenders Institution ... hopefully, no escapees of Burke and Hare relatives along the way...or the young man was making a return visit. Interestingly, the prison had once been the site of a renowned private boys school.

This area is full of former sites of factories that once prospered in the heydays of the canals. One involved dynamite manufacturer Alfred Nobel (known today for the Nobel prizes). Of course, we didn't realize it when we were there, but the Isle of Skye was a source of kieselguhr, an insulator, which was mixed with nitroglycerine to produce dynamite. Nobel obtained the acid needed for the process from The Westquarter Chemical Company  on the banks of the Grand Union Canal at Laurieston. Nobel bought into the company, changed the name, and began to manufacture detonators at the site in 1876. Eventually, the company employed 1,700 people -- mostly women -- who made 73 million detonators.

The area is also the place of a terrible coal mining accident in 1923. Known as The Redding Disaster, it is one of the worst coalfield accidents in Scottish history, with 40 men killed. The coal was being worked in a direction toward a dyke of hard rock which separated it from abandoned coal workings filled with water. The dyke failed to hold back the water as predicted and on this day it flooded the pit. Of the 66 men trapped, 29 men drowned with the first in-rush of water. Another 21 managed to make their way to an old shaft after 5 hours. After 10 days, rescuers reached a further five men. Eleven others managed to make it to a dry section of the pit, but rescuers assumed it was filled with water. The men survived for up to 14 days, with many leaving messages for their families. At first they were filled with hope that they would be rescued, but they soon turned to despair. It took more than two months to recover the final body.

Phil rests on the far side of the Avon Aquaduct

As we left Polmont, the beautiful day and countryside belied any evidence of a disaster. The canal diverts quite a bit before passing over the 250-metre-long, 26-metre tall Avon Aqueduct. It is the longest and tallest aqueduct in Scotland and only surpassed in Britain by Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales. You have to pick your way over the cobblestone footpath on the bridge as it passes over the Avon River (side note: there are eight rivers in England known as the Avon).

The canal leads into Linlithgow, where there is a canal museum and from where you can take narrowboat trips to the Aquaduct and the Falkirk Wheel during the summer.

This was to be the end of our travels along this section of the canal. However, before leaving Linlithgow we wanted to visit the palace that is here.

Entrance to Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace is noted as being the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. While today it is in ruins having been burned down after not being used for many years, it is in excellent condition that allows you to access many sections of it.

The English King, Edward I, originally established a manor on this site in the 12th Century. But it was in the 15th Century that James I rebuilt it into a palace he felt was worth of Scottish royals. Subsequent James's all had a hand in remodelling and expanding upon it.

Interior courtyard

Mary, Queen of Scots was born here on December 8, 1542. As she was born, her father James V lay dying following a serious defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss. It is unknown exactly how he died  on December 15th, but  Mary was his only surviving legitimate heir and so became queen at only six days old. A regent ruled for several years, until Mary's mother, Mary of Guise managed to gain control. Mary of Guise had earlier refused an offer of marriage from Henry VIII based on his history with his two former wives at the time. It is said that Mary of Guise and her daughter were effectively held prisoner for several months at Linlithgow following the child's birth, although it is thought that was for the child's protection. But, her life would be one fraught with misery. She married the man who would become King Francis II of France, but two years later he died. She returned to Scotland a widow. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. It wasn't a happy marriage. Six years later, he was found murdered in the garden of his home which had been destroyed by an explosion. The 4th Earl of Bromwell was blamed for Darnley's death, but was acquitted. A month later he married Mary, much to the dislike of many. A year after her son James VI was born, she was forced to abdicate. She fled to England to seek the protection of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.  However, many thought Mary was a threat to Elizabeth as the believe the Catholic Mary to be the rightful heir to the thrown. Elizabeth imprisoned Mary in various castles and homes for the next 18 years before having her beheaded on the charge of plotting to assassinate her.

A palace life wasn't for the faint of heart.

An artist's impression of the Palace as it would have looked like in 1512.  Mary, Queen of Scots was born in the room to the far right (#9) on the middle level.

View from one of the towers.

Remains of the banquet hall.

Interior of St. Michael's Parish Church at Linlithgow Palace. When Scottish Reformation began, the church's statues
were destroyed, including the statue of St. Michael (it is the only statue of the saint that exists today from this period). Cromwell's troups stabled their horses here, and musket holes from target practice can still be seen in the walls. 

Day 237 - Forth & Clyde Canal: Kilsyth to Falkirk

Are we there yet? We've done so much walking in our lives that we often joke with each other, "Where exactly we are trying to get to?" LOL!

After another breakfast that saw Phil once again starting his day the true Scottish way (porridge topped with whisky), we found ourselves back at Croy Station ready for another day of walking. It had felt like we had just left, although we were somehow energized again and ready to face another day. I wasn't thinking of the 26 km that lay ahead, just that today I would see the world-famous Falkirk Wheel.

We walked the 2 km back to the canal path to pick up our route from where we had left it yesterday. We did take a short-cut through a park which indicated we would see signs of the Antonine Wall. Maybe they meant we would see THE sign FOR the Antonine Wall, because we never saw anything else despite knowing we were only really looking for a straight mound of dirt. And then the path we were suppose to take that would cut off about 15 minutes of walking back to the canal really only existed in the minds of the Google Map people. So, as today's guide, I couldn't look at Phil, the Orienteering Champion, until I had us back to the point we would have been had the path actually existed. ;-)

These escapee ducks know the yellow vest means its safe
to come out. 

Lots of countryside and wonderful flora and fauna along this route. At one point we came upon a gentleman coming toward us who stopped just as we noticed a couple of white ducks ... domestic escapees, I presume. As if out of nowhere, a flotilla of white ducks were swimming toward him. Phil commented to him that they obviously knew him. He seemed rather chuffed, and replied that he had been coming every day for years to feed them.

The Falkirk Wheel from the Forth & Clyde
canal.

Other than our meeting of the duck whisperer, this section was one of the more remote sections of the canal walk so far. With just a few cyclist and the occassional person who looked like they were walking home from work, but from where and to where we have no idea.

We went through a place with the pretty name of Bonnybridge and then a while later came upon the Falkirk Wheel, with it's busy visitor centre. It's here that the Forth & Clyde canal meets the Union Canal. The F&C heads north to join the Clyde, while the Union heads into Edinburgh. When the Union Canal was built, a set of 11 locks were required to bring the canal down to the level of the F&C. It took about a day to navigate. With the demise of the canals for commercial use, these locks were dismantled in 1933.

In the 1990s, plans got underway to reconstruct the canals for the Millennium. Rather than recreate the locks, ideas were sought for an alternative way of getting boats down the 100 feet between the canal levels. A host of ideas and £84.5 million later, and you have the Falkirk Wheel.

The crows wait their turn for a
ride on the world's only
canal boat Ferris wheel.

There's no real economic need for the wheel, but it does give the inner child in every engineer a chance to show thanks to their parents for buying them a Meccano set as a kid.

The wheel is now a huge tourist attraction with 5.5 million people visiting the site since it was opened by the Queen in 2002, with most arriving by tour bus if the parking lot was any indication.

You can watch a quick, great video of how the wheel works here. It's actually quite fascinating ... but in the end seems to me rather like an expensive Ferris wheel. To take a gondola boat up and then back down on the wheel costs about $24 Canadian. Apparently, for each turn it only uses the same amount of energy as is needed to boil eight electric kettles for tea ... although electric kettle are notoriously inefficient, so not sure that is the best choice for the marketing brochure...and at $24, that's one bloody expensive cuppa.

We watched the wheel rotate from a position at the top level canal. It held a sort of fascination for about 30 seconds, but somehow when you are waiting in the blazing sun, the 4-minute journey time seems a lifetime. It's all the damn safety measures before and after and the moving boats in and out (another 20 minutes) that when it does move, it feels like it's doing so at such a slow rate that after a while you find your sun-bleached mind wandering to wonder just how long the paint took to dry on it.

View down the canal from the upper entrance to the Falkirk Wheel.

Phil seemed pleased to learn we were halfway through
the walk. For some reason, at this point in the day,
halfway didn't seem nearly far enough.

Of course, wanting to deprive ourselves of a chance to sleep, we didn't shell out the money on a ticket for the gondola ride, so had to hike up the hill, which by this point in the day was a wee bit tiring. However, it was finding that the next train station, Falkirk High, was still another 2.5 miles away that nearly did me in. But I sucked it up, ignored the blister forming on the sole of my foot and the heat stroke sensations being caused by the unrelenting Scottish sunshine and, finding my inner Scot, walked the rest of the way to the station.

From this point on in the journey, we are following the Union Canal into Edinburgh. Oh yeah, on route to the station there was lots more countryside and flora, fauna, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Are we there yet?

Seriously, the countryside really is quite pretty.