Blackness Castle and 3 Bridges
Day 16 Hiking. Saturday, June 18.
There was confusion over breakfast at the West Port Hotel. They were much later than every other place I have stayed at not serving until 8:30. Struggled to hang out in my room drinking too much coffee. At 8:30 I appeared in the bar/restaurant only to find the staff sitting around drinking their own coffee and gossiping. They were surprised to see me pop in. Turns out breakfast is served at 9 am on Saturday and Sunday. Today was Saturday. I felt silly. Said I couldn’t wait and would just leave. They offered me coffee (MORE 😁) and toast.
Baa Baa Black Sheep.
I finally saw a hedgehog, but it was no longer breathing.
Academic school year in Scotland ends this next week. Fridays are always half days. They get two weeks off for Christmas and Easter, and another week in October and February. Summer break is about 6 weeks long. Everyone wears a school uniform.
Bridgeness Slab from 2nd century AD. Eastern most part of Antonine Wall.
“Depicts conquest of Scotland. Roman cavalry man riding down a naked barbarian man (Scottish).”
“Animal sacrifice of pig, sheep and bull that normally précis campaign. The emperor is shown pour libations onto an altar.”
Part of the Ancient fortifications.
Bridgeness Tower. Gifted from the Grange Estate.
Arrived in Bo’ness and suddenly had to stop and pull out the rain suit. After half a hour peeled it all off and enjoyed the rest of the day in sunshine.
Rusty Boat for Sale!
Two couples came up the path behind me. The women in front walking fast. The men behind, slow, and busy chatting and chatting…and they say women are the talkers.
Had lentil soup at the historic Lobster Pot restaurant. Dates back to Roman Times.
Another masthead, but I didn’t catch the story.
Blackness Castle. “Known as Crichton’s Castle, was built in the 1400’s after the 8th Earl of Douglas destroyed his tower-house in Barnton.”
Seen from this east view it did sort of look like a ship.
3 bridges of Queensferry coming into view.
Don’t let the deer out. This was as going through the estate of Hopetoun.
Hopetoun House.
Queensferry Bridge.
Forth Bridge (railroad).
Hotel key with fob. I didn’t know which was the fob and kept holding the black rectangle that says Innkeeper’s Collection up to the security box. Learned something new - a fob.
Tonight’s bed is at the historic Hawes Inn. “In the 17th century it was called the Coaching Inn. Robert Lewis Stevenson (Edinburg) stayed in room #13 (I am in #8) in 1886 where he came up with the idea of ‘Kidnapped’ and started writing the story here. Hawes Inn featured in the story as the place where the kidnapping of the hero was arranged.”
“Also, Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Antiquary’ mentioned Hawes Inn, and Stevenson’s ‘Memories and Portraits’.”
“The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our body’s, making them glide and sing.” John Muir
West Port Hotel, Linlithgow to Hawes Inn, Queensferry.
13.98 Miles. 33,617 Steps. 7 Hours
“Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.” Jacqueline Woodson
The hostess this morning remembered me from 2 weeks ago when she had to phone my taxi for the arranged pickup at the train station. Guess she doesn’t get many elderly American women hiking across Scotland. I was must have been memorable.
There was confusion over breakfast at the West Port Hotel. They were much later than every other place I have stayed at not serving until 8:30. Struggled to hang out in my room drinking too much coffee. At 8:30 I appeared in the bar/restaurant only to find the staff sitting around drinking their own coffee and gossiping. They were surprised to see me pop in. Turns out breakfast is served at 9 am on Saturday and Sunday. Today was Saturday. I felt silly. Said I couldn’t wait and would just leave. They offered me coffee (MORE 😁) and toast.
So this day began with cold toast covered with cold butter and jelly and LOTS of coffee.
Baa Baa Black Sheep.
I finally saw a hedgehog, but it was no longer breathing.
Academic school year in Scotland ends this next week. Fridays are always half days. They get two weeks off for Christmas and Easter, and another week in October and February. Summer break is about 6 weeks long. Everyone wears a school uniform.
Bridgeness Slab from 2nd century AD. Eastern most part of Antonine Wall.
“Depicts conquest of Scotland. Roman cavalry man riding down a naked barbarian man (Scottish).”
“Animal sacrifice of pig, sheep and bull that normally précis campaign. The emperor is shown pour libations onto an altar.”
Part of the Ancient fortifications.
Bridgeness Tower. Gifted from the Grange Estate.
Arrived in Bo’ness and suddenly had to stop and pull out the rain suit. After half a hour peeled it all off and enjoyed the rest of the day in sunshine.
Rusty Boat for Sale!
Between Bo’ness and Blackness Castle there were actually benches along the path, but only that stretch.
Two couples came up the path behind me. The women in front walking fast. The men behind, slow, and busy chatting and chatting…and they say women are the talkers.
Had lentil soup at the historic Lobster Pot restaurant. Dates back to Roman Times.
The interior was full of local art and artifacts. The ship masthead above was from the Elizabeth. Known as “Bo’ness Betty. The ship was the last wooden sailing ship built in the Bo’ness boatyard. She was launched on August 7, 1872. Sailed past Blackness on the Firth of Forth during the night and was never seen again. All hands were lost. In 1903 this masthead washed ashore near Aberdeen.”
Another masthead, but I didn’t catch the story.
Blackness Castle. “Known as Crichton’s Castle, was built in the 1400’s after the 8th Earl of Douglas destroyed his tower-house in Barnton.”
Seen from this east view it did sort of look like a ship.
3 bridges of Queensferry coming into view.
Don’t let the deer out. This was as going through the estate of Hopetoun.
Hopetoun House.
Queensferry Bridge.
Forth Bridge (railroad).
Hotel key with fob. I didn’t know which was the fob and kept holding the black rectangle that says Innkeeper’s Collection up to the security box. Learned something new - a fob.
Tonight’s bed is at the historic Hawes Inn. “In the 17th century it was called the Coaching Inn. Robert Lewis Stevenson (Edinburg) stayed in room #13 (I am in #8) in 1886 where he came up with the idea of ‘Kidnapped’ and started writing the story here. Hawes Inn featured in the story as the place where the kidnapping of the hero was arranged.”
“Also, Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Antiquary’ mentioned Hawes Inn, and Stevenson’s ‘Memories and Portraits’.”
I am staying in a very historical Inn! U.S. history is nothing compared to what was going on across that pond called the Atlantic Ocean - thousands of years ago.
“The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our body’s, making them glide and sing.” John Muir
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