Category: Cramond

A bit of history – 17 July 2023

Posted on by Zogman

Off to see a castle.

Mondays seem to be becoming our day to go out for a spin. Today we were off to Blackness near the Forth Bridges. We were going to visit Blackness Castle what a fellow teacher once called “The Ship Shaped Castle”. That’s a really accurate description of this building. From the air it looks just like a ship. In fact the tower at the front of the castle is called the Stem tower, like the stem of a ship.

It’s a narrow road that takes you out through the village of Blackness to the castle and we were lucky that when we got through the gate there was one space left in the carpark. It wasn’t really a cold day, but the wind was taking all the sun’s good heat away. Not for us the roasting 40+ degree temperatures Italy and Spain are enduring. We don’t mind a bit of a cool breeze, although it was more than a fresh breeze blowing along the Firth of Forth today.

We were allowed an hour and a half’s parking time and we thought that was fair. If everyone took their 90mins then more folk would get to see the castle. It really is an impressive building, but we’d been before, a couple of times, and just wanted to refresh our memory of it, as well as give me a chance for some photos.

I suggested we drive the 12 miles to Cramond once we’d left. Cramond wasn’t as busy as I thought it might be. We’d brought a flask with us so we had a cup of coffee after we got parked in the gigantic carpark. After coffee we walked along the esplanade for about a mile and a half. I was wearing my Famous Blue Raincoat, but Scamp was risking the weather in her hoodie. The clouds seemed to be gathering and the sunshine we’d had at Blackness had all but disappeared. That wind was still there and it was getting cool now, but that didn’t stop us finding an ice cream van and getting a cone each. We sat near the ‘Toblerones’, the WW2 submarine defences, and ate our cones while being given a running commentary from a rather loud spoken woman who was telling all and sundry about a wonderful garden party she’d been to where they had a ‘three piece band’ who played wonderful music from her era.

Drove home along the M8. Always a dreary road just like being in a conveyor belt running at two speeds and with trains of articulated lorries in the nearside lanes exchanging places in the outside lane just for something to do, it seemed. It must be a boring job being a long distance lorry driver. I expect you need something to keep yourself interested.

That was about it for the day. An interesting day. A bit of history and a bracing walk. PoD was the view of the Central Tower from the North Tower.

No plans as yet for tomorrow.

The Far East – 23 August 2021

Posted on by Zogman

The weather seemed to be set fair so we drove out into it.

Pointed the Blue Micra in the general direction of Edinburgh and stopped driving at Cramond which was our destination for the day. The day started under a disappointing milky white sky, but as we travelled east the clouds lifted and thinned so that by the time we were parking at Cramond there was definite form to the clouds which were breaking to allow the sun through. We went for a walk.

We walked along the esplanade, again in the general direction of Edinburgh. There wasn’t much choice here, with the Forth estuary to the north, the way we’d come to the south and the River Almond cutting off our walk to the west. If we’d been there earlier we could have walked over the causeway to Cramond Island, but it looked as if the tide was on the turn, so that would have been a dangerous and wet direction to take. Maybe another day.

On the walk we found a community wildflower garden. It was carefully cordoned off and two ladies were carrying metre square grids to help them in taking serious measurements or counts of something scientific. We just liked the colour combinations of the red poppies, blue cornflower and something like a big daisy, but bright yellow. They almost made PoD, but as it happened they only played a supporting role. PoD went to a Small Copper butterfly on a fading cone flower.

I’d hoped we’d get a coffee in the wee café, but Scamp had remembered that it’s only open at weekends, so we walked on. We passed my favourite trees. I don’t know what they are. I must ask someone who knows, but they look so elegant. Tall straight trunks with little bunches of leaves at the top looking like a bad haircut. That’s when Scamp noticed someone hadn’t poop scooped and she’d walked through it. For once I played the good Samaritan and offered to take her shoe down to the sea and wash it clean. Of course, in the process I managed to confirm that the tide was indeed coming in. In to my trainers, that is! That was far enough we decided and walked back to the ice cream van that’s always parked at the roundabout that marks the west end of the esplanade. Two cones by the sea. What’s not to like?

We walked up the path beside the river as far as the falls at the old ruined mill. Again I’d been hoping that a wee cafe that used to be there would be open, but it was under reconstruction, so no coffee today. There’s a great old tree next to the path. It sits on a steep slope and over the years the rain washing down that slope has removed most of the soil from its roots and they are now exposed to the air and covered in colourful fungi. Unfortunately it now has a white “X” painted on its trunk, so it may not have much longer to be climbed on by decades of children.

Back home I made a sort of salmon and pea tagliatelle which was less than successful. Maybe it’s worth another try.

Tomorrow looks like another dry day. Scamp has a hair appointment in the morning, but the afternoon might be free.