Cramond, Edinburgh

Cramond is a village that lies north west of Edinburgh between the Forth River and the Almond River. The line of concrete pylons was built from Cramond Island to the shore to complete the anti-boat barrier (which is often misidentified as an anti-submarine barrier - the water is far too shallow). It was constructed during World War 2 to protect the Forth Rail Bridge and Rosyth dockyard.

This is another place that I have been meaning to go to for a long time having seen a lot of great photographs in other instagram accounts. As always, click on the thumbnails for the large version if your on a desktop / tablet

 

Cambuskenneth Abbey

I have become acutely aware that the darker my mood is the darker my photo edits become. I guess that is why they are called moodscapes.

A few shots from Cambuskenneth Abbey, near Stilring. It is a ruined Augustinian monastery. The abbey is mostly reduced to it's foundations although the campanile (bell tower) still stands. The abbey fell into disuse during the Scottish reformation when the abbey was looted and burned. The campanile was restored in 1859 and the crown acquired the land in 1908, Historic Scotland now mange the area. 

The first image is in the campanile looking up to the celling of the first floor. The second floor ceiling can be seen through the round area in the middle of the first floor ceiling. The second floor is not accessible, although is sometimes open to the public, best to check when at Historic Scotland. Click for the larger images if you are browsing on a desktop / tablet.

Carrbridge

Never has the rain been so hard when I got to Carrbridge on Wednesday. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. While the rest of the UK baked in 30 degrees Scotland froze it's ass off in a balmy 16 degrees, with thunderstorms and rain (and hail in some locations). Still, you can't do anything about the weather without an industrial revolution and a hundred years of polluting so I had to suck it up! I will return to this location later in the year.

On the bright side, I discovered the magic of Haggis Lasagne at the Cairn Hotel while waiting on the rain to go off, it's a cosy place with the worst wifi in Scotland but the Haggis Lasagne was unbelievably good. I've put a link to their website, be warned, the website matches their wifi...

Carrbridge's most famous landmark is the packhorse bridge, from which the village is named. The bridge, built in 1717, is the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands. It was severely damaged in the "muckle spate" of 1829 (a great flood in August 1829), which left it in the condition seen today. It is now unstable and walking over it is not recommended. The packhorse bridge celebrated it's 300th anniversary in May this year. There is discussion as to whether it is the oldest stone bridge in Scotland or the oldest in the Highlands.

These are shots that I managed to get when the rain abated a little, click the thumbnail if you are on a desktop for the larger image.

Rock Tree

I remember passing this tree growing out a rock when I was young. It was part of the excitement of going to Glencoe, waiting to spot it at the side of the road. There are lots of markers on the road to Glencoe that I still look out for on my way there, but this is by far my favourite.

 

Private Yacht

After driving to Glencoe I thought it was worthwhile driving on to Corpach to finally visit the abandoned boat on the seashore. I have always been fascinated with old boats like this, I like to wonder what their story is and how they come to their final resting place.

It's an old fishing vessel, and I couldn't really find much information about it, apart from the news story that it's emergency beacon caused a major air and sea search. Apparently the beacon may have been triggered as it deteriorated. The report said that the vessel was abandoned "at some point" during the past ten years.

I didn't get the shots that I was hoping for but I got some that I liked that are displayed below. In the first shot you can see Ben Nevis in the background.