Following our "wee breakfast" we headed into Glasgow city. This optional pre-ordered breakfast was in a very quiet dining room with only one other person eating at the same time we were. This was very different to the other hostels we have stayed in previously.
Glasgow has some very impressive buildings being a port city on the river Clyde. It is the most populated city in Scotland (600,000) and the largest sea port in Scotland. A huge trading post and hive of industry from the 15th century on with textile, chemical, boat building and engineering enterprises dominating its history.
First we visited "Tenement House" which is owned and displayed by Heritage Scotland... we are finding it very useful being members of Heritage New Zealand (the old Historic Places Trust) as it gives us free entry into a lot of sites on our travels through reciprocal arrangements, bonus!
Tenement House is a house/flat in a Tenement building built in 1892 and this particular unit is in a preserved condition of the early 1900's era. The house/flat was lived in by Agnes Toward, a typist by profession, who had moved in as a child, subsequently stayed with her mother after her father's death and then by herself after her mother's death. Agnes did very little updating to the house for that time although did install electric lighting in the 50's... quite a while after it was available. The time capsule has been helped hugely by the fact that Agnes kept absolutely everything, including letters she sent to other people as she kept a duplicate of all correspondence. Also theatre programmes, newspaper articles, diary entries etc that give a fascinating glimpse into the time period. Agnes died in 1965 after 10 years in hospital when the house had sat empty. Anna Davidson purchased the house to live in, but with remarkable foresight realised and preserved all of its contents before selling the house to the Heritage Trust in 1982.
The flat is 4 rooms on the 2nd story of the building. Kitchen, Bathroom, parlour and bedroom. There are 2 other beds in cupboards basically! One each in the parlour and kitchen.
Time for a snack burst, from Sainsbury's (supermarket), en route to Glasgow Cathedral. It is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland being founded in the 12th century. The first stone cathedral was dedicated in 1136 with fragments of that original building still under the following structure which was dedicated in 1197.. although most of the present cathedral was rebuilt in the 13th century.
A large focus is on Saint Mungo, who was a monk who built a monastery on this site and was buried here in 614 AD, with the cathedral constructed over top of his burial site.
The Scottish Reformation in 1560 overturned the Catholic influence of the church and it became a Protestant place of worship. In the late 1500's the cathedral housed 3 congregations. It is now owned by the Church of Scotland which is actually Presbyterian... confused??...definitely!!
But... it is a huge and very impressive structure, the steeple however at the moment fully under a renovation wrap cover so it is feeling a bit embarrassed.
A walk up the hill behind the cathedral leads to the Glasgow Necropolis... a huge cemetery with large and ornate headstones and/or shrines. It contains the remains of almost all of Glasgows eminent population of the day... from 1832 onwards and being interdenominational over 50,000 burials have taken place here. Situated on top of a hill the area gives a great view of the city.
The early 1800's saw Glasgow grow as a major industrial city.. with lots of traders and merchants making vast fortunes from tobacco, spices, coffee, cotton and the slave trade to the USA. All part of a triangle route where goods were taken to Europe and Africa, Slaves then back loaded to the USA, and cotton brought back to the UK for manufacture into the goods and the circle started again! Very sad really in hindsight.
A quick visit to the "Provands Lordship" which is reputably Glasgow's oldest house and was built by the Glasgow cathedral in 1471. From there we loosely followed a street art trail which lead us around and through the city centre quite nicely, and also found a lovely cafe for lunch. Great street art/murals, although a couple listed seemed to have disappeared as there is a few buildings being demolished. In fact a whole lot of construction is occurring on the streets and the buildings throughout the main city area.
The central part of the city was very busy with lots of people about, not necessarily all tourists and in fact Glasgow definitely didn't give the feeling of being over-run with tourists types.
The buildings are very majestic, so many are still the original 1800's (at least on the outside) and a lot of effort has obviously gone into making sure any new buildings "fit in" architecturally. The old buildings being built of huge red/grey stone blocks so they are very solid, and just portraying what was obviously a city of large wealth in the 1800's.
Back to the hostel for a cuppa then headed out to find dinner... and yes, some Glasgow Salad (chips!).
Wednesday, June 12: an uplifting experience
Glasgow - Falkirk, 55 km
Organised early to get down to the dining room for our wee breakfast by 7:30 am and hopefully beat the bus load of French students we saw arrive last night... and we did! (although they were very organised, not at all like the chaos we witnessed at Pitlochry hostel)
Left the city to follow canal paths for the day, all mostly paved and for obvious reasons basically flat so easy riding. Perhaps not as scenic as road riding as the canals are lined with trees for the majority, although there is glimpses of the surrounding countryside/towns. Farmlands with crops growing, a field being topped and the "gentle countryside smells" from large barns that must be housing cattle.
A lot of people are using the paths... walkers, runners, cyclists, dogs etc. Initially following the Forth and Clyde canal with a few canal long narrow boats cruising past or tied up to the sides. Also cruising the canal is Mute Swans and their cygnets... quite cute to see... along with a couple of Cormorants and some deer grazing wild fields on the opposite bank.
Stopping at the Falkirk Wheel was certainly worthwhile and a sight to see. The world's only rotating boat lift which links the Forth and Clyde to the Union Canal some 35 metres above. The wheel opened in 2002 and replaced a flight of 11 locks that previously joined the 2 canals... turning what was an exhausting day transfer into less than 10 minutes.
As one side rotates down the opposite one rises and keeps the 1800 tonne lift in perfect balance. This can occur with boats just on one, or both sides. Fascinating to watch but the physics left us a bit puzzled!! It was government funded by a Millenium Link project. Whilst we watched the only boats going up or down were tourist narrow boats.
Whilst stopped there we went for a 20 minute walk to the remnants of Rough Castle Fort which was a Roman defence fort in the Antoninus Wall. Antoninus Wall was constructed around 142 AD, stretching across Scotland from the Clyde to the Forth.
Antoninus Pius, a Roman commander, ordered the construction of the wall, he was the adopted son of Emperor Hadrian.... who had also had a wall built and named after him, which is arguably the better known of the 2. (we will know more next week!).
It was a little difficult imagining what the fort was like although with the help of information panels it was slightly easier to picture what the now ground indentations had been for. Although it was clear to see the large ditches located outside the fort designed to slow any approaching enemies as well as some defensive pits. It is thought that around 200 soldiers would have been based here. Both the wall and the fort were believed to be abandoned about 165 AD.
Before riding onward we had a quick cuppa by the side of the trail, along with devouring our long travelled ginger cake (purchased on the Outer Hebrides somewhere!). Then onward to our hotel in Falkirk which is a corner pub in the main part of town. Dropped our panniers in our room then zoomed (so light!!) along the canal side path to Helix Park to view the Kelpies.
And... you can hardly miss them!. The Kelpies are the world's largest equine sculptures, and when people say that, they are not horsing around!!The wider Helix Park area was created as a communal space for the residents of Falkirk but due to the installation of the Kelpies it now attracts a world wide audience.
Standing at 30 m tall, and weighing some 300 tonne each the sculptures were designed by Andy Scott who modelled them on 2 live Clydesdale horses, Duke and Baron. They represent the image of the heavy horse which had been so vital to the Scottish economy in days gone by. Horses were used for towing barges, wagons and agriculture. (the visitors centre was shut but luckily Google and Wikipedia never are!!)
Made our way back to the pub via Helix park paths, and into Callendar Park and past Callendar House. The core of the house is a 14th century tower house subsequently redesigned and extended during the 1800's. It is now a museum after being refurbished from a somewhat dis-repaired state. Also closed at this time of the day but good to do a fly by (wheeee... no panniers) and grab a photo.
Our pub was built in 1786... so right in the centre of town and near a busy intersection... which results in the whole room shaking whenever a big truck goes by!!
Thursday, June 13: Flyaway, Skyline pigeon, Flyaway...
Falkirk - Edinburgh, 50 km
A beautiful morning, no wind at all for the second day which is appreciated by those on bikes. After breakfast at a nearby cafe we were on the road/route/canal path by 9:30 am. Following the Union Canal now, which opened in 1822 to complete the inland waterway link between Edinburgh and Glasgow. 51 km long and on a single level at 73 m above sea level... meaning no hills for us!!
Once the Edinburgh/Glasgow rail link opened in 1842 the canal traffic started to reduce, ultimately leading to it's closure in 1933. Recreational demand increased from the 1970's on and a full upgrade/restoration and then completion/installation of the Falkirk wheel re-linked the 2 canals... officially opened by the Queen in 2002.
As we left Falkirk our first "obstacle" was a canal tunnel... 600 m long it is a biggie, there is a narrow paved path (luckily with a hand barrier) so we pushed our bikes through. A bit slippery and narrow to risk riding them through. As the path was narrow we were pleased we only met a couple of walkers coming the other way, with their dogs, who were very obliging and polite.
From there we enjoyed the paved canal paths with glimpses of farmland, whilst meeting the occasional narrow boat and walkers mainly with dogs, who are amazingly polite about meeting bikers. There was also a school group doing kayak and paddle boarding lessons, with the canal being pretty shallow we guess it is a good place to learn such skills... although it would be a bit doubtful getting a mouth full of the water??!!
We diverted off the path to visit the town of Linlithgow, a very pretty town with a lot of historic buildings. We first checked out a pigeon palace, or doocot (dove cote), dating from the 16th century. The dove cote was used to attract pigeons by feeding them, then they subsequently provided a source of meat during winter for the townsfolk. Side benefits was that their droppings could be used as fertiliser in gardens and also being high in potassium nitrate it was harvested as a gunpowder material! There is still pigeons flying in and out... we don't think they are tempting fate in this day and age?!
Also visited Linlithgow Palace, a manor house built on that spot by David I in the 1100's before being replaced in 1424 with a palace built by James I. It is not in great shape now and is awaiting restoration funds, the front view from the loch it overlooks was all under scaffolding. The palace was once one of the principal residences for the monarchs of Scotland during the 15th and 16th centuries although little used after that, and had a fire through it in 1746.
From there it was a bit more on the canal paths before being directed by trust Wahoo GPS onto initially quiet roads and then bike paths to wind our way the last 20 km into Edinburgh, at one stage cycling through the car park for the Murrayfield rugby stadium. Also rode past the Edinburgh showgrounds where preparations were in full swing setting up for the Royal Highland A&P show... shiny new machinery for miles!
Checked into a lovely room in the very centrally located Edinburgh Youth Hostel, with the bikes tucked away in the locked games room along with 3 other bikes for company. Good timing as we then sat and watched the rain start outside! A quick dash out to a nearby Thai restaurant and then room bound for some blog catch up etc.
Interesting to note the hostel has a lift which we find a bonus. For the life of us, we can't fathom it, but we are both really struggling with stairs and huff and puff our way up as if we haven't done any physical activity for months? How does that even work when we are cycling daily?
We had stayed, obviously in a different building as this one is relatively new, previously in a Edinburgh Youth Hostel 36 years ago and can distinctly remember having to run back to get in before they locked the doors at the 11 pm curfew. Nowadays there is no curfew... but sadly there is no way we can stay awake until 11 pm!!!
Friday, June 14: Dampening the enthusiasm
Although it is a nice morning some rain is forecast, so after our quick wee breakfast... delayed as we had been asked to leave it until 8 am, we think as some large groups were being put through earlier (it is a large and busy hostel).. we headed out to re-explore Edinburgh. Headed straight to the castle in the hope of being ahead of the crowds, and it is now raining... quite heavy... as we walk. However after sheltering under a verandah (of which there are not many) it did ease off.
So we completed our walk up the Royal Mile to the castle, which was built in 1103 AD on Castle Rock an extinct volcano. Originally a royal residence, it was last used for that purpose in 1633. Following that it was used as a military garrison, and nowadays for tourists.... lots, and lots, and lots of them!!
We had no intention of doing a castle tour, as we had done so on our previous visit, but this was just as well as it sells out in advance. At 9:30 am there were already large tour groups everywhere so after a quick glimpse we were glad to leave the immediate area of the castle.
We then walked around many of the lanes surrounding the castle area, Flodden Wall and then on to Greyfriar's Bobby statue. This is a lovely story about a wee dog that stayed by his master's grave for 12 years until he himself died. A favourite childhood story of Noel's who had been initially told of it by his Aunt Mollie a lot of years ago!... and in a lot of ways as an 11 year old, influenced his choice of first pet, Angus the Scottish Terrier.
We had visited the statue in 1988 but at that time there were no tour groups anywhere nearby and we are pretty sure the poor statue didn't have a shiny nose from all the tourist hands rubbing it!!!
A walk back down Victoria Street which is a thoroughfare of elegant coloured buildings. A quick visit to Princess Street gardens and the art gallery, which had a loo... bonus! As the rain was returning in earnest we headed back to the hostel via a supermarket for some lunch supplies.
Relaxed in the hope the rain would ease off as it was meant to, before we headed out to walk up Calton Hill. As we headed up we chatted to a local who was on his way down, and he said there is no one there in this weather.. not quite true but certainly not many people compared to what it normally would be. As soon as we got to the top it started to rain so we were sheltered by a wall until it passed a little. Calton Hill has a Nelson monument as well as an unfinished monument.
Good views from the hill, of the city and area as well as along towards Holyrood Palace at the bottom end of the Royal Mile. This is the official royal residence should they be in Edinburgh.
However with the rain continuing to threaten we decided against our original plan of walking up to Arthur's Seat, a 30 minute plus hike, which is a "must do" visit for many...ah.well may be next time then. Instead we took a different path down towards the old town area of the city. Finding we were getting caught up in the large tourist crowds again we thought that wasn't much fun and headed back to the hostel before dinner close by.
Edinburgh is a lovely city, the buildings are very grand and the newer streets wide. The old city is a lovely rabbit warren of paved streets and narrow alleyways. However it is crazy busy with tourists, especially large groups being guided who are a bit of a hazard to everyone else! The old town is quite compact and reasonably quick to view if one is not museum or gallery visiting (both of which were also crazy busy).
Here's hoping for better weather tomorrow. Dinner a burger for Caro, a kebab for Noel at a local hole in the wall outfit which was yum. The pubs are all a bit full as a) it is Friday night and b) there is a Scotland vs Germany football match on, the Euros 2024.
