Water of Leith and Antony Gormley

4 September 2010 00:15

When I heard that they were going to be putting some Antony Gormley ‘men’ figures into the Water of Leith, I wasn’t too chuffed about the idea. Last year we went for a walk along the stretch of water from the back of the Modern Art Gallery in Edinburgh to Stockbridge.

It was the first time that we had ever taken that path and it was a great surprise to find a lovely rural and atmospheric spot in the middle of a city. I thought that any man made art work would really ruin the place and spoil the ambience.

So when we stretched our legs along that way again a few weeks ago I was quite relieved and impressed with what I saw. If anything the figures actually add to the atmosphere.

I think the statues are actually supposed to have a use, being a gauge to the level of the river but if you think about it the river would have been used by people thousands of years ago, long before Edinburgh was ever thought of. To me it’s a sort of reminder of this, there would have been people ‘guddling for fish’ and generally getting on with life with the help of the river.

I’m not so sure about the Gormley figures which have been placed atop high buildings in New York City though. They all look to me like they are about to take a suicidal dive off the edge.

No Comments »

Categories: Architecture, Exhibitions, Scenery

Tags: , , , ,

Inveraray

21 August 2010 01:06

Inveraray is definitely a highland town. Actually, the road signs are in Gaelic long before you get there. That’s something which has changed since my childhood. It’s politically correct to push Gaelic like crazy now but I don’t know anyone who can speak it despite the fact that loads of money has been put into promoting the language.


I was really surprised to see The Vital Spark tied up in the harbour, which is really just at the end of the main street.

Neil Munro wrote The Para Handy stories which featured The Vital Spark and her crew. The tv programmes were very popular in the 60s when I was a wee girl. They did an updated version recently but obviously they didn’t have the same nostalgic charm.
You can see some of the oldies on you tube.

No Comments »

Categories: Books, Scenery, Towns

Tags: , , ,

Rest and be Thankful

15 August 2010 00:36

At last we managed to get away to the west of Scotland, the Cowal Peninsula to be precise, which is just about an hour away from where we were brought up. As you can see it’s lovely there. It’s a very popular destination with tourists, apart from the fact that it is very scenic, there are also lots of things for you to do and visit, if you want to do more than just admire the scenery.

These photographs are of the Rest and be Thankful, a strange name for what is now really just a stopping/parking spot at the top of Glen Croe, which has a very steep climb to the top and if you were walking you would have to rest quite a few times before you reach it – and then be thankful you’d made it.

As you can see, there is a wee farm cottage right at the bottom. I don’t think I would like to live there, I imagine that when it is raining all the water is going to end up there. It must surely be damp.

This photograph is taken from the same place, different direction. I suppose the wee patch of water would be described as a lochan but compared with the many other lochs in the area it’s just a puddle. But the hills are lovely, especially when the sun shines on them.

No Comments »

Categories: Scenery

Tags: , , , ,

River Leven at Dumbarton

25 July 2010 00:09

My family moved to Dumbarton from Glasgow when I was 5 years old and much as I love Glasgow I must admit that city life isn’t ideal for families. It was heaven to have such easy access to the hills when I was growing up and that is what I really miss now. I’m not keen on being hemmed in by the sea.

But I do love rivers and that’s what I like about old towns. Obviously they were settled by people aeons ago because of the proximity of fresh water. Dumbarton is certainly very old as it was the ancient capital of Strathclyde due to the castle/rock being an important stronghold and situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Leven and the Clyde.

The photographs were taken from just behind the High Street shops. It’s a pity about the big blue blot on the landscape, I think it might be a boat-house. But you can see Dumbarton Castle/Rock in the background or on the left hand side of my header.

No Comments »

Categories: Scenery, Scottish History, Towns

Tags: , , ,

Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond

17 July 2010 00:04

I was doing the ironing on Sunday afternoon which is the thing that I hate most housework wise, so I always have to have the TV on to try to ease the boredom of it all.

It was golf. The end of the Scottish Open to be precise which took place at Loch Lomond Golf Club. The best thing about it was the scenery, they showed some lovely views of Loch Lomond and as I was brought up within walking distance of the place, it didn’t half make me feel homesick.

So when we went to Glasgow the other day we just had to travel back to Fife via Dumbarton and Stirling, stopping off at Balloch on the way.

The place was empty of people even although it was a beautiful evening but I suppose if you have that on your doorstep you do take it for granted – I know I did. It was only 7 o’clock with hours of daylight still left, but nowhere was open to hire a boat or anything – strange.

I must admit it did look even better on TV, this is just a teeny wee bit of the loch with the mountain of Ben Lomond in the background.

There are plenty photographs of Loch Lomond here.

No Comments »

Categories: Scenery

Tags: , , , , ,

Munduff near Scotlandwell

23 May 2010 00:45

As you can see, we actually made it up to the top of Munduff despite the fact that it was a steaming hot day. The island in the middle of Loch Leven is where Mary Queen Of Scots was imprisoned. It looks tiny here but is actually quite big.

We nearly had the whole place to ourselves, there were just a few other people daft enough to tackle the climb, and of course there were the gliders.

The one on the left is a hang-glider. There were microlights too.

At one point I thought we wouldn’t make it, but with plenty of rests (collapses) along the way we managed it, with a lot of peching and panting. It took us about an hour and a half.

On one of our stops we calculated that it must have been 15 years since we walked these hills. That time we went up the Bishop Hill.

Unfortunately it was a bit too bright and some of the photographs came out a bit colour drained, I tried to darken them a wee bit.

At the top it was very windy but that was just what we needed to cool us down. The picture doesn’t give the true impression of how high up we were.

So if you find yourself near Scotlandwell or Kinnesswood in Perth and Kinross and you fancy a good hill walk, park your car at the side of the church and cross the road. Then walk down the hill a wee bit and there is a path with some steps leading up to Munduff and Bishop Hill.

I think that children from about the age of 12 should be able to tackle this walk. Get them away from the T.V. and computer and although they will probably moan all the way, they’ll boast about it to their friends.

No Comments »

Categories: Local interest, Scenery

Tags: , , , ,