Day 5 - Edinburgh to Stirling

 10 April 2023 – Edinburgh to Stirling

This morning we left a damp Edinburgh and did some exploring on our way to Stirling. Firstly, we crossed on the Firth of Forth bridge to have a quick look around North Queensferry. North Queensferry is a tiny little settlement on the banks of the Firth of Forth where Roger’s 2^nd Gt Grandparents (David Mason and Mary Ann Erskine Sinclair) were living in the 1841 census. At the time David Mason was Superintendent of Queensferry and was responsible for moving passengers and goods on the steam ferries. North Queensferry is also where Roger’s Gt Grandmother, Janet Mason, was born in 1848.

Leaving North Queensferry, we crossed back over the Firth of Forth bridge and made our way to Falkirk to see the Kelpies. These are 30-metre-high horse head sculptures built on the Forth and Clyde Canal. The sculptures themselves are very impressive, but also is the network of locks on the canals. In Scottish folklore, Kelpies are a shape-shifting spirit that inhabits lochs.

We then headed about 4 miles down the road to the Falkirk Wheel. This is an engineering marvel (only one in the world) that has replaced the original 11 locks that connected the Union and Forth & Clyde Canals. What used to take boats and their owners a full day to negotiate a height change of 34 metres, now takes just 15 minutes using the Falkirk Wheel. We took the boat trip which takes you up the Falkirk Wheel, along a canal, through a tunnel and then turning around to do the reverse. It was really interesting, and we had stunning views on the way.

Top left shows the wheel as it is part way through the cycle. The canal boat goes in the 'hole' and then is lifted up (or dropped down). Top right is the view when you get up the top. Bottom right is the to canal leading to the wheel for the downward trip.

We are finding that often the tourist attractions have walking tracks and additional places of interest. This was the case with the Falkirk Wheel, where we were able to access a walking path that took us up the hill and through woodland to the Roman fort of Rough Castle, which is located on the Antonine Wall and was built about AD 140. The Antonine Wall, built about 20 years after and north of Hadrian’s Wall, was the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire. At Rough Castle, we found it was easy to see a section of the ramparts and some lilia defensive pits (ancient equivalent of barbed wire). It was a very eerie but peaceful place to spend some time, and I’m so pleased that we took the chance to do some exploring on foot.

Stirling then beckoned. Once we arrived, we took the chance to walk up to the National Wallace Monument. Even though we didn’t climb the monument itself, the views were still spectacular from the bottom – it felt like Stirling was spread out in front of us and we could see the hills/mountains way in the distance. The woods around the monument feel so ancient and have a totally different vibe to Aussie bushland.