The village of Crathie lies just by Balmoral Estate which is separated from Crathie car park by a bridge over the River Dee designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I couldn’t get to a vantage point to photograph the bridge itself but it has fine views of the River Dee.

Looking west:-

Looking east:-

Crathie Kirk – which is where the royal family attend church when at Balmoral:-

Church door:-

Stone by Crathie Kirk’s Door. Preserved from a former Church at Crathie:-

Side of kirk:-

When I discovered the late Queen’s cortege would be passing within twelve or so miles of my home on its way from Balmoral to Edinburgh I thought this is a bit of history (before her no monarch had died in Scotland since the father of Mary Queen of Scots) so we might as well go and see it. Something to tell the grandkid(s.) It would be the closest I’ll ever get to a reigning sovereign after all.

At first we tried to stand behind a crash barrier by the M 90 near Milnathort, Perth and Kinross, but a policewoman moved us on so we ended up on a motorway bridge. It wasn’t a good vantage point.

I did get a reasonable shot of the cortege approaching (the West Lomond Hill is in the background):-

However the close up I tried to get was too blurry. (The hearse was travelling at speed.)

I hurried to the other side of the bridge to snap this, which ended up very badly focused.

The convoy was actually quite large. This shows its tail end:-

It struck me when I downloaded it off the camera that it was fairly appropriate, though, as she was by that time gone. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor slipping inexorably into history (at 70 miles an hour.)