Thirsk is a town in North Yorkshire. We’d never visited before so dropped in on our way back up from Knaresborough and Harrogate.

The Clock Tower in the market place was decorated for Remembrance Day:-

I spotted the Ritz Cinema:-

And this nice bridge over the Cod Beck:-

In the grounds of Knaresborough Castle there is a board containing information about the gorge the River Nidd runs through:-

In the town itself we came upon the town crier relaying his news about the activities of various societies in the town:-

At the bottom of a hill where we were looking for an antique and second hand bookshop there was this bridge over the Nidd:-

The building to the left behind it is the Mother Shipton Inn. We didn’t bother visiting Mother Shipton’s Cave as it’s not really our thing:-

Views from the bridge:-

The antique shop and bookshop was behind where the first photo in this post was taken:-

Knaresborough Castle and Knaresborough War Memorial both lie on a bluff above the River Nidd.

This was taken from directly beside the War Memorial:-

And this took in a wider angle in order to show the viaduct:-

Almost directly below the War Memorial there is a weir:-

Of which I took this video:-

This is a view of the viaduct I took from river level near the weir:-

And this from further on:-

A train moved across the viaduct while we were there:-

This is the road bridge over the Nidd taken from between the pillars of the viaduct:-

The Auld Brig, Ayr. Old bridge over the River Ayr, from newer bridge:-

The newer bridge:-

Other bridges over River Ayr. The nearest is a footbridge, behind that is the rail bridge and behind that again is another road bridge:-

The John Adam Bridge was not the first I saw at Dumfries House. This pedestrian bridge crosses the Polcalk Burn near the Café and Shop:-

Thee’s also an elegant Chinese Bridge; here seen from the John Adam Bridge:-

Closer view of Chinese Bridge:-

The grounds of Dumfries House contain at least three bridges (over the Lugar Water.)

This one was designed by John Adam:-

Reverse view:-

Approach to Bridge:-

Adam Bridge seen from Chinese Bridge:-

On the way back to Stromness from Birsay we took a slight detour and passed Kirbuster Farm Museum. It being latish we saved a visit for a day or so later.

It’s one of the few attractions on Orkney’s mainland that isn’t a neolithic ruin. It’s a now disused farm in which two brothers had lived out their lives without modernising the place to 20^th century standards.

The first thing you come across is an old kiln:-

Further on is the farm building:-

To the side is a path to the garden leading through this lovely swan necked arch:-

The garden is sheltered and so can harbour trees; a rare sight on Orkney:-

At the bottom of the garden is a burn going under a bridge whcih carries the main road past the farm:-

Taking the path at Vindolanda down the (actually pretty steep) hill on the way to the museum you come to a memorial dedicated to the legionnaries who served there from AD (aka CE) 85-400:-

At the bottom of the hill is a steam crossed by a lovely stone bridge (though as I recall the path over to the museum is by a more modern bridge lower to the water):-

The view in the other direction shows a reconstructed temple. The inscription reads Nymphis Sacrum Vicani Vindolandes (The Nymphs of the Sacred Village of Vindoland):-

And slightly further up the bank there there is a globe sculpture:-

Behind the viewpoint of the previous picture are these replica carved stones:-

Broughton is in Tweeddale in the Scottish Borders. I featured its War Memorial here.

This nice wee bridge is over a burn, the Biggar Water, which flows beside the main A 701 road through the village.

Reverse view:-

This quaint (shepherd’s?) hut was in the next field:-

Hut and sheep’s feeder:-

We had a look round the vilage cemetery. I found two war graves.

Private W Taylor, Highland Light Infantry, 10/11/1918, aged 21:-

Flight Lieutenant L E Falla, RAF, 12/9/1945, aged 49.

I mentioned here the works towards replacing the old bridge over the Back Burn at the eighteenth green of Balbirnie Golf Course.

Those works were completed some time ago. I finally got round to photographing the new one in March (and to posting those photos now):-

In the background of the photo above you can see the remaining old bridge at the other side of the fairway.

Old bridge from new bridge:-

Old bridge from other side of golf course. New bridge in background:-