Vindolanda Roman Fort, Northumberland, was our next stop on Hadrian’s Wall. It’s in the hands of a charitable trust.

This is the view from the entrance. The building in the background right is a replica tower:-

This is a model of the fort (in the museum at Vindolanda):-

On the way down to the remains you pass these wells and water cisterns:-

Replica tower:-

The tower gives you a feel as to how it would have been to garrison the place. This is the view south from the tower battlements:-

Roman remains from the replica tower:-

Most of the inside of the perimeter of Birdoswald is empty space. Only a few remains poke above the ground.

East gate of Roman Fort:-

A ruined tower:-

An internal wall:-

Inside fort:-

Hadrian’s Wall from inside fort:-

The main reason for our trip to Cumbria in April was to take in the two excavated Roman Forts open to the public we had not yet visited.

The first was at Birdoswald, near Gilsland.

On approaching the remains from the car park which is a bit down a small hill you meet this board telling you you are outside the Roman Empire. (As someone born in Caledonia I was quite comfortable with that!)

The wall behind the board:-

The wall with the board to the left:-

Information board:-

Ruins at Birdoswald. The Victorian building erected on the site is to the right here:-

Reverse view of ruins, Victorian building to left:-

Lanercost Priory is not far and a bit east from Carlisle in Cumbria. It was founded in the Twelfth Century.

Just before his death Edward I of England (Malleus Scotorum of evil memory) also known as Longshanks, on his last campaign against the Scots and during his final illness spent some months at Lanercost, almost bankrupting the place.

Priory information board:-

The remains of the Priory lie behind the Church:-

In the grounds to the left is the stub of a cross, known as the Lanercost cross:-

Stitch of two photos. Remains of Priory. Church to left and cloisters and Dacre Hall even further left:-

Cloister area and Dacre Hall behind:-

From cloisters:-

Church wall:-

In the cemetery in Broughton (see here) is what at first I thought was an old ruin. Well the part to the left is what remains of the old parish church of Broughton but what is beside it is in fact a reconstruction (from 1926-7) of St Llolan’s cell by a James Grieve. St Llolan was a 7^th bishop to whom the church was dedicated.

Reconstructed cell from side:-

Entrance to St Llolan’s cell. The notice on the door says a key is available from the village store. Since were travelling onward we didn’t avail ourselves. The plaque to the left is in memory of James Grieve:-

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.)

Stanley Mills are the reason why the village of Stanley in Perth and Kinross was built – to house the workers.

The mill is sited right beside the River Tay. This enabled it to make use of the water flow as the Tay never ran dry.

Some of the Mill buildings have been converted to housing but the westernmost is now an exhibition centre run by Historic Environment Scotland to demonstrate the Mills’ history and evolution over the years.

There is a lovely little gatehouse at the entrance to the mill complex:-

Mill buildings:-

From by the River Tay:-

Model of Mill complex and surroundings:-

Mill race:-

Mill race sluice gate:-

Information board. The Northern mill building is no longer present:-

River Tay at Stanley Mill:-

The Tay did freeze though – and the workers made use of the opportunity:-

We’ve been to Dunkeld many times but had never noticed this statue before last November. Mind you it’s on the Birnam side of the River Tay which we don’t often frequent. It also seems to have been commissioned reasonably recently.

Information plaque:-

Gow was apparently the most famous Scottish fiddler of the eighteenth century.

He was even painted by Sir Henry Raeburn:-

Of all the things I expected to see in Earlston, a bust of Mikhail Lermontov, a Russian poet second only to Pushkin, was not one of them. However, Lermontov was descended from George Learmonth who emigrated to Russia from Earlston and may himself have been descended from Thomas the Rhymer.

In 2015 a bust of Lermontov was unveiled in Earlston:-

Information board:-

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At Arbeia Fort, South Shields, there are some mock-ups of barrack rooms as they would have been when the Romans were there.

Centurion’s Dining Room:-

Centurion’s quarter’s cot. Certainly looks like it was for a child:-

Centurion’s room:

Centurion’s sitting room:

The soldier’s quarters were a bit more spartan:-

Soldier’s sleeping quarters:-

In the exhibition centre at the fort was a stone with a dual language inscription. Latin and Aramaic:-