Blackness Castle sticks out into the River Forth a few miles west of the Forth Bridges. (See photograph in the link.) Because of its situation and prominence it is sometimes known as ‘the ship that never sailed’. It has had several uses over the years since it was built in the 1440s including as an ammunition store. As with most Scottish castles it has featured in the TV series Outlander.

Infiormation board:-

From approach road:-

Closer view and modern entrance:-

Side view and old entrance:-

Old entrance: now blocked off. The notice warns you not to climb on it:-

As you can see in the photo in the link a pier pokes from the castlefurther out into the river.

Castle from pier. (Stitch of two photos.):-

Pier, part of Castle and Blackness village beyond:-

View west from pier:-

View east: three bridges across the Forth:-

Close-up:-

The museum is known as Airborne at the Bridge. We’d have liked to go into it but the door was locked. According to the website it is open from 10.00 to 17.00:-

A steel monument to the Resistance lay to the right of the scene pictured above. The inscription reads, “most people remain silent, but a few take action.”

Side view. River Rhine and John Frost Bridge in background:-

“With respect for the past and with an eye to the future, this reminder of the resistance in Arnhem, 1940-1945”:-

The most imposing building outwith the Market Square was St Swithun’s Church:-

Stitch of other side:-

Trinity Hospital has unusual elements in the brickwork between the lower and middle level windows:-

Its doorway has distinctive features. Trinity Hospital logo on lantern. Nice scrolled canopy supports:-

Estates plaque:-

The River Idle flows through the town:-

The bridge is very close to Elgin Cathedral. It can be seen viewed from one of the Cathedral towers in the first photograph in this post.

The elegant Craigellachie Bridge was built over the River Spey near Aberlour (or Charlestown of Aberlour) by renowned Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. The village is home to the distillery which makes Aberlour Whisky.

I was able to go off the main A 95 road to take a few pictures of the bridge.

From other side of bridge:-

Bridge towers:-

Plaque denoting Thomas Telford’s contribution:-

Further information plaque:-

Bridge from modern road:-

Comrie is a village in Perth and Kinross, lying almost halfway between Crieff and Loch Earn.

It has on its High Street a Charles Rennie Mackintosh building, complete with corner turret and the sort of external render familiar from Hill House. Not exactly the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a small Perthsire village.

The church in the background above is perhaps Comrie’s most prominent building, best seen from the bridge over the River Earn. For obvious reasons this, the former parish kirk, is known as the White Church. It is dedicated to the obscure saint, Kessog:-

St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Haddington is a fine example of church architecture.

Church from approach path:-

The next two photos are stitches:-

The River Tyne flows past the rear of the church and under the Nungate Bridge:-

I assume at one time nuns passed through the Nungate on their way to and from the church.

Wealso stopped off at Wetherby, which we have visited before. I featured its War Memorial here, but took more photos this time

Memorial:-

Great War dedication “In honour and everlasting memory of the men of Wetherby who fell in the Great War 1914-1918” and name plaques:-

World War 2 Dedication and name plaques:-

The River Wharfe was quite high when we visited in 2014. It was much lower this time. The last time we couldn’t see the weir! Note the metal salmon leaping from just below the wheel:-

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:-

On one of our visits to friends in the North-east of England we happened to pass the Stadium of Light, home to Sunderland AFC.

A replacement for the famous Roker Park its naming was immediately derided by fans of Sunerland’s great rivals from up the A19 and amended by thme to Stadium of (something that rhymes with light.)

Football champions of England six times, Sunderland AFC have, of course, recenty fallen on relatively hard times.

The stadium sits above the River Wear:-

Part of west stand:-

From north-east:-

East and north stands:-

Stadium from Sunderland city centre showing west and south stands:-