Falkirk

Breakfast at 8.30am at Redhurst Hotel Giffnock South Glasgow then off to buy cheap Morrison’s petrol. Could wash the bugs of the windscreen for once. Then drove to Falkirk and Callendar House. Displays of European Athlete Masters, people not much behind the current world record holders competing in their 80’ies and 90’ies. We then moved on to displays of the history of the site from the ancient long house meeting place for the regional Thane groups, through the the Saxons, Celts and Romans (Antoine wall built 20 years after Hadrian’s is just in front of the building). Once the Normans arrived the existing building started to take shape. The owner of the building was very powerful and as the keeper of child Scottish Kings controlled the country. At one point the owner of the house was a London water company and the Scottish Lord was supporting the Jacobite Cause till the British executed him after Culloden. The authentic Georgian kitchen with a staff of six serving a family of eight. This kitchen with large number of specialised spit roasting, bread baking, general baking, and various stovetops was used in Outlander as part of the home of the Duke of Sandringham, Bellhurst Manor. Next drove to the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk for a photo then on to the Falkirk Wheel, a mechanism for raising and lowering barges connecting the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Union Canal. Drove on to Drummond Castle Gardens which were used to represent the park at Versailles France in series two of Outlander. Drove on to Deanston Distillery which provided the setting for Jamie’s cousin’s wine warehouse on the docks of Le Have in series two of Outlander. Yvonne had a whiskey tasting and purchased a bottle. Finally arrived at Invernente bed and breakfast in Callander Stirling Scotland. Dinner of soup and fish pie in a nearby hotel.Read more