Scotland - August 1969 - Edinburgh to Guildford.

Jedburgh Abbey, a ruined Augustinian abbey founded in the 12th century.  The abbey is situated in the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders just 10 miles north of the border with England at Carter Bar. Jedburgh is the largest town on the A68 between Newcastle upon Tyne and the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

Below from Google, isn't it a beautiful Abbey, what a shame it was sacked several times during the border wars.

England... We've seen so much of the very beautiful Scotland, travelling up the West Coast, across the North then zig zagging across the middle then down the South Coast but it's time to head back to Merrow and back to work.

Here is a new 'England' Sign on the Scottish/English border at Carter Bar, difficult to see in this shot from Google but trust me, it does say England... because on the other side it says Scotland!

We can't make out what that thing is on that pole?  A Basketball style of rubbish bin?  A light?  What do you think?

 

Oh dear naughty me, maybe I shouldn't be walking on the old walls of this Roman  Military Station... From the website below... it says... walk along the main street... 

Visitors to Corbridge  can walk along the main street of this Roman garrison town, flanked by the remains of granaries, a fountain house, markets, workshops and temples.
Sitting astride the intersection of Roman Dere Street and Stanegate, Corbridge was initially the site of a series of important forts. But after Hadrian's Wall was fully commissioned it developed into a prosperous town, a tempting leave-centre for off-duty Wall garrisons.

Abandoned after the collapse of Roman rule in Britain, the town centre has been systematically excavated, producing the fascinating array of finds now most attractively displayed in the site museum.

Below from Google Maps.

Heading back home and quickly... this photo below, taken near Sheffield, is the last photo we took until after we'd got home to our little flat in Merrow and gone back to our jobs.  What a truly wonderful time we had, what a beautiful and generous country Scotland is.  Thanks Scotland... I know it took us another 36 years to get back but we did enjoy ourselves once again in 2005.

 On the M1 near Sheffield... Same bridge below, I think!

Below is a new sign at about the same spot as our black and white photo above, mileage is a little shorter but that must be because of the new roads in the area.

Scotland - August 1969 - Edinburgh.

 We loved Edinburgh, we still do, the buildings, the homes and the people are all very welcoming.  Here we are on top of Carlton Hill looking West.

 The Folly on Carlton Hill.

 View of Princes Street from the Castle.

 The Queen Mary Rooms in Edinburgh Castle.

 Inner Court Yard.

 View of Princes Street from Edinburgh Castle.

 

 Greyfriars Bobby.  Do you know the Greyfriars Bobby story?  Even if you do refresh your memory by going to this Site.  and having a good read.

 Tourists are still flocking to see his monument.

 Google Maps... Perth to Edinburgh.

Scotland - August 1969 - Perth to Edinburgh.

 From the Firth road bridge to the Firth of Forth railway bridge, Fowler and Baker 1882 - 1890.  1700 feet spans, 5300 feet long.

 Still in use today.

Castle Street, Edinburgh looking across Princes Street Gardens to Castle Hill.

 Princes Street.

One way traffic today.

Castle in the middle of this photo with the Scottish Academy on the left.

Just looking...

Scotland - August 1969 - Loch Ness to Perth via the Highlands.

I always loved this photo above, Tabitha 2 looks so out of her comfort zone but she bravely soldiered on and on up hill and down dale.  The County of Banff is another  to change it's name, according to Wiki a lot of the Counties of Scotland were changed around in 1975 hence my confusion when trying to find some of the ones we drove through in 1969.

Below it is the same road but a new bridge and County.

 What a beautiful solid Bridge, it's the Gairnshiel Bridge on the A939 and I was lucky to get another photo of it below from Google Maps.


  Balmoral Castle.  I tried to get a Google Map photo unfortunately there are so many trees on this road it was impossible but below is one I took from the  Balmoral Castle Website.  They have a beaut online shop that I was very tempted with just now... but...  maybe not.  I do love these Royal Family shops, the one at Windsor Castle Farm I could spend a fortune at!  Mostly fresh foods though and they wouldn't travel well to Australia would they!

Glen Shee on the A93 from Braemar to Blairgowrie.

Perth - in Perth and Kinross Council.  

It still gives me a chuckle when I see the same names of cities and towns here in the United Kingdom as we have in Australia and with the naivety of a 23 year old I didn't dream that the British ones came first! 

Below is our very zig zaggy route from Loch Ness to Perth, taken over a few days and through some of the most sparsely populated areas of Scotland... very beautiful and different.

 

Scotland - August 1969 - Inverness to Loch Ness.

 I couldn't find the same sign on Google maps but this is the same road, or near here below is the same road we would have driven into Inverness.

 Inverness on the River Ness, in 1969 above and in 2011 below.  It always amazes me when I find one of our old photos such as the one above and I think, pretty boring photo I wonder why we took it? then I wonder if I can find the same spot on Google Maps...  and with very little effort I do!  Those beautiful old buildings across the river are still there and better looking than in our old photo.  I was wondering why they took away the white lines in the middle of the crossing, the lines that mean you mustn't enter unless your exit is clear... but there are Traffic Lights now so I guess you don't need the white lines on the road anymore... or the Bollards!  or the Street Lights!

Dores on the head of Loch Ness.   Can you see me on the left here at Loch Ness and below from Google very close to the same spot.   The mountain ranges in the back of a lot of these photos tell me I'm in the same spot.   
We camped overnight here but we didn't see the monster just lots and lots of Midges!