Forth Road Bridge

As there were 14 walkers today we decided to be environmentally friendly and take one minibus rather than 4 cars to North Queensferry. The bus worked out well other than the driver taking a wrong turning before we even got there. That aside we parked at the Queensferry Hotel and made for the bridge. Only one side was open to pedestrians today; there must have been some necessary repair work going on. So we walked both ways on the north side getting great views of Rosyth Dockyard on the Fife side and Port Edgar on the Sth Queensferry side. We had only just started walking when one of us realised she had forgotten to change from shoes to walking boots but thought it didn't matter. As you can see from the first photo everyone was fresh and smiling and the sky behind blue with fluffy clouds. No matter how lovely a day however, you always get a fair skelp of the wind on the bridge, but it didn't hinder us. We actually crossed over in under half an hour. In fact we weren't even ready for the advertised coffee and sticky bun at the Brewer's Fayre and so decided to go on a little further to South Queensferry. So we toddled off underneath the carriageways this time into the wee town which was bustling with daytrippers, holidaymakers and a wedding reception at Orocco Pier. The ladies were hoping to see the bride but alas she did not make an appearance. As we felt we wouldn't really fit in having our refreshments at Orocco Pier with the guests, Mary did a quick reconnoitre at a wee cafe opposite which turned out to be very suitable. Whatsmore, the Ravenous Beastie was a bit more than your average cafe; it's actually a restaurant offering a very good menu as well as a guest house. We had pleasant service from the young waiter/tress too which our group always comment on. It had a quaint toilet (named the Burstin' Beastie) as well - no electric light, but a candle giving only just enough light to see where one should position oneself. It was less than adequate however for the walker who was wearing her shoes, without socks, and had to stick plasters on her blisters in the half dark. Anyway, the middle photo shows the advisory committee debating the score - the establishment got a 9/10 from us. We had a photo-shoot with the Forth Bridge (the real one) in the background then began our return journey, uphill this time. As always, we quite naturally vary who we walk alongside between conversations, learning a bit more about each of us with every exchange. As you can see by the third photo, it was blawin' a gale and some folk were on their knees by the time we got back to where we started. It was fascinating how the women's hairdos were skew-whiff yet the men had not a hair out of place. Makes you wonder...
Safely back at the kirk we shared our appreciation of a fine healthy walk, great weather, our wonderful bridges and each other's company, especially our four new walkers. As always we said a short Gaelic blessing before we parted. Another good one chalked up.