The weather started to clear up this afternoon, so I decided to explore the area a bit. I drove down to Hawes Pier (right underneath the south end of the Forth Bridge), and checked to see if there were any cruises going out. It turned out that the Maid of the Forth was going to be making the run to Inchcolm and back at 3:45, so I paid my fare (£1 extra for Visa/MC – is that legal in the UK?) and boarded a few minutes later. The (recorded) guide noted that Inchcolm was one of the driest places in the British Isles, because the clouds tended to build up over the shores of the Firth, and that was certainly our experience. We cruised down a sunny slot in the middle of the Firth, getting slightly sunburned while all around us was looking stormy.
Inchcolm itself looked fascinating: the 12th century abbey is in remarkably good condition. However, ours was the last boat of the day, and so we were only able to stop long enough to pick up the people who had gone out earlier on the “Cruise’n’Explore” package. Next time (if there is a next time) I’m going to check out the island properly; there are reportedly puffins nesting there.
Then it was time for the 45 minute run back to the pier, past the magnificent engineering of the Forth Bridge, and the small islands covered with seabirds. We got back at 5:15, and I decided to explore the old town of South Queensferry. As I reached the west end of the twisting High Street, there was a loud rumble of thunder. It was nearly a mile back to my car, so I started walking until the rain began, then ducked into the nearest pub. I got a pint of an undistinguished local bitter, and sat down intending to wait out the rain. Oops. There were several TVs mounted on the wall, and all were tuned in (at full volume) to the Princess Di memorial concert. I tried to ignore one particularly bad singer, and contemplated the pros and cons of republicanism.
After a while I couldn’t take any more of it, so I gulped down the rest of my beer and dashed through the rain to the nearest restaurant: an Italian place called Bella Vista. The vista certainly was bella, particularly when the storm cleared; the food was fairly good, though a little over-priced; and the service was OK – certainly better than the reviews suggested. No zabaglione, though – sigh. Afterwards I returned to my car, decided to trust the signposts ((For some reason I neglected to bring a map.)) and got comprehensively lost in a twisty maze of leafy lanes and “traffic calmed” villages. But it all worked out OK in the end; the strategy of heading for the coast and then aiming at the foot of the bridge worked tolerably well.
Once again, the photographs will have to wait until I can get Gallery Remote configured…
UPDATED: The photos are here. A lot of repetition, I’m afraid: I got mesmerized by the cloud formations, and the way in which the maintenance platforms on the Forth Bridge made it look “fuzzy”.