We farewelled Kibblesworth, Hadrian and the Romans, and headed north.  We drove through Northumberland National Park, remembering some of the landmarks from our last drive here in 2018 – the gigantic wind turbines, the heathery hills, and the “last café in England”.   We crossed the border at the gigantic St Andrews flag, but a fresh breeze and a persistent drizzle kept us in the car until our lunch stop at the imposing red brick Leaderfoot Viaduct. 

We pressed on, skirting Edinburgh on the ring road.   We told Google to take us to the Firth Bridges viewing point in South Queensferry.  All went well until it told us to turn left down Goat Lane, which was barely wide enough to fit the car, let alone allow us to park.  If your satnav ever tries to send you down something called Goat Lane, switch it off!  Executing a 9 point turn, we beat a hasty retreat and found some perfectly sensible onstreet parking just up the hill.

South Queensferry is Edinburgh’s cruise port – ships tender in the Firth, as they can’t fit underneath the bridges.  There were none in today fortunately, or we would not have found a parking spot within miles.  The waterfront area has been done up quite nicely, and you are right next to the pylons of the famous railway bridge – a great place to watch the trains crossing, and get a closeup view of the massive red steel trusses.

It’s been almost 50 years since I last crossed the Firth, on the older road bridge.  Today we took the new bridge as we continued north. 

We bypassed Stirling and Perth, and left the motorway at Dunkeld.  Turning onto a narrow road of the sort we are now well used to, we climbed uphill through pine forest, passing small lochs and fields with Highland cows.  Just before the hamlet of Forneth, we turned right up an even narrower road.  After negotiating three hairpin bends and wondering what happens if a vehicle comes downhill, we found ourselves following two black lambs trotting up the middle of the road ahead of us.  They live at the farm opposite, and think nothing of going for a carefree afternoon jog.

Finally we pulled into the driveway of Roughstones Cottage, our home for the next 3 nights.  Built in the mid 1800s, it was originally a byre attached to the farmhouse, and part of the Forneth Estate.  We have expansive views over the valley, and it’s blissfully quiet. We even have a proper Ordnance Survey map framed on the wall.