Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Boat Trip to Inchcolm–Edinburgh Trip Early October 2011 Part Two

1-Forth-Railway-Bridge

At South Queensferry for our afternoon boat trip to Inchcolm Island. The boat leaves at 12.15pm from the jetty below the Forth Railway Bridge. Unfortunately the weather still a bit dull but so far not raining.

2-Forth-Bridges

Forth road and rail bridges

3-Forth-Railway

Forth Rail Bridge

4-Forth-Road-Bridge

Forth Road Bridge in the distance

5-on-the-boat

On the Maid of the Forth ready to go under the bridge

6-forth-railway

An amazing feat of engineering

7-forth-railway

The islands in the Forth were used during the war

8-forth-bridges

Road bridge seen through rail bridge

9-terminal

Tankers at the terminal in the Forth

10-seals

Lots of seals on the rocks

11-terminal

Another terminal

12-Inchcolm

Our first glimpse of Incolm Island and the Abbey

13-Inchcolm

Inchcolm Abbey

14-Inchcolm

Inchcolm Visitor Centre

15-Inchcolm

Into the small harbour

16-steps

Steps from the boat

17-Inchcolm-Abbey

Path to the Abbey

18-Inchcolm-harbour

We now have an hour and a half to explore the Island and Abbey

19-Inchcolm-Abbey

The abbey is stunning and much larger than expected, it is looked after by Historic Scotland and they do a very good job!

20-door

Old door

21-Inchcolm

The Chapter House

22-window

Light through the window

23-tower

The tower

24-info-board

Info board

25-view-from-tower

View from the top of the tower

26-view

Roof of the Chapter House

27-inchcolm

Cloisters

28-inchcolm

 

29-inchcolm

 

30-inchcolm

 

31-door

 

32-inchcolm

 

33-stairs

 

34-inchcolm

 

35-roof

chapter House ceiling

36-chapel

Inside the Chapter House

37-inchcolm

 

38-inchcolm

 

39-boat

Another boat seen from the top of the island40-tunnel

The entrance to the long dark tunnel

41-tunnel

Quite scary inside

42-inchcolm

View from the top of the island towards the abbey

43-wartime

Old wartime buildings

44-inchcolm

Looking down on the abbey

45-inchcolm

 

46-inchcolm

We just about managed to see the whole of the island, the abbey and the visitor centre in our hour and a half but would have liked longer, would love to visit again one day on a nicer day with blue skies!

47-flag

Back on the boat now and it leaves the other way going around the top of the island

48-inchcolm

Still misty and murky

49-Baltic-trader

The Baltic Trader speeding past us…

50-baltic-trader

…looks far too big to go under the bridge!

51-baltic-trader

..still looks to big

52-baltic-trader

…No problem!

53-bridge

Now getting wetter as we get back to the bridge

54-bridge

…aspeed boat goes past…

55-speed-boat

…showing off!

56-South-Queensferry

South Queensferry from the boat

57-Maid-of-the-Forth

On land, looking back towards the Maid of the Forth.

Would thoroughly recommend this boat trip!

58-S-Queensferry

Colourful South Queensferry

59-s-queensferry-harbour

The harbour

60-dissapearing-bridge

Now raining quite heavily and the top half of the bridge has dissapeared!