Sunday 10 June 2007

Touring the Area

I had a great couple of days this week with a trip to Carrbridge where I stopped to photograph the beautiful old packhorse bridge. Erected by Brigadier-General Sir Alexander Grant of Grant in 1717 for estate purposes to provide passage for foot passengers, horses and stock and for funerals to Duthil Churchyard, hence its other local name "the coffin bridge". The bridge took six months to built and cost £100. The specification for the bridge stated that it should be of "ane reasonable Breadth and Height as will Receive the water when in the greatest speat." And it is - only the parapets of this bridge were washed away in the muckle spate of 1829. It was lovely to be by the river listening to the rush of the river, admiring the bridge and watching the clever little dipper catching flies above the water. Later in the week, I visited Forres situated about 27 miles east of the Highland capital of Inverness, the town's impressive parks and gardens with outstanding floral sculptures have led to many awards from Britain and Scotland in Bloom competitions. My friend who lives at Kinloss suggested we should go and have a look at the new sculptures and I was very pleased that we did as once the flowers become established, I think it will be one of the best shows ever. This year, as well as the well known peacock, there is a bear, hedgehog, squirrel, butterfly and a nimrod aircraft. Forres is very close to RAF Kinloss, but this is the first time I can remember seeing a military display in the park. The plane is not a floral sculpture, but surrounded by flowers.