May 15 Unitarian and Wheel

Sunday we walked to the train station, after a lovely B at our B&B, and then walked from the Waverly Station in Edinburgh to the St. Mark's Unitarian Church (Inset). We had our first peek of the Edinburgh Castle, not the churchy looking thing in the foreground, which is the 'New College' of the University of Edinburgh, but the sloping outline mid picture. Inside the church was very formal and old looking, but they had removed the wineglass pulpit and put a lovely tapestry and tile ceramic work as a band beneath the sounding board. The inset shows one reason this was John Norris' favorite church (he came whenever he was in Scotland) – the pipe organ. This church identifies itself as Unitarian Universalist. The preacher for the day was an Anglican priest who specialized in learning the wisdom of the Quoran. We enjoyed the coffee hour and made a lunch date for the next day with the called minister, Maud Robinson. Back on the train to Falkirk (Polmont Station) where Annie, Molly, Evan, Samina and Niamh packed us into their wagon and off to the Falkirk Wheel.
We pass over the Union Canal several times on the way, and, had you not known, this may give you a hint off the Wheel's purpose. There is another canal edging through Falkirk, the Forth and Clyde. Where the canals are close on the map, there is a height difference of some 130': if connected, the two canals bridge the east and west coasts of Scotland. A dire need met by the Wheel. You can get on a canal boat, ride up, toot through the 170 meter tunnel, turn round, toot back, ride down, all for a small fee which we declined.
We split – Molly and the girls headed for the extensive playground, Jim, Gail, Annie and Evan walked to The Antonine Wall, Romes farthest northerly defensive structure, another World Heritage Site – we've lost count. The Wall is mostly cover with the turf of the ages, but so big as to be unmistakably there. The fort, built behind the wall was supplied with water from this stream, the inset with arrow shows how far Jim has strayed for this photo op. (Big inset show Evan explaining his regimental quaiche to Gail (inner inset). It involves whiskey and kissing the bottom. Of the quaiche.) We returned to the Wheel, topside, just as a boatload of adventurers cleared the tunnel. Back at the B&B after dinner (not haggis this time (Italian) and quaiche ('ch' as in 'loch') explaining, we saw how far up the Forth is tidal (tidal rivers being, apparently, one of Jim's obsessions).