Irn-Bru? Scottish Blethering Thread

[Edwardoka]

Where is this Kilpatrick place? I used to live in Bowling which is the next village to Old Kilpatrick. No idea where New Kilpatrick is but there are various Kilpatricks scattered around but only one Old Kilpatrick.
Me pedantic? Never.

My London-based friend Patrick attended a wedding at Loch Lomond a few years back and stayed with us for a couple of nights to make the travel easier, he had no idea it was a place and found it rather alarming when the Scotrail woman started saying "Kill Patrick"

 

[oldwheels]

Pat they are indeed the Kilpatrick Hills and I was often up there as Littlemill Distillery had a water supply from there. The place below was and unless it has changed since I left called Old Kilpatrick. On my current road map published 2011 it is still Old Kilpatrick.
As an interesting aside the station at Bowling was the only known station where the toilets were flushed with hot water and the steam engines preferred to fill their water tanks there as the tank was hot. This was surplus water from the distillery.

 

[Edwardoka]

Dangit, I've just gone from looking at google streetview of Masca in Tenerife (because of this thread) to looking at google streetview of the Erskine Bridge because of this thread.

I think the last time I had a wanderlust whiplash this bad was on the Edinburgh airport shuttle bus after flying back from Milan and seeing a road sign giving directions to "Motherwell"

This forum, man.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Just love the view from the Kirkpatrick Braes on a good day...
I once hiked up the Slacks one crisp, clear bonfire night to enjoy the view..

 

[oldwheels]

Bobby Mhor you may be interested in these pics which I have copied from my originals which must be about 50 years old.

 

[Mr Celine]

Bobby Mhor you may be interested in these pics which I have copied from my originals which must be about 50 years old.

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Who knew the Erskine Bridge deck was built before the suspension towers?

 

[oldwheels]

At the time of taking these pictures the bridge was probably not finished. I remember standing looking over the end as it was about half way across as I was on a local amenity group. The middle photo is the canal basin just before the sea lock and the other is from the top of the distillery maltings. It shows Scott’s shipyard which is long defunct.

 

[Mr Celine]

At the time of taking these pictures the bridge was probably not finished.

I was commenting on the illusion, caused either by your photo being taken on a hazy day or the low resolution of the photo, that the supporting pylons and cables weren't there.
They were of course built before the deck was complete.

 

[Bobby Mhor]

Bobby Mhor you may be interested in these pics which I have copied from my originals which must be about 50 years old.

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Thanks
I'm from the other side of the river (or was)
I remember taking the old red ferry with the road down walls marked with the mins waiting time.
I'd did a lot of sea fishing in the nearby Gareloch and Long so the bridge was magic, and in the late 70s, a train to Bishopton to catch the bus to Erskine and a quick run over the b ridge and down i nto OK to catch or thumb a lift to Glencoe where I spent almost every second weekend (winching the other one ), the bus was the back of 6 unless we'd thumb a lift which was easy as we had to wear our gear to get there, the recent visits were over the bridge either to Falkirk, Kelvinside or Balloch..
I used to love later when I had my old trusty 250 Superdream as you got to just drive through with no toll charge

PS I've seen evidence of gold panned in some of the streams coming off the Braes

edit to add
I forgot I saw @classic33 last time I was down Bowling way

 

[Slick]

Bobby Mhor you may be interested in these pics which I have copied from my originals which must be about 50 years old.

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Great pictures, I don't suppose anyone knows anything about the remains of the old boats outside the basin in what's left of the harbour?

 

[oldwheels]

The largest boat to be seen in the canal basin pic belonged to a Mr Cadden who was a dentist and took the boat to Tobermory among other places once a month and used the boat as a mobile dental surgery. The galleon type is an ex steel lifeboat chopped in half and extended and also unlikely as it seems appeared in Tobermory one summer. The family lived on board full time.
I well remember the Erskine ferry and used it for cycle trips to Renfrew.
The wrecks I think were removed a long time ago.

 

[Slick]

The largest boat to be seen in the canal basin pic belonged to a Mr Cadden who was a dentist and took the boat to Tobermory among other places once a month and used the boat as a mobile dental surgery. The galleon type is an ex steel lifeboat chopped in half and extended and also unlikely as it seems appeared in Tobermory one summer. The family lived on board full time.
I well remember the Erskine ferry and used it for cycle trips to Renfrew.
The wrecks I think were removed a long time ago.

The wrecks can still be seen in the harbour.

 

[oldwheels]

Memory gets a bit hazy but the wrecks left on my last visit were much diminished and almost vanished I think. They were afloat when I lived there. I think they were abandoned after the last war but the area has been much gentrified from when I lived there.

 

[Slick]

Memory gets a bit hazy but the wrecks left on my last visit were much diminished and almost vanished I think. They were afloat when I lived there. I think they were abandoned after the last war but the area has been much gentrified from when I lived there.

No, your right, it's more skeletons of wreckage that's left and both myself and Mrs Slick wondered what their story was. I assume the old dentists boat was in the basin?

 

[oldwheels]

Slick if you look at the pic. of the canal basin the largest boat seen is Mr Cadden the dentist’s boat. He also went to Coll and Tiree. A bit primitive as all dentists were in those days but he provided a service. His main practice was in Old Drumchapel. Latterly he had a land base in Tobermory and came for a week every month.
I knew at one time about the wrecks but I now cannot recall any details.