The lounge decorated for Christmas

We hope you like the lounge (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com/page2.htm) decorated in the silver and gold theme we have this year. The gold baubles hanging from the ceiling twirl and glitter in the light. You can see some of the snow outside, still around but melting, although not that quickly I'm afraid, making it quite slippery underfoot.

Christmas tree

Although we've had Christmas, we haven't shown you our Christmas tree. So here it is. We bought a real one this year and it's been remarkable for not dropping its needles. It's just inside the front door, so can be seen from the garden as well as from the street. We have a silver and gold theme this year. You can also see one of Iona Crawford's pictures just behind the tree.

Last of series about the aviation pioneers of Scotland

This picture shows the 1909 Barnwell Canard Biplane a little more clearly. It was their second design with the tail-first. It was flown down the fields opposite Fraser's on 28th July 1909 reaching a distance of 80 yeards, before crashing. Harlod Barnwell was the pilot, but as the early flights did not achieve much height, he was not badly injured on crashing.
We hope you've enjoyed reading this brief series about early Scottish aviation history and seeing the pictures. We've made a file of this and embedded it in page 2 of our webpage, near the bottom of the page (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com/page2.htm). We also hope it maybe something you would like to follow up when you visit.

More Scottish aviation pioneer pictures

Following on from the last 3 days of the history of the fields opposite Fraser's (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com), this picture shows the 1910 Canard Biplane standing outside Grampian Engineering works in Causewayhead in Stirling. This was at the top of the road where Fraser's is situated. More pictures tomorrow ....

Pictures of the Barnwell Brothers, aviation pioneers in Scotland

This is a picture of the 1911 prototype of the Barnwell aircraft that made the first powered flight in Scotland of half a mile. I'm afraid all the images are very small and I don't want to distort them by enlarging them; but I hope it gives you a little insight into the development of powered flight in Scotland. I will be putting more images on this blog in the next few days, including images of the Grampian Engineering and Motor Co Ltd, where the aircraft were made ... Enjoy!

Aviation pioneers in Scotland

This is the plaque on the Barnwell Memorial in Stirling. It shows pictures of Harold and Frank Barnwell along with their dates. They developed and flew their prototype aircraft during the first and second decades of 1900. As we showed in yesterday's blog, these flights took place in the fields opposite Fraser's (see http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com) Pieces of their aircraft can be seen in the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in Stirling; for directions click here. The Barnwell Brothers pioneering work took place around the same time as other aviation pioneers, such as Blariot in France and the Wright Brothers in America, were making attempts at powered flight.

History in the fields opposite Fraser's

This is the memorial to the aviation pioneers, the Barnwell Brothers. The memorial is on the roundabout at the end of Causewayhead - 0.4 miles from Fraser's (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com). To see the route click here Their engineering works were in Causewayhead Road. Between 1909 and 1911 they developed their aircraft and attempted to fly them down the fields opposite Fraser's. In 1911 they made the first powered flight in Scotland of more than half a mile on these fields. I will develop this a little further in my next blog, when I will show the plaque on the memorial. You may remember in our 27th January blog we said we'd be developing this story.

The snow's nearly gone from here now

We're all heartily glad! It's been really difficult to get about. It was so pretty for a short while, but you can have too much for too long! The latest large falls have not been in Stirling. The thaw has started, but it's quite slow with very cold nights leading to icy pavements in the mornings. But with brilliant blue skys its beautiful during the day. No pictures this time; been a bit lazy with the camera - must try harder!

Stirling old bridge in the snow

You may know about William Wallace's successful Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297? This bridge, about 1.5 miles from Fraser's (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com) towards the centre of the City, has a plaque commemorating the event. The picture of the bridge in the snow looks wonderful, doesn't it?

The long road to the Wallace Monument

One of my previous guests has just sent me this photo, which I'd love to share with you, as it's gorgeous. The photo is taken from just a little further up the road from Fraser's (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com), which is on the right-hand side of the road. The frost on the trees is really striking, isn't it. It's starting to thaw today though.

A little bit of snow!

You may have seen that we've had a little bit of snow recently & some mighty cold temperatures. But it's not all bad news; this is what it looked like yesterday evening, looking from the South towards the Wallace Monument. The setting sun makes a spectacular pink on the Ochil hills. In the middle-ground, to the left are the railings inside which James IV and Queen Margaret of Denmark are burried. The snow is now a good 12-inches deep, but the roads are clear. Two deer were in these fields, but I couldn't get close enough for a good picture, so you'll have to trust me.

Stirling: the gateway to the highlands

So here you have the highlands in all their magnificent best, taken from the ramparts of Stirling Castle this morning. This is, of course, looking North. Fraser's (http://www.accommodationbedscotland.com) is about 1.8 miles from Stirling Castle, so well within walking distance, although a steep climb up the hill. Parking is easy too, if you take the car.

It's now been snowing for 4 days

We have about 2 inches of snow in the centre of Stirling now, but the roads are clear and everyone's moving about quite well. It's bitterly cold tho'; the mid-morning temperature was -2C. But the scenery is at its best. This is the view of the Ochils from Stirling Castle esplanade. There's a snow storm heading down from the North, but the peek of sun on the snowy hills is magnificent. I waited all morning to get this shot - I even had to go into a local cafe for a coffee and a sticky bun to wait for it!