Tag Archives: rail

Waiting to set sail on the Firth of Forth

Three boats enjoying a magnificent view of the Forth Bridge.

I crossed the Queensferry Crossing last week for a day of sketching in Fife. This ink and watercolour drawing was created at the boat yard in North Queensferry as I was being battered by winds and showers!!

I couldn’t leave before I caught the three boats resting in the mud. I love to sketch these with a minimum of ink and a splash of colour and then zoom in to see them on their own. I just imagine the adventures they must have sailing underneath the huge iron arches of the Forth Bridge.

A fantastic place to draw and also sail under, I have in the past been lucky enough to pass under all three bridges with the Maid of the Forth and recommend you take one of their trips around the Forth.

This sketch was drawn with a fineliner and watercolour set on location and can be bought as a high quality print here: BUY THIS PRINT.

Sketches from the historic opening of The Borders Railway

BordersRailway_RollingHillsThis week saw the near fifty year wait for train services to be reinstated in the Borders come to an end, as the new Borders Railway route opened to the public.

 

The longest domestic railway built in the UK for over a century, the new route was funded by Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government and constructed by Network Rail. It features thirty miles of new track and seven new stations between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank.

 

BordersRailway_TrainTweedbank

 

The new line through the Borders will hopefully encourage more visitors out of Edinburgh and help the local communities in the area travel into Scotland’s capital much easier. A range of new buildings and attractions are planned along the route to increase tourism in the area.

 

I travelled along the new route last week and sketched my highlights, the landscape is breath taking and cuts through hills and valleys, over rivers and through picturesque ex-mining villages. I look forward to taking the train again and discovering more about the beauty and history within the Border country.

 

BordersRailway_TrainWaverley BordersRailway_NotesTrainBordersRailway_InsideAndOut BordersRailway_BorthwickCastle

 

Borders Railway website

Scotrail website