Tour Scotland Spring 4K travel video of a dreich and windy boat trip on history visit to the Firth of Tay, Britain, United Kingdom. Dreich is a Scots word for dull cloudy weather. The Firth of Tay, Scottish Gaelic: Linne Tatha, is an estuary on the east coast of Scotland, into which empties the River Tay, Scotland's largest river in terms of flow flowing about 120 miles from its source on the north slopes of Ben Lui to the North Sea below Dundee. The firth is surrounded by four council areas: Fife, Perth and Kinross, City of Dundee, and Angus. It was from the Firth of Tay that a record-breaking flight began on 6th October, 1938. A seaplane was launched via the Mercury Maia piggy-back combination and reached South Africa having flown for 6045 miles without refuelling, which remains a record for seaplanes. The Firth of Tay in Antarctica was discovered in 1892 by Captain Thomas Robertson of the Dundee whaling expedition and named by him after the one in Scotland. He also named nearby Dundee Island in honour of the main city on the firth. For more than 350 years gold and silver coins and plates have lain undetected, but not forgotten, at the bottom of the Firth of Tay near Dundee. Oliver Cromwell's enforcer, General George Monck, sacked Dundee in 1651, reducing the port to ashes, massacring its inhabitants and stealing the possessions of the local merchants. The attack was part of a campaign to crush remaining royalist support in Aberdeen, Stirling and Dundee at the end of the 1642 to 1651 civil wars. Because the walled city was regarded as the most secure place in Scotland, many of the country's wealthy gentry, including the Viscount of Newburgh and the earls of Tweeddale and Buccleuch, had stored their most prized possessions there. Monck discovered, through a spy that he sent to infiltrate the defences, that the army within the city regularly got drunk in the morning, which offered an opportunity to attack. Monck overcame Dundee's defences with ease, and in the bloody aftermath up to 5,000 citizens were slaughtered as the victorious troops went on a rampage of rape, pillage and plunder. But Monck was not so fortunate with the treacherous waters of the Tay. As Dundee burnt, Monck decided to take his loot to Leith on the first leg of its journey to England. He ordered his men to commandeer more than 60 ships from Dundee's harbour and loaded them with an estimated £2.5m worth of coins, plus tons of valuable trophies including ornamental plates made of precious metals, religious artefacts stolen from churches and monasteries around Scotland. But as they set sail in September 1651 a storm blew across the Tay estuary. All 60 of the ships sank in heavy seas as, crowded together, they were driven into one of the river's notorious sandbanks. It is not known how many died in the disaster, although Monck survived. The Firth of Tay is only 40ft deep, but the treasure has remained elusive because the dangerous waters have foiled salvage attempts. Spring in the northern hemisphere technically starts on the 20 March, at the equinox, and lasts until the 20 or 21 June, the Summer solstice. This is also the case in Scotland.The months that make up the Spring season are March, April and May. However, for travelling at this time of year, I will be referring to April and May. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day. Find things to see and do in Scotland where you are always welcome. Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs
No comments:
Post a Comment