Our Town

On our way back up the road from Stirling we stopped off in Dunblane, my childhood village.  I haven't driven through Dunblane since we attended AunTia's wedding in 2012, and we've never stopped and looked around with the kids.

After a drive around the west side of the village and our old primary and high school (the latter of which has since been knocked down, replaced with houses and rebuilt) we parked in Tesco and decided to walk my old route home...

Up High Street in search of Andy Murray's
Golden post box...

...past the Leighton Library, Cathedral and up Ramoyle, before cutting 
down to the Scouring Burn and walking up behind the houses all the way
to the cemetery.

I had not once been in the Dunblane cemetery in all
my years living in the town or returning home to Oma's house,
but it was really nice to walk round the Memorial Garden
especially so soon after March 13th

After a snack we headed back across the Laighills (passing
the hundreds of new houses built at the old Barbush Quarry...

...and discovered our old BMX track (I knew my sense of direction was
right!) which the boys are determined to bring their bikes back to.

After a play at the park...

...and a crossing of the old Faery Bridge that
I crossed every day of my primary school days...

...it was back along the river past the War Memorial, where we
spent many a cold November 11th standing in the rain, to the car.

I couldn't help but continue to explore the east side of town, my old haunts and childhood friend's houses, so we headed past the library, St Mary's Primary, the Hydro, Ochiltree and Newton Crescent, and eventually begged an entry to Queen Victoria School.  And that was the only real disappointment of the day - it was like a ghost town.  Sadly I didn't get any photos cos I was driving, and didn't think to ask the Don to take any, but it was really sad to see the places which I remembered with such joy and fond memories so derelict and run down.  If I'd thought about it I'd have popped back into the Porter's Lodge to ask some more questions, but by 3pm we were all starving for our lunch / dinner and ready to get back up the road.

Still a great town though, and we'll most definitely pop back!