Castles, bridges and other aspects of the Scottish Borders

Raymond, been following this, great pictures and nice scenery. Scottish Borders was the home of Jim Clark if I recall. Followed him and his exploits many years ago. Was wondering, are there any monuments or mentions of him around your area. If there are, take a pic or two for me, if that is ok. Thanks.
 
Hi Kiwi, the late great Jim Clark, twice F1 champion in the1960s, is remembered in the town of Duns where he grew up - about 25 miles from here. There is an annual Jim Clark rally, well I expect it was cancelled this year, on the local roads around Duns in Berwickshire. And there is a small museum, the Jim Clark Room in Duns.

Jim was actually born in Kilmany in Fife but his family moved to the Duns area when he was very young. There is a statue in Kilmany.

If I remember, I will photograph the Jim Clark room the next time I pass through Duns. But I need to caution that might not be soon, the weather is forecast to take a nose-dive this week and the cooncil salt-spreaders will be loading up just now . . .
 
Well, Kiwi, with a change in the weather later this week, decided to go for one last run and headed over to Duns.

The Jim Clark Room has restricted opening hours, and visitors need to book on-line in advance. Will we ever get back to being able to do things whenever we like? Off-the-cuff, impromptu?

But anyhow here's an external shot of the museum:


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And here's a dreadful shot, snatched at a window of opportunity but upon reflection I probably shouldn't include it here, of a Lotus Cortina campaigned by the great man:


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Best I can do for now.
 
Thank you Raymond, much appreciated. Good to know the man is still remembered after all these years, a naturally talented driver whos life was taken too soon. I think he was killed racing one of those Mk1 Cortina's for a friend. Yes, be nice when these Covid restrictions are lifted, get back to normal life. Thanks again.
 
Kiwi, I think Jim Clark will always be remembered. Once saw an interview with Jackie Stewart who said Jim Clark was the best driver he ever saw. A lot of drivers set their jaw, stomp on the brake/accelerator, tug the wheel and wrestle with the car. But according to Stewart, Jim Clark was calm, gentle with the car, got the best out of it and faster than all of them.
 
This is the F1 shot of Clark on the wall of my winter workshop near the sink, so I gaze at it frequently.


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Clark in his F1 cockpit
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Here he is in '66 at Watkins Glen, "coming up out of the Boot", getting set for one of the more exciting left-hand turns
in all of racing. It is blind as you set up and head in, and it's off-camber. I get chills just recalling the memories.

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Kiwi, I think Jim Clark will always be remembered. Once saw an interview with Jackie Stewart who said Jim Clark was the best driver he ever saw. A lot of drivers set their jaw, stomp on the brake/accelerator, tug the wheel and wrestle with the car. But according to Stewart, Jim Clark was calm, gentle with the car, got the best out of it and faster than all of them.

I saw an interesting thing about 30 years ago, when the steering inputs of Stewart were measured against others. Stewart (and Clark, according to Stewart) held the wheel in a steadying grip, but let the steering wander just a couple of degrees as the car found its way around the corner. Other GP drivers they tested would grip the wheel tightly and set it up for the corner and not deviate much from that, or so they thought.. Turned out the other drivers were doing a lot more cornering corrections as they went around. These unconscious inputs robbed them of time.
I suppose the few extra milliseconds the other drivers lost by fighting the steering (even though they didn't realist that's what they were doing) made all the difference at the end of the race.
When I read Stewart's account of this, I realised I'd been doing that all my life, but the F1 circus passed me by :)
 
Another dry, clear and almost warm day in the Scottish Borders. Thought I would head over to Nisbet to snap this bridge.


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It's nothing special. But for some reason, always liked this bridge since I were a little boy. Used to be painted that dull red colour they used to favour for metal structures. Would ask me Mum to come here on her BSA Bantam and we'd have a picnic beside the River Teviot.

As a kid, thought it looked a bit like a military bridge they might put up to replace one that's been bombed or blown up by a retreating enemy. Later, when I studied a bit of civil engineering, I came to recognise the honesty of the design of this and similar bridges - if you draw a forces diagram of the bending moment as a load is moved along the bridge, the diagram ends up with a curve just the same shape.
 
Thank you All. No mountains in Scottish Borders. Mind you, as a child sitting pillion on a bike, the splendid scenery of the Tweed Valley especially between Galashiels and Peebles looked like mountains to me. Maybe I'll be able to head over there soon and take some photos? But then again, hills never seem half as grand in a photo do they? The camera flattens them out . . .
 
It's nothing special. But for some reason, always liked this bridge since I were a little boy. Used to be painted that dull red colour they used to favour for metal structures. Would ask me Mum to come here on her BSA Bantam and we'd have a picnic beside the River Teviot.

As a kid, thought it looked a bit like a military bridge they might put up to replace one that's been bombed or blown up by a retreating enemy. Later, when I studied a bit of civil engineering, I came to recognise the honesty of the design of this and similar bridges - if you draw a forces diagram of the bending moment as a load is moved along the bridge, the diagram ends up with a curve just the same shape.
Great story ! I love bridges, all bridges.
Sometimes when I cross a favorite one in the Catskill Mountains, I stop, go back, and cross it again a bit slower to fully take in the experience.
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