Walking in the Countryside: ur doin it rong
20 Apr
On Sunday, we decided to take the dog for a walk around Linlithgow Loch. Terry has done this walk before: it’s short, and there’s a proper footpath, so I figured I’d be OK in these:
You see the sticking plaster on the side of my foot? More about that later. For now, just know that Terry didn’t seem to see anything wrong with my footwear either, and so off we went.
Halfway to Linlithgow, though, Terry pulled over to the side of the road. “Hey,” he said. “Let’s not go to Linlithgow Loch. Let’s just climb that instead!”
“That” was Binny Craig. Why yes, it WAS kind of steep! And what’s that? Stinging nettles, you say? All over the ground? Meaning that by the time I reached the top (crawling on my hands and knees, natch), my feet were a red, swollen mess? Yes, that too. Also, there were teenagers up there. They were playing music through those FREAKING tinny speakers kids always have with them now, so even way the hell out in the peaceful, quiet countryside, you’re forced to listen to someone else’s music. This made me want to throw them all over the side of the hill, but unfortunately for me I’m terrified of teenagers, so I didn’t. Also, Rubin had apparently set aside that special time to be an ass, and while I was crawling on my hands and knees up the slope, he was trying to crawl under my belly. WHY?
But we made it to the top.
And we also made it back down to the bottom.
And that’s when I stood on the piece of barbed wire that punctured my foot. Oh yes I did. Terry had to use his sweater to staunch the flow of blood, and he had to do it to the accompaniment of me shrieking, “OMG, what if it goes gangrened and I DIE?” Luckily I had anticipated blisters and had brought some plasters with me, or who knows what would’ve happened. Terry would’ve probably had to strap Rubin to my foot and carry me home on his back or something.
Meanwhile, this sheep watched us steadily:
Seriously, it never took its eyes off us. Yeah, number 69, I see you watching me there. And it’s weird, because every time I go into the country, I am watched intently by sheep. Remember this guy? Do you think they’re maybe related or something?
Anyway, at this point we decided to go back to the car. First, though, we had to negotiate this:
I, naturally, did this with the same aplomb I bring to everything I attempt:
Note: this picture was in no way staged. So when we got back to the car and Terry suggested we go straight to the nearest psychiatric hospital, I wasn’t particularly surprised. Turns out, though, he just wanted to continue our walk, because the psychiatric institution in question is Bangour Village Hospital, and, happily for me, it’s now completely deserted. It’s also completely fascinating. It was opened in 1904 as an asylum, and is, quite literally, a “village”, set in beautiful countryside, meticulously planned out, and crammed full of these amazing – and HUGE – mansion houses, which are the “villas” of the old hospital. It has been abandoned for years now, although a security guard patrols the site, and it’s quite honestly one of the most atmospheric/creepy places I’ve even been. (It was also the location for The Jacket, if anyone’s seen it, with some of the buildings out there doubling as the psychiatric hospital seen in the film.)
(This is not one of the villas. This was a little club-house thing next to what I assume must have been a playing ground. Inside the little building were rooms for the “home team” and “away team”. )
(This is the main building used in The Jacket)
(See? Huge. And empty.)
There’s a church on the site (also seen in the movie), an old shop, plus various gymnasiums, libraries and dormitories. Most of the buildings are Grade A or B listed, and are gloomy and forbidding, just the way a turn-of-the-century mental hospital should look. Everything is boarded up and locked, but you can still manage to see into some of the windows, and it’s all very “Silent Hill” inside, with hospital beds and old pieces of equipment left lying around, plus wallpaper peeling off the walls for added atmosphere. I’m fascinated by this kind of thing: it always feels like there’s a great idea for a novel just waiting to be found in places like this. Either that or a Famous Five style adventure, whereby Terry and I discover the old hospital is now the base of.. wait for it… SMUGGLERS… after Rubin sniffs out treasure in the ground.
Obviously, nothing like that happened. I did examine my photos very carefully when I got back, though, hoping there would be a spooky face at a window or something – it feels like totally that kind of place – but nada. Maybe next time, though. I am SO going to have an adventure sooner or later. I just know it.
And Rubin knows it too:
(Flickr set here for anyone who’s particularly interested…)
Get yourself a tetanus jab pronto! Barbed wire is naaasty for that stuff. I ripped my ass open with it once (don’t ask) and even though I was up to date with my tetanus jabs you still have to get a booster if you’ve been exposed to a risk.
I’m going this afternoon to have a booster
Ahhh just seen Terry’s post below, you should be fine if it was just a little one. Mine was quite deep (needed 7 stitches!) which is probably why they took more caution!
ouch, on your bum as well. We decided to err on the side of caution and get Amber the jab anyway.
Eeek! That sounds completely horrendous! Mine was really just a little ‘un, but I called NHS Direct, who said I should probably just get a booster anyway, so as Terry said, I decided to play it safe. Not the most fun experience ever, but better than tetanus, I’ll bet!
Dr Terry says if you have had all 5 jabs when younger then a small cut poses no risk
I wish that was what NHS 24 said!
LOL! Love it!
I find old places like that fascinating too, but they also creep me out.
Love the green hair scarf.
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It was very, very creepy – I definitely wouldn’t want to walk around there at night, although having done a bit of Googling, there are lots of people who’ve been there and been inside the buildings at night. Fascinating pictures, but I’m much too faint-hearted!
1)Lovely outfit – the scarf especially!
2)OUCH! Hope the booster goes well – better safe than sorry, eh?
3)Those buildings are *awesome*. There was an abandoned ski lodge near my university; it looked like the setting for a horror film but was really just another place for the under-21′s to get trashed
4)I had no idea that y’all call them “sticking plasters” over on that side of the pond. Does anybody ever say “Band-Aid” or is that just an americanism?
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Yeah, they’re band aids, plasters… you hear them called by both names as far as I can recall. (And probably other names too that I’ve just not heard! I think I’ve heard people call them “elastoplasts” too…)
I agree that the scarf is lovely! It reminds me of the green scarf in Confessions of a Shopaholic–it truly does suit your hair (and Isla Fisher’s).
Thanks
I think it came from a thift store, if I remember rightly – have had it for ages, anyway!
I’d say that was an adventure! I love decrepit old buildings too, and always think there’s some secret hidden in its history that would make a great story. Looks like you’re having some decent weather – lucky!
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The weather has been amazing for Scotland – weirdly, it always seems to be really nice on a Sunday afternoon, which is handy because that’s when we have time to walk! Bad news for my novel, though, because that’s also the only time I have to work on it!
You should have been more careful listening to Terry.
I think he forgot to mention, he actually did a stint at Bangour 30 odd years ago.
A bit of the loony bin was pre programmed back then.
Think,… before you drink,…. before you go on a ramble with Terry!
This explains a lot!
That was a very eventful weekend!
It took me like 8 paragraphs to realize plaster = Band-Aid. And not the stuff you build walls with.
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Yeah, we have different words for stuff over here
I was actually born in Bangour, believe it or not. It’s on my birth certificate and everything.
In 6th year, Ketch, Stewart and I (and others) used to drive up to Binny Craig (and others) in the middle of the night and stargaze. The amount of shooting stars you see on an average night is pretty incredible.
I was born there too, although in the General Hospital, not the Village (mental!) hospital! The bit where I was born (all those prefab huts) is completely gone now – if you look at it on Google maps, it’s quite interesting because you can still see all the marks in the ground where they used to be. I’ve never actually been up Binny Craig before until this weekend – the stars sound amazing, though!
Loving the pic of you with hands on your hips – so says ‘we’re climbing what?!’
And ouch ouch ouch to the barbed wire! At least you looked very glam doing it all!
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I think she was secretly thinking that, although the words never came out of her mouth
It wasn’t big through honestly. I forgot my car keys at the top and managed to run back up
Haha, thanks – I definitely wasn’t feeling very glam, especially when I walked into the barbed wire!
I did many lols reading that. And sniggered at the number 69. Which officially makes me a 14 year old male.
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You’re only a fourteen year old male if you heard Bill and Ted while you sniggered…
“Sixty niiine, dude!”
Worry not, I laughed at that too!
What an adventure!
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