Midlothian Kids T-Shirts

A lovely old barge (the loch ness), tied up on the Union Canal at Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland. This 31.5 mile contour canal travels from The Falkirk Wheel to Edinburgh. Popular features of this gentle lock-free waterway include the Avon, Almond and Slateford Aqueducts, which are among the finest in Britain. Best viewed LARGER.

Vogrie House forms the centrepiece of Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian, Scotland. It is the former home of the Dewar family and was built in 1876 by Andrew Heiton, the town Architect for Perth. The house is an example of Victorian baronial splendour and is said to be one of the best surviving examples of Heiton's work. The house was a typical country house with a library, servants' quarters and many bedrooms. Transformed in the 1920s into a nursing home for the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, the house was sold on to local government in the 1950s and had a role during the Cold War as a control centre for communications.

A canal barge on the Union Canal, near Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland. This 31.5 mile contour canal travels from The Falkirk Wheel to Edinburgh. Popular features of this gentle lock-free waterway include the Avon, Almond and Slateford Aqueducts, which are among the finest in Britain. Best viewed LARGER.

Another view of this canal barge on the Union Canal, near Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland. See The Union Canal near Ratho, Scotland and Canal Barge to view the other shots in this series. This 31.5 mile contour canal travels from The Falkirk Wheel to Edinburgh. Popular features of this gentle lock-free waterway include the Avon, Almond and Slateford Aqueducts, which are among the finest in Britain. Best viewed LARGER.

The Bridge Inn is a nice restaurant located by the Union Canal at Ratho, Midlothian, Scotland. The bridge in question (on the left) carries the main road into Ratho. This 31.5 mile contour canal travels from The Falkirk Wheel to Edinburgh. Popular features of this gentle lock-free waterway include the Avon, Almond and Slateford Aqueducts, which are among the finest in Britain. Best viewed LARGER.

We are in the dead of winter right now (3rd December 2008). It is below freezing and snow is forecast for later tonight and tomorrow. So, just to cheer up myself and the rest of you who are feeling the cold, here are some lovely white bells from last summer in Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian, Scotland.

Legendary footballer Dave MacKay in his days at Hearts