Good bye Scotland

We made one last stop in Scotland - this time right on the border at Gretna. We had initially made a booking for two nights at Robert the Bruce Cave camping ground but after a wet start to the day and persistent rain all the way we ditched that plan. I was quite keen to visit Robert the Bruce's cave but we were over the wet and it is no fun pitching your tent in the rain. So on arrival in Gretna we went t the Tourist Information Centre and the found us a hotel room for the evening. It was comfortable, clean and most of all dry.

As it was only mid afternoon at this stage we went out exploring. Our host suggested the Devil's Porridge museum which turned out to be a fascinating place. It was here that they made cordite for the ammunition, mostly shells, during WW1. It was a huge complex stretching over 9 miles and at its peak employing 30 000 people. Housing alone must have been a logistical nightmare. Much of the process was by hand and the term devil's porridge came from the process of tearing up cotton cloth into shreds and soaking it in a nitrate glycerine mixture. Very dangerous and mostly young women doing the job.

"The active ingredient of cordite is nitro-glycerine. To make this highly unstable material safe to handle it was absorbed onto the surface of "nitro-cotton" – chemically charred cotton waste which became known as "gun-cotton". When extruded and dried, the finished product resembled hemp rope, which lead to the name "cordite".

 

The link has further information http://www.devilsporridge.org.uk/ with lots of photos in the gallery or at this second site which explains exactly how the cordite was made.

http://www.cumbria-industries.org.uk/a-z-of-industries/chemicals/the-devils-porridge/

 

Gretna is most famously known for a destination for weddings. This originated back in 1764 when the English and Scottish laws about the age of consent for marriage were out of step. In England you needed your parents consent until 18 whereas in Scotland it was only 16. Hence large numbers of young brides and grooms rushed to Gretna to be married. The first 'House' across the border has a sign up saying that they have had 10 000 weddings there though the Blacksmith Shop at Gretna Green is the original marriage venue. Both places are still popular destinations but it is much more about the romance than consents the

 

 

Link to website re Gretna Green history. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretna_Green

Beside this public house is the River Sark that forms the boundary between the two countries so we stood with a foot on either side of what we assumed was the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

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