Travel: Riveting tale linked to iconic Forth Bridges

Majestically, they rise from the waters: the red Forth Bridge with its distinctive trio of diamond-shaped cantilevers; the graceful, almost translucent web of the new Queensferry Crossing; and the criss-cross pillars of the Forth Road Bridge.

Whichever way you approach, the three bridges across the Forth never fail to impress.

However, the Forth Bridge is surely the Queen of the Fair – completed between 1883 and 1890, its scale is staggering.

At the height of its construction, more than 4,000 workers, known as “briggers”, were employed on the site.

As I park up, the waves lap gently on the shore – a sharp contrast with what must have been the soundscape back then: countless hammer blows to the 6.5 million rivets which hold the steel structure together.

This is where the action of my children’s book Rivet Boy takes place and I can’t wait to return with my newly published book baby.

The three bridges over the Forth are quite a sight to behold. Image: Shutterstock.

There seems no more fitting place to begin than the historic Hawes Inn in South Queensferry, a late 17th Century coaching inn and the briggers’ favoured watering hole.

It is said that staff lined up 200 pints on the bar, ready for the end of a shift.

Still trading today, it is my accommodation for my trip. The Hawes did not only welcome ordinary workers – many Victorians of note are associated with its iconic twin gables, most famously the writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

The author of Treasure Island is said to have stayed in room number 13 in 1886 when he began work on his novel Kidnapped.

In fact, the inn is featured in the novel: “Right in the midst of the narrows lies an islet with some ruins; on the south shore they have built a pier for the service of the ferry; and at the end of the pier, on the other side of the road, and backed against a pretty garden of holly trees and hawthorns, I could see the building which they called the Hawes Inn.”

The sun is setting as I arrive. My room is comfortable and spotless, but best of all, the huge Forth Bridge fills the small window looking north.

So much history in a bridge. Image: Barbara Henderson.

I am amazed by the way it seems to change colour depending on the weather, ranging from bright to moody like a petulant teenager instead of the 133-year-old grand dame that she is.

There is a reason why every soap opera contains a bar or a pub – people meet, people talk, there is drama. The same was true for the Hawes Inn. Here is where the briggers met: for sustenance, for refuge in inclement weather – and for leisure.

On one occasion, the unruly workers even started a riot here.

As sun sets, I sample the excellent menu by the window overlooking the illuminated Forth Bridge – a treat for the tastebuds and the time-travelling imagination.

An hour later I am sitting in the cosy bar with friends for an evening fuelled by tipples and tales.

A delicious meal served at The Hawes Inn. Image: Barbara Henderson.

The following day, after a hearty breakfast, I am ready to explore the area and visit old haunts such as the A-listed Tolbooth with its Jubilee clocktower which dominates the old burgh.

South Queensferry’s centre is particularly picturesque: think cobbled streets, hidden vennels and higgledy-piggledy coloured housefronts.

Every few steps I am surprised by a newly framed view of the bridges. I really must stop taking so many photographs!

Time to retire to the pleasantly situated Orocco Pier where the coffee is excellent, and the views are second to none.

If you have a little time on your hands and fancy stretching your legs after all that coffee, there is a brand-new trail in town: The Forth Bridges Trail affords walkers unique views of the three bridges spanning three centuries on a five-mile circular walk, and the nearest stop is right opposite the Hawes Inn.

Deep Sea World, at North Queensferry. Image: APA Picturedesk Gmbh/Shutterstock.

The trail takes in both North and South Queensferry, linked by a walk across the Forth Road Bridge – and you can always bribe reluctant youngsters with a visit to North Queensferry’s Deep Sea World or the world’s smallest working light tower and Scotland’s smallest museum by Town Pier.

Further afield, visitor options abound. For a start, several boat trips are available in the area, including a cruise under the bridges or a trip to the historic Inchcolm Island.

Alight to explore the 12th Century abbey, wartime fortifications and beaches.

Historic Inchcolm Abbey on the island of Inchcolm. Image: Shutterstock.

And what about a visit to the Outlander location Blackness Castle along the coast? Or the splendid Georgian mansion Hopetoun House which will reopened to visitors at Easter?

I will get round to them all. For now, however, I am content to sit on a bench by the shore, watching the Forth Bridge transform from red to golden in the gloaming.