Intro to 2022 - Eyemouth

Well, it's now August 2023, and I'm less than a month away from my next trip to Edinburgh, and I haven't posted anything from my May 2022 trip!  Let's see if I can do a decent job with 2022 before I leave once more.  The pictures above and below are from Eyemouth, a city that is about an hour's drive from Edinburgh and that overlooks the north sea.

I stayed at Nisbet's Tower, which is an Airbnb, and it was MARVELOUS!  I felt like I had my own little castle.  I highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommend this place!

So, this isn't Edinburgh.  For me it was a stop on the way to Edinburgh from Oxford, and I was here for research on the history of mathematics (which is pretty much my reason behind all my travels), but I would have loved to have stayed here at least a few more days.  I had used this as a "staging platform" for a boat trip to Fast Castle (which is associated with mathematician John Napier), but this town absolutely captured my heart -- with its beauty and with its charm and with its history.

There's a delightful cove, on which you can find Gunsgreen House, which is now a museum that covers mostly the smuggling that went on in the area.

There's also a lovely beach:

On the northern edge, there are tidepools:

And atop the bluff is an acient fort and gorgeous views:

And there are lovely views back toward town from the bluff:

To get to the center of town (from my castle), I had to cross a bridge over the inlet.

As with all towns in Britain, there is a memorial to those lost in "The Great War," and on the other side, a memorial to those lost in the Second World War -- so very much loss -- 

As I headed to the beach from the center of town, I came across an art installment that looked from a distance like a planter filled with grass.  As I got closer I noticed that what had seemed to be blades of grass were resolving into people.

As I got closer, each individual figure started to become clear - 

- and then the meaning became clear.  This town had suffered staggering loss.  This statue is of the widows and bairns who were left behing when the ships of the town's fishermen were lost in a storm at sea.  Each individual widow and each individual child is represented in this sculpture.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't have tears in my eyes as I stood here.  

This was the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster of 1881.  A storm came up unexpectedly, and 189 fishermen were killed in this one day -- 129 of them from this small town.

Though the scupture is somewhat abstract, the agony on the faces is gut-wrenching.

As well as this memorial, there are other displays and a great deal of information in the town museum.

The men displayed are in groups according to how many were lost together from each ship.  Some alone are those who were washed overboard.

As well as the display of sculpture, there are tapestries and also memorial cards.

There are many other displays in the museum as well, including quite an extensive agricultural exhibit.

I found the framed art above the mantle particularly compelling:

O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea.

On my last evening I spent some time in the yard of my airbnb -- taking in the view and updating posts.  The owner thoughtfully had lawn chairs available.  Nisbet's Tower was definitely my favorite airbnb so far!

I hadn't yet explored to the south of my spot here, so after catching up on posting (to facebook and my math blog) I headed out for a walk.  I found some lovely walking trails and links.

I did give myself two days here -- one for the boat trip to Fast Castle (which I'll post about next) and one more to get a chance to enjoy living in my little castle, but I wish I'd given myself at least one more day.  I hadn't realized how much there would be to do here -- walking paths, a fort, a museum, a nice beach, tide pools, and so much history.  So, once again, I ran myself off my feet instead of relaxing.  If I'd had one more day here, I think I would have spent time just sitting on this bench -- reading a book, journaling, and looking out over the North Sea.  If I get a chance to go back, that is what I'm going to do!