Peace Road in Scotland

T which is 125 years old, received celebration tea, coffee and cake. he Peace Road event in Scotland UNESCO World Heritage status the took place at the bridges over the One of our young cyclists, Vlad very same day as our Peace Road event. Firth of Forth near Edinburgh on Pritchin, had come from Airdrie, nearly The road bridge, which we bicycled Sunday, 5th July. The weather forecast thirty miles away, and the mechanism across, is 51 years old, and a new road was rain in the afternoon so we brought on his bicycle had broken when he was bridge is going up nearby, which will be the event forward to the morning. half-way. He had to complete his called the Queensferry Crossing. All Shortly after 10.30 am we gathered in journey, fifteen miles or so, running the bridges are over 2.5 kilometres (1.5 front of the high school at South and pushing his bicycle, and free- miles) long. The camera-man captured Queensferry, sang a few songs, read a wheeling where he could. The camera- a picture of a steam train crossing the passage from True Father’s peace man was in his sixties and had not rail-bridge, a rare event these days. We message in 2005 about the world ridden a bicycle for twenty-years, yet he continued to the north end of the road- highway and the Bering Strait King did a good job following us on his bridge, and came back south again, and Bridge Tunnel, and prayed. bicycle across the bridge, taking videos. bicycled down to the quayside at South Meanwhile, the bicycle hire man We were happy to see members from Queensferry, where we met the arrived and fifteen of us received Newcastle, north of England. walkers. Queensferry is named after bicycles. We set off on the path to the Participants were mostly Scots or King Malcolm III’s wife, Queen Forth Road Bridge, led by Oliver Lane, British, but there were also members Margaret, who established the ferry for organiser of the event, along with the from several other countries, including pilgrims nearly a thousand years ago. camera-man on a bicycle. At the same Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, time the walkers, sixteen in number, set Edinburgh councillor representing Austria and Russia. off down the hill to the South South Queensferry, Cllr Alastair The Peace Road event was a joyful Queensferry quayside. All of us were Shields, met us on the quayside, and occasion, and united us in a good cause wearing Peace Road tee-shirts. said a few words of welcome. He – world peace through economic, social thought the Peace Road project was an There is a path for cyclists across the and cultural communication, and good excellent idea, and that it was specially road bridge. Half-way across the physical exercise. The weather held fortuitous to hold the Scottish event at bridge, the cyclists stopped for a photo- until we left the café to climb back up Queensferry. We had a final photo- shot, with the famous Forth Rail Bridge the hill, when the first drops of rain shot, gave in our bicycles, and in the background. There was a cruise- started to fall. liner anchored in the firth.