Let’s join Niki and Tilly on part one of their stroll around Gretna Green
I’m beginning a short series of posts about the tiny Scottish village of Gretna Green. We’ll look at both the historical and present-day buildings and the crazy transportation options that inspired parts of the books.
Today we’re in book one and the chapter of Midlife in Gretna Green where Niki now has her memories back. She takes Tilly for a walk around the village to give herself some processing time.
Midlife
in Gretna Green
Chapter 17, Page 287 – Kindle 61%
“An attractive young couple passed us, riding in an antique yellow horse-drawn carriage, so happy they glowed with love and joy. I whipped out my phone to take a photo …”
Some of them are over 200 years old but still surprisingly comfortable. I’ll share an original postcard showing one of them back in the 18th century later in this article.
Let’s continue Niki and Tilly’s walk with them …
Page 281 Midlife in Gretna Green
“I whipped out my phone to take a photo. They noticed my camera and waved and looked delighted.
Uncomplicated young love, so very different from my own wedding day.
The clip-clop of the horses’ hooves moved away from us, and Tilly and I followed the carriage down the road …”
Yes, Gretna Green still has those coaches—today!
They’re supplied by local companies like Tartan Carriages and used daily to ferry brides and their fathers to the wedding venues.
The one in the photo is called a ‘Landau.’ You may recognise the name from many Regency and historical novels.
They carry the bride and groom back to the reception after the ceremony. I took the photos above and below last week on one of the local lanes while I was walking my real Bichon, Lucy—who you all know as Tilly.
Check out that cheerful ‘summer’ sky 😒
Niki and Tilly follow the carriage …
“… it turned into an entrance between two gateposts next to a low black and white building. I walked a little closer to see what it was. A sign said, The Famous Blacksmiths Shop, Gretna Green since 1754. This must have been where they did the runaway weddings.”
Page 282 Midlife in Gretna Green
“A bride, in a full-length, pure white, elegant bridal gown was alighting from an antique Rolls Royce car.”
Just in case you think Gretna Green is trapped in the past … well, it is … a little bit.
But we also get to see some splendid ‘horseless carriages’ as well.
Like the rather special ones above and below outside one of the busiest wedding venues.
Motorbikes, bikes and even one made for two!
Bikes and bike-related weddings are always popular too. I’ve married more than one couple in motorbike leathers – even elegant leathers that Caitlin would admire.
I also once married a couple who were riding a tandem push-bike from John O’ Groats to Land’s End, with the intention of finishing up their honeymoon in Cornwall.
Another fun snippet from later in the series
This one from book six, Market Forces in Gretna Green.
The postcard to the right is from the late 18th century and shows a coachman in another of those ubiquitous yellow coaches waiting outside a pub on Main Street. It was then called the Queen’s Head & Marriage Room.
Yes, it’s still there, and although Mabon loves their beer and the quizzes, Fi is occasionally quite rude about it in some of the later books.
I’ve always found it friendly.
They serve a fantastic steak pie on New Year’s Day.
A good steak pie is a very Scottish tradition. It aids recovery from Hogmanay 😀
Historically, the Queen’s Head was the first building on the old road after the fleeing lovers entered Scotland from England on one of the two roads that cross the Scottish border in these parts.
At that time, like many other buildings; pubs, blacksmiths, and even some houses in Gretna Green and the tiny adjoining village of Springfield, the pub was also a marriage venue.
© The excerpts from the book Midlife In Gretna Green by Linzi Day are used with permission of the author and remain her copyrighted material. Photo Credits: Linzi Day
Want more Behind the Book details?
This is only one part of the Behind the Books series. You can find the main index page here
Thank you for the photos of Greta Green. Your descriptions in the book give me rich pictures in my head, but an actual photo validates that my imagination is ticking along quite well. If you ever get a chance to get interior photos, I’m sure we’d all enjoy those as well.
Hey Trish,
I have tons – I’ll add them to a future part of the ‘tour.’ Thanks for the idea.