Athelstaneford

East Lothian History Lesson coming up:

I've only cycled through this village once before and J had told me that it was the birthplace of Scotland's Flag. I therefore wanted my blip today to be related to that. I found a plaque and flag so was able to learn how it came about.

 The flag originated  in a battle fought nearby the village of Athelstaneford in 832AD. An army led by King Angus found itself surrounded by Saxons. Fearing the outcome, King Angus looked at the sky and saw a cloud formation of a white saltire against the blue sky. The king vowed if he gained victory Andrew would be the patron saint of Scotland. The Scots did win and the Saltire became the flag of Scotland.

On the left is the Saltire Memorial erected in 1965
On the right is a viewpoint northwards towards the site where the battle took place