The Hawes Inn

In 1886 a young author was staying here in Room 13. Looking out over the Firth of Forth he began to form a plot in his head in which a young heir would come to seek his inheritance from an old evil uncle. The uncle brings him to this inn and introduced him to a sea captain crony. The boy is suddenly and violently taken on board the captain's ship and held a prisoner as the ship sails. Thus, around Jacobite Scotland, the story of "Kidnapped" is played out. It has always been a favourite.

The Inn goes back to the 17th century, and it also appears in a Sir Walter Scott novel. It served at one point of time as a hospital for the 160 plus workers injured while the Forth Rail Bridge was built - and you can see the deck of that bridge up on the left.

I once visited Robert Louis Stevenson's grave site in Western Samoa. He was a prolific writer - including in his work the imaginative piece - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I may have met one or two of those as well! :-)