Scotland: Big Roman Week; Knights of Thistle; Doors Open Days; longest golf club; 4th Road Bridge 50th anniv; Sept2014 vote

*update 20 Sept 2014* National Geographic: BBC: Scotland's staying put
*update 14 Sept 2014* National Geographic: Scotland’s Independence Vote, Exploring the Country Behind the Clichés

If you ever wondered what the longest usable golf club looks like, now is your chance to catch a glimpse of it in action! Karsten Maas from Denmark has made a super-sized 4.37-m-long (14-ft 5-in) club and has used it to achieve a drives of over 165 metres.

Forth Road Bridge 50th birthday - torchlight procession and fireworks display will take place on Saturday night, 12 September 2014

Dunrobin Castle, the seat of the Earl of Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands

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Fancy going for a Big Roman Walk?

Sixth Big Roman Week starts on September 13, 2014
FALKIRK district’s annual Roman festival launches this weekend. The sixth Big Roman Week kicks off on Saturday, September 13 and runs until Sunday, September 21. Walks, talks, family events, a film show and arts and library activities have all been lined to get local people to explore their “Roman roots” and appreciate local history.

Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival dedicated to the country’s outstanding architectural heritage and provides the perfect opportunity to explore an array of properties that are either normally off-limits to the public or charge admission fees.

Coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust, it runs annually throughout Scotland every September as part of European Heritage Days. This year, over five weekends, you will have a chance to take a behind-the-scenes look at some fascinating buildings, from museums to heritage landmarks. With exhibitions, talks, guided walks and more, there’s plenty of great activities to choose from to suit all ages and interests.

Outdoor enthusiasts won’t want to miss the sailing to the Isle of May Lighthouses in Fife, while foodies can watch chefs making chocolates and patisseries at Cocoa Black in the Scottish Borders, or with the Commonwealth Games just round the corner, why not visit Athletes Village in Glasgow?

In memory of the medieval soldiers who fought in the Battle of Bannockburn, you can join a seven mile long walk that includes a tour of the key sites in the battle which marked Robert the Bruce’s greatest victory, or if you’re are an architecture buff, head to Sandford House in St Ford, Fife.

Prince William supports the Queen at the Order of the Thistle ceremony
The Queen led the British royals at the Knights of the Thistle ceremony in Edinburgh on Thursday.

Supported by her grandson Prince William, daughter Princess Anne and husband Prince Philip, Britain's monarch took part in the age-old service at St Giles' Cathedral.

Starting the procession from the Scottish capital's Signet Library, the Queen, Anne, William and Philip made their way along the Royal Mile, which was lined with well-wishers.

A majestic fanfare and a mounted guard of honour greeted the royals as they entered the cathedral, while the band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland played in West Parliament Square.

Thursday's ceremony saw Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games chairman Lord Smith of Kelvin and Consevative peer and former Coutts bank chairman the Earl of Home installed as Knights of the Thistle, Scotland's highest national honour.

The Order of the Thistle is an award bestowed on men and women who have held public office or made a significant contribution to national life and is second in precedence only to the UK's Order of the Garter.

Princess Anne was invested in the Order of the Thistle in June 2001 while Prince William, who holds the title of the Earl of Strathearn in Scotland, was installed in 2012.

Forth Road Bridge 50th birthday: Fireworks to end celebrations
A kilometre-long "river of fire", created by 2,014 torchbearers and fireworks is set to end Forth Road Bridge 50th Anniversary celebrations.

It, marks the end of the Forth Bridges Festival, commemorating 50 years since the crossing opened to the public.

The finale will be a fireworks display at 22:06 BST in recognition of the bridge's 1,006m span later.

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: "This spectacular finale promises to be an unmissable highlight in the Homecoming calendar and also a fitting celebration of one of Scotland's most iconic landmarks. The year of homecoming has been a huge success and a chance to showcase our culture, history and heritage with events up and down the country.

*update 15 Sept 2014* TIME: British Politicians Make Final Push to Save the 307-year-old Union With Scotland Thursday’s referendum on Scottish independence looms. Scots are almost evenly divided between the Yes and No camps, polls show.

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Image courtesy The Mirror, Hello Magazine, Wall Street Journal, bigromanweek.wordpress.com, Bill Lawson and Key / Scottish Civic Trust, helpmetosave.com, David Erickson / Ravalli Republic, BBC, and Wikipedia / Creative Commons