Travel disruption across Scotland due to strong winds and heavy rain

Strong winds and heavy rain battered Scotland on Saturday, with roads closed and rail services cancelled or delayed because of the poor weather.

Warnings were in place from the Met Office from 4am until 6pm, covering Dumfries and Galloway, Stirlingshire and up towards the Highlands.

Large parts of the country were affected, with rail services at risk in a number of areas.

At around 1.30pm, ScotRail tweeted: ''@NetworkRailSCOT are dealing with a signalling fault between Larbert and Croy, caused by heavy flooding of the railway.

Services between Queen Street and Aberdeen, Alloa, Dundee, Edinburgh and Stirling may be cancelled delayed or revised.''

By 5pm, the firm added: ''Water levels are beginning to subside, however, the track circuit failure still needs to be fixed.''

Replacement bus services were introduced - but roads were also affected by the conditions, with the A1 closed to high-sided vehicles for several hours.

Traffic Scotland said the closure was between the Old Craighall Junction on the A720 to the English border.

The closure was lifted later in the afternoon, but surface water warnings were issued for West Lothian and Stirling.

Wind warnings were posted for the Queensferry Crossing and Forth Road Bridge, with the latter closed to double-decker buses.

The conditions also affected those taking part in the Great Stirling Castle Run on Saturday.

One runner, Kathryn Wylie, said it was ''surprisingly enjoyable... even with the mud and rain''.

Elsewhere Joyce Burnett, a golfer in Callander, spoke about ''streams and puddles in places I haven't seen before at my home course'' following ''extremely heavy rain''.

An independence rally due to take place after the All Under One Banner march in Glasgow was cancelled due to the poor conditions.

The march itself still took place, with thousands of independence supporters walking through the wind and rain.

Ahead of the event, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: ''Good luck to everyone marching for independence in Glasgow today - hope the weather isn't too bad!

Sorry I can't be there today, but look forward to seeing you all again soon. In the meantime, sending my support and best wishes.''