VoyForums

Sunday, November 15, 11:17:23am [ VoyUser Login optional ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 07:18:30 04/22/08 Tue
Author: Chris
Subject: Edinburgh and the Highlands

I read Outlander for the first time last September. We lived in squalor and ate lots of sandwiches but I finished ABOSAA by the end of November. I found the LOL site 3 weeks ago and so this travel post is nearly 5 years late, but I promised Tess, the lassie who writes with the fine Scottish lilt.

I went to Scotland in August of 2003. I have four kids and it was a lot to ask my aging parent to keep them, so we only had 8 days. My husband had a conference in Edinburgh and that left 4 days to tour the Highlands. My mother is a Cameron (of Locheil decent) so I really wanted to visit Culloden and the surrounding Highlands. We were fortunate to have friends from Ireland who had once lived in Scotland and knew the country well. They joined us in Glasgow and we headed north.

Stirling is a must for anyone interested in the Scottish struggle for independence. The castle is a jewel and probably more beautiful than Edinburgh Castle, which is such a fortress. And like Edinburgh Castle it is built high on a rock and really dominates the town. A few kilometres away is the William Wallace Monument. A friend of mine was there a few years ago and heard a tourist remark, in all seriousness, "Wasn't it nice of the Scottish people to build a statue of Mel Gibson." Shocking!!! Anyway, a few kms the other way is Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314 giving Scotland independence and that lasted until the Act of Union in 1707. If you don't have a lot of time then at least visit Stirling Caslte. There is a magnificent statue of Robert the Bruce and you can see the Wallace Monument a few kms away.

Our base for the next two days was Fort William. The husbands insisted on a day of serious hiking so they climbed Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Great Britain. Maire and I opted for a gentler hike along Glen Nevis to Steall Meadows. Really beautiful. It is easy to see why this landscape is such a part of the Highland culture. After our hike we went to the West Highlands Museum which was full of Jacobite memorabilia including the famous hidden portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The museum itself is not world class but taken together with a lovely walk in the Highlands it certainly was a worthwhile day.

The next day was Culloden. The visitor centre was excellent (and even more so now) but it was the battlefield tour that, for me, was really overwhelming. The guide was dressed and armed as a Highlander would have been in 1746. He took us slowly and methodically through every step of the battle including the markers where each clan stood. He provided detailed information about the men and weaponry on both sides of the moor. The Highlanders were cold and wet from the sleet and hungry from the long march with no food. It had been left behind in Inverness. And they were poorly led and ill-equipped. Their artillery was almost useless because most of their cannon balls were too big for their cannons. So they were left to face the British calvary, artillery and infantry with mostly swords and dirks. They never had a chance. And when you consider that two-thirds of the British army were Lowland Scots with economic, religous and cultural ties to England, Culloden in some respects was a civil war. Such a waste. When my children are all old enough to appreciate and understand the experience I will take them to Culloden.

Edinburgh. It is built on a volcanic hill and for centuries the city didn't have the technology to expand out so instead they expanded up and into what is called Old Town. Old Town is essentially the Royal Mile between its high point at Edinburgh Castle and the Palace at Holyroodhouse at the other end. I spent 5 hours at Edinburgh Castle and loved every minute of it. If Edinburgh Castle is a fortress, for defence and security, then Holyrood is a royal residence. Mary, Queen of Scots lived here and gave birth at Edinburgh Castle. The Queens Gallery is at Holyrood and they often have interesting exhibits, Faberge when I was there and Leonardo da Vinci just prior to that. I spent another entire day just walking the Royal Mile. There is lots of tourist junk, but with a good map you can avoid this and really see the historic stuff.

If you will be Edinburgh during August I would highly recommend the Edinburgh Tattoo. It was such a spectacle. It began after dark (outside) with a lone piper on a parapet of Edinburgh Castle and ended with a massed band playing Scotland the Brave. We ordered our tickets 6 months in advance and they are always sold out well before August. I know you are going in May, Tess, but dinna fash yourself. This willna diminish the tour for ye.

Also, if you have time visit the National Galleries of Scotland. It is on Prince's Street in New Town just beside the little bridge that leads to Old Town. The Monet exhibit was there when I visited.

Finally, if you like your coffee (or chai tea) first thing in the morning then I would go out on a limb and say that one of the nicest Starbucks anywhere is on Prince's Street in New Town. It runs parallel to the Royal Mile and every morning on my way to Old Town (my hotel was just off Prince's Street) I would walk up to the second floor location for my chai tea. The front is a huge picture window that frames a spectacular view of Edinburgh Castle.

I edited this list to what, for me, was the must see of Scotland. There are lots of wonderful castles, museums, glens and lochs and so much more. We bought National Trust passes that gave us entry into all of their sites. Cheaper in the long run and there was often a separate line so you didn't have to wait with the people who were just buying their tickets . And my trip was 5 years ago so there have probably been changes and even more to see. No doubt their web-site has all of this information.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ VoyUser Login ] Not required to post.
Post a public reply to this message | Go post a new public message
 Note: This forum is moderated -- new posts are not visible until approved.
* Notice: Posting problems? [ Click here ]
 * HTML allowed in marked fields.
* Message subject (required):

Name (required):

  Expression (Optional mood/title along with your name) Examples: (happy, sad, The Joyful, etc.) help)

  E-mail address (optional):

* Type your message here:


Note: This forum is moderated -- new posts are not visible until approved.

Notice: Copies of your message may remain on this and other systems on internet. Please be respectful.

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 2.94, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2008 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.