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Published: March 2nd 2007
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The ever elusive Highland cattle
We must've passed thousands of hairy cows as we made our way South toward Pitlochry, but they must be extremely camera-shy. Everytime I got my camera in position to shoot them, they would migrate away from me. This is the best of a series of seven or eight lousy pictures. I made the mistake of watching the morning TV news. The weather report promised more record high temperatures all over Europe. Luckily for us Scotland's record high temps would only reach the upper 80's instead of the near 100's further South. Oddly enough as we started loading up on to the bus it was actually a bit nippy outside.
Today's itinerary sounded like another winner to me: We would head to the touristy town of Pitlochry, then to Sterling and Sterling Castle, followed by a drive along the Firth of Forth on in to Edinburgh. I was aware of Sterling Castle's role in the whole Braveheart/William Wallace/Robert Bruce era and it was eager to see this area of Scotland which also hosted the battles of Sterling Bridge, Falkirk and Bannockburn.
Before the movie Braveheart came out I had also felt that Wallace was basically a madman who merely got the whole process started but it was Robert the Bruce that was the true hero of Scottish independence. Yet, after the movie became a big hit a few years ago it served as inspiration for the Scots to demand increased autonomy from the English. The movie portrayed Wallace as an
Pitlochry fish ladder
It didn't take long to reach the day's first stop: Pitlochry. While most of the group headed into town to check out the tourist shops, Gail and I along with a few others followed the signs to the fish ladder. This series of man-made pools allow the salmon to swim up river past the huge dam across the River Tummel. educated comfortable aristocrat turned into a freedom fighter by the evil of King Edward Longshanks of Britain. I was hoping today's tour might seperate movie fact from fiction. I was also looking forward to finding some good books detailing the history of the Scots. Throughout English history it seemed the Scottish regiments were the heart and soul of the Imperial English army. Throughout the 18th and 19th Century it was Scottish troops that secured England's empire.
Our progress South out of the Highlands took us through further miles upon miles of open fields mostly inhabited by cattle. I tried and tried to get a good photo of one of the Highland cattle but they seemed to be hiding in the furthest reaches of each pasture we drove by.
Tonight's hotel would be in downtown Edinburgh at the
Cairn Hotel.
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