Blogs from Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 11

Things were not looking good for a photography week, although the weather in London is not necessarily a reflection of the weather in the islands of Scotland. I left the airport hotel and it was pouring with rain. It was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel to London City Airport and I was sweaty and wet when I got there. Great, I'm going to have to spend the rest of the day sitting in wet clothes! I dropped off my bag, which, I hope, is checked in all the way to Stornoway, but I guess I will find out whether or not that is the case when I get there. I kept my camera gear in hand-luggage as, if that goes missing, I'm going to struggle on a photography week with no camera. Security ... read more

SAT, 17 SEP 2022 - Day 10: Journey to Enchanting Edinburgh - Heading back to the lowlands of Scotland, we stop in Pitlochry before heading to the historic home of golf, St. Andrews. Here, the first games were played during the 1400s. See its famous 18th hole before crossing the Firth of Forth to Scotland's enchanting capital, Edinburgh. Tickets to see the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo (5-27 August 2022) are included on departures that coincide with performance dates.... read more

TOUR 07 – Best of Britain - Trafalgar – 14 Days – THU, 15 SEP 2022 - Day 8: On to Fort William and the Scottish Highlands - Journey along Loch Lomond, whose bonnie banks were immortalised in the well-known Scottish song. We arrive in Glencoe and remember the MacDonald clansmen who died tragically in the 1692 massacre which led this place to be called the 'Glen of Weeping'. At the World War II Commando Memorial near Fort William, we admire views of Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Our day in beautiful surrounds comes to an end with a cosy dinner at our hotel located within the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. Hotel – The Laggan Hotel Newtonmore, Scotland; Included Meals - Breakfast, Dinner... read more

I leave the Highlands after passing Kilchurn Castle in my previous blog at . This fourth and final blog of my ancestral visitations to castles in Scotland covers my visits to the Lothians. 31 Aug 2022 Wednesday. My next stop of the day is Doune Castle which was originally constructed on the site of a Roman fort in the 1200's, but restored to its current structure by Sir Robert Stewart, 3rd Duke of Albany (17th ggf), the younger son of King Robert II of Scotland (18th ggf). His ascendancy continued when his elder brother, Sir John Stewart, Earl of Carrick (17th ggf), gained the throne as Robert III (the name change was to avoid connection with the earlier English appointed King John Balliol). However, King Robert III "The Lame" suffered a debilitating injury from a horse ... read more

This is my third blog about my ancestral visitations to Scotland. I recommend reading my previous two blogs at and before reading this one. My destination today was Tain, Ross-shire, where my Ross ancestors lived. According to my DNA, I'm 36 percent Norwegian, 32 percent English and Northwestern European, 27 percent Scots and a bit of Welsh and Swedish. Linda is 16 percent Scots, but as mentioned before, we share many Scottish ancestors. My grandmother, Anna Elizabeth Weaver's parents were James McGee Weaver and Anna Elizabeth Ross. The Weavers were from Germany with Johannes Weber (5th ggf), a Moravian who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s to avoid religious persecution. In this line I found Anna Elizabeth Luther (12th ggm), the sister of the Reformer Martin Luther, making him my 12th great granduncle. My Ross ... read more