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Published: October 1st 2009
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TravelWithMe
Share my experiences in….Scotland
By: BabyBoomer
The aerial view of Scotland with its hundreds of tall white pinwheels turning in the wind as we descended into Edinburgh will be etched in my mind forever. These pinwheels were actually windmills, and I was captivated by the miles of windmill farms. When the wind turns the blades, the energy created goes to power the turbine, which then creates the electric current in the area.
Maybe it was the windmill farms, the grey skies, the rainy weather or the whisky, but the aura of peace, contentment and joy was obvious among the people as we arrived at Edinburgh Airport.
Our Tauck tour guide, Michael, greeted us. He turned out to be unlike any other guide we’d had in the past. Instead of focusing on a particular topic describing the history of Scotland, the country or the people, he jumped around throughout the centuries, with tall tales of each of the times. For example, when we went to the Glengoyne Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky Distillery, Michael started to tell us some of its history, beginning in 1833. But like most Scots, he veered off topic and began another tale, saying, “just
a little side note,” and spoke of an incident involving King James VII on a whisky binge in a pub in Edinburgh. Then he proceeded to tell us all about the pub, leaving the story of King James and the distillery behind. After a couple of days, we got used to his delightful sense of humor and laughed along with him when and if he finally got to the punch line.
Edinburgh is a compact, walkable city located in the Lowlands of Scotland. The red sandstone Victorian buildings, public gardens and cobblestone streets add to its charm. In the heart of the city’s busy Old Town is the Royal Mile. This mile-long street acquired its name over the ages as Scottish and English kings, queens and royalty traveled between the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle. The palace is the official government residence of Scotland, serving kings and queens since the 15th century. Being one of the most important fortresses in Scotland, Edinburgh Castle has been involved in many historical conflicts. All the English/Scottish political and emotional discord throughout the centuries involving Edward I, King James II, Mary Queen of Scots, her son Prince James, King James VII and
Sir Walter Scott took place around the Royal Mile.
Our traveling companions, Fred and Lucille, were with us in Scotland, and after we visited the Old City of Edinburgh, the four of us went in search of the town’s registry. Fred’s family came from Glasgow and he wanted to trace his ancestry. We had the best time at the computer outlining his family tree, and we found out that his great-grandfather was a shoemaker!
On the second day of our tour, all 39 travelers in our group were settled in the coach leaving Old Town Edinburgh and heading north on the highway. Even though we traveled across an ocean, I thought I would feel at home with the language in Scotland, but to my surprise, I couldn’t even read the exit signs on the highway, which were supposedly in English. Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Duloch were among the many exits we passed before we went over a bridge. The sign at the bridge read “Firth of Forth,” and Michael haphazardly explained that the word “firth” meant “bay” and “Forth” was the name of the river. So the body of water we crossed was actually a river emptying into a bay. As we continued along, we passed Perth, which is situated at the beginning of the Highlands at the bottom of one of seven hills in Scotland. The term “highlands” refers to any city on the hills, and the expression “lowlands” refers to any coastal city.
Stirling Castle is the most strategically important of all the castles in Scotland. It controls the movement across the Lowlands into the Highlands. In the olden days, whoever controlled the castle effectively ruled Scotland. In the motion picture “Braveheart,” Mel Gibson portrayed a famous Scotsman, William Wallace. As Wallace’s legend spread, hundreds of Scots from the surrounding clans volunteered to join his militia. Wallace led his army through a series of successful battles against the English, including the Battle of Stirling, which was the first war for Scottish independence, on September 11, 1297. Everyone on the bus kept referring to “Braveheart” because that was their initial concept of Scotland, and as Michael tried to tell us some history, he illustrated using scenes from the motion picture.
Continuing our drive, we reached the Highlands of Scotland and the city of Pitlochry where the local dialect was so unusual that we had to listen closely to understand the residents. It was a miniature city with cobblestone streets and thatch-roofed homes above storefront shops owned and run by families. The one general store was loaded with just about everything a family could possibly need.
Over the next few days, all 39 travelers bonded and we felt like family. By the time our coach started the drive to Loch Lomond, the noise level in the bus was soaring. Michael played “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean,” a tune about a lover waiting for his bonnie lass at the “loch” (lake). It was sung by a Scotsman, with bagpipes in the background, and we had to listen closely to appreciate the words. The song was sad. It was about how the waters of the loch took his bonnie lass away. It seemed that everything in Scotland, like in Ireland, had a tall tale connected to it. Whether something was just a tale or really happened, we were all enthralled with the stories.
We were so moved by the song that we neglected to watch the scenery as the coach drove toward Loch Lomond. We were heading, once again, to the Highlands, and the hills were covered with wheat and barley, which go into the brands of whisky for which Scotland is famous. Each farm running up the hills was sectioned off by the same stacked stones used in Ireland, but the only difference in Ireland was that the sections were symmetric and in Scotland they ran helter-skelter. We stopped for lunch at the Castletown House and were welcomed by its owners, Penelope and Gilles Hayshen. Their 10,000-acre working sheep farm was magnificent. The estate was granted to one of Gilles’s ancestors in the 1800s for his military service to the king when he helped defeat the French. The land was handed down through the system of primogeniture (each firstborn son inherits the entire estate). Gilles has been grooming his firstborn son to take over the land when the time comes.
Along the bonnie shores of Loch Lomond, we visited the Royal Yacht “Britannia,” which was the private cruise vessel of the royal family of England. Since the ship was decorated in the 1950s, it was a little outdated but still very luxurious. It was a little nostalgic seeing the bridal bedroom of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
We stayed overnight at the Cameron House, a stylish, elegant, baronial mansion on the shore of Loch Lomond. From the moment we arrived, we were privileged to enjoy good old-fashioned Scottish hospitality. The weather was drizzly, but we had a room overlooking the loch, which was lovely.
Leaving Loch Lomond and Edinburgh behind, the coach headed toward Glasgow and the Glengoyne distillery. In this small, pretty distillery, we had a whisky-tasting party and learned all about the art of single malt whisky. Glasgow itself turned out to be a poor city trying to make a comeback, with few tourist attractions other than some museums and cathedrals.
Our last night was at the Langdale Hotel in Ambleside England. It is located just two hours outside of Manchester. The hotel is set in a woodsy, country setting part of the national park and very representative of the lush Lake District of England.
Flying home from Manchester, we had time to reflect on all the things we did in and learned about Scotland. My husband's lasting impression of Scotland will forever be the whisky, but my first impression will be the lasting one - the beautiful white pinwheels turning in the wind.
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