Blogs from Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe - page 3

Today after a much deserved late lie, we set off to Stirling to visit a real 14thcentury castle. Stirling Castle is an amazing site as you drive into Stirling on the motor way. Its built on top of a rocky hill with a winding cobble stone road that took you to the top. On the walk towards the draw bridge was a wonderful view of the city of Stirling with the Wallace Monument beaming in the sunlight in the distance. Once through the draw bridge was the castles court yard surrounded by very tall walls designed to keep enemies out. We made our way up another hill through the inner gate where we got to see some of the amazing sculptures that were carved hundreds of years ago, to see first hand the size of the ... read more

So a busy day with wedding preparations in Stirling. We got the church ready with pillows and favours set out. Then we went to the hotel to meet Stevie the best man and we all had a few drinks and games of pool.... read more

After some much needed sleep, and a run (in the rain) to get rid of the jetlag, we headed out for our daily adventure. Actually, today was supposed to be the Highland Game Fair, but due to extensive rain over the past few weeks, they were forced to cancel as conditions were poor at the grounds. So, I went back to my files and found a great backup plan. We decided to visit Stirling Castle which came highly recommended from several sources and did not disappoint! There were 4 main castle buildings and we started off with a guided tour. This was a good choice as Charlie, our guide, gave lots of history of the castle, including its many transitions between ownership by the Scottish, then the English, then the Scottish, etc. This was the site ... read more

LOVED LOVED the castle here. It has only recently reopened and WOW they have done a magnificent job. Before heading to the castle, we stopped at the Bannockburn battlefield and met one of the more colourful locals walking his dog who filled us in about some of the history (what a clever dog). The heritage centre at the site, although closed for the offseason, had just had a school group through and the manager invited us in for a private viewing at no cost. He played a short film showing the history and events around the battle fought there in 1314 during the Wars of Independence between Scotland and England. Other than providing the opportunity to educate and entertain some tourists, his motive was also to rescue us from the talkative local. Yet another example of ... read more

I've been neglecting my blog........but with good reason!! After the last update my time at the Archelon project became even more involved and interesting. Emily and I were joined by two American school kids from the Southern States, they were on an adventure travel experience run by the discovery channel and were joining us to experience a conservation project. Being called sir by a very polite and attentive couple of school kids called John and Megan, with a soft Southern drawl I couldn't help but smile at every time they spoke, made for a good morning survey on C section. We found 1 nest and Emily and I got John and Megan to help us dig for the eggs and take the measurements then hammer in the protective grid and bamboo. We were all invited to ... read more