This is the final leg of our tour, our return to Edinburgh from Oban, but not without a few more interesting stops. As we left the coast we kept encountering tidal waters for quite a while as we wound our way around many little villages and hills and the occasional ruined castle.
Sometimes I think these old castle ruins dot the landscape like the oil companies “nodding-horses” dot the prairies.
Once again the amount of forestry operations were quite remarkable. Although there have been many comments that the pine they are growing is not a native species and grows far too quickly and therefore produces lesser quality wood than the native “Scots Pine”. There is also concern that the planting of singular species across an entire cut block will diminish the ecosystem of the traditional forests that saw both conifers and deciduous trees strike a balance. As we tour many of the palaces and castles it’s not unusual to hear that 300 Oak trees from nearby forests were harvested to create the towering roofs that resemble an upside ships hull.
Once again the amount of forestry operations were quite remarkable. Although there have been many comments that the pine they are growing is not a native species and grows far too quickly and therefore produces lesser quality wood than the native “Scots Pine”. There is also concern that the planting of singular species across an entire cut block will diminish the ecosystem of the traditional forests that saw both conifers and deciduous trees strike a balance. As we tour many of the palaces and castles it’s not unusual to hear that 300 Oak trees from nearby forests were harvested to create the towering roofs that resemble an upside ships hull.
Midway on our journey we make a brief stop at Loch Lomond. As we drove around the lake Roddy dug out a CD with the song “Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond “ and Roy provided some insight into the lyrics regarding two friends, one being sent free and the other about to be put to death, thus the lines “I’ll take the Low road and you take the other, and I’ll be in Scotland afore You!” It is a beautiful community nestled on the side of Loch Lomond and surrounded by forested hills and mountains. While we were stopped two girls in full pipers dress pulled out their bagpipes and began playing. The taller girl acted as the lead when they would start a new song. They held their bagpipe out in front of them and on a specified count they both tucked the bag under their arms and began to play.
They played very well and many of us felt the desire to reward their impromptu concert by tossing some coins into their case. What made this stop particularly amusing was a couple of our tour members. Phil reached into his pocket and tossed in a coin. After it landed in the case he realized it was just 20p (30 cents) that he had donated, so he reached down and retrieved the 20p coin and tossed in a £1 coin ($1.60) instead. That might have been alright except that Bethany, noticed and was quick enough to comment “Hey Phil, what are you doing? Making change?” We all had a good chuckle and Phil later said he realized what he was doing as he stood up, but it was too late. He figured it would have made a perfect “Mr. Bean moment!” Referring of course to the famous British comedy actor who is well noted for acting out such a script. I guess you had to be there and know those involved.
They played very well and many of us felt the desire to reward their impromptu concert by tossing some coins into their case. What made this stop particularly amusing was a couple of our tour members. Phil reached into his pocket and tossed in a coin. After it landed in the case he realized it was just 20p (30 cents) that he had donated, so he reached down and retrieved the 20p coin and tossed in a £1 coin ($1.60) instead. That might have been alright except that Bethany, noticed and was quick enough to comment “Hey Phil, what are you doing? Making change?” We all had a good chuckle and Phil later said he realized what he was doing as he stood up, but it was too late. He figured it would have made a perfect “Mr. Bean moment!” Referring of course to the famous British comedy actor who is well noted for acting out such a script. I guess you had to be there and know those involved.
After Loch Lomond we continued to wind through the mountains until the terrain started to flatten out and it became obvious that we had left the Highlands and were once again in the Lowlands. From a distance we could see Stirling Castle standing on a volcanic crag that was left standing when the glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago. The carving of the glaciers left steep, impenetrable walls on three sides and a gentle incline to the Southeast. This made defending the Castle much easier and allowed for the town to grow up on the gentle slope. The key purpose of the castle was to control the crossing on the Firth of Forth (River) to the east.
We caught a tour of the grounds by “Gordon” who wanted to ensure we heard his name as periodically a secret review of the tour guides is done and they receive a big black “X” if they don’t mention their name. We felt that this was one of our less inspiring tours on our trip. He showed us the Queen Anne Garden and described the statues that line the Palace to the north of the garden. They were intended to present James V as a powerful, just and learned monarch of the European renaissance. We then made our way to the Palace where we stopped to admire the receiving room.
Although I’m sure they had gone to great lengths to return the room to its original look it almost looked a little ‘too perfect’ and that it should really still have a ‘wet paint’ sign on the walls. Possibly we’ve been in too many castles that have not been restored to this degree that we’ve come to expect them look a little more aged. We crossed the Inner courtyard which had a surprising slope running from the King’s Old Building to the Great Hall. The Great Hall, completed in 1503 for James IV, was the largest ever built in Scotland. It is extremely large and it’s pretty easy to imagine a large gathering of hundreds of people singing and making merry. Once again you can see that the large timbers from the surrounding forests were put to good use. There were also stained glass windows honouring many of the royalty that had lived here. |
The castle is considered to have comparable prestige to Edinburgh castle and comes from a similar time. It has been a Royal palace since 1110. Over the centuries it endured 15 sieges and played a key role in the War of Independence (1296-1357). One of the last was in January 1746 when it was attacked by a force of Jacobites.
The beautiful buildings of the Inner court were developed during the 15th century by successive monarchs. As you wind your way up from the car park you encounter successive fortifications, many of which have been enhanced over the ages as the destructive power of the attacking armaments meant that sturdier walls had to be created. Besides the longevity of slate roofs, they also offered protection from flaming arrows that were sometimes used “smoke out” those under siege. The King’s Old Building still shows evidence of being hit with cannon balls, leaving a round depression in the wall. From the Great Hall we proceeded to the Chapel Royal that was completed in 1594 by James VI for the baptism of his first son, Henry.
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We had some lunch in the Castle and continued to tour around on our own. On one sandwich there was a cute sticker attesting to its freshness:
“Made today. Gone today. No ‘sell-by date, No nightlife.”
“Made today. Gone today. No ‘sell-by date, No nightlife.”
We got a picture of the William Wallace monument in the sights of one of the many cannons used to defend the castle in days gone by.
The Monument commemorates the Scottish hero, better known to us thanks to Mel Gibson in Braveheart, who rallied his forces at this point for his large victory against England’s King Edward I in 1297.
The Monument commemorates the Scottish hero, better known to us thanks to Mel Gibson in Braveheart, who rallied his forces at this point for his large victory against England’s King Edward I in 1297.
As our tour is drawing to a close Roy suggested a good location for a group photo would be on the lower battlements of Stirling Castle with the William Wallace monument just over David’s head. Although we didn’t get a chance to know everyone, it was a terrific group of people, all anxious to learn as much as they could about Scotland.
It seemed like a short ride from Stirling Castle back to the familiar surroundings of the Bonham Hotel in Edinburgh. For our final evening together, Rick treated us to a wonderful dinner at a French restaurant, Cafe St. Honorė on Thistle St.
Some members of the group were catching early flights, in all directions so almost the entire group squeezed into the small bar at in the Bonham Hotel for one last drink together. Having acquired a taste for Whisky during our fabulous experience in Scotland we tested the reserves of the bartender.
At various stages of the tour Roy would provide us with a few points to consider regarding the Scottish Referendum which will be voted on in September 2014. There are many factors to consider when a group of people look at creating an autonomous group. We are familiar with this debate in Canada because of the Quebec Referendums in 1980 and 1995. Issues that must be clear before the people can be expected to make an informed decision are things like:
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A wonderful 10 days together and as you can see we learned a huge amount about Scotland.
Often people ask you "What's your favourite part of your trip?" After a trip like this it's virtually impossible to single out one stop on the tour. Instead we prefer to talk about the many highlights Roy guided us to:
We'll definitely be looking for another Rick Steves Tour to take soon!
Some members of the group were catching early flights, in all directions so almost the entire group squeezed into the small bar at in the Bonham Hotel for one last drink together. Having acquired a taste for Whisky during our fabulous experience in Scotland we tested the reserves of the bartender.
At various stages of the tour Roy would provide us with a few points to consider regarding the Scottish Referendum which will be voted on in September 2014. There are many factors to consider when a group of people look at creating an autonomous group. We are familiar with this debate in Canada because of the Quebec Referendums in 1980 and 1995. Issues that must be clear before the people can be expected to make an informed decision are things like:
- Monetary system - will you remain affiliated with the British Pound or join the Euro
- Passports - developing your own passport system means that you will have to introduce it abroad in order for it to be accepted and you would have to establish a Consular presences in many countries
- Defense - will you create your own Armed Forces and what will you do with existing British naval bases - in particular, all of Britain's submarine bases are reportedly in Scotland
- Distribution of royalties collected from North Sea oil.
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A wonderful 10 days together and as you can see we learned a huge amount about Scotland.
Often people ask you "What's your favourite part of your trip?" After a trip like this it's virtually impossible to single out one stop on the tour. Instead we prefer to talk about the many highlights Roy guided us to:
- Kenny passing on his love of Edinburgh
- walking amongst the ruins of St. Andrews Castle and Cathedral
- learning about Crannogs
- the impromptu tour of Taymouth Castle
- learning about the Battle of Culloden
- the Isle of Iona
- all the information Roy imparted to us throughout the tour
- the wonderful people in our group that we got to know
We'll definitely be looking for another Rick Steves Tour to take soon!