Hello again!
Not many people probably start a blog from the very top of Scotland -
but hey, let's just break that mold!
Consider this the top of the rollercoaster!
Let's go!
Following straight on from my last blog - The first part of Scotland,
where we had just made it to the very top of mainland UK,
and completed our 'End to End' journey -
(from Land's End, England, to John O'Groats here in Scotland)...
Here I will continue our journey south towards our end goal of London,
and I have some amazing sights and fun stories to share with you along the way!
Buckle - up!
There was a lovely cafe here at John O'Groats, right at the top of Bonnie Scotland,
just adjacent to where the cars usually line up to load onto the ferry
to cruise across to the Orkney Islands... Not today, Josephine, and not for us either - sadly.
They were cancelled until further notice, due to the storms and heavy tides.
Remember this shot I posted?
We were super bummed not to get across to the islands, with their ancient history,
more standing stones and ancient churches, and basically,
the most northern Scotland Island life, apart from The Shetlands.
So, drowning our sorrows in our bellies,
we had an early lunch of seafood chowder and more incredible Scottish scallops,
before heading south along the coastline,
to a new overnight stay on our itinerary, (thanks to the tip from our last host Kevin) ;
the coastal village of Brora.
But not before a couple of stops along the way -
Cruising through the North Eastern town of Wick, it was definitely worth the quick stop to see the place I had earmarked in my travel journal - a famous hotel sitting on the
'World's Shortest Street'.
I love these random 'World's highest, shortest, weirdest things', and this is just another one to add to my growing collection.
Mackay's is a very well known hotel here, and actually, quite posh too!
We poked our heads in, but weren't really properly attired for the white glove service -
we really only wanted a photo... :)
The town of Wick, perched either side of a gorgeous fast moving river,
coincidentally named;
Wick River 😉 - was really quite lovely.
Very European in a way.
Following here, our next stop was completely random, and also most memorable.
This is the part we love so much when we are driving along - we see a sign post to a village, it may say 'harbour', 'roman villa' or 'historical town' - mate, we're in!
Lybster, was definitely one of those, AND, possibly the best one so far.
Trev seems to have a nose for a lighthouse now, and he didn't disappoint.
As we cruised down the empty main street, we saw this display,
and instantly he was Sherlock, and I was Watson.
Right turn Clyde!
And just look.
If a picture paints 1000 words, here's 9000 - just spared. Phew, I here you mutter. (Same. 😁)
Check out Trev's shot at the end, of the waves of the North Sea crashing into the lighthouse. My 'blog-tog' at it again!
WOW.
Great shot, Trev!
And I snapped this on our way out. The history of Lybster.
People have been settled here for 5000 years!!!!!! That's almost as long as in Egypt!
WHOA.
If you're on your phone, you can enlarge this to read, if you wish.
It's fascinating.
All this, you could so easily miss, whilst driving along the main road,
oblivious to the treasures you may be passing by.
Tip - take the turn offs. Stretch your legs.
Be enlightened.
Finally pulling into the quaint village of Brora,
we found our hotel, (that we had only booked last night),
right by the shoreline.
The Royal Marine Hotel was an absolute FIND!
From the cosy fireplaced lounge upon entry,
to the amazing service and our enormous room,
plus an extraordinary dinner - served with white gloves...
We were in VERY good hands!
❤️
---
The following morning, as we were checking out, the manager appeared and asked us
how our stay was, and what our future plans were for the following few days.
We had such a great conversation!
He gave us some tips about our first stop, which will be the picturesque Dunrobin Castle,
then told us of a great pub to go to whilst in Inverness (our next 2 nights),
as well as a cool spot to visit on the shores of Loch Ness.
Brilliant!
When I mentioned to him that I am STILL yet to hear some bagpipes,
he was shocked and immediately said,
"Well, I can fix that!
Let me pipe you out to your car!"
No way!
SOOOOO COOOOL!
I was a tad excited!
It stirs me blood, I tell ya.
❤️
Only five miles from Brora, is the fairytale castle known as Dunrobin. With its spires and turrets, its almost reminicent of Disneyland,
and so worthy as my opening photo of this blog!
With the site dating back to the 1300's,
and a history connected to the Jacobite Uprising of 1745,
the current castle was opened in 1845,
and has been occupied the entire time since.
A good thing to travel in the off season, and also arriving early,
as we only had to deal with a couple of bus loads
of what I can refer to as: truly annoying tourists. Literally, all they were asking for was the bathroom, and the shop.
UGH.
This castle was gorgeous, and all the rooms were perfectly furnished
and decorated in its original era. We loved it.
But wait...the gardens...by the ocean - oh my heart. 💚🌳
PLUS ...they had a falconry display, including hawks and my favourite owls too!
BONUS!
How awesome!
I had read online that it had finished for the season,
so this was a delightful added surprise. All included in your nominal entry fee.
Front row seats baby!
COOL place! If you're up this way, make sure you drop by. They close for the winter - Nov 1- March 31. (We made it by just 3 days).
The drive from here, was again, nothing short of gorgeous. The autumnal tree colours of orange and yellow, towering over the road
making for a glorious exit from the castle.
And when I saw this guy near a fence, I just had to get out to say hello. Isn't he adorable?
I know - 'Why the long face'...?
🐴 😆
Onto Inverness!
Finally!
After being diverted a few weeks ago, due to earlier storms, we were pumped to finally make it to this absolutely darling of a city - the largest of the Scottish Highlands. Still, only around the 50,000 mark...a tiny city by the world's standards.
I LOVED THIS TOWN.
One of my favourites on this whole British adventure. Don't ask me why.
Must be the Highlands in my veins, but it truly resonated with me. It felt, familiar.
Welcoming.
Home.
But before finding our hotel, we decided to make the most of the daylight, and the weather - incase it was raining tomorrow...
and go and visit something that was right at the top of our 'to-do' list in Scotland.
I had to highlight that in blue, rather than red. I am 100% team Jacobite.
(Apologies to my English mate, Tom.)
Now, sorry to admit, that until 'Outlander',
I had never heard of Culloden, or the Jacobites for that matter.
Never once was it taught in my history lessons at school in Australia,
or had I heard it mentioned ever since.
So TV, on occasion, can really inspire one's love for history,
and this occasion is the perfect example.
What can I say about this place? A lot.
And nothing.
All in the one package.
A very sombre place indeed.
I can best describe it as follows:
To those who haven't heard, this was the site of of the last pitched battle on British soil.
It was over in only one hour, and by then 1500 Jacobite rebels
lay dead or wounded,
compared to only 50 of the British Government troops.
Following this, the battleground was guarded for 3 days by the victors,
to ensure no assistance was given to the dead or wounded Jacobites.
😡
As well, in the aftermath, a further 1000 Highlanders and those who
protected them, were hunted down and killed.
It was these actions, amongst others, that earned the leader of the Government troops, The Duke of Cumberland, the nickname; 'The Butcher'. (Conveniently for him, he was also the King's son.)
He also ordered that all the clans were to be disbanded, tartan was made illegal, their native Gaelic language was forbidden and the bagpipes were sadly silenced.
It was the tragic end to the historic Clan culture.
And to me, the desolation remains in the Scottish Highlands to this day.
The stone huts and many former castles, are still in ruins.
Nearly 280 years later. It was like they left, and nobody ever came back.
It is also said, that Cumberland gave land owners one sheep,
for every Highlander they turned in.
The Highlands are still full of sheep.
Not people.
Whilst pretty, the history of it saddens me no end.
When we first arrived, and after walking through the very educational visitor's centre,
we wandered out to the battleground.
You are met first up with a line of red flags - which marks the British Government line.
The blue flag line marking the Jacobite position, was way off in the distance.
With just one look at Trev, I literally said,
"I can't stay here - I have to be up there with ma boys."
Sorry about the wind in the audio, but imagine it then, freezing, wet, windy,
and they were exhausted and depleted of numbers.
Doesn't look as far as it is in real life, but with guns and cannons firing into them,
and the opposition having far more troops, who were much fresher, and with new tactics to defend against the Highland Charge -
the Jacobites were annihilated.
Rapidly.
I laid my Clan Crawford tartan over this 'most photographed' tombstone,
and when I went to remove it, a few others asked if I could leave it so they could photograph it too. ❤️
And this is how the Culloden Moors look today.
They are getting it closer to how it looked back then. Uneven ground, potholes filled with freezing water, bog and marsh,
and certainly not the downhill hard terrain that the Highlanders
preferred for their much feared 'Highland Charge'.
You can feel the history.
The silence is overwhelming. It grips you.
~~~
Only a few minutes drive from the Culloden Battlefields,
lies an ancient site, known as Clava Cairns,
and with its Standing Stones, it's said to have been an inspiration
for the writer of 'Outlander'.
With carbon dating proving it is over 4000 years old, this is an ancient burial ground,
with the round stone tombs surrounded by stone circles.
But at the time, we were unaware it was a burial ground,
so apologies for our playful photos...😬
We have visited many graveyards and cemetaries in our travels, and find them fascinating,
and full of stories that need to be remembered and honoured.
The surrounding autumn trees in the golden light, were really beautiful, and once again,
we felt like we were the only ones in the world.
Back to Inverness now, to our fantastically located hotel, 'The Columba',
right on the 'River Ness' and the bridge over to the city.
Time for a wee explore to find the sports bar we were recommended by
last night's hotel manager,
and as it is the Rugby World Cup Final tonight, it's going to be busy!
The one time we go for New Zealand - and they lose. Meh.
We're Aussies, and are fierce rivals. 😜
Being a weekend, and with Halloween just around the corner,
there were plenty of 'interesting sights' to see when we left the pub. This though was my favouite. A gorgeous old building, with moody blue lighting,
and a full moon.
Wow.
---
Today: Two words -
Loch Ness!
THIS, I was very much looking forward to!
I did visit here, back on that Contiki Tour I had mentioned in the last blog - hey, I was 18, and whilst my 'travel memory' is usually spot on, those days are a little...hazy, for obvious 'Contiki reasons'...🍹
Very keen to experience this anew with Trev, and if there's one thing you do at
Loch Ness...well actually, there's two... First is, you MUST get out onto the water. Loch Ness is a very long and narrow Loch, and worth the cruise, especially when its misty. So beautiful. And the second is, to visit Urquhart Castle, a ruin which is right on the water's edge,
and an absolute favourite amongst photographers.
But even before all that, we drove down the shores, to a place called 'Dores Beach'. This was on the recommendation of the manager from our last hotel that I mentioned.
Driving down there, I must say was beyond stunning at this time of year.
Literally, our eyes were filled with yellows, golds and rich ambers,
that honestly ...let me try to describe... made you actually feel - warmer.
He strongly suggested we get down there, as there is a very interesting character that has a trailer right on the water's edge, that he said we HAD to find!
The 'Nessie Hunter'!
Challenge accepted!
Found his trailer, but he wasn't home, bummer.
He wasn't a 'hunter' per se, more like an avid watcher and researcher. Might not pay very well if you ask me. ;)
But it was a lovely spot on the Loch,
and only a few people this time of year,
wandering around with their dogs, which was lovely.
Back to town, and we had a date for a scrumptious lunch,
before joining an actual organised tour for the afternoon, first by coach,
then onto a boat for a cruise on Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle.
Love the guy crashed out behind Trev. 😆
Nice for Trev not to drive for a change, and enjoy all the stunning scenery.
With daylight savings having just turned back last night, we are going to lose light a lot quicker now at the end of the day,
so we have to bear that in mind now for the rest of the trip.
Especially being this far north in the world!
Got a tad windy on the boat as we approached Urquhart Castle, and wait...
what's that in the background?
A clever little edit our daughter sent back to us.
How cute!
The fabulous ruins of this ancient castle is one of the most visited in Scotland. It attracts half a million visitors every year as it sits on an accessible outcrop on Loch Ness, and also is only 21 picturesque kilometres from Inverness. It is sought out by professional and amateur photographers alike,
as they often wait patiently for those perfect sunset/sunrise,
or even Northern Lights photos.
Photo Credit: T Schaeffer
We only had about an hour here, (this is what happens with tour buses),
so we had to get a wriggle on to see it all,
and get some nice photos before walking up the hill to the coach.
It's considered to having had been probably the largest castle in Scotland, in it's day, when fully intact.
Back to Inverness for one last night, and it saw us having a delicious
dinner at a curry restaurant,
just a few doors down from our hotel. We could literally smell the delights before we saw the place,
so we booked it this morning as we walked past.
British/Indian curry = Yummo!
---
A new day, and sadly, it's time to leave these gorgeous Scottish Highlands.
😩 They have certainly found a nook in my heart to live forever!
Not a far drive today, only 3 hours, but we have a few stops to make before our due time in Edinburgh, to drop back our car rental. We won't need it for the three days we have in this city,
as its so easy to get around, either walking, or jumping on the On/Off bus.
Also, we have actually booked a day tour as well.
We will pick up a rental car again later as we further our trip south. There's a lot to see before we get there, and we have huge plans over the next few days. What's new? 😆
Again, driving down what was more of a highway now,
as opposed to the wee lanes of the Highlands,
I spotted a lake through the most beautiful forest of autumn coloured trees,
so we took the very next exit, with hope to finding a nice spot for what I was after -
a still lake reflection shot.
We weren't disappointed.
Snap! 📷
Not only did we find a 'Folly' - like a privately built mini Castle, but the walk down to the water's edge offered me what I think were my finest autumn shots of the entire trip. You decide! 👍
And when we decided it was a good idea to take a selfie
whilst we made visible breath in the crisp air -
it ended up making Trev look like a fish, and me - well, I best not say!
😮
🤣
Next stop, is the super cool: Duone Castle.
Used in many scenes in the Monty Python Holy Grail film - cue King Arthur and his loyal servant Patsy, riding imaginary horses with the sound of coconuts! I had believed this was set in a previous castle we visited in Wales, but I was wrong. The film locations were 100% Scotland, and a lot of them right here. However, we're here for a more modern fan reason.
Yup.
Sorry, not sorry.
This is also known as 'Castle Leoch' to us Outlanders.
🤩
Its a beautiful ruin, and definitely worth your time, and so cheap to enter -
I think it was about 10 pounds, with an audio tour.
CRAZY narrow laneways to get there - and it makes me wonder what kind of impact all those film trucks would have had/endured...just manoeuvring themselves constantly down these ancient lanes.
(Outlander FYI - they used CGI to make it more of a decrepit ruin,
for the 1940's version, in the first episode. )
And here is what it looks like now, compared to the set they created.
Below is the kitchen, and this was recreated exactly in a soundstage for
Outlander's 'Mrs Fitz's kitchen', as they wanted to preserve the ruin as much as possible.
It's nice to walk through the original. 👍
A really lovely ruin to explore, and still so intact.
We cracked on from here, as we still had a ways to go to get to Edinburgh,
and we had a couple more stops to fulfil.
The first one being The Wallace Monument.
Completed in 1869, this 220 foot monument was built to commemorate Scotland's most endeared hero; William Wallace (AKA Braveheart).
It's a good uphill walk to get up there, and then a further 226 step climb to get to the top.
I wish we had the time to climb, (or really - the energy), but we didn't have either.
Pretty cool view from up there though for those who make it!
So, my pics were all from ground level. ;)
We had to skedaddle from here, as we still had to visit Stirling Castle, and get back to Edinburgh by 3pm to drop the car off.
It wasn't looking good for the car rental return, just sayin.
But we weren't going to miss out on anything! If we get charged being late - so be it.
Stirling, here we come!
And we weren't disappointed.
And just look at the view in winter.
Be still ma beatin' heart!
Perched high on the hill, overlooking the village like town of Stirling,
and with a view across the wide valley to the Wallace Monument in the distance,
and the mountains framing the background,
Stirling Castle is the quintessential fortress. Being the former main residence of the Scottish Royal family,
it certainly has had a long and tumultuous history.
A fabulous place to visit, incredibly well kept and presented,
and you learn a lot as you wander through the living history of Scotland, yet again. Don't miss this one if you're nearby.
It's amazing to actually be up close and personal to the bed of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary Queen of Scots spent a lot of time here, as she was declared Queen of Scotland
at the tender age of just 6 days, when her father King Edward V died. She was coronated at 9 months of age, and it is said they just held the crown over her head, as she screamed the whole time.
Ha, maybe, just maybe, she knew what a torturous life she had ahead of her, poor Love.
Leaving here, and whilst its only 40 miles now to Edinburgh,
never believe your GPS for the time of 55 minutes for this trip.
More like 2 hrs! Consequently we were well overdue to return our car, but I must give a shout out to Enterprise Car rentals, as they have been brilliant, this whole UK trip. We have had an upgrade each time, and they didn't hit us up with a late fee. They were also more reasonably priced that the other ones, offering plenty of locations, car choices, and one way drop offs weren't an issue.
Edinburgh - Take 2.
If you read my last blog, Scotland part 1, you might remember that we had 2 unplanned days in Edinburgh on our way north, as we were stranded there by storms.
As we knew we we coming back, we saved a few choice things to see for this visit. PLUS, its Halloween, and man, do they celebrate it here or what?!
As it started here over 2000 years ago, they really get into it,
with hotels and stores all over the UK decorated
for quite a few weeks before the big night.
And we had tickets for a massive nightclub event,
and I came prepared to dress up accordingly.
But that's tomorrow night. (Or so I thought... 😉 )
We had a brilliantly located hotel this time, Motel One Edinburgh,
only a few minutes walk from the car rental return and main train station of Waverley,
also opposite the famous Edinburgh Dungeon attraction,
and an easy walk to the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. Highly recommended.
A nice welcoming hotel reception! Love it.
So being just October 30, Halloween Eve, we enjoyed cruising the town, again,
grabbing some nice night photos of the Castle, just incase the weather turns. Today was quite a big day, with another one looming tomorrow! What's new? (Oh, FYI, if you're coming here, try to look up restaurants and book ahead. Even here in the shoulder season, most places are full every night,
with a queue out the door.)
---
Today it was time to finally hit the the castle.
Edinburgh Castle sits at the high end of 'The Royal Mile',
with another amazing attraction, 'Holyroodhouse' taking up place at the opposite end. We'll get there later.
Perched high, overlooking its city, Edinburgh Castle sits atop 'Castle Rock' -
an ancient volcanic plug of granite, and a site that has seen human habitation
since the Iron Age. A castle has been situated here since the 11th century,
and with having endured over 26 sieges,
it has the dubious honour of being one of the most attacked castles in the world.
This time of year is great to visit, with minimal crowds, so getting tickets on the day and
strolling in wasn't a problem.
What a castle!
You can get free guided tours, just check the times, as we missed ours. Never mind, we just tagged onto the end of another one!
I loved the oldest part, the tiny St Margaret's Chapel,
and I nailed a great shot of Margaret looking quite saintly indeed
in the stained glass window!
And everywhere you walked, your camera just wanted more and more photos!
We spent a good couple of hours there, but then cracked on,
as we had tickets to the Royal Yacht Brittania,
which is moored permanently a fair way away,
so we simply hopped on the On/Off Bus to get there.
Decommissioned since 1997, this Yacht has sailed the world, hosted every dignitary and world leader you could think of, and as well as it being a private Royal family retreat
it also was the honeymoon location for Prince Charles and his new bride, Diana.
A way to get away from the prying eyes of the world.
If only...
I'll never forget the famous footage a few years later of Diana,
as she greeted her young sons after being away from them.
Always a stirring image, and one that is front and centre as you board the ship -
alas, they had to discreetly cover it recently when 'King Charles' came for a visit...
You get an informative audio tour, as well as full access to the entire five levels of the yacht. You get to see where they gathered as a family,
the cigarette scorch on the piano that a boozy Princess Margaret left,
as well as the 'honeymoon suite',
and the private 'separate' bedrooms of the Queen and Prince Phillip.
Aye aye, Skipper!
Now that's a huge table for a yacht!
Whoops, an uncouth Aussie has been let loose in the Officer's mess...
The Queen's bedroom, and Prince Phillip's next door.
Lord and Lady Watson on the loose! 😁
It landed Trip advisor's No.1 attraction in the UK for 2023. And we added to those numbers.
Definitely worth the visit.
Back to the hotel for a wee rest before getting ready for our massive night at
'Club Tropicana.' I bought VIP tickets a month ago, as they sell out.
I was a bit excited..!
Except for one small glitch.
It was last night!!!!!
Nooooooooooooo!
Who has Halloween the night before?
Typical Mandy move, not studying the date at the bottom of the ticket. I just naturally assumed in was on the correct night - the 31st.
I was all fanged up but nowhere to go!!!
🧛♀️
But not to be deterred, we grabbed a taxi
and asked him to take us to a place that had live music. One look at me and who was he to refuse? 😳
So we found a place, scored a table, and proceeded,
with the help of some zany and character filled new friends,
to end up having an absolute blinder of a night, until about 2am!
Did someone say...shots?!
No last names shared, no social page adds, just a great night for our memory banks with Tyrone and 'Wednesday Adams'. Only two candid pics of the night,
but they are for us to never forget an amazing and hilarious evening.
Happy Halloween guys!
---
The new day dawned, admittedly with quite a few less brain cells than the day before.
Oh well, not like we have had lots of these nights whilst on holidays,
so without a doubt - no regrets!
Today was all about our passion for a show we hadn't even gotten past 3 seasons of: Outlander.
We are actually grateful of the education we have had about
Scotland due to watching this series.
It has really peaked our interest in Scottish Clan history,
and with my ancestors being Scottish, its been great for Trev to get involved in it too.
Soooo, today was an Outlander locations day tour.
But even if you're not a fan and couldn't care less about the show -
the places are still very cool anyway.
And it was typical Scottish weather to really get us into the true feel of the place. Wet, minor flooding, windy and freezing!
How did they wear kilts in this climate?
MAD!
~
First stop;
Midhope Castle - AKA 'Lallybroch' from the series.
I'll drop my shot, then the film's corresponding image.
It is a decrepit building now, and technically not a tourist attraction,
so they created all the external farm shots whilst filming.
No interior scenes were filmed here. Still great for photo ops.
A few less steps, but you get the idea.
Its a really cute old building, and our guide said Sam Heughan (aka Jamie)
was considering restoring it, and turning it into accomodation. Imagine that!
A licence to print money, I say.
~
Next stop on our Outlander tour was the foreboding Blackness Castle.
Having been used over the centuries as a Fort and Prison,
it was a perfect location to double as Fort William in Outlander.
Fans will recognise this courtyard, even devoid of the film set.
This internal courtyard is where Jamie was tied up and brutally lashed by
Black Jack Randall.
It was bitterly cold now, as the weather had turned completely nasty,
almost complementing the horrid scenes filmed at the castle during the series.
~
Next was the incredible ruin of Linlithgow Palace.
In real history, it was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and her father, King James V...
However in TV land - it doubled as Wentworth Prison in Outlander,
where Jamie was saved from hanging by Black Jack,
only to then become his personal prisoner and to endure those brutal scenes,
that created infamy.
Ugh, I shudder at the memory of those horrific, torturous scenes.
Definitely NO accompanying picture for that one.
So sad really, seeing such a huge and historical castle lay in ruins.
Like I said in my earlier chapter on Scotland, its like they left, and no-one came back.
~
Last stop was the fictional town of Cranesmuir, shot in the local village of Falkland.
Here is where they filmed the 1940's Inverness as well as Geiliss's house and where the young boy's ear was nailed to that post.
Charming right?
Geillis's house
This gorgeous building took my eye, and I had to photograph it. It was late in the day and not open anyway.
There was no signage, and we weren't steered in its direction at all.
Its only now, as I write this up, that I discovered that it is indeed Falkland Palace,
a favourite of King James V and Mary Queen of Scots.
The King actually dying there, thus making his young baby at the time, (Mary), Queen.
Falkland Palace was also used in season 2 of Outlander.
One of the East Range cellars was transformed into an apothecary in the episode
‘The Hail Mary’.
Claire is after additional medical supplies and stumbles upon Mary Hawkins,
who is asking for more laudanum for nursing Alex Randall.
Visitors to the palace can explore an interactive apothecary,
installed by the Trust in the same room Outlander used for filming.
~
And lastly, The Covenanter Hotel.
This is where Claire and Frank were spending their honeymoon in S1, Episode 1. You can stay there the night, even in that room if you want! We had an amazing afternoon tea there - and one of the best caramel slices we've ever had!
A very quaint little village, with all these sites within a stone's throw of each other. It's said that the locals rue the day the Outlander scouts came to town! I bet!
~
Okay, so that's it for the tour. We were still soaked through from Blackness Castle, but looking forward to warming up
and drying out on the coach back to Edinburgh.
We get to cross again on another one of the 'Forth Bridges'.
'Three bridges from three centuries'!
Three bridges called The Forth Bridges cracks me up, but it is the Forth River. Got it? 😉
(We did try to get some photos of them, but the weather had turned very bleak.)
A great day!
---
Today we leave Edinburgh for our drive south, but not before two last very cool stops. Located at the end of the Royal Mile, down the hill from 'Castle Rock and The Castle' Holyroodhouse Palace has had, as you can imagine, a torrid history - again, mainly featuring poor old doomed Mary Queen of Scots. Here, her husband was plotted against and murdered,
and the alleged assailant went on to marry Mary. As you did in those days!
A crazy history, and in this place, you have access to all of it.
It is in perfect condition, and it still used today by the current Royal Family
for ceremonies and functions, as it is their offical home whilst in Scotland. We absolutely loved it, and having known nothing at all about it prior to visiting,
were super impressed with all of it. A firm favourite of ours now, and something that shouldn't be missed if visiting Edinburgh!
With photography prohibited inside, all I can offer here is external shots.
And our second stop, was only about 20 minutes outside of Edinburgh;
The beautiful Rosslyn Chapel. Da Vinci Code fans will recognise this from the movie, as did I, but besides that,
it is definitely the most unique church we've seen in the UK.
Unfortunately, another place where photography was banned on the inside,
but I'll post some I found on the net, as its too stunning not to show you the interior.
This is the famous 'Apprentice pillar', and it has a great story - who doesn't love a good story?
It's a bit of a read, but worth it! Straight from the web, this is the folklore around the beautiful pillar below:
'Of all the stories and carvings found within Rosslyn Chapel’s walls, the most famous surrounds the astounding Apprentice Pillar. It’s one of three prominent columns standing side by side including the beautiful, but simple, Mason’s Pillar. When the chapel was being constructed, the master mason carved this pillar with straight, rigid patterns. It was a work of art, but he still wasn’t happy.
William Sinclair expected better, these columns would be some of the first things visitors to the chapel saw. The mason was struggling for inspiration but knew he wasn’t going to find it in Scotland. With permission from William, he left to tour the continent where he could study the incredible artwork in places like France or Italy.
However, while he was gone, his young apprentice had a vision and with confidence in his own abilities, set to work on the remaining column. It took years before the master mason returned, full of new ideas and enthusiasm. Eager to show off what he had learned on his European trip, the traveller arrived at Rosslyn Chapel to be met with a perfectly finished pillar.
It was remarkable. Twisting vines and leaves reach a flourish of protruding plants at the top while writhing serpents are portrayed gnawing at the base. Astonished at the quality and devastated that he had lost his chance to create his own masterpiece, the mason demanded to know which master craftsman this work belonged to!
When the mason discovered it was his own apprentice who had eclipsed his skill, he flew into a fit of jealous rage. Picking up his hammer he struck out and crushed the apprentice’s skull with one blow. William Sinclair was furious at the crime and the mason was soon executed for the boy’s murder. The other craftsmen were equally upset, deciding that the punishment didn’t go far enough.
First, they created a replica of the apprentice’s head, complete with the gash caused by the mason’s hammer, in a corner of Rosslyn Chapel as a lasting memorial. Next, the master mason’s likeness was placed opposite the ornate Apprentice Pillar, where he would be forced to stare at its grandeur for the rest of time.'
Not hard to figure out which one is which...
The ceiling too, is extraordinary,
and I found myself sitting down for quite some time, just staring up.
It was really something, and a literal treasure trove of many various ancient symbols,
many being pagan.
This all should be like the beautiful colours of the sandstone exterior, however, in the 1950's, experts 'in the day' thought it would be a great idea to cover it all with a cement-like slurry of magnesium fluoride to protect the stone carvings, when in fact, it had the opposite effect and they have been dealing with that issue for years now.
I guess they only knew, what they knew...
And yes, there is a crypt, and you can go down there!
So that's about it for Rosslyn,
and that's a wrap for Edinburgh!
~
Time to continue heading south towards England again,
but one last stop before crossing the border,
and this one is huge for me; and very, very close to my heart.
We are going looking for my ancestral namesake's home : Castle Crawford.
And let me add, that the drive down here today was some of the most glorious scenery we've seen on this trip.
Magnificent tree lined fields, with the river Clyde,
(looking so perfect I thought it was a canal), shadowing us the whole way.
Truly stunning countryside.
When first planning this itinerary, I knew staying in the tiny village of Crawford wasn't really an option, so I booked a night in the neighbouring town of Moffat.
And why not stay in another 'World's most' place? This time, the 'narrowest hotel in the world'.
Bring it on. Until we had to climb the stairs.
Again. Not many lifts in the UK regional hotels. Tip? Ask for a ground floor if you don't want to drag your bags upstairs. Lucky for us, we have a system now, and really just take our carry on bags in with us for just overnight stays..
Quite a cute hotel, with very welcoming hosts,
and the restaurant was packed for the evening,
as they were renown for their famous homemade pies.
It's also known as a 'Dark Skies Town', so we were still looking up to see if we could see the Northern Lights, as I was getting regular alerts on my phone that they were going off. Alas, more damn clouds. Poop. 😫
So a late lunch it was, in the only pub, and we warmed ourselves by the smouldering open fire whilst making new friends with a couple who were motor-homing around the country
with their gorgeous dog.
Nothing quite like puppy cuddles.
We love how dogs are welcomed everywhere here in the UK.
We literally had to tear ourselves away from these friendly folks, sadly, but daylight was in short supply at the end of the day, and we still had a castle to find.
Not really a tourist site, it's more like castle hunters or Crawfords like me,
who seek this ruined castle out. We found the wee village of Crawford,
which mind you, claims to be one of the most haunted towns in the UK...
but no sign of any castle.
Whilst coming across a group of ladies packing up what looked like a town meeting,
or bingo...😉
we stopped to ask directions, not only to the Castle, but also I knew of a cemetery
that was connected to Crawford, and I was super eager to explore that as well.
After doing my best to decipher their heavy Scottish accents,
we were on our way to our destination! I knew there was an adjacent site that is classified now as the modern day Castle Crawford,
built with the rubble from the original site,
but it is more of a farmhouse, opposite the ruin.
I adore this photo. Think I'll find a wall in our house for this...
I did have in my mind's eye, an image of how little actually remained of the ancient Castle,
so I wasn't disappointed when we came across what was left.
We found our way through the paddock gate, dodged some sheep,
and strode over thick undergrowth to get up to the hill where the ruins remain.
Honey, I'm hoooome!
I made sure I was wearing my Crawford tartan!
It has a fabulous history too!
This site was first occupied by the Romans back in 80AD,
however the Castle wasn't built till 1175. William Wallace himself captured the castle in 1297 (his mother was Margaret Crawford)
and in the 1500's King James V used it as a hunting lodge and a place to take his mistress!
Such a perfect spot.
Overlooking the bend in the River Clyde, with the tiny village of Crawford just beyond.
So great to be able to share this with Trev.
❤️💚
"I will give you safety through strength." I like that.
Now, where's that cemetery?
That's a really good question.
We had NO IDEA!
Those ladies in Crawford mentioned something about it being between
Crawford and a place all I can recall was starting with 'A'.
So checking on our Sat Nav, we found a town about 20 minutes north, Called Abingdon.
That's the one!
However, upon arrival, there was no sign of a cemetery, anywhere around town,
or along the way either...
With diminishing light, but not being deterred, we pulled up at a tiny local store
so I could pop in and ask directions.
It was quite funny going up to the very Scottish shopkeeper and saying in my typical
Aussie accent: "G'day, I have a really random question for ya...I'm a Crawford,
and I'm wondering if there is a Crawford cemetery around here somewhere?"
So the lady bypassed me and called out to another customer in the shop and asked her if she knew where is was (or what I was talking about more like it!)
Low and behold, this lovely lady said, "Yes, I know where it is, but it's a little tricky to find. I'm going past that way on my way home now, if you'd like to follow me,
I'll point it out for you."
Brilliant!!!!
So I hustled back to the car, and just said to Trev, "Follow that car!"
A few minutes later we pulled over at the entrance to a farm, and the lady got out of her car and proceeded to point the way.
We had to literally drive through the private farm gates,
to get down to the cemetery, which was completely hidden from the road.
Spot Trev amongst the gorgeous autumn trees!
Once through the trees, over a tiny creek and through the wee gated entrance,
it opened out to gorgeous serene fields of just sheep and cows, and a babbling brook.
I'm so grateful and appreciative of the kindness from that local lady,
as we would never have had a hope of finding it ourselves.
It was almost a spooky kind of light now as we started looking at these seriously old tombstones, that required the light of our of phones just to be able to read them.
It actually made for some beautiful photos.
I spotted the name 'CrawfordJohn' here, but learnt that is another township, not a person.
I don't know why I was expecting it to full of Crawfords...
Its silly really, it was just the name of the town. So as we kept looking and reading all the tombstones, I was getting quite dejected that I couldn't find a single Crawford. But of course, we found two Watsons didn't we?!
(That's Trev's family name.) Typical. 😆
With it getting rather dark now, we decided to come back again in the morning,
to continue our search. And fingers crossed for decent weather to do it in.
Back to our Narrow Hotel, for a wholesome feed of homemade pie,
and a good night's sleep.
Tomorrow we have a long drive back to York, so it'll be an early start,
to backtrack north first - to finish my quest (hopefully) at the cemetery.
Hey, fun fact I learnt from our Welsh friends a few weeks back:
What is the difference between a graveyard and a cemetery? It can only be called a graveyard if it is on hallowed ground; ie: a church.
A cemetery is in a public place.
Ta-darr!
---
My prayers were answered, (no, not the Northern Lights ),
but the new day broke with no rain, for the time being, yet still freezing.
So back to the cemetery we went, and guess who found a Crawford grave right at the beginning of our new search?
In what appeared to be the oldest part of the cemetery that we missed yesterday...
Of course - it was Trev.
👍😆
So I popped our colours over them, and spent a quiet moment of reflection,
just being there.
And here's a moment of 'Six degrees of separation' - more like one actually:
Upon returning to Australia, I posted these photos on a Scottish page I follow, and one lady replied "Hi Mandy, I was the local you met in the shop and showed you the way!"
How amazing was that?!
It was wonderful to continue our conversation privately,
and I got to truly thank her for her generosity, and offered our assistance or company any time should she visit our side of the world.
🇦🇺❤️🏴
Onwards towards York, good man! I mean Trev! (Same-same.) Just prior to crossing the border back into England, we stopped for lunch at the famous, and very touristy spot, Gretna Green.
It's what you do, hey?
Known back in its day as where young couples stole themselves away to elope,
'getting hitched' at the Old Blacksmith's workshop.
Today it is a full on production, huge restaurant, expensive shop,
and you can pay to go and see the old Smithy's workshop.
I did that back in the day of my Contiki trip - we even had a mock wedding,
so it wasn't something Trev was really needing (or wanting) to pay to go and see.
After 35 years together, we're good.
And one last piper to send us on our way.
Bye-bye Scotland, you'll live forever in my heart.
😩🏴❤️
~
We were considering 'swinging by' the very popular 'Lakes district',
but that wasn't really a place you should just 'swing by'. It was going to add hours to our day, and considering we have witnessed some mighty fine lochs in Bonnie Scotland, we decided to high-tail cross country to York,
where we have two last nights before hitting London again.
Trev loves York.
It has become his favourite city in the UK. If you love history, food and shopping, you'll love York too.
After eventually managing to find the obscure car rental return depot,
we finally dropped off our last hire car for the trip, and now are free. Free to be hauling ALL our bags upstairs, lol.
If we've learnt one thing on this 7 week trip:
PACK LESS!
Even though we were packing for a cold climate, we still had too much. All good, only a train and a couple of flights for us now.
We now caught a cab as close as we could to our next accomodation,
considering how much of the old town is pedestrian only.
I had booked right in the heart of The Shambles,
and super close to the famous York Minster Cathedral,
which we loved so much first time here.
And whilst I may have screwed up our Halloween party tickets,
I must say, I've nailed this trip, hotel wise. I used Booking.com and Air BNB, and without fail, its been spot on.
This time we had to type in a code outside our unit to get in,
but not having checked my email, oops, and not having roaming wifi,
I kind of stuffed up, but just for a second.
I jumped on a daily roaming, rang the number at front door,
and a young lass was on the spot in a jiffy.
But wait - it does get better. She had an upgrade for us, just around the corner.
Yes, it was five flights of stairs, omg, which she literally grabbed our heavy bags and raced up, with us looking at each other, feeling totally old and ashamed...
but she opened our own top floor apartment!
Lounge room, full kitchen, separate bedroom, toilet and shower room. It was brilliant. Even came with a set of ear plugs, which I though was cute -
how did she know Trev snored sometimes?
Not me - never ...😬🤥
It wasn't for our noise as it turned out.
We were above a nightclub that closed at 2am.
Joy. But aside from that, the room and location was first rate! Just use ear plugs - or even better, join in the fun and stay out till 2! Yeah - nah.
The Shambles.
The heart and soul of York, besides the glorious Cathedral, is the Shambles.
A cobblestoned old town area, originally used as mainly a meat market,
and now-a-days its jam packed with curiosity stores
(all jumping on the Harry Potter bandwagon),
souvenir stores, restaurants, bars and delicious bakeries.
And not just those.
I bought my favourite fragrance products in the world from 'The White Company',
which happened to be opposite our hotel (OMG, win!)
and we also tried out some Hemp oil, for Trev's bad shoulder. There's literally something for everyone here.
What's not to love?
And just now, as I'm writing this up,
I'm browsing again through my 38 year old Contiki album,
and I found the only two photos I took of the Shambles back then
(remember, it was on film, so you didn't waste them...😉)
were taken pretty much in the same spot I did on this trip.
Trippyyyyyyyyyyyy...
Check them out!
The differences are not that extraordinary really, just that the old ones are a little sepia-like. I tried to tidy up the editing a little, colour wise, and cropped the new shot to match up.
But pretty amazing really, to stumble across this and recognise the similarities!
WOW.
We had a lovely two nights here. Checking out the York Minster again,
getting one good shot, and one silly one.
We also enjoyed an historical walking tour of the city, I think this may have been free,
or not much at all...so many walking tours here, just take your pick. Such a long history...Romans, Vikings, countrymen, sorry, couldn't resist the pun.
And not forgetting, the UK delicacy of a deep fried Mars Bar... I promised myself to try one before we left the UK.
They are often served in fish 'n' chips shops, but don't rush,
they look like a sweet battered turd if you ask me. Way to ruin a good chocolate bar I reckon. I had one bite, but Trev finished it, and the deep fried fruit mince pie too!
🤮
And lastly finding a few last minute purchases to shove down our
walking boots for safe keeping, and that's York, take 2, done and dusted.
(We did heaps here 2 weeks ago...)
Love this town.
Next stop: LONDON.
*Note to self: Don't forget NOT to pack the hemp oil for our flight... 😬
---
We had a fairly early train to catch, but you never know until the day arrives,
whether or not your train is going to be there.
The UK has been enduring train strikes here for nearly 2 years.
We are so lucky that none affected our travels - the only missed train was due to the horrendous storms and flooding a couple of weeks ago.
HELLO LONDON, again.
This being our last night our our trip, I splurged on a hotel with a view to die for. My favourite bridge in the world. And our room had the view I was after. Amazing.
We started this whole trip with 2 nights in a Dubai hotel with a view of the Burj Khalifa,
and we end with this.
Stunning, and very grateful.
So it was back to the Borough Markets again for a look, but it was too crowded to bother to eat there this time, so we made our way to a pub for a Sunday Roast instead - much better! Trev loves his roasts, and what better way to round out our culinary journey around the UK?
It's actually Guy Fawkes night tonight, AKA 'Bonfire night' and I was hoping to see some fireworks around this amazing skyline, but alas, they are done more in the outer suburbs.
We did however, have tickets for one last thing to do: and that's a
'Jack the Ripper' walking tour!
Seeing that we are fairly close to where it all happened,
it was a quite a freaky yet interesting thing to do, and learn about.
It was also free!
Whilst we were waiting to start the tour, I was getting so many alerts on my phone that the Northern Lights were going off like a rocket, ALL over the UK. Like Red alerts - which means visible to the naked eye all over the place.
All you needed was a cloudless sky, and no bright city lights.
Well, of all places for us to be in.
We honestly missed out on what ended up being the best display in years.
Bugger!!!!
I was seeing all these amazing Aurora photos coming up on the site I follow, so I thought I'd just chime in with my view of the Northern Lights over the Tower of London.
Best I could offer. I thought it was funny anyway! 😆
But the Jack The Ripper tour was really interesting.
Very gory facts though. Our guide was extremely well versed in the history of it all,
and we definitely came away with our idea of 'whodunnit'.
We ended up having quite a long walk back to the hotel, along the same streets that
The Ripper stalked - quite eerie, but we made it. 😮💨
Our last night , but we are going to pack what we can in tomorrow,
as we don't have to leave the hotel till 3pm.
---
So, squeezing out every last drop, this morning's visits were all about
Trev's huge interest...he's a WW2 buff. Like huge.
Our two destinations were up the other end of the Thames from our hotel,
so we chose to grab the Uber ferry to Westminster and walk from there.
First stop, was just around the corner from No 10 Downing street: The Churchill War Rooms. Trev heaven.
Churchill's bedroom/office.
Where he slept if he wasn't in the actual Map Room. This, below, is where it all happened.
You know, when the war was over, they literally just closed the doors on this bunker location, and everything there is completely original, in its original state -
all they added was the mannequins.
Me?
I decided to let Trev get a head start on me, so I wandered across the street to
St James' Park, so I could get what I thought was a great shot of Buckingham Palace.
Not as great as I had seen online, but I enjoyed the glorious sunshine in this beautiful location, watching and interacting with a bunch of adorable squirrels along the way.
I did come back to the War Rooms and took those shots,
and really got a solid grip of how insane this time in the world was.
From here we wandered, quite a ways actually, over to the Imperial War Museum.
This is somewhere for people who have an avid interest in this sort of history.
Trev visited here quite a few years ago, but still enjoyed it all over again. Another free exhibit for all to see.
And never forget.
Leaving here and heading back towards the Thames, I noticed this in the distance, and I recalled having had seen pictures of what was inside, so I asked Trev to wait a sec, as I popped over to check it out.
One look inside confirmed what I thought it was, and I whistled Trev over.
Leake Street Graffiti tunnels have become quite the attraction,
as its where graffiti has found a home, despite still officially being banned in London. Located under Waterloo station, these abandoned arches have seen a pop/urban art revival, and its a place now to hang out in a festival vibe when its busy.
It was pretty empty when we saw it, which was better for photos, that's for sure.
And that's where we have to leave it, it's time for us to go home. To say this trip has been epic, would be an understatement. We loved every part of the UK. We loved catching up with great friends.
Stay tuned for some epic trips in 2024!
CIAO.
Mx
