Scotland

Starting to get into some areas with clitchy wifi....posts will come as wifi allows!

One last view of Stirling as we head northwest. Spectacular!! William Wallace Monument from Stirling Castle.

We headed away from the city and into nature....

The Village of Luss and it's Viking hogsnack grave from 1260!

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park with stops at the Falls of Falloch. The waterfall and pool of water below the falls are know as Rob Roy's bath tub.

Into the Highlands! Notice the sign is in both English and Scottish Gaelic.

While we saw quite a few lochs today, it was very cool to see one full of islets! There are more than 30,000 😯 freshwater lochs in Scotland!

Next we turned off the main road into Glen Etive and a single track with "passing spaces" along with a few hundred others it felt like!! The weather is fab - 70s and 🌞 all day long - so everyone is out enjoying it!! This and the fact it was Saturday meant we got a bit jammed up! The views were beautiful tho....in fact, some of the scenes from "Skyfall" were filmed here.

From here things started to get really jammed up at viewpoints so we saw a couple of things on the go...like the Wee House of Glen Coe and the Three Sisters.

Because we drove on past the crazy full viewpoints we found the Highland Titles Nature Reserve and we had it all to ourselves!! 🥳 Lovely little hike! The reserve has rehab facilities for wild Scottish cats and hedgehogs!

A quick sighting of Castle Stalker - 14th century, 4 story tower or keep that sits on a tidal islet on Loch Laich. It was used as Castle Aaargh in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Had a lovely dinner and then on into Oban and our little spot for two nights. They styled it as a "bothy". Actual bothys are found in remote areas of Scotland. They are basic, unlocked structures hikers, walkers or any one needing shelter overnight.Leggi altro

We left our little AB&B twice as our hostess, Joanna, figured out we forgot Richard's walking sticks. We didn't mind turning back as the drive is just so lovely. (Video 1)

Stop 1. Croft Moraig Stone Circle. This is a double stone circle, making it a bit unusual!! It appears to have been built in 3 phases...starting in 3000 BC.

Stop 2. Black Watch Memorial and River Tay Bridge. The bridge was built in 1733 as past of a network of military roads. Black Watch was a regiment that started in 1667 and was part of the effort to keep the peace in the Highlands.

Stop 3. The Hermitage. A part of the national forest and managed by the National Trust Scotland. A wonderful little hike along the River Braan to Black Linn Falls with the sun shining through the trees and the birds singing. So peaceful!

Stop 4. The Birnam Sycamore and Birnam Oak - two amazingly old trees in Birnam Wood (yes, the Shakespeare speaks of in McBeth). The Sycamore is "only" 300 years old while the Oak is as old as 600 years! We could have beautiful old trees too if we'd quit chopping them all down!!

Stop 5. Dunkeld and Cathedral drive by...the area was extremely congested and parking was not available so I snapped a pic and we moved on.

Stop 6. Meikleour Beech Hedge is over 100 ft tall and 1700 ft long! A fun oddity! 🌿🌿

Stop 7. Scone Palace - where Kings have been crowned. This is not rin by the National Trust and was a bit underwhelming. It did not manage to "pull you in" as Cawdor Castle, for example. The actual Stone of Destiny is on display at a museum in Perth. The best part were the peacocks wandering the grounds. Oh, and the cute painted coo. 🦚🐂

Stop 8. Dunfermline Abbey and Palace, Pittencrieff Park and
Andrew Carnegie's Birthplace --
We ended up doing a good bit here. The Palace is now a ruin but the Abbey's Nave is still in quite good shape. It is from the 12th century and is the oldest part of the Abbey. The top of the tower is interesting as it uses each side to spell out: KING - ROBERT - THE - BRUCE.

We walked around the grounds and into town and through Pittencrieff Park. This is a large, park with wooded areas and large open fields. Andrew Carnegie was born across the street from the park. We toured the home and learned a bit about Jacquard Handloom weaving. Carnagie's father was a weaver. Amazingly, these machines worked on the same principle as the early punch cards did with computers!
After Andrew made his fortune,
he bought Pittencrieff Park and then gifted it to Dunfermline.

Stop 9. Edinburgh. Well, technically, we are in Leath this time in a place along the Firth of Forth. Pub dinner and off to bed...we climb Arthur's Seat in the morning!Leggi altro