It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in Scotland for only a
little over a week. We’ve packed a lot
of sightseeing into that time. We began
in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, and spent two days roaming around the
majestic old stone city. On the Royal
Mile, in the heart of the Old Town, we happened upon a wedding with the
handsome groom and best man outfitted in kilts (pictured below); got glimpses of fancy cars - a
bright red Ferrari and an Asti Martin, owned by Sikh men from India, it
appeared; heard bagpipes, of course, being played along the street; looked out
over the ramparts at Edinburgh Castle; listened to sweet choral music in
medieval St. Giles Church, where we also saw mention of our Murray ancestors,
dating back to the 1500’s.
The handsome groom and best man - in kilts!
We ate the obligatory – and delicious - fish ‘n chips and
drank pints of Guinness beer, that smooth, creamy mother’s milk of
libations. The "full Scottish" breakfast at our B & B was very full indeed, comprised of eggs, potato patties, sausage, bacon, baked beans, roast tomato, and toast - plus juice and coffee/tea, of course, as well as fruit if one wished. Enough to fuel hours of touring! It must be noted that
Scottish food has improved tremendously in recent years, often offering fresh
local products served in creative ways.
I had a fantastic smoked salmon and fish chowder one evening. I haven’t
had the wherewithal to try haggis or blood pudding yet, but that’s a goal while
we’re here.
This fish chowder was YUMMY1
On Saturday evening Dori, Bruce, and I went looking for
traditional music at a pub. We found it,
but the pub was packed with locals, putting us too far from the fiddler to
hear any music. Dori, who drinks
nothing stronger than ginger beer, made her way through the crowd to request
the song, Maggie, and, being asked to sing a few lines, made her Scottish
singing debut. Bruce and I, tucked away
in a corner, missed it!
Dori and Bruce at Belle's Pub in Edinburgh.
The next day, Sunday, we all toured the botanical gardens,
as we had done a couple of times in Ooty, India. It was a sunny, brisk day and lots of families
wandered the hilly terrain, past clumps of daffodils and among the 700
varieties of rhododendrons. Highlights
for us included the experimental organic garden and hoop houses, which got
Bruce and me itching to do our own gardening at home; the Queen Mother’s Garden,
where a lovely tiny building was filled with artfully displayed seashells and
pine cones collected by the children of Scotland; the fairy wood – we ARE in a
Celtic land - with its hidden miniature doors on trees; the beautiful, delicate glass house where
tropical plants are flourishing (we didn’t need to see any more of those and so
skipped the tour); and finally, an extensive and inspiring outdoor visual display
of the dire environmental state of our world – with ideas of various solutions
and a website. The theme was Bob Dylan’s
song, Hard Rain, which was being broadcast in that area. All in all, a dynamic and delightful place,
the traditional mixed with the whimsical, the practical, and the timely. And not
one stranger asked to take our photo!
Seashells collected by Scottish children to honor and remember Queen Mother Elizabeth, who was born in Scotland.
The graceful glass house with the outdoor environmental display. You can find out more at www.hardrainproject.com.
That evening Dori, Dan, and I toured Mary King’s Close, an alleyway off the ancient Royal Mile. The close dates back to medieval times. Although it has been covered with street level buildings, underground it follows the steep slant of the hillside and extends downward for many stories. It was pretty interesting to hear about life in the severely overcrowded houses that had lined the alleyway. Much mention was made of the smelly, noxious human and animal waste that had washed downhill to the lake at the foot of the street. And that explains why the relatively wealthy Mary King lived high up in the original 11-story building!
On Monday we checked out of our lovely B & B and picked up our
rental car. The rental agent pushed a
Mercedes Benz on us, which is both a delight and a curse here in frugal Scotland. We headed west. Our destination was the tiny settlement of
Crianlarich, one of the villages on the hiking trail known as the West Highland
Way. Dori and I had plans to hike a six
mile portion of the trail.
As we drove past the bright green fields of sheep with their
baby lambs close by, past the cold blue lochs (lakes) and the beautiful sweeping,
wide-open vistas of high mountains, Dori and I began our litany of superlatives. Bruce and Dan at first mocked us, and then a
few superlatives began creeping into their own reactions to the amazing scenery
unfolding before us. Along the way, we
spotted a sign directing us to the grave of Rob Roy. Remember the movie with hunky Liam Neeson? We
detoured to the grave and found it in the churchyard of a charming old stone
church out in the countryside.
The churchyard where we found Rob Roy's grave. The tiny dots in the background are sheep!
It was 4 pm when we
arrived in Tyndrum, and Dori and I set out on our 6 mile trek. Normally, in Maine in April, that would be a ridiculous
time to begin a hike, but in the highlands of Scotland, where dusk lingers and
doesn’t become fully dark until 9pm, it was only a little crazy. Although the temperature was chilly, there
were patches of blue sky and we felt lucky to not have rain. We bundled up in
many layers, found the trail, and began our adventure. The trail followed a small stream initially,
then crossed a government experimental farm and into a sheep pasture. We were careful to close the gates securely, and
then we became sheep paparazzi, our cameras whirring at the sight of those cute wooly creatures.
Standing next to our elegant Mercedes, Dori and I are bundled up and ready for our hike on the West Highland Way.
Never ones to pass a cemetery, the ruins of a 13th century priory and nearby graveyard captured our imaginations and slowed us down a bit. The estimated time for this portion of the trail was 4-5 hours. However, we figured that two old ladies with cameras should add an hour or more!
Along the trail
Never ones to pass a cemetery, the ruins of a 13th century priory and nearby graveyard captured our imaginations and slowed us down a bit. The estimated time for this portion of the trail was 4-5 hours. However, we figured that two old ladies with cameras should add an hour or more!
The mountains around us were in the 1000 meter range. Some were capped with snow and were absolutely majestic. Although the trail did not ascend the mountains, it certainly ranged much higher than we had anticipated. We huffed and puffed, up and up, higher and higher, through lovely, moist woods covered in moss, across stream after stream rushing downward. It was pretty cold, and I was lucky to have Dori’s gloves and Bruce’s cap. Dori was toasty warm in too many layers of hoodies and jackets. Finally the trail began to descend, as we knew that it must at some point, and we both picked up the pace, concerned that our husbands would be worrying. The light was just about gone when we reached Crianlarich and made our way, in a cold drizzle, along the highway to our rural B & B. Dinner with the guys at a hostel across the road was the most delicious steamed salmon, with a coal fire in the fireplace and the host plucking out tunes on his mandolin. Couldn’t have been lovelier!
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