Scotland's Castles, Wineries and St. Andrews Golf Course ...

Scotland, famous for its historic castles, highland games, a hard to understand dialect, and hundreds of whisky distilleries was a great destination for a week’s holidays.

In more recent news, the country held a referendum on Scottish independence where 55% of the population voted for the country to remain part of the United Kingdom.

The vote has been held and off over the years, and the 2013 vote was the closest the country has come to becoming an independent nation.

During our visit we stayed near the town of Aberfoyle – a small community on the outskirts of Edinburgh.  Driving through the rolling countryside we saw herds of sheep, craggy looking trees and quaint country homes. Visiting Aberfoyle’s tourist center we learned which local distilleries we should visit.  We were also encouraged to drop into their wool shop where we saw more versions of plaid scarves and kilts than we would have ever imagined.

We toured Aberfoyle’s local cemetery. Here we learned why the guard house was situated at its entrance. The cemetery’s brick walls, railings and its watchtower were to guard against the local grave robbers who would take the bodies of the dearly departed and deliver them to Edinburgh’s medical school to help students in anatomy class.

On our way to tour Glasgow’s cathedral we stumbled upon the Old College Bar. We learned this charming pub, at risk of being shut down for being structurally unsound, has been serving drinks since the early 1800s.  Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to drop into the bar since it was too early in the day for drinks and it was still shuttered shut.

The 13th century Glasgow cathedral is the most intact historic building in the land.  It was a quiet morning when we visited and the friendly guide working that day was more than happy to tour us around the gothic building with its striking stained glass windows. Our guide pointed out that the Queen of England attended service at the cathedral in 2012 and sat in her royal chair.  We got a chance to sit in the royal chair too! Sadly, there was little fuss made surrounding our arrival and the overall experience was a little underwhelming.

We spent a day in the historic city of Stirling. Its castle was built in the 1500’s for King James V. The castle looks like a fortress perched high on the hilltop, surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs.  Inside, the Royal Palace we saw its great hall, chapel and grand courtyard. The place was filled with hand woven tapestries and lavish period furnishings which ensured the royal family were comfortable during their stay at the castle!

In the courtyard of Stirling castle there is a monument to clan leader Rob Roy. A notorious outlaw, Rob Roy made a living beyond the law, raiding properties, and is often referred to as Scotland’s Robin Hood. After several successes evading the efforts of the British army to capture him, he finally returned to the family’s cattle ranching business to live out his twilight years.

Before leaving Stirling we toured Argyll’s Lodging – a 17th century townhouse on the path to Stirling Castle. The location of the property gave its aristocratic owner ready access to the castle. While there were various additions over the years, the principal rooms of the house remained unchanged and gave us a good picture of how the noblemen serving the royal court lived.

Our trip to the capital city of Edinburgh included a visit to its castle.  Recognized as a world heritage site in the mid 1990s, we learned that since the 17th century the castle has been used primarily as a military barracks. 

One of smallest buildings in the castle’s courtyard is St. Margaret’s Chapel which dates back to the 12th century. Surrounded by cobble stones, considered one of the oldest buildings in the city, and offering panoramic views of the city below, it was originally built as a private chapel for the royal family. Today the chapel can be hired today to host wedding ceremonies. Within the walls of the royal palace we also heard the one o’clock gun shot. The gun has been fired every day since 1861 and lets everyone far and wide know the time of day.  

St Andrews Castle has been by turns a fortress, palace and prison. It is largely ruined, battered from centuries of wars, sieges and high tides, but remains a fascinating visit on any trip to St Andrews. St Andrews Castle has an infamous “bottle dungeon” and the underground mine and countermine are well-preserved evidence of the castle’s medieval past.

St Andrews Cathedral dominated the history of the medieval church in Scotland from its construction in the 12th century until the Protestant Reformation in 1560.  Scotland’s largest and most magnificent medieval church, it has occupied a site used for worship since the 8th century AD, when the relics of St Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint, are said to have been brought there.

The town of St. Andrews is also home to the University where the Duke and Duchess,

William and Kate studied. And, golf as we know it today originated on what is now

known as the Old Course at St Andrews. Developing from a narrow strip of land, the links evolved into the largest public golf course in Europe.

We didn’t officially play a round of golf while we were there, however we did take a

picture on it’s infamous bridge. While there are bridges that are longer, carry more traffic and may be more majestic in their construction, none are as famed, or have borne the weight of more history than the little stone crossing named Swilcan Bridge. The Bridge was built to provide easy crossing over the narrow waterway below. Today the bridge is a favourite stopping point at the end of a round for golfers wanting their picture taken. Rounds of golfs at the Open Championship have been stopped in play to allow players to close their career with a photo opportunity at this infamous little Bridge. 

A visit to Scotland isn’t complete without a trip to a distillery. We visited Glengoyne Distillery. It is one of a handful of stills that were given a license to produce whisky due to the quality of whisky it produced. Known for having the slowest distillation process in Scotland, its traditional approach to whisky production has changed very little since it began producing whisky close to 200 years ago.

Rosslyn Chapel, a family owned place of worship since it was built in 1446, is covered with carvings. History has long debated whether these carvings hold clues to a secret code.   The legend of the Chapel is that the treasure of the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail, is said to be stowed in a vault buried deep in the walls of the building.

Wrapping up our holiday, we spent the weekend in London before returning home to Canada.  We toured the usual landmarks, including a stroll through the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

One of our favourite stops in London is a trip to Westminster Abbey. A work of architectural genius, a burial place of kings, poets, and musicians, the stained glass figures lining the walls of this building are breathtaking.

A couple of the most recognizable sights in London are Big Ben’s clock tower which has kept time on the grounds of the Houses of Parliament since the 1880s and, another more contemporary landmark, the London Eye which was built on the River Thames in 1999.  Publicly accessible, visitors can climb aboard the London Eye for a view of the city below.

All in all another terrific visit to the United Kingdom!