In August 2017 I flew to Glasgow, Scotland to spend over 3 weeks driving around Scotland. The first two weeks will be driving around mostly the North Highlands area. Then the last week will be in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and a day flight to Belfast to meet up with some people I work with. I had a 7-hour flight from Chicago to London, then I transferred planes to get to Glasgow, Scotland. I knew it was a good sign when the pilot crew to Glasgow was Ian MacDonald and Jim Jolly (I just had to write that down when I heard their names). I've been awake about 34 hours, but got some sleep on the plane but not really sure how much. I know I will probably sleep about 12 hours the first night there and be in pretty good shape starting the first full day here.
I drove the scenic southern coastal road the first day. It goes along the coast through a series of small quaint towns. It rained, so I got the full Scotland experience. But, I was able to take a tour of an underground turbine in a power plant. Underground? Great, the weather didn't matter. I just happened upon this, unplanned. That was actually very interesting, a giant underground power plant like something you would see in a James Bond movie. Unfortunately no photographs could be taken there. I stayed in the coastal town of Oban and was able to walk around the nearby 13th century Dunstaffnage Castle.
I know, you heard about a power plant and castle and probably already have lost interest. But don't give up just yet. But first... I left Oban and continued even further north, and crossed into the Highlands officially. Woohoo! I stopped in the historic town of Fort William, which actually has a real nice old town centre. And now for what you've been waiting for. If you have read this far, the big payoff - Loch Ness!
I spent a day driving around Loch Ness. Even went to the Loch Ness Exhibit Centre in Drumnadrochit, the Hub of the Loch Ness monster search. I don't know what the issue is, I found Nessie in all of the gift shops. One of the famous views of Loch Ness is from the 13th century Urquhart Castle perched directly on the Loch Ness shore. If you go, remember there is limited parking at Urquhart Castle, and if it is full they wave you on and there is no easy way to turn around and go back. I got lucky and got there early so I got a parking spot. The loop around Loch Ness is about 67 miles (107 kilometres), the bad thing is that there is not a lot of stops along the way. Most of that driving doesn't include a view of the Loch either, but it is very wooded with only a few viewpoints. You pretty much take every opportunity to stop when you can, crowds permitting. BTW: Nary a sighting of the monster by me.
I drove the West Coast scenic Highlands drive to the pretty fishing village of Ullapool, founded in 1788. It's famous for its whitewashed buildings. I really just wanted everyone to have fun saying - 1, 2, 3 -'Ullapool'... There have been quite a few small towns I drove through, but finally civilization. The city of Inverness is the northernmost city in the UK and is located on the River Ness. The Inverness Castle overlooks the river, and was built in 1836. It's not open to the public, and only this past April did they open the tower as an observation point. I personally think the view is better from down on the ground.
When I left Inverness, I drove north. And drove north. And drove north. Sure, you all know about John O'Groats. But that's not the northernmost point of mainland UK, however it is the more popular and touristy point in the UK. The attraction is that it is the furthest northern point from the most southern point of Land's End, but not the most northerly point (I was at Land's End in 2012). I did go to John O'Groats and take my picture though, not missing that opportunity. Been there, done that. So, I continued north to Dunnet Head, the real most northerly point of mainland UK. If all of that made sense to you, I'm guessing you're one of the few people who enjoy reading my travel stories. BTW: I spent the night in the town of Wick. This town has the Guinness World Record of the shortest street in the world - Ebenezer Place, which measures 2.05 metres (6 feet 9 inches) long. Where do I find this stuff?
Still way up in northern Scotland, I took a tour of the Castle of Mey which was the home of the Queen Mother. Amazingly, it was built about 1572 and is located on the seashore overlooking the Pentland Firth and the Orkney Islands. It was really interesting to go through since it actually is a home and everything in it was bought by the Queen Mother. Not really fancy inside, but just a home. They have a lot of photographs of her in the home and you can see everything as it was when she lived there is the same. Heading south and east, along the east coast of Scotland, I spent the night in the town of Elgin. They pronounce the 'g' like the 'g' in 'get'. So, try saying it again - 'Elgin'. They talk funny here...
I've been driving all week around the north and east coast of Scotland. I knew it would eventually happen, I had an entire day of leisurely driving along the coast, and I stopped in a few small towns along the way before reaching the city of Aberdeen. Sadly, no other Guinness Records or extreme geographic points, only beautiful scenery. Bummer... Aberdeen is Scotland's 3rd largest city, is on the North Sea, and has a great town centre for walking around. There are several 15th to 17th century buildings all centrally located.
Near Aberdeen is Balmoral Castle. Sadly, Balmoral Castle is not open to the public this time of year because the royal family is on summer holiday there. But, I thought I might be able to see the castle anyway and maybe get a picture in the distance. The drive from Aberdeen to Balmoral Castle is scenic, with part of it being in the Cairgorms National Park. It follows the river Dees and is called the Royal Deeside Tour. Yea, yea, blah blah... Whoa! I got to Balmoral about 10 minutes before the royal family procession of cars left the church, which is just across the street. I actually saw the Queen and Prince Charles and probably a bunch of other royal people who I don't even know. Not a large group of tourists there which seemed odd, since I assume this is a weekly occurrence while they're up here. I was able to take a picture with my mobile of the two cars coming towards me. Then switched to my good camera to get a video of them driving right past me and doing the royal wave. No more than four or five feet away from me. Way, way, cool...
Well, after such an exciting day of seeing the Queen and Prince Charles, nothing could really top that. But, I have two more weeks left.
I made a stop in the town of Stonehaven, to see Dunnottar Castle. It's a castle ruins perched high on the cliff with dramatic views all around. Had a wee bit of a drizzle today for part of the drive, and fairly cloudy the rest of the day. This was probably the worst weather day I've had in Scotland so far. I feel like I have finally arrived in Scotland.
BTW: Did I mention I saw the Queen and Prince Charles the day before?
I spent a day around the town of Dundee, with the main destination to see Glamis Castle (it's pronounced like 'Glams'). Completed in 1445, this is the home where Queen Elizabeth was raised. They had a very nice 50-minute tour of the castle. I got there for the first tour, and I was the only one on the tour when it started. They eventually found 3 Italian people to join the tour after it started with just me. Ironically, the tour guide said that was very unusual to have so few people, it was almost like a private tour. When the next tour started there were about 25 people in it, so it was really nice to have just the 4 of us in the tour.
So much Scottish coastline, St Andrews has some spectacular views on the North Sea. St Andrews is famously known for all of its golf courses, but I had no interest in that. You can pretty much see grass all over Scotland. What you don't always see is a 12th century Castle and Cathedral. However, the Cathedral is only ruins. You can't blame me; they were like this when I got here. Incredibly, the weather has been great except for those few days of rain. I really wish I had brought some suntan lotion. Who knew?
With the way I travel, I thought I would clarify there is a Perth, Scotland and I was there (it is nowhere near Perth, Australia). It is situated on the River Tay, and has a nice old town centre and pedestrian zone along with many medieval buildings. Perth was once the capital of medieval Scotland, so there is a lot of history here. The 'Perth Bridge' spanning the River Tay was built in 1771, or as the locals call it 'the Auld Brig' (I thought they were referring to me)...
I found 'The Godfather' of all horse heads near the town of Falkirk. These are in fact the world's largest horse head sculptures according to Guinness World Records, standing at approximately 100 feet (30.5 metres) tall, they are called The Kelpies. The tour talks about the artist, how they were built, and then you go inside to see the structure of the sculpture. They are an iron frame with about 500 unique stainless-steel plates attached to it. Next time I play the game 'something you don't know about me', I can now say I have been in a horse's head.
The city of Stirling not only has a castle, but also has the William Wallace Monument. The Stirling Castle has a long history, with parts of the castle dating back to the 14th century. Many Scottish Kings and Queens were in this Castle. Because of how long it has been standing, it does have a rather random look to the various parts of it. The lovely old town still has the original 16th century walls surrounding it. High on a hill overlooking Stirling is the 220 foot (67 metre) tall National Wallace Monument. Completed in 1869, it is in tribute to William Wallace from the 13th century. FYI that's the Mel Gibson 1995 movie 'Braveheart'.
The remainder of my holiday was going to be in the cities of Edinburgh, Belfast, and Glasgow, so it was time to return the rental car. So, you all are thinking, how do you drive on the 'wrong' side of the road? Quite simply, I just do everything backwards. And remember too, it's a stick shift/manual transmission. In Edinburgh, my hotel is called Castle View and it is on Castle Street. I can actually see part of the castle from the window of my hotel room, and it is only a short distance walk to the castle. On the castle grounds, the chapel is from the 12th century, while many of the other buildings are from the 16th century. The Edinburgh Castle dominates the centre of the city and was built on a dormant volcano top 260 feet (80 metres) above the surrounding area. From there you also have phenomenal views overlooking the city, it is an imposing structure.
I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a ticket to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for one of the evenings I was in Edinburgh. It wasn't just a ticket, it was just below the Royal Box, padded seats and everything. I was amazed I was able to get such a perfect seat that was still available, since I only had purchased the ticket about a week earlier. Since I knew I would be getting back late to the hotel to compose my days travel notes, I thought I would put something together before the show saying how much I liked it blah blah blah. I ended up not doing that. Good thing. I wasn't quite sure what to expect sitting there for an hour and a half watching military bands perform. But, it's more than just that. Besides the music, they cast onto the Castle various displays, smoke, lasers, narration, sound effects, lights, props, fireworks, and the choreography of not just the band members but additional performers. It was pretty amazing! I had VIP seating with the Castle as the backdrop, the view was perfect. I don't know if you would have the same effect with a video as being there in person. It truly is a fully immersive experience and I would suggest you go if you get the chance. With that said, I don't think a photo can even capture everything that it is.
Scotland weather. What's up with that? I realize I have probably had really good weather here. These last couple weeks, when I was standing in one spot I could spin around and see blue skies, white puffy clouds, dark clouds, and rain clouds all in the same spot. Forget the weather changing in five minutes, it's swirling all around you constantly. I have often had to wait for the clouds to shift around so that I could get a nice photo. Since I've had to walk around Edinburgh the last couple days and I had the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo the other night, I've really watched the hourly weather the last 2 days. Both days had anywhere from 40% to 90% chance of rain throughout the days, however, every hour it would keep changing. Long story short (is that still possible at this point?), it did not rain the last two days here in Edinburgh.
This lovely Scottish weather afforded me to enjoy being outside and I saw Her Majesty's Yacht (HMY) Britannia, in use from 1954 to 1997. I also took a tour of Holyrood Palace at one end of the Royal Mile; it is from the 16th and 17th century and the official Scottish residence of The Queen. She spends one week in the summer here taking care of official duties in Scotland. Yes, she does have her mail forwarded but not sure if she leaves a light on. Of course, as we all know she is in Balmoral Castle right now, which is where I saw her...
I took a short flight from Edinburgh for the day to Belfast, Northern Ireland to have lunch with several of my work mates and see a little of the city. Going to Belfast is always a disaster, of Titanic proportions. More on this later...
I had originally planned to take a ferry from the west coast of Scotland, while I was in the area, to Belfast. My friend Colin said I should fly from Edinburgh or Glasgow instead. Sure enough, it was over a 2-hour ferry each way with the flight being less than 30 minutes and the prices about the same, so I flew there for the day. Colin graciously picked me up at the airport but I brought some lovely weather with me, you're welcome! Since Colin lives outside of city centre, my other friend, JP offered up his parking place at his city centre flat for Colin to park his car. Very convenient indeed.
We walked to the new to us Titanic Experience exhibit, which opened in 2012. It's an incredibly designed building with the four corners of the building shaped like the bow of a ship, but it has more than 4 sides, so it is unique. Lots of information and items about the Titanic, including a short ride inside that takes you up and down a couple levels.
Several of the people I work/worked with met up with us for lunch at McHughs, the oldest building in Belfast. I was able to go into the Belfast offices and visit with some of the people I work with that didn't make lunch. Also, nearby I saw the construction of the new office building they will be moving to next February.
We then proceeded to take a tour of the Crumlin Road Gaol (Prison). It was opened in 1846 and for the most part was unchanged until it closed in 1996. It's a massive prison with four wings that project out from a central core. We also found out the City Hall, finished in 1906, had a free tour and we were able to do that. I was actually able to sit in the chair of the Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Belfast in the Council Chamber. BTW: Since I was in charge of the city of Belfast for the day, I declared it 'My day'. That's ok if you didn't know, since I also declared it 'My week' you can celebrate anytime. We also walked through the pedestrian area in the centre of the town and I took some more pictures. Colin and I had a quick dinner before he drove me to the airport for my flight back to Edinburgh. Thanks everybody, especially Colin, for making it a great day.
My last stop was going to be Glasgow. I hopped on a short train ride from Edinburgh to Glasgow city centre. There are trains leaving about every 10 minutes and it's only about a 40-minute ride. My hotel and the train station are both very close to George Square in the Glasgow city centre. This is the heart of the city and home to the city chambers.
Glasgow is only second in shopping malls to London. This comes in handy when the weather outside is not too good, like it was one of my days in Glasgow, with a mix of clouds, rain, drizzle. Fortunately, there were long pedestrian streets, large shopping malls, restaurants, and other shops along all the main streets. So, I pretty much spent the day walking around the shopping malls in the town centre. I still managed to walk over 7 miles that day. The weather doesn't stop Glaswegians - that's people of Glasgow - from getting out and about. Buchanan Street, probably the main street of the whole city that connects a number of malls and other pedestrian streets has a lot to see.
On my last full day in Glasgow and for that matter Scotland, for now, weather was a bit better than yesterday, so I managed to walk almost 12 miles today. Part of this was walking along the River Clyde. A short distance from the city centre is the Glasgow Science Centre. There was also the Glasgow Tower, yet another Guinness World Record site (remember my other ones I mentioned?). At 127 metres (394 feet), it is the world's tallest fully rotating freestanding structure - whew, that's a lot of adjectives. They actually rotate it based on the wind direction.
Just as I was leaving my hotel to catch the bus to the airport, the 'Glasgow City Ride' was kicking off. It was starting in George Square, right by my hotel. I was told the Glasgow Lord Provost was doing the countdown, that would be like the mayor. There were probably several famous bike riders, but I couldn't get close enough to these celebrities.
Did I mention I saw The Queen and Prince Charles?
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