In May, my mom (Shirley) and I traveled to Scotland for a mother/daughter adventure. We were both excited for the trip which had been delayed a year due to Covid. Both of Shirley’s grandfathers (George Holmes and Clarence Hill) were from Scotland. For her, this was a trip to the motherland.
(Note: click on any image below to view at full screen.)
For our first day, I hired a driver to take us to St. Andrews to see the Old Course and Swilcan Bridge. On the way our driver stopped at the quaint little village of South Queensferry located on the Firth of Forth. It is a great spot to view the three bridges: Forth Rail, Forth Road, And Queensferry Crossing which opened in 1890, 1964 and 2017, respectively. This black house (above) really caught my eye.
Our first stop in St. Andrews was the Old Course. The Old Course is considered the “home of golf”. It dates back to early 15th century. Shirley is a golfer and it’s every golfer’s dream to walk across Swilcan Bridge like so many golf legends have done before. Pictured above - Shirley (who will turn 88 in December of this year) beaming as she stands on Swilcan Bridge. Definitely a bucket list moment! Once we finished at the Old Course we explored Edinburgh, did some shopping and had lunch.
Our final stop for the day was Falkland, Fife. This village was used to portray historic Inverness in the Outlander series. It is home to Falkland Palace a royal palace of Scottish Kings. It was a favorite place of Mary, Queen of Scots. The image on the left is the historic Maspie House. The image on the right is the Royal Tennis Court which was completed in 1541 and is located on the palace grounds. It is believed that King James V, Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI (James I England) played on the court which remains relatively unchanged today.
Our final day in Edinburgh was spent exploring the city. We started things off with a morning hike up Calton Hill to take in the view of the city (above); followed by an amazing breakfast at Noon Bar and Kitchen.
The Royal Mile is in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It starts at Edinburgh Castle and ends at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The area is brimming with people, restaurants, shops, churches, museums and entertainers. The sound of bag pipes fills the air from bagpipers in several locations. That sound alone, lets you know, you are in Scotland! (Left to right above: bagpiper | representative of the Picts - a group of people that lived north of Forth of Firth during the early Middle Ages | and Barrie’s Close one of the many closes or passageways in the area.)
After 2.5 days in Edinburgh our tour with Nordic Visitor started. Our Scottish guide/driver picked us up at our hotel wearing a kilt and formal jacket. He was accessorized with a kilt pin, high kilt socks and a sporran. Sporran derives from the Gaelic sporan which means wallet or purse. The sporran, a key feature of the Highland dress, is made of leather or fur and worn on a leather strap or chain about four to five inches below the top of the kilt.
Our first stop was the historic Dean Village on the Water of Leith. The village is an easy walk from Princess Street in Edinburgh. The Water of Leith or Uisge Lite (Gaelic) ultimately flows to the sea via the Firth of Forth. In its heyday, Village Dean, was home to a successful grain milling operation for over 800 years.
The Clava Cairns (located near Inverness) are one of Scotland’s most significant prehistoric sites. It’s a Bronze Age cemetery complex with passage graves, ring cairns and standing stones that date back about 4,000 years.
Eilean Donan Castle is located on Eilean Donan, which is the Scottish-Gaelic word for Donan Island. It is the most photographed castle in Scotland. It is situated in the western Highlands where three sea lochs flow together (Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh). The image above was taken during this trip, on a rainy day, at low tide while the image below was taken in the fall of 2018 at high tide.
The Sligachan Old Bridge, with the Cullin Hills as a backdrop, is located on the Isle of Skye, and was built between 1810 and 1818. Today it is only used by pedestrians and cyclists.
The Hogwarts Express or Jacobite Train travels over the Glenfinnan Viaduct. For anyone who is a fan of the Harry Potter series or trains in general - this steam engine is a must see! The images below are the views if you look in the opposite direction of the viaduct. An old structure on the hill (below right) and the Glenfinnan Monument (below left). The monument is located on the shores of Loch Shiel. It was erected in 1814 and is dedicated to the Highlanders, who fought in the Jacobite uprising of 1745'.
We really had a great time on this trip! My favorite part is when my mom became verklempt (on two occasions) as she said - “This trip has exceeded all my expectations. I’m having such a good time!” The second time her words were accompanied by a big hug. It turns out, we were good travel companions. One of the pictures (above) is of Shirley at the Writer’s Museum posing in front of a portrait of her great great great great grandfather, Robert Burns (poet and Scotland’s national treasure). Based on family documents, on her paternal grandfather’s side, and research on my part, it looks like we landed on the illegitimate side of his many many many children.
Funny story:Shirly was 87 at the time of the trip. Some of our hotels were in historic buildings with no lifts. At the first hotel, I offered to carry her suitcase up and down the stairs. She got a little mad at me and said - “I can carry my own bags!” Our second hotel had a steep circular staircase. Shirley didn’t feel comfortable carrying her luggage so she asked if I would. After that, I knew she would ask if she needed my help, so I stopped offering. At some point the people on our tour discovered Shirley’s age and would rush to her side offering to carry her suitcase. At the same time, they would give me a look (like they couldn’t believe I was letting my elderly mom carry her own luggage). I would meet their stare and think to myself - “Ha! The only thing old about this woman is her number (87)!” Shirley said to me later - “This is why I don’t like people to know my age!”
This heilen coo and I want to thank you all for stopping by!
RESTAURANTS WE LOVED IN EDINBURGH: Noon Bar & Kitchen - 1 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh EH1 3BG (great spot for breakfast) The Huxley - 1-3 Rutland Street, Edinburgh EH1 2AE (had the best fish & chips in my life!) Browns Restaurant - 131-133 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4JS (great food and wine list) Whiski Bar - 119 High Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 1SG (known for their whiskey selection and as a top 5 place for haggis)