Scotland Day 14: Glasgow

Our funny little hotel has funny little people on staff. This morning, there was a funny little waiter who didn’t seem too sure of anything, and could only really carry one thing at a time. He was very sincere though.

For our last full day in Scotland, we decided to do a little shopping. We took a short, but very noisy and jerky, subway ride downtown and checked out Glasgow’s Style Mile. Fred found an awesome pair of blue Dr. Martens, and we each bought a cashmere sweater (half price).

Then we walked to the beautiful Glasgow Cathedral (also called the High Kirk of Glasgow or St. Mungo’s Cathedral), which is the only medieval cathedral on the Scottish mainland to have made it through the Reformation intact, and the oldest building in the city. It was built in the 12th and 13th Centuries, in the Scottish gothic architectural style. Here's a link where you can hear the organist, Malcolm Sim, demonstrate the wonderful 1871 Father Willis organ.

Next we walked to the Glasgow Necropolis -- a huge Victorian cemetery on a hill behind the cathedral. Fifty thousand individuals have been buried there — including, apparently, every merchant and important person in Victorian Glasgow. 

Then we visited Provand's Lordship, across the street from the cathedral. Built in 1471, it is the oldest house in Glasgow. We went inside and looked in all the rooms. Amazing to stand in a house that's nearly 600 years old.

After a brief pause at the cathedral café for tea and cake, we continued to George Square, the central square of the city. Named for King George III, the square was laid out in 1781. It is dotted with statues and monuments, and surrounded by architecturally impressive buildings, including the City Chambers.

Dinner was at the Curler’s Rest — the oldest tavern on Byrnes Road. A tavern is said to have been located there since the 17th Century, when this part of the city was still countryside. The present pub is housed in an 18th-century two-storey cottage-type building and derives its name from the nearby pond, where curlers came to play long ago.

All that history aside, the food was good, the bartender was knowledgable and made some helpful suggestions for Fred’s whisky tasting, and the place was full of people enjoying a lively evening of conversation and laughter with friends.

Scotland Day 13: From Crianlarich to Glasgow

Our drive today took us through the Trossachs, a beautiful area of wooded glens and lochs. It rained a bit, but only while we were in the car.

At Kilmahog, we stopped to see Hamish and Honey, two locally famous Highland cows. Like the ones we found yesterday, these beautiful creatures were right by a fence, and happy to let us take photos. There’s a parking lot, gift shop, and café there, and just as we about to leave, several busloads of tourists came in to see the cows. The gift shop sells bags of veggies so people can feed the animals! An elderly Scottish lady commented to Fred as she was getting into her car, “Those surely are the most photographed cows in Scotland.”

We continued on our way, arrived in Glasgow in the early afternoon, and checked into our hotel. The room is fine, but the bathroom is hilariously small. One has to approach the toilet on an angle, because there’s hardly any space between it and the door. ;)

After we got settled, we walked to the nearby botanical gardens. We walked through one of the massive glasshouses, and saw an extraordinary collection of plants — a whole room of begonias (one with polka dot leaves!), another room packed with all types of ferns, another with huge-leaved Amazonian plants, another with just cacti, and so on!

Next, we walked up a long street with interesting restaurants and shops. We stopped at a little French café for tea and (of course) cake. We continued on past the beautiful 550-year-old University of Glasgow (throngs of students on every sidewalk), and on to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The museum is huge, and like most Scottish museums, free. We saw some fantastic artifacts from the first inhabitants of Scotland, and learned about the remote archipelago of St. Kilda, in the North Atlantic. This sparked a great deal of online research back at our room — the story of St. Kilda is super interesting. Here’s the wiki.

They found a 5,000-year-old axe preserved in a peat bog. Amazing.

Carved stone balls are up to 5200 years old, coming from the late Neolithic to at least the Bronze Age. Nearly all have been found in north-east Scotland. This example is one of several that we saw at the museum. Their purpose is still unknown.

On our way back to the hotel, we bought some salads for dinner. We plan to have a quiet, early evening and get an early start tomorrow.

Scotland Day 12: From the Isle of Skye to Crianlarich

Breakfast at the Gleann An Ronnaich was over-the-top fabulous. The buffet stretched the width of the lovely dining room, and the tables were set elegantly, complete with white linen tablecloths and napkins. On the buffet were six kinds of yoghurt, eight kinds of cheese, home-baked buns and scones, croissants, a huge serving tray with dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, prunes), another huge tray of fresh fruit (pineapple, melon, berries), juices, coffee, tea, and we don’t even remember what else. 

Then there was the hot food. Full Scottish breakfast, of course. But the presentation was brilliant, and included nasturtium flowers, which, we were advised, would complement the bacon perfectly.

For the final touch, our host, Stuart, brought out a roll of plastic bags, and gave a bag to each table, encouraging us to take whatever we wanted from the buffet “for the car”. 

The weather was a little moist, with cloud cover and lots of mist, so we decided against the two-hour loop around the Trotternish Peninsula on the northernmost bit of the island. Instead, we relaxed for a bit, then set off for Crianlarich — a three-hour drive.

Our first stop was one of Scotland’s iconic castles, Eilean Donan, apparently the most photographed spot in the country. It’s easy to see why — it’s a lovely, compact castle in a spectacular setting, perched on a small island just offshore. Built in the 13th century, it was blown up by the English during the Jacobite rebellion, and remained a neglected ruin until it was restored in the 1930s. We didn’t go in, just took a few photos are continued on our way.

The drive took us through mountains, moors, and along lochs. Despite the limited visibility, the scenery was stunning!

We pulled off at a few viewpoints and took some photos. Then came the big score — we were motoring along the highway when we spotted a couple of Highland coos (cattle) behind a fence at the side of the road. We quickly pulled into the nearest parking spot, which happened to be a distillery lot, and walked back to see them. They stayed there by the fence, munching noisily on grass, while we took dozens of photos of them. Beautiful creatures! So gloriously shaggy, and such long sharp horns!

Crianlarich is very small, and we easily found Inverardran Guest House, where we’ll stay tonight. 

There is a tiny grocery store, and only three places to dine: the pub, the hotel, and the inn. The police station is actually in a cute little house with nicknacks on the window sills!

Scotland Day 11: From the Orkneys to the Isle of Skye

Today was a day of traveling. We boarded the ferry back to Scrabster at 9:00 (thankfully not as rough a trip as the other night), and drove to Portree, on the Isle of Skye. It was a five-hour drive, and much of it was along one-car-width roads with pullouts for passing oncoming vehicles. We’ve had those here before, but they’ve been straight. This one was hilly and curvy. And a little rainy at times as we drove under occasional rain clouds.

The landscape switched from green pastures and sheep to heather-covered mountains and streams. The heather is not in bloom, but I can just imagine how this place must look in the spring.

Our B&B, Gleann An Ronnaich, is a little masterpiece in attention to detail. Facecloths! Kleenex! Those are luxuries we’ve only had in two of the other B&Bs. This one even gave us a packet with maps and guide books and other information on the area.

There are glittery kelpies painted onto the wall and shade behind the bed; there are little silhouette mice painted at the doorways above the baseboards. And this will be the first B&B we’ve stayed at that offers home baking along with the other usual breakfast items. 

We walked into town and checked out the pier, had a lovely seafood dinner, and shared an order of sticky toffee pudding. Below is the day in pictures:

Gleann An Ronnaich

 

Portree

Scotland Day 10: Second day in the Orkneys

Today we did a lot of outdoor activities, and the weather cooperated beautifully. It was milder than yesterday, and not windy. Partly cloudy, partly lovely sunshine, and the rain held off until we were back at our B&B in the late afternoon.

Our first stop was Yesnaby, on the west coast of Orkney Mainland. It’s a wild place, with waves crashing against the cliffs below. We walked along the coastal trail, marvelling at the geological features and boiling sea. 

We both agreed that the walk would have been impossible yesterday, with the strong winds we had. Fred has done an amazing job of researching, organizing, and timing our activities. 

Next we went to Skara Brae, Europe’s most complete Neolithic village. In fact, it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status. It is older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids.

The site consists of eight clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BC to about 2500 BC. They have recreated house #7 as it would have looked back then, and you can actually go inside and walk around it. The average house was 430 square feet — not much smaller than a new Vancouver condo. All had the same design.

We were amazed at how organized these people were. Storage shelves are actually built into the walls (this made Ruth think it must have been designed by women). The dwellings contain a number of stone-built pieces of furniture, including cupboards, dressers, seats, and storage boxes. Each dwelling had a central fire pit, and stone beds around the walls that would have probably been filled with some soft plant matter and covered with animal skins for warmth. The people had tools, made and decorated clay pots, and even made jewelry. But after 600 years, they abandoned the settlement. No one knows why.

We had tea and treats in the visitor centre café, then Fred bought me a beautiful locally designed bracelet that I had admired in the gift shop.

After Skara Brae, we visited the Broch of Birsay. We timed our visit to coincide with low tide, as this uninhabited tidal island is only accessible when the tide is out. Walking along the causeway while enormous waves are crashing just a few hundred yards away is a little unnerving.

On the island, there are the ruins of a Norse settlement and church, which overlay the earlier Pictish settlement. Before Kirkwall became the centre of power in the 12th century, Birsay was the seat of the earls of Orkney.

There’s also an interesting Pictish artifact — a stone slab showing three human figures and some Pictish symbols. Like all Pictish inscriptions, its meaning is unknown.

We walked up onto the island, past the 19th century lighthouse, and along the west edge. The waves and cliffs are fantastic to see, and we took a lot of photos. There’s no fence or barrier of any kind; we both noted that such a place in Canada would be well fenced to keep people safe. One is reminded of the old joke about taking a photo of someone and saying, “Take a step back…another step back…just one more…”

Next, we visited the Ring of Brodgar — a Neolithic henge and stone circle, located in a wide empty space next to a quiet lake. Strolling around it put us in a contemplative mood, thinking about the people who put it there so long ago, and wondering what they were like.

Scotland Day 9: First day in the Orkneys

We are having a very good experience at Lindisfarne B&B. The bed is super comfy and the big soft chairs and sofas in the common room provide a homey place to sit with our laptops.

After breakfast, we drove to Kirkwall, Orkney’s largest town. There, we saw St. Magnus Cathedral and the Orkney Museum.

The cathedral is dedicated to St. Magnus, a Christian Viking earl who was betrayed and slain in 1117 by his cousin, who wanted to replace him as Earl of Orkney. Magnus’s nephew came from Norway in 1129, took back the earldom, and had the cathedral built in his honour. That’s making a very, very long story short. The cathedral is beautiful inside and out, built of red and yellow sandstone that gives it a soft, distinctive look. Magnus’s bones are still buried there.

Next, we drove to the Tomb of the Eagles, on the island of South Ronaldsay. Either we hadn’t noticed, or the guide book didn’t say…but it apparently closes at 12:30, so we missed it. (Fred was especially disappointed, as he wanted to see Glen Frey’s grave, ha ha).

Right beside the closed visitor centre was a field with Jacob sheep, which we had only ever seen on TV. They are strange creatures — piebald and four-horned!

And the trip to South Ronaldsay was beautiful, driving along the Churchill Barriers — four causeways that link the islands of Mainland, Lamb Holm, Glims Holm, Burray, and South Ronaldsay. Waves crashing against the causeways sent spray over the road in several places.

The wind is incredibly strong on the islands. You have to lean into it when you walk, or you’ll be blown over. The many wind turbines that dot the landscape are whirling; the smaller ones whirl at a pace that renders their blades a near-invisible blur.

On our way back, we paused on Lamb Holm to see the Italian Chapel, which was built by the Italian prisoners of war who lived at Camp 60 on the island. Camp 60 housed 300 PoWs, and two other camps on Burray housed 700. These 1300 men provided most of the labour needed to build the Churchill Barriers.

The chapel is beautiful, and the men constructed every bit of it from whatever they had on hand. Wood from a shipwreck, for example, became the altar. A statue of St. George was made from barbed wire and concrete. The genius POW behind the art was Domenico Chiocchetti, who actually stayed on after the war, to complete the font. He returned for three weeks in 1960 to lovingly restore the interior. A service was held on his last Sunday in Orkney, and he was the first to receive communion. 

From Lamb Holm, we drove to The Gloup, on the east coast of Mainland. The Gloup is a collapsed sea cave in the Mull Head Nature Reserve. The name derives from the Old Norse "gluppa", meaning a chasm. The cave is separated from the sea by a land bridge about 80 metres wide. It is about 40 metres long and 25 metres deep.

Back to Kirkwall for tea and cake, then back to our B&B. We were thoroughly chilled from all that cold wind, so we nipped out for hearty beef stew at a restaurant in Stromness. Feeling much better now!

Fred steadies himself against the strong wind. That's the North Sea behind him!

Scotland Day 8: Helmsdale and Camster

We had a tasty breakfast, but no tattie scones (I must learn how to make them). We struck up a conversation with the other folks having breakfast — a lovely German couple. They were so relieved to hear that we have occasional trouble with the Scottish accents. They thought that their English wasn’t as good as they hoped. We assured them this wasn’t the case. After, we exchanged e-mails.

We were on the road by 10:00 and took a lovely winding drive north along the ocean. Beautiful countryside — grazing fields right to the land’s edge — with plenty of sheep and cows munching. 

The weather is still cooperating with us. We had sunshine and wind for most of the drive. There had been a wind warning, apparently. There were a few short stretches with a bit of rain, but that’s it.

In Helmsdale, we visited the Timespan Museum, where we saw artifacts from life in this area in the early 1800s. Herring was big business here in those days, and herring gutting was woman’s work. A skilled woman could gut 50 herring per minute!

We stopped for tea and ginger cake in the museum café, then continued on to Camster, via a long, straight, and very narrow road with frequent sheep obstacles. After 10 miles, pulling off into the provided lay-bys when we saw oncoming cars, we arrived at the Grey Cairns of Camster — two 5,000-year-old Neolithic burial cairns.

One cairn is round, the other is long and more or less rectangular. The entries have gates to keep the sheep out, but you can actually go into the cairns and look around. We peeked into some of the entryways, and there was only one that didn’t require crawling through mud on hands and knees. Fred went in.

After a short very low passageway, it opened up to a circular central room. A glass skylight provided enough light to see. There was what looked like a doorway on one side, framed by two standing stones but blocked by a massive boulder. Archaeologists think this once led to another burial chamber, but it’s unknown why it was sealed.

There were wooden walkways to the cairns, so we only got a minimal amount of sheep poop on our shoes. 

We continued on to Scrabster and took the ferry to Stromness on Orkney Island. The crossing was a little rough at first, which made Ruth queasy, but fortunately no dinner was lost. When we say “a little rough”, bear in mind that this is the North Sea. The seats in the dining room were actually chained down. People were lurching about, bumping into things. At one point a plastic bottle of water went flying across the table and into Fred’s lap.

It was dark when we arrived, so finding the Lindisfarne B&B was a challenge. We had planned on letting the GPS guide us, but it didn’t have a clue, and we didn’t have a backup map. We drove for a while, then turned around and went to a grocery store to ask directions. Their directions led us to a B&B all right, however not the one we wanted.

But we didn’t know it wasn’t the right one, so we flounced in through the unlocked front door with a cheery “Halloo!” and chatted with an elderly couple  who were in the sitting room watching TV. Eventually we realized that it wasn’t even the right place, and we all had a laugh about it. They gave us directions, followed by “you can’t miss it,” but miss it we did. Then a quick u-turn on a dark street, a left turn down a gravel road, and there it was.

We’ll be here for three days, so we’re happy to find that we have a nice big room, a proper bathroom with non-challenging plumbing, and a comfy common sitting room. As well, our host Deborah is very friendly and accommodating.