June 29, 2018

June 29, 2018

This morning we took a passenger Ferry to the Orkney Islands, an archipelago of dozens of islands off the far northern tip of Scotland. Luckily for our weak stomachs the notorious Pentland Firth was almost a sheet of glass.

On the Orkneys, we board a tour bus. The bus hops a chain of flat treeless islands linked by man-made causeways. In the center is a sheltered body of water known as Scapa Flow. This natural harbor is famous for being a major British naval base during WWI and WWII. The causeways are known as the Churchill Barriers. They were constructed after a German U-boat snuck into the harbor and torpedoed a British navy ship in the initial months of WWII. Churchill ordered the barriers constructed from scuttled ships and concrete blocks. Scapa Flow today is a major North Sea oil terminal.

Our first stop is in the capital city of Kirkwall. We first tour St. Magnus church that towers over the city. It was built from red sandstone in the 12th century in the medieval Romanesque style during Norse rule. I am surprised to find such an old impressive church in such a remote location.

Across the street we visited the Kirkwall Museum. Its main focus is the procession of cultures that have inhabited the islands for thousands of years from Neolithic to Celt to Viking to Norse to Scot.

Our next stop was for lunch in Stromness, Orkney's Second City.

After lunch we began our tour of the World Heritage "Heart of Neolithic Orkney". Today an Orkney summer day is topping out in the low 50’s. Five thousand years ago, during the Holocene Optimum, the northern reaches were a much warmer and inviting place. Orkney has many prehistoric sites. Our bus stops at the most famous, Skara Brae. Considered the Scottish Pompeii, it was buried in sand until a storm uncovered it. It is the most complete Neolithic village in Europe, older than the pyramids. Skara Brae is a cluster of eight underground houses, connected by tunnels next to a beautiful beach. The complex looks perfect for Hobbits. Considering this area is regularly battered by storms, underground homes make sense. One of the houses is unusually intact with stone bed frames, rock shelves, open hearth, and relic niches. They even had little aquarium pits for raising fish bait.

Our next stops were at the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness. Both are Stone Circles less than a mile away from each other. Brodgar is the third largest circle in Britain, 340 feet in diameter. Stenness is the oldest henge, but only four of twelve massive stones remain. Between the circles is the Ness of Brodgar that is a hotbed of archeological activity. More discoveries are clearly forthcoming.

We finished our Orkney tour at the Italian Chapel. It was constructed by POW prisoners held here during WWII.

Back on the ferry, we didn't return to our John O’Groats hotel until almost 8pm. We are exhausted. Touring is hard work especially in the far northern hemisphere where the sun barely sets below the horizon. It is hard to sleep with the sun shining all night.

June 28, 2018

June 28, 2018

Last night after a Paella dinner at a Spanish restaurant, we walked around downtown Inverness and window shopped. At a Kilt store, I was shocked at the weight and expense of a traditional kilt. On the plaza of the castle we watched the 'City of Inverness Pipe Band' practice for an upcoming competition.

This morning we drove a few miles east to Culloden Moor Battlefield. In the last week we have heard a lot about the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. For me the history has been falling on deaf ears. The Scots have been battling the English since Roman times. I was going to pass on this site, but it has gotten high reviews.

The Battlefield Museum helps explain its legacy. The Jacobite Rebellion was not only Scot vs English; it was also Catholic vs Protestant, Highland vs Lowland, English vs French, Stuart vs Hanoverian dynasty, combined with lifestyle change with the Industrial Revolution. This was the last of several Jacobite Revolts. Bonnie Prince Charlie plotting with the French took advantage of an English Army overstretched around the world. He had tremendous initial success, until the real British Army returned. His forces were routed here in one hour. I think the reason this cause resonates with modern Scots is that it changed Highland life forever. In the aftermath the English took vengeance wiping out the rebellion once and for all. They executed the leaders and exiled thousands to America. They overturned Clan Rule, forbade Highland customs and the Gaelic language. The Scottish Highlands were systematically depopulated. The museum was well done and made me more interested than I should have been.

Afterwards, we did an abbreviated tour of the actual battlefield. Clearly the Scots chose poorly for their last stand. It is mostly Moor or bog where the Highland Charge by Scottish Infantry was at a disadvantage.

From Culloden we drove to nearby Clava Cairns. This is a Neolithic burial site that consists of three large piles of stones. Two have passages to the center, while the third has no formal entrance. Scientists believe they originally had roofs. We saw similar Passage Tombs many years ago in Ireland.

Aimee wants to use her new rain pants, so we continued following the coastline north for three hours of winding roads. At Lands End the temperature dropped dramatically and we encountered maritime fog. Finally we have real Scottish weather!

June 27, 2018

June 27, 2018

If we had known the Isle of Skye was going to have glorious weather we would have planned to stay longer. Instead we had to pack up and move on. From Portree we drove east stopping along the way at a pasture with several Highland Cows. These hairy beasts are obviously well suited to the harsh weather conditions normally found in the Scottish Highlands. Although today they are panting in the heat. I am not sure how they see as their red hair completely covers their eyes.

We left the island over the Skye Bridge which opened just over twenty years ago. The bridge is one reason Skye is now popular and crowded. A little further on where three Lochs meet, we stop to photograph Scotland’s Iconic castle, Eilean Donan. Surrounded by water and connected to land by a long arched bridge, it is very picturesque. The conditions were good for a reflection photo, if only the tide had been in and the water higher.

Our next stop was in Fort Augustus. After a quick lunch break we visited the Caledonian Canal Center. Scotland is almost cut in two pieces by a chain of several Lochs in a row with Loch Ness being the longest, deepest and most famous. This Great Glen fissure was caused by the sliding of tectonic plates. In 1822, the famous Scottish engineer Thomas Telford completed what Mother Nature began by digging several canals to connect the Lochs. Unfortunately his timing was poor. It was too narrow for the new steamships being developed. We walked along the set of locks that connect the two Lochs in Fort Augustus.

We then turned north and followed Loch Ness. Aimee kept one eye on my driving and the other hoping to glimpse Nessie, the most famous resident. Nessie apparently doesn't like sunny weather so we settled for a little figurine for our shelf at home.

About halfway along Loch Ness we stopped at the ruins of Urquhart Castle, once the most dominant in the region. We finished the day in the city of Inverness where Loch Ness spills into the North Sea.

June 26, 2018

June 26, 2018

From Portree, we began our circle drive of Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye. Our first stop was the Old Man of Storr. We hiked straight uphill for an hour to look down on this volcanic outcropping. We had beautiful weather again, but got a little cloud cover rolling in just as we reached a good vantage point.

Continuing counter-clockwise, our next stop was Kilt Rock to see the cliffs that line the eastern shore. The walls have that distinctive columnar basalt shape of lava that is forced to cool swiftly, contracting and cracking into near-perfect hexagons. The columns resemble the pleats on a Kilt. A tall waterfall provides a nice accent to the view.

In nearby Staffin we made a biology stop and decided to have a sandwich and Coke to re-energize for our afternoon walk. Further north we took a detour inland along a tiny road that climbs the interior hills of Quiraing. After parking we followed the base of the escarpment for almost an hour north. The scenery in both directions is outstanding. The steep green cliffs remind us of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

Returning to the car we finished our circle drive of the peninsula along mostly single lane roads. Much of the coastal flats is lined with scattered houses and sheep pastures. It drizzled most of the drive. We were so lucky to have such good weather on normally cold and rainy Skye.

I regretted that we didn't try the very popular Mussels and Fries meal in France last summer. So tonight I ordered a small batch cooked in a creamy chili sauce. The mussels were tiny but tender while the marinade was delicious. I think that is the lure. They remind me of the Bearnaise and Hollandaise sauces that were used to flavor French beef cuts.

Aimee and I both had Cullen Skink as a starter. This is a creamy chowder with Smoked Haddock and potatoes. Delicious!  

June 25, 2018

June 25, 2018

For breakfast I ordered a side of Haggis, one of the traditional dishes of Scotland. It is sheep's innards mixed with oatmeal and spices. Tastes like liver sausage; not bad, but I am not ordering it again.

We left Oban and followed the Western Highland coastline north. In Glen Coe we detoured east to explore its valley. Besides being the site of a tragic Scottish massacre, it is a particularly scenic valley where several movies have been filmed. At the Three Sisters pull out, we did a short hike to the start of the Hidden Valley trail. When we returned the pullout was jam packed with busloads of tourists. We continued a few miles farther inland to the beginning of the Rannoch Moor before backtracking and continuing north.

In the town of Fort William, we made a stop at Neptune's Staircase, a series of eight locks on the Caledonian Canal that connects Loch Ness with the ocean and provides a shortcut across Scotland.

We turned west stopping next at Glenfinnan Monument. This site is dedicated to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s 1745 Jacobite Revolution. Unfortunately it was a disaster and the English retaliated against the Highlanders with expulsions and banning of Highland customs (e.g. kilts and bagpipes).

Glenfinnan also has a picturesque railroad bridge. We hiked up to a scenic overlook point and ate our picnic lunch. We were hoping we would get lucky and have the steam-locomotive tourist train pass by. This train and viaduct stood in for the Hogwarts Express in the first Harry Potter movie.

Further west we loaded onto a car ferry that carried us to the Isle of Skye, the largest of the Inner Hebrides Islands. During the passage we watched the ocean and saw swarms of jellyfish. Glad we are not swimming!

On Skye, we stopped several times for photos before finishing in Portree. Our room overlooks the picturesque harbor. Despite being the rainiest spot in Europe, we are extremely lucky with warm weather and bright sunshine.

June 24, 2018

June 24, 2018

This morning we walked into town and took the guided tour of the Oban Distillery. Even though we aren’t whisky fans, you can’t come to Scotland without checking out the Scotch Whisky. Oban has probably the oldest and smallest distillery in Scotland. Oban makes only Single Malt Whiskeys from Barley. Having taking many brewery and Bourbon tours, we could probably have given the tour. Interestingly, the aging casks are re-used Kentucky Bourbon barrels shipped here IKEA-style, i.e. re-assembly required. A fellow Swedish tourist and I were joking with each other that the padlocks on the whisky valves got bigger as the alcohol concentration increased! As with all tours we got our taste samples at the end after listening to why their process is the best.

After the tour, we walked uphill to the local soccer field where the Oban Highland Games were being held. It was a little like a county fair combined with a high school track meet, albeit with a Scottish twist. There were a few kilts and bagpipes, some Gaelic dancing, and my favorite, caber (telephone pole) tossing. Unfortunately most of the events weren’t too fan-friendly. The heavy events like hammer throwing, were far away in the middle of the field behind netting. Probably in the past, a wild hammer thrower got the lawyers involved and safety became paramount. I am glad we did the Whisky tasting and the Highland Games but we could easily have skipped both.

June 23, 2018

June 23, 2018

Oban is the gateway to several of the Inner Hebrides Islands. We board a large car ferry that takes the short hop over to the Isle of Mull. Mull is very large so we hop on a tour bus that takes us the 35 miles to the other end. The road is one lane so the driver has to frequently pull over to let oncoming traffic pass. Throughout the journey our bus driver provides a non-stop commentary on the scenery and life in the Islands. It looks like the beautiful Highland country we drove yesterday. On the west coast the Glaciers must have been gouged deeper allowing seawater to flood the Lochs turning this land into islands.

On the west end of Mull, we board a smaller ferry for a mile trip to the Isle of Iona. Iona is famous for being one of the outposts of Christianity and Education during the Dark Ages following the collapse of the Roman Empire. After St. Patrick Christianized the pagans of Ireland, one Irish missionary named Columba came here to continue that work in Scotland. It thrived sending further missionaries into England. Their most important work was preserving knowledge by copying books that they saved from mainland Europe. The most famous is the beautifully illustrated Book of Kells. Unfortunately with the Viking raids in the 800s AD, the monks had to flee inland.

We took a guided tour of Columba's Abbey on Iona. Little remains of the original. Most is from the Benedictines who expanded it in the 13th century. Iona became a place of pilgrimage with the royalty of Scotland wanting to be buried here. The small but nice museum has some of the earliest Celtic crosses known and nice burial monuments from Scottish knights.

From Iona we hopped on a tour boat that sailed six miles to the tiny volcanic islet of Staffa. Staffa is a plug of basalt that cooled and contracted into the characteristic hexagonal pencils that we have seen in other places. In an island setting it is spectacular.

Staffa is a serious two-fer. After landing we climbed up the steep hillside and walked to the far end and sat along the cliff edge. Shortly a colony of Puffins returned to their nests just feet away. Apparently the Puffins welcome humans because they feel safe from predators (seagulls) with us around. The puffins dig a small hole in the grassy edge for nesting.

We saw puffins in Alaska and we were entranced by them. In the Seward aquarium we saw them ‘flying’ through the water to catch fish. Here we can observe these cute birds up close. Their brightly colored bills look clownishly large.

We have about a half hour viewing time before we need to start the long return journey. A boat to Mull, another long bus ride, and then a ferry to Oban. On the last ferry, Aimee notices Jellyfishes floating in the water. They are huge and must be Portuguese Man o'Wars.

We don't get back until after 8pm and we are starving. We eat a Fish’n’Chips dinner, the "MacDonalds" (pun intended) of Scotland. Delicious!

June 22, 2018

June 22, 2018

Aimee and I both had traditional Scottish breakfasts today. I had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and Aimee had Porridge with brown sugar and a shot of whiskey.

Braveheart is one of my favorite movies. It is about the Scottish rebellion led by William Wallace. Edinburgh sits on the Firth (mouth) of Forth (river). To explore the Wallace myth, we drove northwest along the Forth to Stirling stopping at the Castle situated like Edinburgh on a steep crag. We took a guided tour of the extensive castle but neither of us was too excited. It has been extensively modified since Medieval times and was used as army barracks until 1964. We had a hard time leaving because of the stream of cars and buses coming to park on the small summit.

At the bottom of the hill we stopped at Old Stirling Bridge. Stirling was always an important prize during the Scottish-English Wars. Its lies in the center of Scotland and has the first easy crossing of the Forth River. Here in 1297 Wallace defeated Edward 1’s army. England and Scotland would go on trading battle successes, until a Scot king with English blood became sovereign of both kingdoms uniting the two, at least informally. A Memorial to Wallace sits on another crag opposite Stirling Castle .

Stirling is on the edge of the Scottish Highlands that lay to our West. They look inviting so we take the plunge and drive for a couple hours west through Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, bouncing from one mountain-ringed Loch to the next. Beautiful Scenery. We stop for a roadside Cappuccino at the top of one pass called ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ with a stunning vista.

We finished our drive on the west coast of Scotland where we got a room in a B&B in the little seaside town of Oban. Our penthouse room has a great view of the harbor. We eat dinner at a waterfront seafood restaurant called Ee-Usk, which I discover is Scots Gaelic for ‘fish’. The Highlands is the last holdout of Catholicism and the Gaelic language compared to the mostly English Presbyterianism of Lowland Scotland.

June 21, 2018

June 21, 2018

We began our Edinburgh tour at nearby Holyrood Park. The centerpiece is Arthur’s Seat, an extinct old volcano. My last visit to Edinburgh was 34 years ago. Then it was cold, cloudy and brown. Today it is gloriously sunny, and everything is green. Perhaps the extra CO2 is making the earth more fertile. We then walked the Salisbury Crags, a volcanic cliff extending out toward the city. The edge is surprisingly steep.

The Crag walk eventually slopes back down at Holyroodhouse Palace, the Queen's official Scottish residence. Across the street is the new Scottish Parliament. We peek in the Debating Chamber and peruse some exhibits on Scottish history. They cover the union with Britain in 1707 and the modern effort to ‘devolve’. Setting up this separate Parliament in many eyes is the prelude to total independence.

Edinburgh is a city of hills. We then climbed up Calton Hill for close-up views of the city. This small hill also has a half dozen monuments packed on the summit.

After descending, we walked around New Town Edinburgh. The town expanded across an old lake bed during the Victorian Age. It has a master planned grid with large avenues, central monuments, and architecture all in the Neoclassical Georgian Style. This was the heyday of Scottish Enlightenment or Renaissance. Suddenly Scotland went from a backward nation to the leading intellectual center with the likes of James Watt (steam engine), Hutton (geology), Stevenson/Scott/Burns (literature), Maxwell/Kelvin (physics), Adam Smith (economics), and Hume (philosophy). Capitalism surged the country forward. Unfortunately in the late 20th century, they turned Socialist and they are now the stepchild of Britain, heavily dependent on English subsidies.

We then walked along the Princes Street Gardens. This sunken park separates Old and New Town and comes with grand views of Edinburgh Castle. 200 hundred years ago it was a smelly marsh. After walking the length we stop in the National Gallery for a quick peek and then climb up to the Castle.

From the Castle we start our Royal Mile walk that extends downhill back to Holyrood Castle. This is the original Edinburgh and was packed with tall medieval 'tenement' buildings making it one of the most densely populated cities. Edinburgh used to be called 'Auld Reeky' because of the smell and squalor. Now it is a tourist mall filled with stores selling Whiskey and Tartans. There are also a dozen street performers. We visit the interior of St Giles Cathedral which was the home base of John Knox, leader of the Scottish Reformation. His belief in hard work, frugality, and literacy may have set the stage for the later Scottish Enlightenment.

We stop for lunch at Deacon Brodie’s Tavern. Because this fine upstanding citizen led a criminal life at night he was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. After our late lunch we finish the Royal Mile walk and then head back to our B&B. Our feet need a rest.

June 20, 2018

June 20, 2018

British cuisine gets a bad rap. So far the food has been outstanding, Besides Fish and Chips we have eaten three Indian and two Thai dinners. All have been delicious!

From Keswick, UK we drive an hour northeast to Hadrian’s Wall, another World Heritage Site. We started our visit at the Roman Army Museum. It gives us a good overview. The Roman Empire grew so successfully in part because of its professional standing Army. It was highly trained and organized. The Emperor Hadrian decided the Empire had grown enough and moved to consolidate the gains. In Britain, this meant building a wall 73 miles long cutting off the Scots. We learned about the life of the soldier. Most were transplants from the far reaches of the Empire.

Our next stop was Roman Vindolanda. This was a major fort and village of Roman Britannia. Built prior to and just south of the Wall, it was occupied for more than 300 years. It is still an active archeological site. We walked through the extensive ruins to the Artifact Museum. What has been found is astonishing. Besides rings, jewelry, keys, and coins, several hundred leather shoes have been recovered. They are in remarkable condition. Many have latticework uppers and iron cleats on the sole for wear resistance.

Our last stop is at Housesteads Roman Fort. It is one of 17 forts distributed along the wall. After walking around the ruins, we then followed the wall for about a half mile to the west. The wall in this area runs along the edge of an escarpment rising and falling with the terrain. It used to be 15 feet high but the stones were reused to make the pasture walls throughout the area.

Wondering how bad the Scots could have been that the Romans felt the need for a huge wall, we decide to head north and discover for ourselves. We spend the next two hours driving north through the moorland of Northumberland National Park into Scotland. We arrive in the capital, Edinburgh in time for dinner.

June 19, 2018

June 19, 2018

After breakfast, we walked through the town of Keswick to the pier on Derwentwater. This lake is surrounded by steep windswept hills. We take a boat to the far shore, where we disembark and hike nearly straight up for a mile to the top of the Catbells. The view is just outstanding. The barren mountains, long blue lakes, and the green rolling pastures are simply gorgeous. During the Romanticism Movement of the Victorian Age, this was the area that people (like Wordsworth) for the first time went hiking and climbed hills just for the sheer pleasure of it. No wonder the Lake District is also a World Heritage Site. Humorously, what looks like bright green grass on the hills is really just tall weeds. We then hiked down to the lake and cruised back to Keswick for a Hot Chocolate break in our room.

In the afternoon, we did a circle driving tour of the area. Our first stop was at Ashness Packhorse Bridge, a rustic stone bridge over a creek with Derwentwater in the background.

We then drove up to Honister Pass. At the peak is the last operating Slate Mine in Britain. Since slate is durable and cleaves readily into sheets it was a popular building material especially for roofing. We had a small slate floor in our Chicago house and we loved it. Instead of taking the mine tour we walked around the area looking at the tailings cascading from the many mine shafts dotting either side of the road.

From Honister Pass we descended into Buttermere Valley. We stopped and did a short hike along the shore of this beautiful and serene lake. With more time we could have walked the whole perimeter. The Lake District is a very popular walking destination for Brits on holiday.

We then drove over Newlands Pass, past a nice waterfall along a narrow lane hugging the mountain and descended into Newlands Valley, one of the few with no lake at the bottom. It is all agricultural. Unfortunately it seemed the road kept getting narrower and narrower. Good thing we rented a small car this time.

June 18, 2018

June 18, 2018

We packed up and left York after breakfast headed northwest across the Pennine Hills that form the spine of central Britain. We decided to take the scenic route through Yorkshire Dales National Park. Scenic is code for narrow winding roads. The terrain consists of steep windswept hills surrounded by large swaths of open grazing land. The region is crisscrossed with walls made from the rocks collected from the stony soil.

After a couple hours we descend into Windermere, a tourist town/lake of Lake District National Park. This park has dozens of long skinny glacier-carved lakes set in a mountainous area. Because of the Viking heritage, all the lakes either go by the name -mere or -water. The region is a major holiday spot for outdoorsy Brits.

Windermere looks very crowded so we make a U-turn and head north, crossing steep Kirkstone Pass and descending into the Ullswater Valley. On the north side of the lake we stop at Aira Force and do a short hike to see the namesake waterfall. It is a very pleasant hike that makes both of us long to revisit some of our favorite national parks in the US. Nearly 300 years ago the local lord started an arboretum by planting some foreign tree species. Because of that effort the short hike passes a very unusual Monkey Puzzle Tree and an enormous multi-armed Sitka Spruce.

It seems the Brits are still Druids at heart. Many of them make offerings to the Forest Deities by hammering coins into trees and logs on the trail. Some have so many coins they are now solid metal. I guess I was wrong when I told Aimee that money doesn't grow on trees. I just wish I had a pair of pliers with me to help pay for our expensive airfare here.

Leaving Ullswater we head west and stop at Castlerigg Stone Circle. This is a 5000 year old Stonehenge look-alike built by the original Druids of Britain. It sits on the top of a beautiful hilltop surrounded by mountains. Afterwards we descend into the nearby town of Keswick, where we find our next B&B home.