July 1, 2018

July 1, 2018

From Inverness, Scotland we drove southeast. Shortly after entering Cairngorms National Park, we made a brief stop in the little town of Carrbridge to see its packhorse bridge, the oldest stone bridge in the Highlands.

After skirting the western perimeter of the Cairngorms, we left the highway and drove south to Loch Tay. On the shore of this busy lake we visited the Scottish Crannog Centre. There are hundreds of tiny islands along the shores of most Lochs. Archeological digs discovered that these were man-made from piles of rocks and originally had an Iron-Age stilt house (Crannog) built atop them. This site has a reconstruction of what it probably looked like.

We immediately joined a guided tour led by a very interesting and knowledgeable archeology student. The Crannog is very authentic even including a very dusty hay floor. It is not known why they were built. Perhaps defensive but a land-based fort would have been easier and faster to build. Or perhaps it was just a status symbol to have a lake house.

Next we went to three different stations that demonstrated the crafts and skills Iron-Age peoples were found to have. A hand-driven wood lathe was interesting, but I was more fascinated with the making of fire. I have seen it many times but this time, the details were demonstrated brilliantly. We spent a few minutes in the small museum before heading out.

In the late afternoon, we arrived in the seaside town of St Andrews. Being golfers our first stop was the Old Course at St Andrews. Our pilgrimage begins on the first tee and ended on the 18th green. I was surprised to find that the course is a long narrow strip surrounded by four other courses. As a golfer, I should want to play it, but it looks a little boring. The "Links" fairway is hard and dry and treeless. The difficulty is the occasional thick rough and deep pot-bunkers. We then did some shopping in the Pro shop, and had dinner in their clubhouse.

After dinner we did a quick walking tour of this happening city. The central core is dominated by golf and the University of St Andrews.  The relics of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, made this town an ecclesiastical center and place of pilgrimage. Unfortunately the Scottish Reformation made it also a focus of battles between Catholics and Protestants leaving the Bishop's Castle and Cathedral in ruins.