Saturday 28 July
We drove across the English-Scottish border some
time before midday on Saturday and had our first glimpse of Scottish coastline
some seconds later as our car continued to follow the undulating road. The
shape and colour of some of the houses was changing to deep red and ochre.
Our host in a very spacious private b & b, Donald
Cameron, was very welcoming and helpful in providing us with a map and
directions to the sights of Stirling. “Everything is within walking distance so
you won’t have any trouble…” and we didn’t. We decided that climbing to the
Stirling Castle was a good idea as we’d see a bit of the town from there and
get an overview of the place. We were glad we’d packed our coats as the showers
of rain were coming down in spectacular fashion, and clearing as quickly as
they’d arrived. Coats on…coats off…coats back on again.
I’ll leave the rest to
the pictures:
We stayed until
closing time then walked back down the hill to choose from the array of restaurant
menus, a reasonably priced and delicious sounding meal.
Sunday 29 July
On paying for our
ticket into Stirling Castle we were quickly talked into buying a three day pass
to castles and monuments around Scotland. Consequently, visiting at least two
places on Sunday, would make the purchase of the ticket worthwhile. We had a
car, and visiting a bit of Scottish countryside was our plan for the day.
Initially, I’d had the ambitious idea of driving between Stirling, Loch Ness
and Inverness until it was pointed out to us that we would be spending a very
long time in the car, and not much time actually exploring. So we changed the
plan and headed first to catch a small ferry (actually a small motor boat)
across the Lake of Menteith to the ruins of Inchmahome Priory. We arrived early
and by the time we’d worked out how to summon a ferry, and returned to the car
twice to add extra layers of clothing, another couple had arrived and we were
finally ready to make the first journey across.
The priory was founded
in 1258 by an Earl of Menteith, a landowner likely to founded the priory for
the good of his own soul. It has had many distinguished royal visitors;
Robert the Bruce came here three times in 1306, 1308 and 1310, probably for
political motives, as the first abbot had sworn allegiance to Edward the I, the
English King. The priory was also a refuge for Mary Queen of Scots, who stayed
here in 1547. She was only four years old at the time, and stayed for three
weeks, mainly for her own safety after the disastrous battle of Pinkie in
September of that year.
Our second stop was Dumbarton
Castle which has the longest known recorded history as a site, dating back to the 5th century. It’s
placed on a volcanic rock overlooking the Firth of Clyde and Dumbarton. We
climbed up and down many sets of steps to admire many different viewpoints as
well as take in some of its history including a bloody Viking assault in 870AD. 
The castle was built in 1220, and has been a fortress against Norwegians,
English and last used during the second world war. The
castle’s geographical position, distanced from the political heartland of the
country, reduced its importance somewhat, but it also made it a good postern, through
which her rulers could come and go with comparative ease. David II (in 1333–4)
and Mary Queen of Scots (in 1548) both sheltered here until ships could take
them to France and safety.
Our good host had
recommended we drive the West coast of Loch Lomond (and yes, the song has been
in my head ever since). We stopped in and had a wander through the wee town of
Luss and were amazed to see a few brave souls stepping out of the water in
their togs, just as a small hint of sun appeared from behind the clouds. Such
hardy souls, these Scots.
We ambled back to Stirling
and caught the Falkirk Wheel in action. This connects the Forth and Clyde canal
with the Union canal; a huge wheel which lifts a barge into the air 24 meters and
places it perfectly in position, ready to continue its journey along the upper
canal. It was opened in 2002, and replaced 11 locks which operated previously.
It was well worth a visit and one of the main reasons why we had come to
Stirling in the first place.
After stopping for a
meal nearby, we made our way back to our accommodation and settled to another
evening with the Olympics.
So Cool. My sister lives in Stirling with a view of the castle. I used to live in Gourock which is across the water from Dumbarton and did you know that the Lake of Mentieth is the only lake in Scotland? The rest are lochs....
ReplyDeleteThat's very cool. Which way would I look to see Gourock?
ReplyDelete