Scotland

Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock was the first castle we visited in Scotland. The castle is near Dumfries in the Borders area of Scotland. Caerlaverock Castle is a remarkable medieval castle ruin. Its unique triangular shape, moat and state of arrested decay create an air of mystery, yet the site still retains an engaging, enveloping presence.

Edinburgh

We found Edinburgh to be a thoroughly charming city. In Old Town Edinburgh, the old buildings evoke a sense of the history they have seen over the centuries they have stood. You can feel the rich texture of time woven into the tapestry of the place, from medieval times to the present.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle is on top of a huge rock at the center of town. That setting provided a huge defensive advantage to early rulers of this area. The walk up to the castle is steep, but the climb is rewarded with a sweeping view over the city. Beyond the view, the castle is a must-see as it is steeped in the history of Scotland.

Royal Mile

The Royal Mile, which runs from the Castle to Holyrood Palace, is a surprisingly nice walk. Although there are many tourist shops, they have not overly influenced the atmosphere. While walking the Royal Mile, there is a harmonious sense of an intermingling of the past with Edinburgh's vibrant contemporary energy.

Orkney

Visiting the Orkney Islands was the highlight of our trip. The Orkneys have a character and culture distinct from Scotland. Although the Orkney Islands include seventeen inhabited islands, we only visited the Orkney Mainland. Orkney islanders call themselves Orkadians, rather than Scottish. They also call their largest island the "Mainland." Those are two indicators of the separate Orkney cultural identity from the Scottish mainland. The Orkneys have a rich blend of both Nordic and Scottish heritage.

Skara Brae

The Orkney Islands have been inhabited for over 5000 years. Skara Brae is an amazing site of 5000 year old dwellings. Because wood was unavailable on the island at that time, dwellings from that era were made out of stone. The durability of the stone construction of the dwellings and even the furniture, in addition to their having been covered with sand until a huge storm in 1850 revealed them, has allowed the site to be incredibly well preserved. Skara Brae provides one the rare opportunities in the world to see how our ancestors lived millenia ago; even their everyday items were preserved intact and are on display.

Orkney Megaliths

We visited Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness and Maes Howe which are Orkney mainland's most famous Neolithic monuments. From the same time period of Skara Brae, these momuments are both fascinating and enigmatic. Pictured below are the Ring of Brodgar and one of the Stones of Steness.

Tomb of the Eagles

Located on the other side of the Orkney mainland is the Tomb of the Eagles which a chambered burial cairn, perched on a remote seaside cliff. The Tomb is unsual because it is on private land.

Saint Magnus

The magnificent red sandstone Saint Magnus Cathedral is located in the Orkney Mainland's largest city, Kirkwall

The Nordic influence on Orkney can been seen in these grave stones.

Light from the stained glass windows falling on a pillar in the cathedral.

Broch of Gurness

Brochs were defensive fortifications. This one was built around 200AD.

Highland Cows

Orginating the Highlands of Scotland, is well adapted for the region's rugged climates.

Glenmorangie

We visited three distillerys in Scotland, Oban, Glenmorangie and Highland Park. Oban is the middle of the town of Oban and for this reason it remains a pretty small distillery. Despite being a small distillery, Oban produces truly great whisky. Oban 14 is one of my favorites. The pictures below were taken at the Glemorangie distillery which is in a very picturesque setting in Ross-shire.

Doune Castle

If you imagine a Frenchman at the top of a castle rampart saying things like "silly English kaniggets" and "your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries," these pictures of Doune Castle should look very familiar. That is because it is one of the primary filming sites for the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The second picture is taken from the vantage point where Arthur and his knights took refuge after the cow attack and formulated their ill fated Trojan Rabbit plan.

This castle was used not only for the scene where Authur and his knights get taunted by the French but also for many other scenes including Camelot, the wedding scene, and the scenes in Castle Anthrax.

The gentleman on duty when we arrived was a huge fan of the movie and gave us coconuts so we could recreate the "horse" trot sounds of the movie while exploring the castle. The gift shop had plenty of Monty Python-related merchandise, so it looks like Historic Scotland has embraced the castle's more recent history. If you are a Monty Python fan and in Scotland, the Doune castle is definately a don't-miss site.

The following two pictures are from the top of the castle. Those Frenchmen had a good view while taunting King Arthur.

Castle Urquhart

Castle Urquhart is located on the shores of Loch Ness. We did not see any monsters in the Loch, nor did we expect to.

Stirling Castle

Megaliths

While our favorite megathic sites were on Orkney, we saw several other interesting sites.

Clava Cairns

Standing Stones at Kilmartin

Lakes

Two of the beautiful lakes we encountered.

Glen Etive

On whim, we took an infrequently traveled (mostly dirt) road, locally called "the Road to Nowhere," to Loch Etive. Loch Etive is really not a lake; it is actually an inlet from the sea.

Dunadd

DunAdd was the seat of the Kingdom of Dalriada (whose origins are in Ireland) from the 6th to the 9th century. Part of the inauguration ritual of the King of Dalriada was that the new king placed his foot in the imprint of a foot carved in the rock pictured on the left. The photo on the right is of an ancient Pictish carving a of boar, still faintly visible, nearby the carved foot imprint.