TRAVEL DIARIES

May 2006 – Highland Spring Fling – Tour of Scotland
- by Susan Lissack, Gabriola Island, British Columbia 

Sun. 21- Arrived at Willow House Tea Room in Glasgow for high tea – delicious!
 
Mon. 22 - Tour of Glasgow then on to Stirling Castle. From there we went to Linlithgow Castle – an interesting old ruin.
 
Tues. 23 - From Glasgow we drove to Loch Lomond where we boarded a scenic boat tour for a 1 hour ride across the lake. We observed Rob Roy’s cave between boulders on a hillside. From there we drove to Glencoe and saw the Clan Memorial and the small Glencoe Folk Museum. We then traveled on through Fort William to Ben Nevis. A gondola took us on a scenic ride up the mountain where we had lunch and a browse through the gift shop. After departing we drove along Loch Ness. We first visited a woolen and scotch shop at Glen Spean and later stopped on the road where we had a lovely view of Urquhart Castle on the shore of Loch Ness. Everywhere were fields of bright yellow gorse. Late in the afternoon we arrived at the Royal Highland Hotel in Inverness – our base for 2 nights. Inver means ‘mouth of’ so Inverness is at the mouth of the Ness River.
 
Wed. 24 - Visited Eileen Donan, a very picturesque and interesting castle on a peninsula on Loch Duich. Eileen means island & Donan = holy man. Caledonia = Scotland. From there we drove to Skye. Skye is the ‘Misty Isle of the Highlands’. It is connected to the mainland by a bridge, built in 1995, at the Kyle of Lochalsh. Dinner that evening was at Ledgowan Lodge Hotel, a hunting lodge near Achnasheen. An excellent dinner was served, preceded by drinks compliments of Sue Pearson. We were all to wear plaid or something Scottish and prizes were awarded for the most innovative use of plaid.
 
Thurs. 25 – The first stop after leaving our hotel was the Battlefield of Culloden grounds. Jacobites led by Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart fought the government troops led by the Duke of Cumberland. We crossed the River Spey and on to Dalwhinnie Distillery. The tour was excellent and ended in their very well stocked whisky store where tastings were offered and many purchases made. We carried on to Atholl Castle near Blair Atholl where we had a tour and lunch. It was a fabulous castle – one of my favourites. The front hall was full of antlers and swords on the walls. The furniture and décor in the rooms was magnificent. Our motor coach continued through Killiecrankie and Pitlochry – very nice villages and stepping stones to the Highlands. Sheep were everywhere. We observed large herds of deer and many grouse. Crossed the River Dee and passed Braemor Castle on the way to Balmoral Castle
 
Fri. 26 –Our next stop was Glamis (pronounced Glams) Castle where the Queen Mother spent a lot of time and it is also the birthplace of Princess Margaret. Tour of 50 mins. showed us many beautifully decorated rooms. A large herd of highland cattle (heiland coos) were on the grounds. At noon we arrived at St. Andrews. One must book a year ahead in the hope of playing a round on the old course. It is very expensive. On the day of your game a draw is made of all the applicants. If your name isn’t drawn you play at one of the other 5 courses in the area. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland. The beach running scene from "Chariots of Fire" was filmed beside the original golf course. A 1 ½ hr. drive took us to Edinburgh where we spent the next 3 nights.
 
Sat. 27 – Ingels, a Scot in a kilt, guided us on a city tour of Edinburgh. The ‘new’ town of Edinburgh was built in 1767. Scotland has no Prime Minister but has a First Minister in Parliament. Among its famous sons is Alexander Graham Bell, Robbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Lister. The Scottish flag is blue with a white diagonal cross. Holyrood House in Edinburgh is the Queen’s official house in Scotland. There is a very modern parliament building across from Holyrood House. Our morning tour ended at Edinburgh Castle, on a hill overlooking the city. After exploring the castle we strolled into town, along High Street which is dubbed ‘The Royal Mile’ and then along Princes St. back to our hotel, the Hilton Grosvenor. Dinner was a buffet at The George Hotel in Edinburgh.
 
Sun. 28 – We left the hotel at 9:30 a.m. to visit the royal yacht Britannia which is permanently moored in Edinburgh as a tourist attraction. It offers a self-guided tour which was extensive and very interesting. Our third stop was at the Rosslyn Chapel where part of the Da Vinci Code was filmed.
 
Sun. 28 - Our final dinner was at the Mansion of Prestonfield, outside of Edinburgh. Dinner was good and plentiful followed by 45 minutes of singing, dancing and music. Next a haggis on a platter was piped in and Robbie Burns’ Address to the Hagis was recited in a strong Scottish brogue. We were then served haggis, neeps and tatties. Another ¾ hour of entertainment brought this most enjoyable evening to a close. I was among many asked to join the entertainers at the front for the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" . Our evening at Prestonfield was a wonderful end to a wonderful trip which I will remember for years to come.