Scotland Travel Information Overview Scotland … land of
lochs, glens, highlands and islands…..
 inventors than almost any other country. Home of golf and hairy cattle! Seriously… Scotland has more going for it than I can ever do justice to. Scenery that makes you gasp at every turn, hospitality that will make you head spin (especially if taken with a wee dram!) and a history that makes myths and legends blush…though it has its share of those, too. Throw in two of the most vibrant cities in UK (Glasgow/Edinburgh) and you have a great mix of old and new, brash and beautiful. I was born to Scottish parents. My Dad came from Paisley, near Glasgow. (Paisley folk are known as ‘Paisley Buddies’ by the way. Just a wee bit of trivia.) My Mom came from a village on the Firth of Clyde called Inverkip. My grandfather was the herdsman on Ardgowan Estate, the home of the Shaw-Stewart family who, until very recent years, have been the Queen’s Lord Lieutenants for Renfrewshire. I spent my summer holidays there at my grandma’s place, exploring the estate and hanging out on the beach on better days. My favourite thing was to watch the big transatlantic liners sailing up and down the Clyde. I could name every one! The other thing that I really enjoyed was going on ‘the steamers’ as we called the Clyde pleasure boats. These paddle (and screw) shallow-draft steamers went all around the Firth of Clyde, its islands and sea-lochs. There was the ‘P.S.Waverley (Photo below/left. Still working on the Clyde in Glasgow) paddle steamer, the ‘P.S.Jeanie Deans’, the twins ‘Duchess of Hamilton’ and ‘Duchess of Montrose’ and the ‘King George V’ to name a few. For a modest cost you could take a weeks pass that enabled you to go anywhere on the steamers.  Later, I followed my Dad’s footsteps and went to Glasgow Veterinary School for a year before finding out that it wasn’t to be. My year in Glasgow was great. Glasgow is a fun place when you’re 17! As I played on the university rugby and rowing teams, I also managed to see a few other towns and cities in central Scotland. Enough of me. Scotland is part of the UK and, since 1999, has its own parliament. English is the main language with Scottish gaelic (or gallic) being revived as a second language. Gaelic is spoken on some of the islands as a first language, but everyone speaks English. The currency used is the British pound. Many of the Scottish banks issue their own banknotes which are 'legal tender'. Geographically, Scotland is divided into three areas. Central Scotland is a rift valley that extends from the Firth of Clyde on the west, to the Firth of Forth on the east. It is about 20 miles wide and most of the industrial areas are located here. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling are all in the central area. The remaining areas of Scotland are the Highlands and Islands to the north, and the Lowlands to the south. _________________________________________ What
follows
is a more detailed overview of the various areas. If you
The
Lowlandsdon't require this at the moment, ignore it for now. You can always come back later! Although the Highlands & Islands are the most favoured tourist destinations, I am going to start with the Lowlands. The name is deceptive. Much of the area is quite mountainous, though the mountains are not as high as further north. The scenery, though not as dramatic as the Highlands, is quite beautiful and very accessible. Both coasts are scenic and have fine beaches. Castles, stately homes and abbeys abound…many with very impressive gardens and all with lots of history. Let’s start with the Clyde coast on the west. From the pretty seaside town of Largs to the ferry port of Stranraer, and from Stranraer to the English border at Gretna Green there is lots to see and do. There are the islands of Arran, Bute and the Cumbraes as well as ‘Paddy’s Milestone’ (The island of Ailsa Craig where the granite for the best curling stones is quarried and the seabirds are virtually the only inhabitants.) Arran has been called ‘Scotland in Miniature’ as it has all the things that one thinks of when thinking of Scotland. It even has its own distillery!Starting at Largs we have a quite quaint seaside town that is quite different from most of the genre. It is also a fishing village and a stopping point for the Caledonian Macbrayne ferries. There is a monument to the last battle on British soil against the Vikings and much of the portrayed ethos of the town concerns the Viking history. Just offshore from Largs lie the islands of Greater and Little Cumbrae that can be reached in 20 minutes by frequent ferries.  View of Firth of Clyde over the Cumbraes It’s a great place for kids with amusement arcades, the best ice cream in the world and a reasonable beach. It used to have a very good aquarium, but I’m not sure if it is still there. There are lots of cafes and tearooms with scrumptious scones topped with Ayrshire cream … and the fresh fish & chips are to die for! Further down the coast is the town of Ayr and the famous ‘Burns’ Country’ where the poet Robert Burns was born. Ayr is a combination of seaside resort, fishing village and market town. It even has a top-class racecourse! There is lots to see there, but it is the area around Ayr that makes it a good place to base yourself for a couple or three days. The village of Alloway where Burns came from is just a couple of miles away. It is a really pretty village. Spend a few hours there just walking around. See the famous ‘Brig o' Doon’, Burns’ Cottage and museum, ‘Tam o' Shanter’s Cottage’ and be stunned by the beautiful houses and their gardens. On a sunny day there are few places so lovely! 
 Brig O' Doon Burn's Cottage On then to our next spot of interest. Non-golfers can omit this section! You are in real golf country here with world-class courses/links coming out of your ears. Turnberry, Carnoustie and Maybole are names well known to avid golfers. The courses are quite awesome in all ways… scenery to die for surrounds them. (I’m not a golfer, by the way, but I do know that this is golf heaven!) Even if you struggle to afford the big-name courses, there are others in the area that are reputable for much fewer dinarios. Next we come to one of Scotland’s many famous castles. Culzean Castle Country Park is one of those ‘must-see’ places. The castle is perched on a clifftop looking out at Ailsa Craig and the  Culzean Castle in April (before the gardens are in bloom) Heads of Ayr. The grounds and gardens are absolutely beautiful with deer and other wildlife right in your face…well, almost! The castle has associations with the Eisenhower family. Apparently Ike had a room here during the WW2 that he used as a retreat and a base to do his planning and thinking. The castle’s owners donated a permanent suite to Ike’s family as a token of thanks to his contribution to the war. The southwest tip of Scotland is one of those places that, unless you are using the ferry to Ireland, is easily passed by. This is a great pity as there is some great scenery… very wild and rugged with wildlife in abundance. As we round the Galloway peninsula we find ourselves on the north coast of the Solway Firth. This is a pretty area and known for its sealife and coastal birdlife. As we progress east towards the neck of the Solway Firth we go through the towns of Dumfries (pronounced ‘dum-freese’) and Kircubright (pronounced ‘ker-coo-bree’) Dumfries is of interest to Rabbie Burns fans as he lived there and met his wife, Mary Morrison there. Kirkubright is a market town that has blossomed in recent years as an arts centre. The next place of interest is Gretna Green. Just inside Scotland, it became famous as a place to which English couples eloped to get married as the laws in Scotland regarding marriage were much more lenient than in England in terms of waiting times, etc. Marriages were performed by the local blacksmith using his anvil as the altar. The blacksmith’s shop is still used to perform ceremonies but, ironically, the waiting list is much longer than was ever occasioned by English legalities! Jumping over to the west Lowlands coast and starting off from the south going north. Actually, I’m going to start in England, just over the border, at Berwick-upon-Tweed. This is one of those places that has claims to both countries as the border tended to oscillate over the centuries depending on who’s army happened to be winning at the time. (Perhaps it’s just as well that Newcastle United and Glasgow Rangers don’t play in the same league!) Quote “The Borough of Berwick-upon- Tweed, an area considered too north for England, too south for Scotland… a town bisected by the mighty River Tweed, where matters of state were decided and great battles fought to possess her.” This is a town rich in castles and fortified houses where farming has shaped the landscape and encouraged the habitats of indigenous wildlife. This designated Heritage Coast and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has long sweeping beaches and the best bathing waters in the North East. Not too far away is Lindisfarne and Holy Island where the monks of long ago spent their days transcribing and illuminating the ‘Lindisfarne Gospels’. You can walk across to the island at low tide, but be warned…you will have to wait for the next one to return! The drive up the coast is very scenic with castles and beaches all the way and some very impressive cliffs. The next town of note is Dunbar, a fishing village in recent times but a place of great importance in history. Dunbar castle, in particular, were it still as magnificent as it was in Mary, Queen of Scots time, would shout the renown of Dunbar of old. Sadly, it has suffered the ravishes of time and many battles, and since 1999 it has been closed to the public, part of it having fallen into the sea. The area around Dunbar is full of history and a place not to be missed by history buffs. Just take a look at a map that shows castles, battle sites, etc. and you will find this area barely has space for all the names. Between Dunbar and Edinburgh is the south coast of the Firth of Forth with neat fishing villages and, again, lots of historical interest. North Berwick is worth a look with Berwick Law a famous viewpoint. The ‘Law’ or hill, is actually a volcanic ‘plug’ and tells of the origins of the rift valley…as does Dumbarton Rock on the Clyde at the other end of the valley. There is a recently restored arch made of whale jawbones at the top of the hill. Here is a real ‘Kodak Moment’ if you take a shot of the view through the arch! “So what’s between the Lowlands coasts?” you might ask. Well, quite a lot, actually. Too much to tell you all about it. There are beautiful mountains, more beautiful valleys, thousands of sheep(!), lots of castles, abbeys, stately homes and some of Britain's most famous gardens. Then there’s Falkirk’s Wheel and Roman Antonine Wall and other Roman ruins, New Lanark’s UNESCO heritage site, the Falls of Clyde and much more. Not the Highlands, I admit, but a whole lot more than most give it credit for.   Falkirk Wheel and Wheel with Narrowboat Well worth spending a few days on. If you are thinking of spending a few days in Edinburgh or Glasgow, take a couple of trips out from there…it isn’t far to many of these places. Visit Linlithgow, a very pretty town with Linlithgow Palace which has more history going for it than I can mention here.Oh, one more item I shouldn’t leave out.For those who are interested in the Holy Grail thing and/or Freemasonry, you will have to visit Roslyn Chapel. It’s between the A701 and A5094 just south of Edinburgh. Central Scotland The area between the Firths of Clyde and Forth. Most of the population of Scotland live and/or work in this area. Quite a bit of it is industrial as it grew around coal and iron-ore mines during the industrial revolution. To the west, the towns of Greenock, Port Glasgow and Glasgow were busy ports for the transatlantic trade. They were also shipbuilding centres renowned for the quality of their Clyde-built ships. The big Cunarders were built here at John Brown’s shipyards, including the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. These shipyards can still be seen from a new shopping complex called Braeside, not far from Glasgow airport. The centre can also be accessed by water-taxi from the middle of Glasgow. For shoppers and non-shoppers alike, it is worth a visit. Working our way from west to east we note the area on the south side of the Firth of Clyde. We start at Wemyss Bay, a small and picturesque village somewhat cramped between the sea and a line of red sandstone cliffs. The village came to prominence as a ferry port at the end of the rail line from Glasgow that serves the area. The ferries to Arran and Bute leave from here. The station and ferry terminal are still in use. The station building is very pretty and straight out of a Victorian postcard. If you are in this area, take a short detour to have a look at the villages of Upper and Lower Skelmorlie.Upper Skelmorlie is particularly pretty with good views of the Clyde. Next stop as we go up the coast is Inverkip. Ignore the ugly Scottish Electricity Board’s power station that is no longer in use but too expensive to demolish. The village of Inverkip has been transformed in recent years following the development of the ‘Kip Marina’ which is home to some very expensive watercraft. Next stop is Gourock which was once a very fashionable seaside resort for Glaswegians and the landing place for the smaller boats (tenders) that took passengers and cargo to and from the big ships that anchored in the river, being too deep in draft to pull up at the quay. The anchorage is called ‘The Tail of the Bank’ and is still used. Above the town (follow signs to Lyle Hill) is an awesome viewpoint over the town and the river. The "sugar boat" Captayannis was at anchor at the Tail of the Bank  Gourock and Tail O' the Bank when it was driven northwards by a storm and turned on its side on a sandbank midway between Greenock and Helensburgh, forming a large shipwreck which is still visible in the middle of the firth. Gourock has an annual highland games on the second Sunday in May (…one of the earlier games of the season.) Almost connected to Gourock is Greenock. Greenock is more of an industrial town and was/is a busy port and shipbuilding town. At one time it was very wealthy and some evidence of those glory days remain. The sugar trade from the West Indies was the big money earner. It was also the birthplace of James Watt who is credited as being the inventor of the steam engine. This is inaccurate, as he developed his reciprocating beam engine from prior inventions. What he did do was produce a working steam engine. In fact, the only part of this that he can take sole credit for is an external condenser! His engines had a profound effect on the industrial revolution, however, and he was probably partly responsible for the success of shipbuilding in the area. On then to Glasgow via Port Glasgow whose only claim to fame is its part in the Clyde shipbuilding industry. It has been ‘cleaned up’ in recent years and looks a lot better than I remember from the 50’s and 60’s. (I deal with Glasgow and Edinburgh separately.) On the north bank of the Clyde we start at the Isle of Bute. Tucked into a wedge shaped inlet of the Firth, Bute is surrounded by a sea-loch known as The Kyles of Bute. It is a pretty island and popular as a holiday resort for Glaswegians who talk fondly about “gaeing doon the water tae Rothesay.” (trans. Going down the water to Rothesay) Rothesay, the capital and only town, has a castle and gardens.  The Kyles of Bute The Kyles of Bute are exceptionally picturesque. It is possible to see them by ferry. Better still is to see them from the road that services Tighnabruiach, a village to the northwest of the Kyles. This view rates among the best in all of Scotland and my photo doesn't do it justice. The village itself is pretty and has an exceptional tearoom where they make just about everything with fresh whipped cream. Its name is 'The Burnside' and they also have an excellent B&B. (Tell them Bob sent you!) Between Bute and Glasgow lie the towns of Kirn, Innellan, Dunoon, Helensburgh and Dumbarton. The first four are on a peninsula between the Kyles of Bute and Loch Long. The Cowal Peninsula is accessed by road from the north and by ferries from the south bank of the Clyde. Dunoon is the major town and is a popular resort. It hosts the Cowal Highland Games on the last Thursday/Friday/Saturday in August. It is the ‘biggest and best’ of the Highland Games. To drive from Dunoon to Glasgow involves going quite a ways north before heading east and south down Loch Lomondside…not a bad thing to do, but it is the long way round. Taking the ferry to Gourock and driving into Glasgow via the M8 is shorter. Loch Lomond needs no introduction from me! The west side of the loch is the side most visited and seen. It is beautiful. Stop at the village of Luss. It is quite unique with pretty little houses and each has a wonderful garden. There is a secret about Loch Lomond that I have to share with you. Its best side is the less-traveled east side. Take the road from Balloch on the south end of the loch towards Drymen. At Drymen take the road to Balmaha/Rowardennan. This is a dead-end road, ending at an exceptional youth-hostel at Rowardennan, so you will have the pleasure of seeing it twice! The views are spectacular, especially if you can catch a sunset over the loch and its islands. From where the road from Loch Lomond heads towards Glasgow, we enter the greater Glasgow area through Dumbarton and Clydebank. Apart from the shipyards and Dumbarton rock and castle, there is little of interest to the tourist. We will now have to bypass Glasgow to the north of the city. Travelling out Great Western Road we go through the suburbs of Bearsden and Milngavie (pronounced mull-guy) which is a pleasant area with many B&B’s. Skirting the metropolis we head off in a northerly direction towards the Trossachs, a famed area of natural beauty. There is a viewpoint here called the Queen’s View that is reputed to have been a favourite of Queen Victoria. The area around the town of Aberfoyle is very scenic. Loch Katrine is a man-made reservoir but you would never imagine that such a beautiful lake would be artificial! Spend a bit of time here on Glasgow’s water supply. You can take a cruise on the loch on the Sir Walter Scott or the Lady of the Lake which is a bit more modern and less expensive. Either cruise is well worth the time and expense. From here we head further east to Stirling.  View from Stirling Old Gaol Famous for its castle and the Wallace Monument,Stirling is a ‘Must do'’ place. The castle and the view from it are wonderful, as is the Wallace Monument. If you can at all manage the 235 steps, the view from the monument is awesome. If you have time, check out the Stirling Old Gaol (jail), the Church of the Holy Rude, where King James VI of Scotland (James I of England) was crowned, just up the street and many more unique places in the old town. Stirling is more than just the castle! From Stirling we continue east towards Edinburgh crossing the river Forth on the newer road bridge, from which you can get a view of the famous railway bridge. Just below the Forth Rail Bridge is a pretty little village called Queensferry that is worth a look. At Queensferry you will get a close-up view of the Forth rail bridge and there are nice little cafes where you can get souvenirs and information about the bridge’s history. Lastly, in this area, we should turn our eyes to the ‘Kingdom of Fife’. From the Forth bridge to St. Andrews the coast is dotted with fishing villages, castles, cliffs, bays and beaches. The main town is Kirkcaldy. It’s a nice drive along the coast if you’re headed to the Mecca of golf. I won’t waste time telling you about St. Andrews and golf. If you are a golfer, you already know it all. If you’re not a golfer…don’t worry, just leave your golfing buddies and explore the area where you’ll find lots of interesting things to see and do. The area is full of history. Inland in the Kingdom there are a number of places of interest. I will mention three to keep you going. The Scottish Deer Centre, the Secret Bunker and Loch Levan are worth checking out. The Highlands & Islands The highlands and the west coast with the Inner and Outer Hebrides off-shore are the most scenicly renowned areas of Scotland…justifiably. Words don’t seem to work very well when extolling the virtues of this region. You have to ‘see to believe’ is just about all I can say. There is so much to see and do. The good news is that you can see a lot in a relatively short time because it is more compact than you might observe from the maps, and you can actually take in quite a bit in a limited ime-frame if you plan it right. Paradoxically, you could live there all your life and still not see it all! My suggestion to those who would like to get a good overview of the region would be to rent a cottage for a week somewhere in the Fort William area and just take day trips by car and/or ferries to the islands. Don’t, however, rent a large vehicle as the roads can be quite narrow! Get two or three couples together sharing accommodation and car rental and you can have a great time at reasonable cost. E.G. Two couples sharing a cottage and rental car for a week would cost around $800 or just over $100 pp per day. Compare that to what you would pay for hotel or even B&B. For those who don’t want to drive there are lots of escorted tours of varying duration and levels of luxury to accommodate every taste. Some are activity oriented like the Whisky Trail tours, and some are more sightseeing oriented. I will leave the rest of the research on this region to yourselves as there is just too much to cover. If you would like more information directly, just call or email me. A final word…the very north of Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland islands, the Outer Hebrides and the east coast are areas I have not personally visited yet. My knowledge of these areas is, therefore, more limited than it is of other parts of Scotland. I do, however, have a reasonable ‘head knowledge’ of these areas and can advise you with a fair level of competence. (ok…so I’m not perfect! Isn’t honesty better than perfection?) Glasgow and Edinburgh I confess that I am not a great city person. Give me mountains and coasts over cathedrals and shops anyday! Having said that…I recognize that there are many of you whose tastes are different from mine, so I will do my best to cater to your preferences and shut my big mouth if I think you’re out to lunch! (Please forgive my sense of humour…I’m not as biased as I think I am!) I have lived in Glasgow and visited Edinburgh a number of times. They are quite different. Edinburgh is more ‘posh’ and Glasgow more ‘working class’. Both, however, are neither all posh nor all working class. It’s more of an ‘ethos’ thing, if you know what I mean. Glasgow Since the advent of the ‘clean-air act’ in the middle 60’s Glasgow has been transformed. The local building material was a honey-coloured sandstone that absorbed smog and soot like a sponge resulting in blackened buildings everywhere. Now they are restored (they’re still working on it) and Glasgow is looking quite pretty again. There are lots of green areas and the architecture is amazing. Glasgow was a very rich city in the 18th., 19th. and early 20th. centuries. It fared very well from the industrial revolution and its position as a transatlantic port. Visit the city hall and be amazed by the tons of fine Italian marble and stunning décor/architecture. Walk around the city centre and look up. There is statuary adorning almost all of the older buildings that wouldn’t look out of place in Vienna or Rome. Despite the effect of being a working city, Glasgow’s elite managed to put in place a high level of culture. It’s museums and art galleries are world-class. Kelvingrove Park, with the Museum and Art Gallery, the Kelvin Hall and the university nearby gives the city a really pretty heart. A bit further from the city centre the Botanical Gardens are, again, world-class with a huge  Kelvin Hall glass ‘greenhouse’ that has an African focus. Nearby there are curving terraces of Georgian housessuch as you would see in Bath and other spa towns in England. This is where the rich folk lived. On the other side of the coin, Glasgow’s nightlife is vibrant and friendly. Glaswegians, if you can understand what they are saying, will talk to you for hours about their city. Just don’t buy them too many pints of McEwan’s as the accent gets worse under the effects of the alcohol! I have only scratched the surface regarding this city. It needs to be experienced. Go there with the idea of soaking up the feel of the place rather than with expectations of being a spectator to it. You will not be dissappointed. A word of caution…there are areas of Glasgow that are no-go areas for tourists. Gang warfare in these areas is rampant and vicious. You should seek local advice from your hotel as to where you should avoid. P.S. Glasgow was once known as the fish & chip capital of the universe. Alas, there are now more curry take-outs than ‘chippies’. Those that remain are still the best in the world. They deep-fry everything! Deep-fried pizza, anyone? How about deep-fried Mars bar? An absolute ‘must’ is the black-pudding deep-fried in batter. Or the haggis-pudding, if you like haggis. Edinburgh A truly amazing place to visit. Edinburgh has suffered a bit from a reverse snobbishness that has given it a reputation as not being as friendly as Glasgow. It is largely undeserved. Known for its castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, Princes Street, the Edinburgh Tattoo and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh sizzles with culture and energy. 2009 will see one of the biggest events in history when a year of celebration of the 250th. birthday of Robert Burns comes to a head with a weekend of events in Edinburgh. There will be a huge clan gathering with a clan parade, a highland games at Holyrood Park and a massive Clan Pageant at the castle. The weekend is being known simply as ‘The Gathering 2009’ and Britcanada.com has put together an exclusive 2 or 3 week tour that includes 2-day passes to the Highland Games at Holyrood Park! We will start out in Glasgow, tour the lowlands, including Burns’ Country and Culzean Castle, stop at the Falkirk Wheel for a boat ride on the wheel, tour the Highlands, Stirling, Oban, Mull, Iona and Skye, ending up in Edinburgh for the Gathering weekend. See the Homecoming Scotland 09 Tour page for full details. (click here) |