Memory fades, and my notes are packed, but what follows is a
recollection of a wonderful trip to Scotland in August 1994.
I had planned the trip (with my husband's input) for months. I did my
own research and relied on a local travel agent for airline tickets
only. All of our travels were by train or bus. We scheduled our three
week independent tour of England and Scotland in a way that we would be
in Edinburgh for the Festival and would be able to see the Military
Tattoo. I had made reservations at B&B's or guesthouses about three
months in advance. I used various guides and called the
B&B's/guesthouses directly from the U.S. Even that far in advance I was
not able to find a place to stay in Edinburgh so relied on the Tourist
Office there.
We arrived in London on a Saturday morning in mid August, 1994 and,
after a night's stay in a small hotel, took the train from King's Cross
to York for a couple of nights and then on to Edinburgh by train. The
trip from York to Edinburgh was wonderful, and the ride was incredible
as we went north, coming out at the sea above Newcastle-on-Tyne. We
learned on arrival in Edinburgh that our B&B was near the airport. We
took a cab--expensive as I remember--to the airport from which we called
our landlord who picked us up. While we would have preferred lodging
closer to the city, there was a bus which passed by on the main highway
between Glasgow and Edinburgh. We enjoyed the ride to and from Edinburgh
as it gave us a chance to be among ordinary folks, not other tourists.
My main memories of Edinburgh are the Castle (which I had visited in
1983) and the Tattoo which was outstanding. I highly recommend it to
anyone who can travel to Scotland in August. The pagentry, the
lighting, the music--all of it is grand!! One day we booked a one day
bus tour which took us to Ayrshire and Arran. I fell in love with Arran
and knew that I had come home--my ancestors were part of the Stewart
clan which was headquartered on the Isle of Bute but which owned the
Isle of Arran as well (if I have my history right!). Arran stands
against the sky like the mighty island it is. We had only a few short
hours there, so we took a local bus part way around the island rather
than spending all of our time in Brodick, the main port.
After three nights in Edinburgh we travelled by train to Inverness.
The ride through the Highlands is one I can never forget. In Inverness we
took a twighlight tour along Loch Ness; we walked around the city; and
on one day we took the one day tour to Orkney. The day was incredibly
long--up early for a four hour bus ride to John O'Groats, a ferry across
to Orkney, about four hours on Orkney and then the return. My major
memories of Orkney include Skara Brae, the standing stones and the
Italian Chapel. The latter was built by Italian prisoners during World
War II from a quonset hut and was painted on the inside to look like
frescoes. It is remarkable.
Our original plan had been to travel to Ft. William, stay two nights and
then take the train to Glasgow and on overnight to Penzance in
Cornwall. However, due to an intermittant rail strike at British Rail
we had to change plans. We did go on to Ft. William by bus (coach). We
loved the ride along the north coast of Loch Ness.
We only stayed in Ft. William two nights. Our one full day was filled
by taking the train to Mallaig (the steam enging train going out) from
which we took the ferry across to the Isle of Skye. We had a couple of
hours on shore. A man was cooking mussels cooked in wine and selling
them. We took our mussels to a picnic table beside the man's small
shack and ate one of the most wonderful meals I've ever eaten. The sky
was clear, the weather was warm, and a beautiful little orange tabby cat
kept us company.
From Ft. William we went by bus to Oban for two nights. This was our
only unplanned visit, and it turned out to be our favorite place, not so
much for Oban the town but for the area surrounding Oban. We spent our
one full day traveling on a day tour across to the Isle of Mull, out to
Staffa
in a very small boat, on to Iona for an all-to-brief visit and
then back across Mull and to Oban.
From Oban we took the train to Glasgow and the overnight train to
Salisbury. Cornwall had to wait--we visited there this past January,
1997.
The weather was spectacular everywhere we went. It was as though the
sun followed us, because areas we visited had rain prior to our arrival
and often the day after we left; however, our journey was filled with
warmth and sunshine everyday!!
This is a very sketchy version of one of my favorite vacations. I loved
everything about Scotland. I had wanted to see the Military Tattoo for
years, and it was worth every minute of the wait. The Highlands were
barren, bleak and beautiful with heather in bloom everywhere. Skara
Brae was very moving as I considered the people who lived there 5000
years ago. Loch Ness was everything I'd thought it would be. The train
to Mallaig was splendid. The spiritual peace I felt on Arran and again
on Iona brought joy to my heart.
We found train travel comfortable and, most definitely, efficient and on
time. Our bus rides were not as comfortable, but they afforded us a
chance to talk with people we would never have met otherwise. And,
busses took us where the trains did not go so that we did not have to
drive.
As I said above I planned this particular trip as I have planned others
since then. I have found various guide books on the UK and/or Scotland
extremely helpful in making my plans. Also, I choose to make
reservations so that my husband and I do not have to worry about where
we will stay once we arrive in a town. It also allows us to give an
itinery to family in case of an emergency.
I yearn to return to Scotland, and while I doubt I could or would ever
live there, it has certainly become my fantasy escape when stresses of
life overtake me. Now that I am online I visit Edinburgh daily via the
Scotsman which has a live TV camera shot taken from the roof of the
Balmoral Hotel. I visit Scottish various web sites and continue my
journeys online if not in person.
