Scotland: Never Trust Those Campbells

Our last day in Scotland.  We bought an extra bag to bring back the tartan scarves, black currant jam, and stuffed Highland cows and hedgehogs (not to mention books) that we collected during our stay.

We spent the night in Inverness, after our trip to the Orkney Islands.  During our last sightseeing day, we decided to take a round trip tour from Inverness to Glencoe, to Stirling, and on to Edinburgh for the night.  We'd see a few of the many gorgeous and/or fascinating sites we missed.  The left leg of this map is close to what we did.

First, though, the full Scottish breakfast--ham, sausage, baked beans, baked tomatoes, mushrooms, and eggs for those who craved them.

 We followed Loch Ness south of Inverness and took a detour to the Beauly Priory, a former home for nuns.  "Beauly" comes from Mary Queen of Scots' exclamation when she saw this beautiful spot--"beau lis," or "beautiful place."

 My Lonely Planet guide suggested following a single lane road to remote Glen Affric, through wild and beautiful scenery.

We then made our way west to Fort William, near Glencoe.  We stopped at a gift shop to buy a last few scarves and bottles of jam.

 Glencoe is a spectacular pass which is notorious in Scotland because it was where the Campbells partied as guests of the MacDonalds and then, the next morning, slaughtered them and left them to die in the snow.

The real story is a bit more nuanced than that.  The Campbells were acting at the direction of the British government, which was attempting to break the strength of the clans.  All the clan leaders were required to register with the British government.  The MacDonalds were a few days late and the government wanted to make an example of them for their lawlessness.  Regardless, when Dave's dad told a Scottish friend that his son, who is a MacDonald, had married a Campbell (me), the friend said, "Aye, those Campbells.  Ye kinna turn your back o' them."

 There was wild, beautiful mountain scenery in the pass near Glencoe.

 We could fit in one last thing on our way back to Edinburgh.  I chose Doune Castle, near Stirling. It is one of the best-preserved 14th century castles, and was visited by both Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scots.  We heard about those Scottish icons throughout our stay.

 Every castle had a Great Hall.

 I loved these medieval designs.

We spent a restful night at the Doubletree Inn at the Edinburgh Airport--two queen beds, hot shower with lots of soap and shampoo, good TV news channel and internet, everything just as comfortable and predictable as Dave likes it.  I knew it would be a treat!

We had one more Scottish breakfast in the morning before we left.  "Will we ever come back?" I asked wistfully.

Scotland: Those Orkney Women

The Calder men who lived in Dunnet married women from the Orkney Islands, just offshore.  That's what my genealogy shows, and I was curious to see the place.  Dave and I decided to take a day trip there.

The Orkneys had much more of a history than I imagined.  Prehistoric people lived there 5000 years ago, and the Orkneys contain the largest prehistoric villages in Northern Europe.  The Orkneys were an important port during European wars, when merchant ships didn't want to chance the war-torn English Channel.  The Hudson Bay Company had large offices there and drafted many fur trappers there.  During World War I and World War II, the Royal British Navy was headquartered in the Orkneys, to keep it as far from German bombers and U-boats as possible.

We boarded a ferry at 8:30 a.m. to cross six miles of the always-turbulent Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands.

Our bus and tour guide were waiting for us when we arrived.

We drove into Kirkwall, the capital.  The major sight is St. Magnus Cathedral, dating from 1137.  It was built by Earl Rognvald Bruason, one of the many Norwegian earls to rule from the Orkneys.

Scotland is full of picturesque ruins.  If I searched the gravestones in this church cemetery, I might have found relatives.

I love cathedrals and stained glass windows.

Kirkwall is the site of the annual "ba'", played by huge crowds.  Every Christmas Day and New Years Day, the "Uppies" and "Doonies" fight their way through town, trying to get a leather ball to their team's designated goal, across the city.

No crowds when we were in Kirkwall!

I love small local museums.  The Orkneys Museum had a great collection of Pictish carved stones.

It also had this medieval, Viking chair.

The museum was in a merchant's home, so there were wonderful Victorian furnishings.

We stopped by a gift shop to look at the Orkney knitted sweaters and hats.  The patterns looked Scandinavian to me.

During World War II, Churchill stationed the Royal Navy in the Orkneys.

To make it harder for German subs to get into the harbor, he sunk old ships between the islands surrounding the naval base and built causeways from limestone between the islands, as well.

Despite Churchill's best efforts, there were several torpedoings of British ships by U-boats.

We visited the town of Stromness, near the former naval base.  The Stromness Hotel, in the background of this picture, was taken over as headquarters for the British military during World War II.  The statue in the foreground honors John Rae, who was an Arctic explorer from the Orkneys.

Stromness has a picturesque harbor.

I did a double take at the name of this cobbled, steep street.

We spent an hour at Skara Brae, an abandoned village which is 5000 years old.

We also visited the Ring of Brodgar, an ancient site with patterns of huge stone monoliths.  Archaeologists think the stones were used for ancient religious rites.

We passed the Ness of Brodgar, where archaeologists are finding more than 100 structures in what must have been a major political center.

And finally, not just Highland cows, but Highland calves!

We also visited the Italian chapel, built by Italian prisoners of war during World War II.  They made this beautiful church out of a quonset hut and whatever paint and plaster they could scrounge.

At last--the ferry ride back to John'o'Groats, on the tip of mainland Scotland.