The northern rim of Scotland is home to me--an ancestral home, at least. On August 22, 2025, our ship docked in Scrabster, on the northeast coast of Scotland, near Dunnet, where my Calder relatives come from. A high point of that day was stopping at Canisbay Church and finding several Calder tombstones, including the tombstone of James Baikie, husband of Catherine Calder. The tombstone refers to James Baikie's son, Ben, who died at sea when he was 20, on a ship called the "Southern Cross." I have done temple ordinances for Baikies before, and have, in the past, even used a variation of "Baikie" as a password. They are my people!
The primary focus of our shore excursion was Castle Mey, shown as "Castletown" on the map. In 1953, after the death of her husband, the Queen Mum, Queen Elizabeth's mother, bought her own castle in the north of Scotland. She vacationed there often, until her death at the age of 102.
We couldn't take pictures inside the castle, but it was filled with flowered couches, photos of the royal family, and the Queen Mum's galoshes and umbrella by the front door, where she kept them. The Queen Mum was beloved in the neighborhood for her walks with her dogs around the town, sometimes stopping for tea with the local sheriff. Castle Mey also included an elegant dining room, with chandeliers and silver, for entertaining prestigious guests. One engaging story by our guide was that the Queen Mum refused her husband's offer of marriage twice, because she didn't want herself and her children burdened with the restrictions of being royalty. Her husband replied that he would never be king, but just the Duke of York. And then, of course, his brother abdicated the throne!
Castle Mey had beautiful English gardens which gave me ideas for my own English-style gardens in Salt Lake City.
The Presbyterian Canisbay Church is the closest church to Castle Mey and is where the royals go to church when they visit the castle. Our guide told us that King Charles worshipped at the Canisbay Church just two weeks before. It was a small, relatively humble place.
Our guide showed the monument tracing the church's history.
I was, of course, most interested in the tombstones and in the index to the graves.
We drove past Dunnet Head, the cliff near the town of Dunnet which is a well-known sight.
We drove past typical Scottish houses in the north.
We drove past moors full of purple heather and fields where sheep and cattle were grazing. The north rim of Scotland is still mostly empty fields of agricultural land.
Northern Scotland is a rocky place. Years ago, it shipped rock for walls and buildings throughout the world. We paused by a former rock quarry.
After our tour to Castle Mey ended, Dave and I walked from Scrabster, where our ship was docked, into nearby Thurso. Again, I have done temple work for relatives who lived in Thurso. We explored the ruins of a church dating back to the 1100s, when the Norse earls ruled northern Scotland. My DNA includes a bit of Norwegian ancestry, and I assume that's where it comes from!
The Scottish guide was used to visitors who excitedly dated their ancestors back to Scotland.
I imagined my ancestors walking along streets like these.
Or maybe drinking in bars like this one!
In Thurso, we walked by heroic statues celebrating Scottish heritage.
There was also evidence, though, of the outside world intruding on this Gaelic enclave, as with Kurdish and Turkish barbers.
Donald Trump has some Scottish blood, and this fish and chips shop had his picture in its window!
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