Scotland

Travel Blog - Scotland.

To experience natural beauty that is not tampered with or commercialized; the most gorgeous of the proverbial European countryside – go no further - Scotland is your destination. Every other place in Europe ( and I have visited all of them ), pale in comparison.  I paid a short visit to Scotland, over a weekend, in 2006. I wish I had more time.

Day 1: Edinburgh (E-dim-bra)

I started for Edinburgh, Scotland on Saturday morning from Luton airport just outside London. It was my first flight on Ryan Air ( the pioneer in budget airlines). My one way ticket was $12!!! I spent more taking a bus then train to the airport than flying to Scotland.

Soon after landing, I was on a local bus to the city center. Public transport in Edinburgh, just like rest of Briton, is pretty good and it’s easy to understand. About 20min later and a brief conversation with the locals I reached the city center. There, the first things one notices, is the majestic Edinburgh Castel perched high above the rest of city.

So right fully, I made my way up a steep road leading to the castle gates. The road was 20/30 feet wide with large stone inlays. Exactly, like it would have been 4-5 centuries ago. Walking up the road, you can’t help but go back in time as one passes the old pubs, old buildings and statues. History is all around.

At the castle entrance is a statue of ‘Wallace, the great’. He, of course, needs no introduction. Another thing to notice - Castle guards with kilts!! I had been wanting to see someone wear it. One thing checked off the list. The Castle, despite many centuries old, is in great shape and well maintained. The free guided tours walk thru the great courtyard, royal chapel, the king’s cambers, the prison and passes thru many towers and rooms of historical significance to the Scots. Much of the Castle is off limits but the tour gives a good flavor of what it must be like. Expect a good workout due to steep payments inside the castle, originally meant to slow down invading armies.

I had seen many British castles since I started my grand tour of GB and didn’t stay there for long. One thing I did wait for was the firing of the canyon from the Castle top at noon - a pretty cool but rather deafening tradition! I did my souvenir shopping here, miniature bottles of famous Scotch and of course, Scottish National Flag.

After the Castle tour, I walked back down the street towards the other end of the city. Incidentally, Edinburgh was celebrating its annual summer festival, so, there were many street performances, musicians, small markets along the way. I was by myself so they kept me entertained. At the end of the street sits the brand new Scottish Parliament building. Also, situated there is the Queens’ palace, which, looked like any other British royal residence; and having been to Windsor, I gave this one a skip.

Now, not too far from the palace, I was told, is a trail leading to spot called ‘Arthur’s throne’. The stone disappointed, but the trail not only gave great views of the city below but also of Edinburgh castle from those heights. The trail, like the castle, was steep too and this ‘work out’ had generated a nice appetite.

I am always up for trying something new. So, at a local pub I had local beer and a local favorite - Haggis – a traditional Scottish meal made from Sheep Heart, Liver and Lungs. Bon appetite!! It’s banned from import into US after the mad-cow disease broke out in Europe a few years ago. 

Next, I made another uphill march – I know, what’s up all this hilliness – to a place called ‘Nelson’s Monument’. Nothing spectacular here, just a dilapidated historical monument with 2-3 descent opportunities for photography. However, it is quite up here, unlike the city below. From here, I got 3 different views of the city: Industrial on one side, modern on the other with a port and historic on remaining two each facing the Edinburgh castle and Queen’s palace.

By now, I was really exhausted and ready to crash when something happened that instantly rejuvenated me. Walking by the base of the castle hill towards by bus stop, I had the moment of my life – a group of bag pipers were playing the most beautiful tunes I have ever heard! It was unimaginably, inexplicably COOL!!! I stood listening for an hour...there was an old lady playing a large drum, and another one swirled pom-pom like things to the tune of the music. See the videos uploaded! On the cool evening in Scotland, in the green enclave by the base of the Edinburgh Castle, this was exactly what I needed. I was in Scotland.

Day 2: Highlands

I had booked a seat on a bus tour of the Highlands. The bus tour left around 11am from the Edinburgh Bridge. I used this time to explore the Edinburgh Museum. The museum tells the story of Scotland and its people thru the artifacts uncovered in the area. It’s nothing to write home about. My main point of interest was Wallace. Sadly, saving a helmet, not much was on show. STRIKE ONE. Next, I went to the local farmers market. In Europe, these markets can throw up big surprises when it comes to atmosphere, variety of food and even souvenirs. These are places one can expect the unexpected. However, at the particular one I returned empty handed. STRIKE TWO.

Two strikes, One to go…..I joined the bus tour at the Bridge. The first hour or so was pretty OK but as the highlands approached I could see why people had been going Ga-ga about it…..imagine rolling hills with lush green grass, light spring flowers, water falls of small streams, cool overcast weather, low clouds, dotted with sheep and cattle grazing on the slopes and train running thru this scenery….it was perfect. Perfect!! This scenery wasn’t unique to one place, its was everywhere!! This is how highlands are! HOME RUN!!!

The tour guide, while giving a historical rundown of the sites, played old Scottish songs. The one that I liked was, “MC Donald's”. It’s a story of betrayal of Mc Donald's by Mc Dougals. It’s a touching song with quintessential Scottish music.

This amazing tour continued as we reach Loc Ness. Loc is Scotland means Lake. By the way, Glen in Scottish means Valley. Anyone heard of Glenfiddich? It’s the scotch made in the Fiddich Valley. Back to Loc Ness, its one of the deepest lakes in the world, it’s deeper than most oceans! This depth has spawned myths of strange animals living in the lake. Most famous amongst them: The Loc Ness Monster: a snake like creature with dragon head. Although we didn’t spot any live ones, I took pictures of a statue of it.

At this point, we stopped at a dilapidated castle on the shore of the lake. It isn’t the grandeur of castle but the picturesque location that is eye catching. Imagining the place in its hay day gave me goose bumps. It was by this time, I was thoroughly convinced that Highlands is my favorite place in the world – might I say the most beautiful place on Earth…not Switzerland, not Austria – its Scotland. An unexplored destination.

Having conquered the castle, it was time to ride the lake. A steamer took us from the castle on a 4-5 mile trip. Along the way, the clouds had come really low over the rolling hills. Gorgeous scenery it was. By now, I am being redundant in how beautiful the scenery was, but I can’t help it.

It had began to get darker now. The bus picked us up from the ferry landing and we drove back to Edinburgh. Next day I took an early morning flight back to London and back to work.

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, Highlands are heaven on Earth - A sensory overload of indescribable beauty. I will visit Scotland and especially Highlands again and this time with my wife. Experiences such as these must be shared with someone.

by Kartik Gupte
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