Shanna's Adventures: Scotland

Showing posts with label Scotland. Show all posts

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Stirling, Scotland

After our stop at the Falkirk Wheel, we headed on to Stirling. By the time we had eaten a late lunch, the rain had let up and we decided to go ahead with a visit Stirling Castle. We only had a couple of hours before closing time, but since we'd already purchased a Scottish Heritage Pass it was still worth it. As it turns out, I enjoyed our tour of this castle more than the Edinburgh Castle. There were more nooks and crannies to explore devoid of people. The weather earlier in the day kept the tourists away, so, for the most part, it felt as if we had the place to ourselves. In addition, there was a great kid-friendly area in the lower recesses of one of the buildings with age appropriate exhibits and a dress-up area.

Like so many of the Scottish castles, Stirling Castle was built atop a rock promontory that dominates the surrounding area. The views from the castle are superb. We could easily see the William Wallace Monument (most Americans are familiar with him as the main character in Braveheart) and the spot on the river where he lead Scottish soldiers to victory over the British at Stirling Bridge.

After leaving the castle, we stopped for a brief walk around the Bannockburn battlefield and a statue of Robert the Bruce astride his armored steed. We ended our day in Stirling at Broomhall Castle: our first and only stay in a bed and breakfast during the entire trip. The beds were nice but the breakfast was hearty and delicious; I didn't know a traditional Scottish breakfast included mushrooms. Yum! We left there tanked up and ready for another day of driving and sightseeing.

Monday, May 02, 2016

The Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies

After only two nights in Edinburgh, we drove further north into Scotland on our way to Stirling. We decided to make a stop at the Falkirk Wheel - an ingeniously designed boat elevator linking the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union Canal. This historic canal route was originally developed during the Industrial Revolution and connected Glascow with Edinburgh. By the 1930's the series of locks that connected the two canal were no longer functional. The current structure is a graceful mechanism for lowering and raising the boats the requisite 75 feet. Tourists can now tour the area by canal boat. Boats can be rented for multiple days and lived in like houseboats or other vacation homes.

Falkirk Wheel in Background with a canal boat in foreground

The Kelpies at the Helix

Very near the Falkirk Wheel are the Kelpies. We had never heard of these majestic horse head sculptures but saw them from afar. We couldn't help but to get a closer look - though we opted not to go inside.

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Our First Taste of Scotland

On this day one year ago, we visited Edinburgh Castle. The castle, with it's restored interiors and sweeping views, is awe inspiring to say the least. There was so much to see from a Military Museum of the Royal Dragoons to the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny.

All this wonderment came on the heals of a marvelously full day spent exploring the expansive ruins of Hadrians Wall, driving through Northumberland National Park, and our first views of ruined gothic abbeys.

We got a general feel for Edinburgh on the public bus ride to downtown. But other than the Sir Walter Scott Monument, which is hard to miss, we didn't take the time to see much else in Edinburgh. We finished up at the castle in the early afternoon and rode the bus back to our hotel. Needless to say, by this point we were ready to slow down a pace. So we drove to a mall for dinner and a movie - Avengers: Age of Ultron no less which was released a week early in the Great Britian. We all enjoyed the much needed respite before continuing north the next day on our driving tour of Scotland.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Cairngorm Reindeer Centre

On our trip to Scotland, we were able to get up close to real, free-ranging reindeer in Cairngorms National Park. This was a great stop that we may have totally missed if not for seeing an episode of Travel with Kids in advance of our travels.

The Cairngorm Reindeer Herd consists of over 150 individuals that currently call the Cairngorms Mountains home. They were reintroduced to this area in 1952 by a Swedish Sami or Laplander named Mikel Utsi. For a fee, visitors can make a hill visit to feed and see the reindeer or for those with limited time or physical ability there is a quaint paddock at the Reindeer House where two or three are kept on rotation.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Hostels: Family Accommodations in the UK

Oban Youth Hostel, Oban, Scotland

During our trip to Great Britain earlier in the year, we found reasonably priced accommodations for a family of four a little hard to come by. In order to keep accommodation costs down, we spent a few nights in hostels. This was a first for our family of four. We had our doubts as to how comfortable and safe we would feel, but our experiences were generally very positive.

Our very first stay in a hostel was just one night spent in the Oban Youth Hostel in Scotland. This hostel had 4-person rooms (two bunkbeds) with an en-suite bathroom which worked out very well for our first hostel experience. Sharing a bathroom with others was our biggest anxiety about staying in a hostel. The location along the waterfront and walking distance to the center of Oban is superb at this hostel though parking is limited. We brought take-out (Indian food of course) to eat in the kitchen/lounge. Afterwards, we took a walk by the water since dusk in May at this latitude isn't until after 9pm.

Loch Ness Backpacker's Lodge in Drumnadrochit, Scotland

Our second hostel experience was a bit different. We stayed two nights at the Loch Ness Backpacker's Lodge located minutes from Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. This hostel has only two family rooms. Our room contained a full-size bed and bunk beds. The bathroom facilities at this location were shared with all the house guests. Fortunately, it was located right next to our room. I would have hated to traipse through the whole house in my pajamas every time I had to go to the bathroom. Still, it was odd to be taking a shower while an unfamiliar guest of the opposite sex brushed their teeth right outside the shower stall. Other than that bit of awkwardness, we had a pleasant experience. We were able to get some clothes washed for a nominal fee during our stay, and I had an enlightening conversation with a Scots and English couple about the impending elections.

Dorm 9 at YHA Oxford London

During the final days of our trip, we stayed three nights at YHA London Oxford Street before our departure. Here, we again had a 4-person room with two bunk beds. The bathroom situation was different from the other two because there were individual shower rooms with real doors and separate water closets to use a British term. All were just a few steps down the hallway and being separate facilities you never felt like you were "sharing" a facility at least not in the way they were shared at the Lock Ness Backpacker's Lodge. In addition, the staff at this facility were very helpful in getting us reduced tickets for bus tours and were invaluable in securing us a very early and inexpensive taxi to the airport for our return flights. The location near the Circus Oxford Station of the Underground is also a big plus.

When considering a family trip to the United Kingdom, don't rule out hostels. If you plan to stay at multiple hostels, you may want to consider membership in YHA or Hosteling International. With a YHA membership you are automatically made of a member of Hosteling International (HI). Membership gets you discounts on your stay as well as attractions and tours. Knowing a hostel is in the HI network gives peace of mind about cleanliness and safety. The Loch Ness Backpacker's Lodge is not in the HI network. We were in a pinch during those nights because of a 3-day weekend, however, I do not regret our stay there.

Keep in mind that not all hostels allow families. Hostels that do have accommodations for families can be more than adequate. The novelty of the accommodations can add to the family experience. For example, our children enjoyed sharing bunk beds with mom and dad and we appreciated the unexpected additional services not to mention the savings. So get out and go hosteling....

Saturday, November 07, 2015

Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, Drumnodrochit, Scotland

Image Source

What child doesn't know about Loch Ness and the fabled monster that calls it home? Loch Ness is a favorite tourist destination in Scotland as a result. Our own children's familiarity with Loch Ness motivated us to make it a priority stop during our trip to Scotland earlier this year.

Urquhart Castle is a picturesque ruin on the banks of Loch Ness. It is believed that St. Columba of Iona visited a Pictish nobleman on his deathbed here in about 580 AD and baptized him. Interestingly, one of the oldest stories about the monster of Loch Ness comes from a biography of St. Columba written in the 7th century. Supposedly, he rebuked a water beast who had just bitten and killed a man.

Not unexpectedly, we didn't see any signs of a monster from the promontory of Urquhart Castle. So we decided to tour the Loch Ness Center and Exhibition to get our Loch Ness Monster fix. Visitors are guided into several themed galleries where audio visual displays reveal historical references, foundational thoughts, and evidence that support the existence of such a creature. As the tour advances, the themed displays and video focus on the scientific expeditions that have endeavored to determine the existence of the Loch Ness Monster one way or another. Each expedition is described in detail - what tools were used and why, and what conclusions could be drawn from data collected. As someone with basic knowledge of the scientific method and biological sciences, I was very impressed with the flow and thoroughness of the exhibit. I would have thought the whole thing a bit too cerebral for our 6 and 8 year old to enjoy, but the quality of the exhibits and cinematography kept their interest. By the way, 6 and under go free.

All in all, if you are anywhere near Loch Ness on your Scottish travels, Urquhart Castle and the Loch Ness Center are a must see.

Jonah with the submarine Viper Fish used during a 1963 investigation into the existence of the Loch Ness Monster

Monday, July 13, 2015

An American Driver in Great Britain

While planning our vacation to Great Britain, we considered traveling by train and by car. Being a family of four with two small children and given the distance we wanted to travel, it turned out to be much more economical to rent a car. And if you consider the freedom a car provides for exploring the countryside, our decision was simple.

We ended up reserving a car from Europcar at the Heathrow Airport. According to our sources in-country, car rentals are cheaper when renting from the airport as opposed to city centers.

Europcar gave us a TomTom GPS with the rental. The Points of Interest (POI's) on TomTom's are, in our opinion, unreliable at best (we were reminded of this more than a few times on this trip!) With our cell coverage in the states, we can validate routes via google maps on our smartphones. But here in Great Britain, we found cell coverage to be much more sketchy between denser urban areas. It is possible our GiffGaff provider had something to do with that, nevertheless, an accurate, fully-functioning, dedicated GPS device can save you some frustration.

Regarding the car itself, we had our pick from a dozen or so available. As we perused the options before us, my eye was drawn to a yellow Fiat, not so much because of the color - though that turned out to be helpful - but because it had more big windows and sat up higher. In my mind, that made it a better choice for sightseeing. It wasn't until we were underway that I realized it also had a glass roof that opened. And the yellow color - well, if you are in an unfamiliar vehicle it is nice to have a nice bright color to help draw your eye when searching for it in a large carpark.

For Americans used to driving on the "right" side of the road, driving around Great Britain can be mind-boggling at times and not just because of driving on the left. It seems that most of the automobiles in Great Britain have standard transmissions. Rental cars with automatic transmissions cost twice as much as those with standard transmissions. So my beloved husband had to sit on the right and shift with his left hand. Fortunately, the gas, break and clutch pedals were in the same formation and the gears are oriented just as they are on an American car. So unless you are prepared to pay the price, American drivers must adjust to these changes and quickly.

British No Stopping sign

Simultaneously, American drivers must also familiarize themselves with unfamiliar signage and traffic patters. For instance, when you see this sign what would you think it means? Well, my first thought is that it means "STOP!" Don't go this way, etc. This can be very confusing as you negotiate your first roundabout on approach to a motorway onramp. As the caption states, in Great Britain this means no stopping.

And roundabouts are EVERYWHERE! Some look like normal roundabouts that you would see in the US. Then you have the roundabouts that are circles painted on the pavement sometimes not even a foot in diameter. So go around that bit of paint! - seriously! Every time you come to one of these you must treat it the same way as a "normal" roundabout. And then there is the double roundabout - I'm not even going to try to describe this! Note the sign in the following photo - and this one isn't even so bad. Once comfortable with these, the benefits of roundabouts become clear as traffic does keep flowing, but it takes some getting used to.

English: Sign for double roundabout at Farington. 'Model Farm' on right. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are traffic lights at larger roundabouts and some pedestrian walkways. Instead of a changing from red to green to yellow, there the pattern is red, yellow, green, yellow. So you get an extra yellow to tell you to "proceed slowly" or "go cautiously" or "prepare to go" - I'm not sure - pick one. My chauffeur liked this change though.

When driving in the country, the challenges are a bit different. Many of the roads, particularly in Scotland are narrow and really not large enough for two cars to pass except at wider passing places. The roads are well-paved and there is good signage which keeps the experience from seeming entirely third-world. However, this sign makes the experience seem surreal:

English: National speed limit applies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Note the caption. The national speed limit in Great Britain for single carriageways is 60 miles per hour! Supposedly Brits are stuffy and conservative, when in fact they have legalized the game of chicken! Here is a video from one of our rural drives on a single carriageway northwest of Inverary in Scotland.

We did not meet an oncoming car in this instance but we did at other times. My very conscientious husband is going well below the 60 mph speed limit in anticipation.

If you are an American planning to rent a car for your travels in Great Britain, I hope this helps. Some bottom line reminders: drive on the left and look right before entering ANY roundabout. Safe travels!

Related Posts:

Oxford in Brief (shannafern.com)
Sandbach Crosses (shannafern.com)
Exploring Carlisle Castle (shannafern.com)
The Wall (shannafern.com)
Melrose Abbey (shannafern.com)
Avebury Standing Stones (shannafern.com)

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Melrose Abbey

Looking from the west toward the nave

Melrose Abbey was established 1136 by King David I of Scotland. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times in the struggle between Scotland and England. The spectacular ruins that survive today dates from the 1400's. The elaborate designs that include sculptures of saints, gargoyles and plants that grace the ruinous halls and walls add to the visual appeal of this sacred place. Several Scottish Kings are buried here and it is believed that the heart of Robert the Bruce is also interred here.