Scotland Revisited

Scotland – A Wee Bit More

Our previous visit to Scotland was a great August adventure. Fond memories included the romance on Mull, the drama on Skye, the education in Oban, and the entertainment of the Fringe. It was topped off with all those bagpipes from the Tattoo. We vowed to return and now that moment has arrived.

Once again, our journey begins with our early morning arrival into Glasgow followed by a drive.  So it was off to the Historic Scotland office in Edinburgh, where we picked up our Historic Scotland passes that we had purchased online. Folks there we’re mighty friendly and our packet was waiting for us when we arrived. From there it was a short drive to our first opportunity to use the pass, Edinburgh Castle.

At the castle, we decided to focus on just a couple of things. We thought we should see the Crown Jewels of Scotland, perhaps more appropriately called, “The Honours of Scotland” and we thought we should be around for the firing of the big gun at 1 pm. Apparently, you can set your watch by it. We also had a brief chat with one of the docents about the castle.

More than the castle itself, we were most impressed with how unbelievably nice everyone one working at the castle was. Given that we are slow movers, we received some remarkable care for our visit, turning what would have been a three-hour journey into a great one hour adventure. From the ride up the cobblestone street to the secret elevator that bypassed all the lines to see the Crown Jewels, it was a V.I.P. tour.

After seeing The Honours, , which includes The Stone of Destiny that was returned to Scotland after a 700 year visit to England, we had time to visit a great hall and the prison area before heading off the catch a wee look at the firing of the big gun. Our trip was off with a bang!