Welcome back to today's edition of - Pictures Cannot do Scotland Justice - where I introduce you the the majesty of Glencoe. Glencoe is an area of stunning natural beauty in Scotland and is considered a classic Highland journey. So on Sunday the 11th of July, we set out on our very own classic Highland journey through Glencoe... and stunning is just one of the many words I could use to describe it.
Our first stop was the Glencoe Visitor's Center where we learned all about the formation of the area (the glen has volcanic origins), the people who used to live in the glen and the infamous Massacre of Glencoe that happened in 1692 and partially inspired the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. Clan McDonald allowed government forces to stay in their homes in Glencoe, offering them both food and shelter - and then murdered an estimated thirty-eight members of the clan, leaving many others to die of exposure - because they did not swear allegiance to the new monarchs of the United Kingdom.
The road that winds through Glencoe showcases some of the most stunning visuals I've ever seen in my life - mountains that rise into the clouds, valleys so richly green that it's almost hard to believe the color is real, streams trickling down through the glen - it's just beyond anything you could imagine and again - I'm not sure my puny pictures will ever do it justice, but I have the memories of the sights to hold forever in my mind.
The road through Glencoe reminded me of something you'd find at a National Park in America - there were places to pull off and take pictures, parking for trails that led you deeper into the wilderness and people everywhere! The weather was stunning and the Scots were out and about, taking it all in. Another thing there was plenty of were sheep! We discovered sheep around every turn this trip and finally looked it up - there are more sheep (6.6 million) than people (5.3 million) in Scotland.
We grabbed sandwiches and pasties from a cafe at Glencoe and took them along on our road trip through the stunning scenery, stopping in a small town to munch on our sandwiches, crisps and shortbread before continuing to Doune Castle! Doune Castle was closed for repairs to be completed on the interior - the castle has stood in as Winterfell on Game of Thrones, Castle Leoch on Outlander and was also in Monty Python and the Holy Grail - just to name a few. The castle was built in the mid-1300's, so I suppose some structural work has to be done from time to time... ha-ha!
The final two nights of our stay in Scotland we were in Stirling - which is the considered the gateway to the Highlands. Many people believe that Stirling serves as the point that links the Scottish Highlands and Scottish Lowlands together and was a great spot to wind up our trip. Our first stop was Stirling Castle, considered to be one of the largest and most important castles in all of Scotland. The first record of Stirling Castle is from the 1100's when a chapel was built on the rock that the castle stands on and the castle itself has been a royal residence for Scottish rulers for hundreds of years.
The castle was occupied by Robert the Bruce when Scotland finally won it's independence from England in the 1300's but this freedom would not last long and Bruce ordered the castle's defenses destroyed to keep it from falling into English hands. The 1400's saw the Stewart line of Kings arrive on the scene and occupy Stirling Castle - it was here that the infant Mary, Queen of Scots was brought and crowned in Queen in the chapel when she was just nine days old. When Mary returned to Scotland after her time in France, it was here she wed her second husband and welcomed her son James - who would eventually be the first Scot to rule over a unified Scotland and England.
The castle was decorated as it would have been during the reign of James V and Mary of Guise - with colorful artwork, incredibly decorative ceilings and mantles and the infamous tapestry "The Unicorn Hunt" on display in the throne room. Costumed historians answered questions and shared all about how life in the castle would have been - it was pretty fascinating!
The castle also had extensive grounds including a large chapel and a great hall that is so large that one celebration from the past saw an entire ship loaded with sugar fish was pulled into the hall. Whoa. A separate wing of the castle was devoted to the original hand-carved ceiling tiles that once decorated the King's reception room and there were absolutely lovely formal gardens. They even had the Scottish flag cut into the grass in the formal gardens - that's some skilled yard work if I do say so myself - granted, I know nothing about yard work.
The fourth and final stop of the day was the National Wallace Monument - a tower that stands 220 feet high on the Abbey Craig and commemorates Sir William Wallace; a Scottish warrior and hero. We all know who William Wallace is, right? Braveheart? Yes - good! The tower has a 246-step spiral staircase to the top with views of the Scottish countryside on all sides and three floors that contain information about Wallace's life and artifacts from his and other Scottish heroes lives. The first floor contains the Wallace Sword - which is an almost five and a half foot tall, seven pound claymore that Wallace supposedly wielded in battle.
My Dad, my sister and myself made the climb all the way to the top and we were rewarded with some truly stunning views - the whole of Stirling and the Scottish countryside spreading out on all sides. It was so lovely and worth every breath taking (literally) step of the climb. We even had the entire top floor to ourselves for the entirety of our visit and so we were able to goof off, cheese and just have a grand time atop the National Wallace Monument.
Of course - we couldn't resist snapping a goofy picture at the bottom of the hill when the opportunity presented itself - can anyone actually resist these goofy little face in the hole photo ops?
We rounded out the evening by making our way into the heart of downtown Stirling to have dinner at an Italian restaurant called Mamma Mia - and it was divine! The owner; a lovely Italian man, came to Scotland for University and loved it so much, he stayed! He was quite excited about the England versus Italy match that was playing on the TV the evening of the 10th and told us he was even closing the kitchen at 8:00 so everyone could head home and cheer on Italy! Of course - Italy did win in the end, so I'm sure he was a very happy man! It was a full day and a good day.
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