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Chapter 17
Ten Great Places to Visit in Scotland
In This Chapter
Seeing signs of Scotland’s prehistoric and medieval past
Closing in on castles, abbeys and even a cemetery
Tempting though it is to send visitors to the usual tartan-clad, shortbread-tin-selling tourist attractions, such as Edinburgh Castle, Loch Ness or the ‘bo
The Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Want to know how our very ancient ancestors lived and died? Then make time to visit the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. It’s well worth the boat trip over to one of the most northerly parts of Scotland, a barren but beautiful archipelago. Situated in the western part of the main island of Orkney, this UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises the following:
Skara Brae, a domestic settlement
Maes Howe, a chambered tomb
The Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Ste
Recently, there have been archaeological excavations at the Ness of Brodgar, a 6-acre site that lies between the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Ste
Excavations at the site have also uncovered evidence of a large temple complex, housing, large walled enclosures and many artefacts, which have led them to think that this was a place for rituals to link the land of the living to the land of the dead. Creepy, but fascinating!
Eilean Donan Castle
Okay, this one
is
the shortbread-tin Scottish castle of a thousand advertising campaigns, but that makes it no less worthy of a visit, not least because it lies in the Kintail National Scenic Area in the northwest of Scotland. Thought to have been the site of a monastic cell dedicated to Do
The castle began the development of its main fortifications in the 13th century. Its position on an island made it a stronghold against the Norse invaders, and it became the seat of the Mackenzies of Kintail for many years. It stood up to the Scottish Wars of Independence, bitter clan feuding and the civil wars of the 17th century. However, in 1719, the castle was mostly destroyed by three royal navy gunships over a three-day period during a time of unrest following the third Jacobite uprising.
The castle was rebuilt in the early 20th century and has been the set of many film and television series, as well as being on those shortbread tins!
Glencoe
Visit Glencoe to get a real sense of the majesty of the Scottish Highlands. Best approached from the south, on a drive up across the bleakness of Ra
Glencoe has everything a Scottish glen should have: the towering mountainsides (a haven for walkers, climbers and skiers), a rushing river that cascades over rocks on its way down to open out at Loch Leven, as well as some bloodthirsty history.
The infamous Massacre of Glencoe in 1692 saw the deaths of 38 male members of the MacDonald clan, murdered in their homes by a troop of soldiers who were staying with them. Forty women and children died of exposure when their homes were burned and they were forced to flee into the unforgiving Highland winter.
A visitor centre at the Loch Leven end of the Glen tells this story. You can still sense the sadness and bleakness if you visit the Glen on a grey, misty day.
Ba
The site of Ba
The 700th a
St Andrews
St Andrews isn’t a large town, but it has so much to offer a tourist. It’s not just the home of Scotland’s oldest and most venerated university (and where Will and Kate met) or the birthplace of golf; St Andrews also has a rich and varied history that can be discovered on a walk round its bustling tourist-filled streets.
In fact, St Andrews has always been a tourist attraction. In medieval times, it housed the relics of Scotland’s national saint – St Andrew – and that drew in pilgrims by the hundreds. Today they come by the thousands to play the most historic golf course in the world, the Old Course.
However, in spite of its prosperous facade, St Andrews declined in national importance from the 17th century. Once it was the centre of Christendom in Scotland, but the Reformation led to its decline. The wars over faith led to the ruination of the town’s famed cathedral and its castle. They also led to the burning of Protestant heretics – make sure you look for the marked spot outside the chapel where Patrick Hamilton was burned alive.
The university continued but was reduced to a tiny, insignificant seat of learning well into the 19th century. It’s only in the last 30 years or so that St Andrews has once again regained its place as one of the premier universities not just in Scotland but in the entire United Kingdom.
So, if you want to relive the tempestuous times of religious controversy and struggle that made up what we call the Reformation (see Chapter 10) then this is the place to come. History is literally on the doorstep!
Falkland Palace
Situated in the heart of the Kingdom of Fife, Falkland Palace was one of the royal residences of the Stewart monarchs – in fact, you could say it was their holiday home. It was acquired from the MacDuffs of Fife in the 14th century by the Scottish crown, but was remodelled in the 16th century by two Stewart kings, James IV and James V. The two Jameses transformed the old castle into a beautiful Renaissance palace, one of only two in Scotland. James V also commissioned the setting out of the gardens and park, which were then in a poor state.
The Stewarts used Falkland as a retreat, with more kingly business happening at either Edinburgh Castle or Stirling Castle. Here, at Falkland, they entertained guests, hunted deer or wild boar in the park and surrounding area, practised falconry and played te
Mary loved Falkland, and her descendants, James VI, Charles I and Charles II, all enjoyed visiting here. A fire destroyed much of the palace during a time of occupation by Cromwell’s troops in the Civil War years, but careful restoration work, started in the late 19thcentury, has returned Falkland to its glory days.
Remember to bring your te
The Necropolis
The Victorian era was one of huge importance to the city of Glasgow. It grew in size as engineering and manufacturing sprang up along the River Clyde – the population nearly tripled in just a couple of decades. With the trade pouring into the port towns of the west of Scotland, Glasgow was undoubtedly the ‘Second City of the British Empire’. How did the great and the good celebrate their new wealth? How did they let future generations know they had done well? They left monuments behind. In 1833, the Glasgow middle class decided to build a Necropolis, or City of the Dead, in true Victorian Gothic style, and many were said to be dying to get in it!
The tombs were elaborate, huge visible markers of material success. Many of them were designed and crafted by the renowned architects and artists of the time. Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson and Charles Re
At the time, Glasgow was witness to some examples of extreme poverty. Some people have claimed that the Victorians took better care of the dead than the living – you can visit the Necropolis and make up your own mind about that.
Melrose Abbey
At the request of King David I, in 1136, St Mary’s Abbey, Melrose, was founded by the Cistercian Order of monks near a bend on the banks of the River Tweed in the Scottish Borders. It was built in the shape of St John’s Cross and took ten years to be completed. Further construction work continued for 50 years, adding more buildings to the abbey complex. The location and importance of St Mary’s Abbey led to it being the recipient of much unwelcome attention, particularly from invading English armies.
A destructive attack (and there were many) by Edward II in 1322 led Robert the Bruce to order its rebuilding. The pattern of destruction and rebuilding lasted more than 300 years. In the end, much of the main abbey was left in ruins. What was left intact was handed over as the parish church in 1610, the last Cistercian monk having died in the mid-16th century.
What makes this mostly ruined abbey worth a visit? First, the abbey is the well-documented site of the burial place of Robert the Bruce’s heart, as per his dying wishes (his body was buried at Dunfermline Abbey). Second, the abbey, even in its ruined state, is considered one of the most beautiful examples of medieval architecture. It has some ornate and elaborate stone carvings, including cooks with ladles, dragons, demons, angels and a bagpipe-playing pig!
Alloway
Alloway, in southwest Scotland, is to Scots what Stratford-upon-Avon is to the English. Scotland’s most celebrated poet and lyricist, Robert Burns, was born in a cottage built by his father, William Burnes, in the village on 25 January 1759. Responsible for a huge body of work, mainly in the Scots’ tongue, ‘Rabbie’ Burns is known the world over. Alloway is an essential place to visit, with a collection of places of interest situated in a small area, all part of the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.