A Record of a Lifetime of Wanderlust
Pitlochry, Scotland Scones are a delicious pastry associated with Scotland and the British Isles as a whole, but major differences make them hard to categorize. The first division is how to say the word, as there are two main pronunciations throughout the British Isles. Is a Scone a bread or a cake? The Cambridge Dictionary…
Between Perth and Kingussie, Scotland The most efficient way to visit most of Scotland is via automobile. While Glasgow and Edinburgh have sufficient public transport, and trains and buses run across the country, most of Scotland is so rural that the most efficient way to reach much of the interior is by car. Many Americans…
Kingussie, Scotland Neil Ross has spent his entire life as a shepherd in the Scottish Highlands. He and his highly trained and intelligent dogs work with ease to move sheep from field to field. Today, as many shepherds have stopped working in the Highlands, Neil plies his trade by giving demonstrations with his dogs for…
Pitlochry, Scotland On our drive north through Scotland, we stopped in the town of Pitlochry. Pitlochry made for a good stop off the busy A9 highway that connects lower Scotland with the Highlands. I first read about Pitlochry in Rick Steves’s Scotland guidebook, and it seemed like a decent place to stop on our drive…
Stirling, Scotland After visiting Stirling Castle, I came down the hill and parked in front of Stirling Bagpipes. I first learned about this place in Rick Steves’s Scotland Guidebook, but I was not sure it would be open. On a whim, I went in, but everyone stayed back in the van. I walked into the…
Stirling, Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, Rothesay, Scotland, and Kirkwall, Scotland Why does Scotland have a unicorn as its national animal? I went down the rabbit hole to answer this question while touring Scotland. I noticed images of unicorns on coats of arms and often in historic locations. I knew before my trip that the unicorn was…
Stirling, Scotland and Edinburgh, Scotland Like many people my age, I first learned about Robert the Bruce through the movie Braveheart. Angus Macfadyen’s portrayal in Braveheart as a reluctant King with issues with his controlling father is what most non-Scots my age would have thought of him. In the movie, the frequent meetings with, and…
Stirling, Scotland “Scots, wha hae wi’ Wallace bled; Scots, wham Bruce has aften led: Welcome to your gory bed, Or to glorious victory!” Robert Burns imagined these words as said by Robert the Bruce in his famous poem, The Speech of King Robert the Bruce to his Troops, at the Battle of Bannockburn. These lyrics…
Stirling, Scotland One of my favorite movies as a teenager was Braveheart. The cinematography, action sequences, and storytelling were superb, and the movie deserved to be selected as Best Picture at the Oscars. The first major battle in the movie shows Mel Gibson as William Wallace leading an outnumbered, ragtag group of Scottish warriors against…
Stirling, Scotland Arguably the grandest castle in all of Scotland (Edinburgh Castle is also in the running), Stirling is the castle most closely associated with the Scottish Wars of Independence. It was a treat to visit Stirling and its impressive castle, which towers over the surrounding countryside. Stirling Castle sits on a formidable volcanic hill…