Scotland - Day 9 Edinburgh

This entry may be a little shorter. Its 9:15pm and we've all just got in from a hectic end to an otherwise enjoyable day. Once again we've be hopelessly lost in the centre of Edinburgh trying to find our B&B. We arrived late into town (about 6pm) and after mucking around we called our hosts but they could only advise to leave the city and head for the ring road; approaching again from the east. We pretty much circumnavigated Edinburgh before we finally arrived about 7pm. Both Merrilyn and I are a little over all this city navigation (at one stage we turned down a one-way street to be faced with oncoming traffic!) and I look forward to the new car with inbuilt satellite navigation.

However, the day started quite differently. Again it was a gloriously sunny day of about 22 degrees Celsius. Rather than head straight down the motorway to Edinburgh (still some 4.5 hrs travel) we decided to venture south east of Inverness and visit Kildrummy Castle. Its about a two hour detour but we have all enjoyed piecing together the Scottish history. This castle was built in the 13th Century and is related to William Wallace and ultimately the battle of Stirling.

We arrived at the castle about 10:30 and walked up a mound to be confronted by the ruins of this majestic castle. I was immediately struck by the thickness of the walls. The outer round towers consisted of stonework some 2 metres thick. Parts of the castle are well enough preserved to get a sense of the layout and of the architectural detail. We walked amongst the Chapel (with tall arching windows), the Great Hall (with stone benches still intact), the Warden's Tower (with prison and latrine!), and the Snow Tower (with the main accommodation). James particularly loves these "broken" castles. This time as we walked between rooms he slid imaginary doors open for us and closed and locked them when we walked through.

The potted history of this castle is that Robert the Bruce declared open rebellion against the English King Edward I (Longshanks). This was at the time that William Wallace had defeated the English invasion of Scotland at Stirling Bridge. He Robert left the castle in the keeping of his brother Sir Neil Bruce. That summer the English besieged the castle which was defended. In the end, the castle fell to treachery, when Osbourne, the castle's blacksmith set fire to grain stored in the Great Hall. The fire spread throughout the castle, forcing the garrison to surrender.

From the castle we made our way towards Balmoral Castle. We knew that with the royal family in residence we wouldn't get to see it but we wanted to get an appreciation for its surroundings. So we headed south on the A93 stopping in Ballater for lunch.

This is a picturesque town that has, as a feature, the Royal Station. Apparently Queen Victoria made her way to Balmoral by train stopping in Ballater. We enjoyed our sandwiches in the park opposite a church enjoying the sunshine.

From Ballater we paused briefly in Crathie Tourist Information Centre to confirm that we couldn't get within cooee of the castle. Nonetheless we enjoyed the drive through the forest of Scottish pines and gorgeous winding stream that flowed around rock filled bends.

On our journey south we drove though a number of ski fields. We enjoyed the expanse of mountains and sky and the drive was very pleasant. At times we raced over undulating roads that gave everyone's tummy a flip. James loved it. Merrilyn didn't!

We headed for Stirling to see the Wallace Monument and the Castle. As it turned out time limited us to seeing the Monument only. We'll visit the castle first thing tomorrow morning.

The monument was erected in 1869 and stands 220 feet high on the Abbey Craig at Bridge Of Allan. It is located at the spot where, in 1297, William Wallace watched the English Army approach across Stirling Bridge before leading the Scots to victory.

As we arrived at its base we were entertained by a commentary provided by a man in costume that told the story of the battle from a first person perspective. It was very entertaining.

Entering the monument we climbed to five different levels. James had no problem climbing these stone winding steps. The first floor was in celebration of William Wallace and its centerpiece is his actual broadsword. Its over two metres long and apparently would require a man over 6 foot 6 to wield it. Maybe a case of giant worship ?!?

From the top of the monument we could see where both the Stirling Bridge and Falkirk battles were waged.

We left Stirling headed for Edinburgh about 5pm. As you've read, we got lost again but did manage to sight the Castle (in fact we drove around it).