Monday 24 August 2009

Scotland Road Trip

Friday 14th August was my last day at work. The next day, I flew into Edinburgh to embark on my journey. There were 5 of us on this trip and I was again the 5th wheel. The 6 day journey took us from Edinburgh > Dumbarton > Glasgow > Fort Williams > Isle of Skye > Loch Ness > Inverness > Dufftown > Aberdeen > Stirling > Edinburgh. Google journey can be viewed here

The landscape is beautiful like New Zealand but on a much bigger scale. We visited so many castles that I am actually having trouble with their names. I learned a new acronym from a local in Scotland also known as 'ABC'

Another
Bloody
Castle

That can also be translated into Another Bloody Cathedral.

We also visited 3 Whisky Distilleries; Glenfarclas, Macallan and Glenfiddich. Basically drank alot of whisky on this trip mainly because most do not get exported to other parts of the world. The tour of Glenfiddich was full of interesting information. Glenfiddich whiskey is distilled using only a single source of spring water from the Robbie Dhu spring. This process is so important to them that they purchased 1200 acres of land surrounding its nearby hills to ensure the spring water stays pure.

Stirling Castle is also a historic milestone of Scotland. Many important events are associated to Stirling Castle in some form of way. In 1297, William Wallace defeated the English for The Battle of Stirling Bridge. The castle was well built with numerous external walls. The displays by the castle curator gave you a sense of all of previous kings and made you feel as if you were living in the 12th/13th century.

While in Edinburgh, we were blessed with the presence of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The city was full of joy and excitment. The Architecture and vibrant city lead my eyes into a trance. There were so much to see but yet so little time. Early lights out as we flew off to Pisa the next morning.

Sam




Chilling at Isle of Skye








Loch Ness









Glenfiddich Distillery







Dunnottar Castle








Awesome Edinburgh