Monthly Archives: June 2024

Edinburgh Castle (Scotland, U.K.)

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Edinburgh Castle

The historic  Edinburgh Castle, which stands on the 130 m. (430 ft.) high Castle Rock (a crag formed from the plug of an extinct volcano, is located at the top of the Royal Mile, at the west end of Edinburgh’s Old Town. Occupied by humans during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age, potentially making the Castle Rock the longest continuously occupied site in Scotland), it is a castle that has played a prominent role in Scottish history serving, variously, as a royal residence (until 1633), an arsenal, a treasury, a national archive, a mint, a prison, a military fortress, a military garrison (by the 17th century), and the home of the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish regalia).

Castle seen from the Esplanade

Edinburgh Castle, one of the most important strongholds in the Kingdom of Scotland, was involved in many historical conflicts from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Main Gate. Above the gate is inscribed with the Latin motto Nemo me impune lacessit  and, flanking it, are statues of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace, both added in 1929

Cared for by the Historic Environment Scotland, it is Scotland’s most (and the United Kingdom‘s second most) visited paid tourist attraction, with over 2.2 million visitors in 2019.  Over 70% of leisure visitors to Edinburgh visit the castle. During the annual Edinburgh Festival, the castle, a recognizable symbol of Edinburgh in particular and of Scotland as a whole, is the backdrop to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a parade of the massed pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments started in 1950.

Statue of William Wallace (Alexander Carrick)

The castle is the site of the Scottish National War Memorial, the National War Museum and  the regimental museums of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (the castle is their regimental headquarters), along with that of the Royal Scots. The British Army is still responsible for some parts of the castle, although its presence is now largely ceremonial and administrative. Over the past century and a half, various restoration programs have been carried out.

Statue of Robert the Bruce (Thomas Clapperton)

Edinburgh Castle, in the ownership of the Scottish Ministers as heads of the devolved Scottish Government, is run and administered, for the most part, by Historic Environment Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government, while the Army still remains responsible for some areas, including the New Barracks block and the military museums. Both also share use of the Guardroom immediately inside the castle entrance.

The castle has become a recognizable symbol of Edinburgh, and of Scotland. It appears, in stylized form, on the coats-of-arms of the City of Edinburgh Council and the University of Edinburgh. Images of Edinburgh Castle are used, as a logo, by organizations including Edinburgh Rugby, the Edinburgh Evening News, Hibernian F.C. and the Edinburgh Marathon. It also appears on the “Castle series” of Royal Mail postage stamps. The castle is also a focal point for annual fireworks displays which mark Edinburgh’s Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations, and the end of the Edinburgh Festival in the summer.

Forewall Battery

Few of the present buildings pre-date the Lang Siege of 1573 (in its 1,100-year history, it underwent 26 sieges, giving it a claim to having been “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world”) when the medieval defenses were largely destroyed by artillery bombardment. The most notable exceptions are St Margaret’s Chapel (from the early 12th century, is regarded as the oldest building in Edinburgh), the Royal Palace, and the early 16th-century Great Hall.

Argyle Tower

Before entering the castle, you first pass the Esplanade. long sloping forecourt in front of the castle. Originally the Spur, a 16th-century hornwork, was located here and, in 1753, was laid out as a parade ground (extended in 1845). The Edinburgh Military Tattoo (since 2010 the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo) takes place here, annually, in August, attracting an annual audience of around 217,000 people, and broadcasted, in some 30 countries, to a television audience estimated at 100 million.

The climax of the evening is the lone piper, on the castle battlements, playing a pibroch in memory of dead comrades-in-arms.  This is followed by massed bands joining in a medley of traditional Scottish tunes. From the Esplanade the Half Moon Battery is prominent, with the Royal Palace to its left.

The author at Portcullis Gate

At the head of the Esplanade is the Gatehouse  built as an architecturally cosmetic addition to the castle in 1888. Above the gate is inscribed with the Latin motto Nemo me impune lacessit  and, flanking it, are statues of Robert the Bruce (by Thomas Clapperton) and William Wallace (by Alexander Carrick), both added in 1929. The dry ditch in front of the entrance was completed in its present form in 1742.

Argyle Battery

Within the Gatehouse  are offices and, to the north, is the ticket office, the most recent addition to the castle, completed in 2008 to a design by Gareth Hoskins Architects. A road, built by James III in 1464 for the transport of cannon, leads upward and around to the north of the Half Moon Battery and the Forewall Battery, to the Portcullis Gate, begun by the Regent Morton after the Lang Siege of 1571–73 to replace the round Constable’s Tower destroyed during the siege. The Argyle Tower, a Scots Baronial tower at the upper part of the Gatehouse, was designed by the architect Hippolyte Blanc and built in 1886–1887.

Mills Mount Battery

Just inside the gate, overlooking Princes Street, is the Argyle Battery, with Mills Mount Battery (where the One O’Clock Gun is located), to the west. Below these is the Low Defense while, at the base of the rock, is the ruined Wellhouse Tower, built in 1362 to guard St. Margaret’s Well, a natural spring that provided an important secondary source of water for the castle (its water being lifted up by a crane mounted on a platform known as the Crane Bastion).

Jandy beside a 25-pounder howitzer

To the north and west of the Argyle Tower are military buildings erected, in the early 18th century, after the castle became a major garrison. Tea rooms, adjacent to Mills Mount, were originally 18th-century cart sheds. To the south is the Governor’s House which now functions as an officers’ mess, and as the office of the Governor since the restoration of the post in 1936..  Built in 1742 as accommodation for the Governor, Storekeeper, and Master Gunner, it was used until the post of Governor became vacant in the later 19th century.  Later it was then used by nurses of the castle hospital.

The Governor’s House

The New Barracks, south of the Governor’s House, was completed in 1799 to house 600 soldiers, replacing the outdated accommodation in the Great Hall. It now houses the Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Regimental Headquarters of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys) as well as the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum (opened in 1995 by, Queen Elizabeth II, the regiment’s Colonel). Nearby is the Regimental Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) in the former Royal Scots drill hall, constructed in 1900.

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Regimental Museum of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment)

The military prison, built in 1842 as a detention block for the castle garrison, was extended in the 1880s and was last used in 1923, when the garrison moved to the city’s Redford Barracks.  West of the Governor’s House is a store for munitions was built in 1747–48 and later extended to form a courtyard, in which the main gunpowder magazine also stood.

Military Prison

South of this courtyard is now the National War Museum of Scotland which covers Scotland’s military history over the past 400 years.  Forming part of the National Museums of Scotland, its exhibits (including a wide range of military artefacts, such as uniforms, medals and weapons) also illustrates the history and causes behind the many wars in which Scottish soldiers have been involved.

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National War Museum Scotland

Beside the museum is Butts Battery, named after the archery butts (targets) formerly placed here and, below it, are the Western Defenses, where a postern, named the West Sally Port, gives access to the western slope of the rock.

Foog’s Gate

The Upper Ward (or Citadel), occupying the highest part of the Castle Rock, is entered via the late 17th-century Foog’s Gate. Large cisterns, built to reduce the castle’s dependency on well water, and a former fire station (now used as a shop), are both adjacent to the gates.

St. Margaret’s Chapel

The small St. Margaret’s Chapel and Mons Meg, 15th-century siege gun or bombard, occupy the summit of the rock. The oldest building in the castle and in Edinburgh, St. Margaret’s Chapel is one of the few 12th-century structures surviving in any Scottish castle.  It dates from the reign (1124–1153) of King David I who built it as a private chapel, dedicated to Saint Margaret of Scotland, his mother, who died in the castle in 1093) for the royal family.

Interior of St. Margaret’s Chapel

It survived the slighting of 1314 (when the castle’s defenses were destroyed on the orders of Robert the Bruce) and, from the 16th century, was used as a gunpowder store when the present roof was built. In 1845, while in use as part of the larger garrison chapel, it was “discovered” by the antiquary Daniel Wilson and, in 1851–1852, was restored and still used for religious ceremonies such as weddings.

Mons Meg

In front of St. Margaret’s Chapel, resting on a reconstructed carriage (details copied from an old stone relief that can be seen inside the tunnel of the Gatehouse at the castle entrance) and displayed on a terrace, is the 13,000-pound (5.9-ton) gun Mons Meg, constructed in 1449 in Flanders, on the orders of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, and given, as a gift, to King James II (the husband of his niece), in 1457. Displayed alongside it are some of Meg’s large gun stones, weighing around 330 lbs. (150 kgs.) each.

Meg’s large gun stones

On July 3, 1558, when it was fired, in salute, to celebrate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots, to François II, the French dauphin. It has been defunct since On October 30, 1681 when the gun barrel burst while firing a salute to greet the Duke of Albany (the future King James VII and II) on his arrival in Edinburgh..

Lang Stairs

Below this area, on a ledge, is a small 19th-century Dogs’ Cemetery for the burial of the soldiers’ regimental mascots. Besides this is the Lang Stair that leads down to the Argyle Battery, past a section of a medieval bastion, and gives access to the upper storey of the Argyle Tower. The Forewall and Half Moon Batteries occupy the eastern end of the Upper Ward, with Crown Square to the south.

Half Moon Battery

The Half Moon Battery, a prominent feature on the east side of the castle, was built around and over the ruins of David’s Tower, two storeys of which survive beneath, with windows facing out onto the interior wall of the battery.  It was erected between 1573 and 1588 and built as part of the reconstruction works supervised by the Regent Morton. The Forewall, to the north, was built between 1689 and 1695 to link the Half Moon to the Portcullis Tower, although part of the original wall of 1540 was incorporated into it.

David’s Tower

David’s Tower was rediscovered, in 1912, during routine maintenance work and excavations below the Half Moon Battery revealed the extent of the surviving buildings. Built on an L-plan, it has a 16 by 12 m. (51 by 38 ft.) main block, with a 6.4 by 5.5 m. (21 by 18 ft.) wing to the west. It is entered via a pointed-arched doorway in the inner angle although, in the 16th century, this was filled in to make the tower a solid rectangle. Although the lower parts are generally closed, several rooms were accessible to the public.

Crown Square

Crown Square (also known as Palace Yard), laid out in the 15th century (during the reign of King James III) as the principal courtyard of the castle, is formed by the Royal Palace to the east, the Great Hall to the south, the Queen Anne Building to the west, and the National War Memorial to the north.

Laich Hall at the Royal palace

The Royal Palace, comprising the former royal apartments (the residence of the later Stewart monarchs), was begun in the mid-15th century (during the reign of James IV) and was extensively remodeled, in 1617, for the visit of James VI to the castle, when state apartments for the King and Queen were built. On the ground floor is the Laich (Low) Hall (now called the King’s Dining Room) and the Birth Chamber (or Mary Room), a small room where, on June 19, 1566, James VI was born to Mary, Queen of Scots. The commemorative painted ceiling, and other decorations, were added in 1617.

Portrait of Mary Queen of Scots at the Birth Chamber

Portrait of King James VI

The vaulted Crown Room, on the first floor, was built in 1615 to house the Honours of Scotland: the crown, the scepter and the sword of state. Since its return to Scotland in 1996, the Stone of Scone, where the monarchs of Scotland were traditionally crowned, has been kept in the Crown Room. The Register House, to the south of the palace, was built in the 1540s to accommodate state archives.

The Great Hall

The 29 by 12.5 m. (95 by 41 ft.) Great Hall, the chief place of state assembly in the castle (although there is no evidence that the Parliament of Scotland ever met there), is usually ascribed to the reign of King James IV, and is thought to have been completed in the early years of the 16th century.

Hammerbeam ceiling inside the Great Hall

One of only two medieval halls in Scotland with an original hammerbeam roof, it has decorative, carved stone corbels, supporting the roof, with Renaissance detailing which has been compared to ca. 1515 works at Blois, France, indicating that the arts in Scotland were relatively advanced at this time.  Still occasionally used for ceremonial occasions, the Great Hall has been used as a venue on Hogmanay for BBC Scotland‘s Hogmanay Live program.

Queen Anne Building

The present Queen Anne Building, on the south side of the castle, was named after Queen Anne. It was built in 1713 and designed by Capt. Theodore Dury, military engineer for Scotland (he also designed Dury’s Battery, named in his honor).

Dury’s Battery

It initially provided accommodation for Staff Officers but, after the departure of the Army, it was remodeled to complement the newly opened Scottish National War Memorial) as the Naval and Military Museum in the 1920s. Today, the building now houses a function suite and an education center.

Scottish National War Memorial

The Scottish National War Memorial, occupying a converted barrack block on the north side of Crown Square, is maintained by a charitable trust.  It commemorates Scottish soldiers, and those serving with Scottish regiments, who died in the two world wars and in more recent conflicts. The building, its exterior decorated with gargoyles and sculpture, has an interior that contains monuments, to individual regiments, and stained-glass windows by Douglas Strachan.

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Within the Shrine is an altar, placed upon the highest point of the Castle Rock, with a sealed casket containing Rolls of Honor which lists over 147,000 names of those soldiers killed in World War I, plus 50,000 names from World War II. Further names continue to be added to the Rolls of Honor.

Redcoat Cafe

At precisely 1 PM (except Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day), the One O’Clock Gun is fired, every day, from Mill’s Mount Battery (formerly from the Half Moon Battery), on the north face of the castle, by the District Gunner from the 105th Regiment Royal Artillery. Established in 1861 as a time signal for ships in the harbor of Leith and the Firth of Forth, 3 kms. (2 mi.) away, the gun is no longer required for its original purpose but the ceremony has become a popular tourist attraction.

The One O’Clock Gun

Its original gun was an 18-pound muzzle-loading cannon (which needed four men to load).  In 1913, it was replaced by a 32-pound breech-loader and, in May 1952, by a 25-pound Howitzer. On November 30, 2001, the present One O’Clock Gun, an L118 Light Gun, was brought into service. A small exhibition, at Mill’s Mount, was established by the  One O’Clock Gun Association and Staff Sergeant Thomas McKay MBE (nicknamed “Tam the Gun“), the longest-serving District Gunner (from 1979 until his retirement in January 2005).

Hospital

Gift Shop

Edinburgh Castle: Castle Rock, Edinburgh, EH1 2NG Scotland. Tel: +44 131 225 9846.  Website: www.edinburghcastle.scot. Open daily, 9:30 AM to 6 PM (April to September) and 10 AM to 4 PM (October to March). Closed December 25 and 26. Admission:

  • Adult (16-64 years old): £21.50 (online), £24.00 (walk-up)
  • Concession (65 years+ and unemployed): £17.00 (online), £19.00 (walk-up)
  • Child (7-15 years old): £13.00 (online), £14.50 (walk-up)
  • Adult Flexi Ticket: £35.00 (online)
  • Concession Flexi Ticket: £28.00 (online)
  • Child Flexi Ticket: £21.00 (online)
  • Family (1 adult, 2 children): £42.50 (online), £47.50 (walk-up)
  • Family (2 adults, 2 children): £62.00 (online), £69.50 (walk-up)
  • Family (2 adults, 3 children): £74.00 (online), £82.00 (walk-up)

Church of St. Cuthbert and Graveyard (Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.)

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St. Cuthbert Parish Church

The historic parish church of St Cuthbert, and its graveyard, are a significant part of Edinburgh’s heritage (the church has been a Category A listed building since 1970) that are both well-maintained.  The church, on the oldest continually used site of worship in the whole city, a parish church of the Church of Scotland.  The earliest church on the site was said to have been founded by St. Cuthbert around 670 AD.

The graveyard beside the church

Partly due to its closeness to Edinburgh Castle, the church was, at different times, caught in cannon crossfire between opposing armies, suffering severe damage or being destroyed as a result and it is believed that there have been seven churches built on its site. The present church of St Cuthbert’s, built in the Baroque and Italian Renaissance style, was designed (except for the steeple of the previous church which was retained), by Hippolyte Blanc and built between 1892 and 1894. It is apparently quite beautiful inside, with stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Douglas Strachan, and Ballantyne & Gardiner; mural paintings by Gerald Moira and John Duncan; and memorials by John Flaxman and George Frampton.  However, on this particular day, it was closed to visitors.

The twin, 3-storey Baroque towers with the old steeple in between

The church, divided into upper and lower levels by a continuous course of ashlar dressings, has a roughly dressed and snecked, cream sandstone exterior, with every corner decorated with half-fluted Corinthian pilasters, on the upper stage (pierced with round-arched windows, with architraves  supported by half-fluted Corinthian pilasters, of each of the four western bays), and quoining on the lower (each bay pierced by an oblong window below a corniced architrave). The slated roof rests at a shallow pitch. The near-identical north and south elevations terminate with square-based, three-storeyed Baroque towers on the east sides of the transepts.

One of the twin, Baroque-style towers

The church itself was where the almost 40-year old crime writer Agatha Christie married the 26-year old (a nearly 14-year age gap which was considered scandalous by some at that time) archaeologist Max Mallowan, her second husband, in 1930, a runaway affair, with the couple eloping northwards, from England to Edinburgh, where the service was conducted without friends or family, and just two strangers brought off the street to act as witnesses to the ceremony.

The large graveyard, near Edinburgh Castle, is believed to be on the oldest Christian site in Edinburgh.  The graveyard is impressive, containing hundreds of monuments worthy of notice, including one to John Grant of Kilgraston (near Perth), and a number of graves that are worth examining as it holds the remains of notable individuals like Thomas De Quincey (1785–1859, author of Confessions of an English Opium-Eater) and John Napier. The first reference to a graveyard here is recorded as being in 1595.

The graveyard

The mathematician John Napier (1550–1617) discovered logarithms and invented ‘Napier’s Bones’ (because the instruments were originally carved from bone or ivory), a device for easily calculating large sums, a precursor to the pocket calculator. He is buried in an underground vault on the north side of the church (reburied after destruction of the kirkyard of St. Giles to build Parliament House).

The three-bay Gothic mausoleum of the Gordons of Cluny, by David Bryce contains the tomb of Cosmo Gordon of Cluny FRSE (1736–1800), a politician and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783.

Obelisks used to mark the graves of notable individuals and families

Robert Tait McKenzie, a Canadian doctor and sculptor, created the memorial known as The Call 1914, in nearby Princes Street Gardens, which commemorates the Scots soldiers who were killed or injured during the First World War. His heart is buried in St Cuthbert’s kirkyard, with a small decorative plaque commemorating his life. Mackenzie originally wanted to be buried in front of the memorial after his death.

Sir Henry Raeburn (1756–1823), one of Scotland’s foremost portrait painters in the eighteenth century, is buried on the eastern wall of the graveyard. Another artist buried here is Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840), also an architect and inventor, whose most notable painting is the much-copied portrait of Robert Burns. His son, James Nasmyth, also a prolific inventor, is most famous for the steam hammer while his other son, Patrick Nasmyth continued the family line as an artist of note.

Also buried here is Jessie MacDonald, granddaughter of Flora MacDonald (who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender of the Jacobite Uprisings, escape Scotland after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746), and George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), the self-taught architect and master joiner whose major gift to the city of Edinburgh was the Scott Monument, the “Gothic rocket’’ of in Princes Street Gardens.

Other noteworthy burials in the graveyard include:

Many were also buried within the church. They include William Paul (1754–1802), Chaplain in Ordinary to George III; and Sir James Rocheid of Inverleith (1715–1787).

West of the transept, on the north side, are steps that descend to a round-arched doorway, in the basement level, that lead to the Nisbet of Dean burial vault. Buried here is Henrie Nisbet of Dean (died 1609) and his son William Nisbet of Dean. Henrie was Provost of Edinburgh, from 1592 to 1593, while William was twice Provost of Edinburgh 1615 to 1619 and 1622 to 1623. Constructed in 1692, it was retained during the construction of the current church and its predecessor.

Dog sculpture commemorating Edinburgh’s sister city of San Diego (California, USA) and their respective celebrity dogs (Greyfriar’s Bobby, of Edinburgh, and Bum of San Diego)

St, Cuthbert Church Graveyard: 5 Lothian Road, New Town, Edinburgh, EH1 2EP, Scotland.

Ross Fountain (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

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Ross Fountain with Edinburgh Castle in the background

The highlight of our visit to the Princes Street Gardens was our photo ops at the Ross Fountain, the focus of the western end of the gardens and the park’s most important monument.  This fountain, made from cast-iron, is a shining example of magnificent  19th century sculpture.  Photographs of the view up to the famous Edinburgh Castle from the Gardens, with this fountain in the foreground, has featured heavily in some of the iconic imagery of Edinburgh over the years.

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At an exhibit at the Great Exhibition of 1862, an exhibition of modern art, technology and invention in London, it was purchased, on a moment of impulse and as a philanthropic gesture, by Edinburgh gunsmith Daniel Ross (who described it as “obtaining universal admiration”), in September 1869, for £2,000 and, subsequently, gifted to the city of Edinburgh.

The four female, greater than life size figures representing Science, Arts, Poetry, and Industry

That same year, it was transported to Leith, in 122 individual pieces, but sat in storage for a decade while the city council considered where they were going to put it. In 1872, it was reassembled, in its current position, at Princes Street Gardens, only a few hundred yards from the Ross Bandstand. Sadly, David Ross died in January 1871, one year before, missing the opportunity to see the masterpiece displayed in the gardens.

Some of the 8 voluptuous mermaid statues, with bared flesh, holding overflowing urns, and sitting on scallop-shell basins with lion’s heads between

In 2001, as broken pipes had made the fountain inoperational, the fountain had some extensive restoration work completed. In 2008, water was turned off and, from July 2017, it was closed again for further restoration work, costing 1.9 million pounds, undertaken by Lost Art Limited of Wigan on behalf of The Ross Development Trust. On July 8, 2018, it was re-inaugurated by Lord Provost Frank Ross and others, including the Head of Mission at the French Consulate in Edinburgh Emmanuel Cocher.

The beautifully modeled and semi-naked female figure, holding the topmost cornucopia, which scandalized Victorian Edinburgh at the time.

The fountain, now with a new pump that will be switched on permanently, is now painted in eye-catching turquoise, brown and gold which, according to the organizers, should last for at least 20 years. The figures were sculpted by artist Jean-Baptiste Jules Klagmann (b. April 1810) whose other work includes figures for the Louvre and D’ Medici fountains in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.  It is also unusual in that, rather than having been produced by one of the great Scottish foundries of the day, it was produced at the iron foundry of  Antoine Durenne, ‘Maitre de Forges, Sommevoire Haute Marne’ in Sommevoire, France.

The fountain’s circular basin has curved Craigleith sandstone edges and the first elevated basin is decorated with stylized “walrus” heads round the edge. The first tier of the central column has 8 voluptuous mermaid statues, with bared flesh, holding overflowing urns, and sitting on scallop-shell basins with lion’s heads between. Swags and cornucopia abound, and the bowls above have cherub-faced spouts.

The author (right) with Jandy and Grace (photo: Selena Sta. Maria))

Near the top, with water basins held up by mermaid children, are four female greater than life size figures representing Science, Arts, Poetry, and Industry seated between semicircular basins. The structure is surmounted by a final, beautifully modeled and semi-naked female figure, holding the topmost cornucopia, which scandalized Victorian Edinburgh at the time. All this combines to produce a fountain that is over 40 ft. high and over 100 tons in weight. 

Ross Fountain: West Princes Street Gardens, Princes Street EH2 2HG, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 529 7921. E-mail: parks@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Princes Street Gardens (Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)

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Princes Street Gardens

Our third (and first and only whole) day in Edinburgh, we planned to visit Edinburgh Castle but, as it was still very early in the morning (the castle opens at 10 AM), we decided to visit and explore the 150,000 sq. m. (37-acre) Princes Street Gardens, one of two adjacent public parks (East Princes Street Gardens and West Princes Street Gardens) and one of the most important urban parks in the center of Edinburgh.

The National Gallery of Scotland (left) and the Royal Scottish Academy (right) buildings

Lying in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle (on its rock towering above the western end), the gardens, running along the south side of Princes Street, is divided into two parts by The Mound, an artificial hill, on which the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy buildings are located, that connects the city’s New Town and Old Town.

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St. John’s Church

Lying at center of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site, set in the valley between New Town and Old Town Outstanding Conservation Areas (the boundary between the two areas being the north fence of the railway), the Princes Street Gardens is in the very center of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.

L-R: Paula, Manny, Jandy, Grace and the author at Princes Street Gardens. In the background is St. Cuthbert’s Parish Church

Its landscape, of outstanding refinement and cultural significance, has high geological and some botanical scientific interest. One of the New Town Gardens listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscape in Scotland, it was assessed as outstanding in terms of aesthetic, historical, architectural and scenic values.

Ross Fountain with Edinburgh Castle in the background

The central location of the Gardens makes it a popular choice having the highest awareness and visitor figures for both residents and visitors to the city. Awarded a Green Flag since 2011, the park is beautiful all year round.

Gardener’s Cottage

East Princes Street Gardens run from The Mound to Waverley Bridge, and cover 3.4 ha. (8.5 acres) while the larger West Princes Street Gardens covers 12 ha. (29 acres) and extends to the adjacent churches of St. John’s and St. Cuthbert’s, near Lothian Road in the west.

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The Scott Monument

The Gardens were created in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town, beginning in the 1760s.  Situated on the north side of the town, the loch,  originally an artificial creation forming part of its medieval defenses, has made expansion northwards difficult and its water was habitually polluted from sewage draining downhill from the Old Town. The Princes Street Gardens has a diverse and fascinating collection of public monuments and memorials. Dating mainly from the 1840s to 1990s, there are three types.

Sir James Young Simpson Monument

The first group commemorates influential Scottish men of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the East Princes Street Gardens are the Scott Monument (the most prominent in the garden, this Neo-Gothic spire was built in 1844 to honor Sir Walter Scott) and the statue of explorer David Livingstone.  Also within East Princes Street Gardens are statues of the publisher Lord Provost Adam Black and Professor John Wilson (the essayist who wrote under the pseudonym Christopher North).

Thomas Guthrie Monument

The second group remembers those who have died fighting in wars, including the Royal Scots Greys Regimental Memorial and the Scottish American War Memorial (designed by R. Tait McKensie, it was erected in 1927). The Royal Scots Monument, a large curved monument to the Royal Scots, stands slightly hidden just south of the very picturesque gardener’s cottage at the east end of the West Princes Gardens. Designed by Sir Frank Mears, with sculpture by Pilkington Jackson, it was described as a “modern henge.”   Dating from 1950, it was added to and “finalized” in May 2007 following the termination of the Royal Scots in 2006. This added additional Battle Honors gained since the 1950s.

Monument of the Royal Scots

The third group includes miscellaneous sculptures and monuments such as the cast iron Ross Fountain The focus of the western end of the gardens, the newly refurbished fountain is the park’s most important monument.  Gifted by Edinburgh gunsmith Daniel Ross, this structure was originally installed in 1872, after having been an exhibit at the Great Exposition of 1862 in London, and repaired, restored and unveiled on July 8, 2018 with the help of The Ross Development Trust.

Check out “Ross Fountain”

The Genius of Architecture crowning the Theory and Practice of Art

At the eastern entrance to the Gardens is the world renowned Floral Clock.  The world’s first floral clock, it was first planted in 1903 and each year the planting scheme, designed by the Technical team in the Parks and Greenspace Service, commemorates a special anniversary. The designs of the colorful displays uses a variety of 30,000 flower and foliage plants (including annuals such as Lobelia, Pyrethrum and Golden Moss and succulents such as Echeveria and Sedum), all of a dwarf nature, suitable for carpet bedding.

Ross Theatre

Along the south side of Princes Street are many statues and monuments such as statues of the poet Allan Ramsay, the church reformer Thomas Guthrie, and the obstetric pioneer James Young Simpson. Within East Princes Street Gardens is a small commemorative stone honoring the volunteers from the Lothians and Fife who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

Mortonhall Baby Ashes Memorial

In the center of the West Princes Street Gardens is the Ross Bandstand, named after William Henry Ross (Chairman of the Distillers Company Ltd.) who, in 1877, gifted the first bandstand on the site. The Princes Street proprietors contributed £500 as a goodwill gesture to the cost of the bandstand. The present building and terraces, dating from 1935, is the site of various concerts and other events including the Festival Fireworks Concert, Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest and during the city’s Hogmanay celebrations. The Ross Development Trust proposed to rebuild the bandstand as a Ross Pavilion based on design by architects wHY following an international competition in 2017.

The Royal Scots Greys Monument

The Genius of Architecture, a statuary group on the lower path, represents crowning the Theory and Practice of Art.   Designed by William Brodie originally for the garden of Rockville, the home of his maverick architect son-in-law Sir James Gowans, it was moved here in the 1960s following the demolition of Rockville.   Nearby is the Mortonhall Baby Ashes Memorial, a new monument in the form of a baby elephant by sculptor Andy Scott.  Added to the gardens on February 2, 2019, it is a permanent reminder of the 250 babies and their families affected by the Mortonhall scandal, which was uncovered in 2012.

Norwegian Brigade Memorial

Other statues and memorials include the Norwegian Brigade War Memorial (donated in 1978 by Norwegian veterans trained in Scotland during the Second World War) and the bronze statue, unveiled in 2015, of Wojtek the Bear, a Syrian brown bear adopted by the Polish II Corps during World War II, with a fellow Polish Army soldier walking together.

Wojtek The Soldier Bear Memorial

Princes Street Gardens: Princes Street EH2 2HG, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 529 7921. E-mail: parks@edinburgh.gov.uk

Pitlochry (Scotland, U.K.)

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Pitlochry

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From the Commando Memorial, in Spean Bridge, we drove another 104 kms. (a 1.5 hour drive, via the A86 and A9), to Pitlochry, our last stopover.  This was to be our last toilet break, prior to our return to Edinburgh, and there was a long queue at the town’s public toilet (or the “loo” as they call it), causing a lot of misery (plus they charge 50p per person for using it), so we walked, for about 320 m., along Atholl Road (the main road), to Fishers Hotel where we used the toilet for free.

Check out “Commando Memorial” and “Spean Bridge”

Grace and Jandy strolling along Atholl Road (the main road). On the other side are the unusual period cast iron canopy.

This town, lying on the River Tummel, in the Perth and Kinross council area of Scotland is, historically, in the county of Perthshire. Largely a Victorian town, it was developed into a tourist resort after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the area in 1842 and bought a highland estate at Balmoral, and the arrival of the railway in 1863. Popular as a base for coach holidays, it is particularly known for its Pitlochry Festival Theatre and salmon ladder.

Surrounded by mountains such as Ben Vrackie and Schiehallion, it also a centre for hillwalking. The town has retained many stone Victorian buildings and the high street has an unusual period cast iron canopy over one side.   The town has two whisky distilleries, whose visitor centers are popular attractions.  The privately owned Edradour, the smallest legal distillery in Scotland, sits to the east of town at the foot of the Moulin Moor and produces only 12 casks per week with a production workforce of three men.

The last example of a traditional distillery, it has remained unchanged since it started making whisky, and is hugely popular with visitors. Blair Athol Distillery, which dates back to 1798, sits on the main road at the southeast of town and, since 1933, has been owned by Bell’s, now part of the Diageo group.  Pitlochry station is home to Pitlochry Station Bookshop. The bookshop was set up in 2005 and is situated on Platform 1.

MacNaughtons of Pilochry

MacNaughtons of Pitlochry, one of Scotland’s oldest retail establishments (dating back to 1835 in the reign of William IV), is a traditional country and highland clothing retail shop with the finest formal kilt wear knowledge of tartans and kilt outfit accessories.

Back on board our bus, we arrived back in Edinburgh by 8:30 PM and we were all dropped off at our original meeting place at Deacon’s House Cafe. From there, we all walked back to our respective hotels.

MacNaughtons of Pitlochry: Station Road, Pitlochry, PH16 5AF United Kingdom.  Tel: 01796 472722.  Open Mondays to Saturdays, 9.30 AM – 4.30 PM. .Email: sales@macnaughtonsofpitlochry.com.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Pitlochry is located 114 kms. (a 1.5-hour drive, via A9 and M90) from Edinburgh and 134.2  kms. (a 1.5-hour drive via A9) from Glasgow.

Commando Memorial (Scotland, U.K.)

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Commando Memorial

Part of Scottish Highland Tour

From Fort Augustus, we all boarded our coach for the 256-km. (3.5-hour) drive back to Edinburgh.  After 30 mins. (34.6 kms.), we made a stopover at the Commando Memorial, one of Scotland’s best-known monuments, both as a war memorial and as a tourist attraction offering views of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr.

Check out “Fort Augustus”

This Category A listed monument in Lochaber, Scotland, dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during World War II, overlooks the training areas of the former Achnacarry Commando Training Depot established in 1942 at Achnacarry Castle.

The original plaque on the stone plinth

Chosen because it is on the route from Spean Bridge railway station, arriving prospective Commandos would disembark, after a 14-hour journey, load their kit bags onto waiting trucks and then speed-march the 11 kms. (7 mi.) to the training centre in full kit with weapon, weighing a total of 16 kgs. (36 lbs.). Anyone not completing it within 60 minutes was immediately RTU’d (returned to unit).

A plaque, added on November 18, 1993, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

The memorial was used as site for memorial services, including the 60th anniversary of D-Day, and Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Here’s the historical timeline of the memorial:

  • In 1949, the sculptor Scott Sutherland won a competition, open to all Scottish sculptors, for the commission of The Commando Memorial. Sutherland’s design won the first prize of £200. It was cast by H. Martyn & Co. of Cheltelham.
  • On September 27, 1952, the monument was officially unveiled by the Queen Mother.
  • On October 5, 1971, the monument was first designated as a listed
  • On August 15, 1996, it was upgraded to a Category A listing.
  • On March 27, 2010 a 3-km. (2 mi.) long war memorial path was opened connecting two local war memorials, the Commando Memorial, and the former High Bridge built by General Wade, where the first shots were fired in the Jacobite Rising of 1745 in the Highbridge Skirmish.
  • On November 18, 1993 a further plaque was added, setting out the story of the Commandos for future generations, to mark the Freedom of Lochaber being given to the Commando Association.

Award-winning Scottish sculptor Scott Sutherland,  born on May 15, 1910 in Wick, Highland, was schooled at Gray’s School of Art, the Edinburgh College of Art and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After touring Europe and winning two out of the five open commissions offered for the Empire Exhibition, he served in the Army during World War II, working alongside commandos. In 1947, after the war, he took the post of Head of Sculpture at Duncan of Jordanstone’ College. In 1950, Sutherland was elected ARSA (Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy) and, in 1961, as Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (FRBS ). In 1975, he retired, and died nine years later, on October 10, 1984, in a hospital in Dundee. Sutherland also later created the Black Watch Memorial at Powrie Brae in Dundee, and the memorial to Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding, who was Air Officer Commanding, RAF Fighter Command, during the Battle of Britain, at his birthplace of Moffat.

Scott Sutherland commemorative plaque

The 5.2 m. (17 ft.) tall monument, variously described as a huge, striking and iconic statue, consists of a cast bronze sculpture of three Commandos, in characteristic dress (complete with cap comforter, webbing and rifle), standing atop a stone plinth looking south towards Ben Nevis. The soldier at the front is thought to depict Commando Jack Lewington who frequently attended Remembrance Services at the monument during his lifetime. One of the other two soldiers is Frank Nicholls (rank unknown). The other soldier is Regimental Sergeant Major Sidney Hewlett who originally served with the Welsh Guards. He was handpicked to be one of the founding NCOs of the commandos, and was also held in high regard and noted several times by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The base of the bronze statue is inscribed with the date of 1951.

Inscribed around the top of the stone plinth is “United we conquer” while the original plaque on the stone plinth reads: “In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the Second World War 1939–1945. This country was their training ground.”

A Garden of Remembrance, which was subsequently added to the site, is used by many surviving World War II Commandos as the designated final resting place for their ashes. It has also been used as a place where many families have scattered ashes and erected tributes to loved ones who belonged to contemporary Commando units and who have died in more recent conflicts such as the Falklands War or in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Garden for Tributes

Commando Memorial: Spean Bridge, Lochaber, Scottish Highlands, PH34 4EG, United Kingdom.  Coordinates: 56°53′52.42″N 4°56′38.51″W.

How to Get There: the memorial is located approximately 1.5 kms. (1 mi.) northwest of Spean Bridge, at the junction of the A82 road and the B8004 road.

Loch Ness Cruise (Scotland, U.K.)

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Loch Ness Cruise

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

The highlight of our Scottish Highlands Tours was our cruise of Loch Ness courtesy of Cruise Loch Ness which has been operating from Fort Augustus since May 1968 as an e-RNLI lifeboat carrying 12 passengers.

Check out “Fort Augustus”

Grace and Jandy waiting to board the Spirit of Loch Ness

One of the leading tour providers in the Scottish Highlands, it offers a range of boat tours on the loch, including scenic cruises and exhilarating high-speed RIB cruises (which can carry 12 passengers). The scenic cruises run daily, all year round, and they are a great way to see the sights of the loch.

The 210-pax Spirit of Loch Ness

The smaller, 108-pax  Legend of Loch Ness

The 56 sq. km. (22 sq. mi.), Loch Ness, an elongated freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands, is the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area (after Loch Lomond), but due to its great depth it is the largest by volume in Great Britain. Its deepest point is 230 m. (126 fathoms; 755 ft.), making it the second deepest loch in Scotland after Loch Morar.

Now boarding …..

It contains more water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water in the Great Glen, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south. With a capacity of 23,000 cu. ft., it is almost three times that of Loch Lomond and more that three times that of Loch Morar.  Its surface is 16 m. (52 ft.) above sea level. There are nine villages around the loch, as well as Urquhart Castle.

The author (left) with Grace and Jandy

L-R: Manny, Paula, Selena and Sean

We boarded the Spirit of Loch Ness, one of two custom built vessels (the other is the smaller Legend of Loch Ness which can carry 108 passengers). It had a top speed of 20 knots,  can carry 210 passengers and had a fully-stocked bar.  It was still raining and quite foggy along the loch when we left the dock.

Loch Ness View Point

The River Oich carries water from Loch Oich (to the SW) to Loch Ness (to the NE) and runs in parallel to a section of the Caledonian Canal for the whole of its 9 km. (5.6 mi.) length.

Loch Ness is best known for claimed sightings of the legendary  cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal, also known affectionately as “Nessie,”  and both ships have state-of-the-art sonar equipment (with 14 sonar monitors) on board, which beams live images from beneath the water.

Eilean Muireach (Cherry Island)

We departed Fort Augustus by 3 PM. Our daytime cruise was to take around 50 minutes.  We cruised past the over 150 year old, 3-storey Inchnacardoch (meaning “field” or “meadow”) House which was formerly a hunting lodge built in 1878 by Lord Lovat and, later, used as a base for the Royal Air Force during World War II.  Today, it is now the 3-star Inch Country House Hotel, with 17 rooms and a restaurant.

Inchnacardoch House

In front of the Inch Hotel is Cherry Island, the loch’s only island. Also called Eilean Muireach, meaning Murdoch’s Island, it is located 140 m. from the shore of the southern end of the loch.  The island, an example of a crannog (a man-made island composed of loose rubble stones, was originally 49 m. by 51 m. but is now smaller since the level of the loch was raised when it became part of the Caledonian Canal.

Fort Augustus Abbey (left) with the Boathouse (a restaurant) on the right

We also had a loch-side view of the impressive Fort Augustus Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery begun in 1876 and completed in 1880.  It has been transformed, in 2012, into The Highland Club, a luxury hotel consisting of 97 apartments and 12 cottages.

Steamship Landing Stage

We also passed the Old Pier, built for paddle steamer ferries, which was built in 1896 and closed in 1924.  Behind is the Old Pier House.  Formerly a small cottage built in 1903 to accommodate the railway station master, it was renovated into a home of the MacKensie family in 1977. It now provides guests with accommodation both in the house and in three log cabins.

Old Pier House

Loch Ness is a clear example of a U-shaped valley (like a bathtub), a characteristic feature of the higher ground in the Scottish Highlands.  This valley was eroded, along its length, by glaciers into a series of rock basins now occupied by the loch.  Its shores are so steep that aquatic vegetation is virtually non-existent.

The steep granite cliffs

When the fog cleared, we saw some of the almost vertical granite cliffs along the sides of the loch, with slight grooves and scratches made by rock fragments as they were dragged along the ice. The absence of islands in the loch shows the power of ice scouring.  It is also too rocky for agricultural improvement.

The diverse flora in the coastal forest includes Caledonian Scots pine, sessile oak, hazel, downy birch, rowan, eared willow and quaking aspen.

Cruise Loch Ness: Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus, PH32 4BD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1320 366277. E-mail: info@cruiselochness.com  Website: www.cruiselochness.com. Rates: £20 (adult), £13 (child), £18 (concession) and £60 (family).

Old Pier House: Fort Augustus PH32 4BX, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 7593 580373.  E-mail:  bookings@oldpierhouse.com.  Website: www.oldpierhouse.com. 

Inch Country House Hotel: Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire, Scotland PH32 4BL, United Kingdom.  Tel: 44 145-450900.  Fax: 44 1320-366248.  E-mail: happy@inchhotel.com. Website: www.inchhotel.com.

The Highland Club: St.Benedict’s Abbey, The Highland Club, Fort Augustus PH32 4BJ, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 20 3478 3897. E-mail: reservations@thehighlandclub.co.uk. Website: www.thehighlandclub.co.uk. 

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Fort Augustus is located 161 kms. (100  mi.) from Edinburgh and 692 kms. (430 mi.) from London. The village is served by the A82 road and lies approximately midway between Inverness (56 kms.) and Fort William (51 kms.) in the Scottish Highlands.  Coordinates: 57.1432°N 4.6807°W.

Fort Augustus (Scotland, U.K.)

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Fort Augustus and the Caledonian Canal

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From Spean Bridge, it was another 36.7 kms. (a 30-min. drive), via A82, to Fort Augustus, a charming settlement and popular and busy tourist destination in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands, home of the famous Loch Ness Monster (fondly called Nessie).  Here we were to have lunch and, afterwards, go on a boat cruise around Loch Ness. It was raining throughout when we arrived and we had to bring out our umbrellas to get to Monster Fish & Chips, adjacent to the Jet Petrol Station, where we first tried out a huge serving of its namesake.

Check out “Spean Bridge” and “Loch Ness Cruise”

Monster Fish and Chips

Jet Petrol Station

Until the early 18th century, the settlement was called Kiliwhimin. After the Jacobite rising of 1715, it was renamed Fort Augustus after  Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, one of the sons of King George II.  From 1903 until 1933, the village was served by a rail line, from Spean Bridge, to a terminus on the banks of Loch Ness.  It was built by the Invergarry and Fort Augustus Railway in the hope of eventually completing a line to Inverness and latterly operated by the North British Railway and its successor, the London and North Eastern Railway, but initially operated by the Highland Railway.

Caledonian Canal

 

After lunch, I proceeded to explore the village on foot.  Fort Augustus is centered around the impressive, 96 km. (60 mi.) long Caledonian Canal.  The canal, connecting Fort William to Inverness, passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness. The canal was built, between 1804 and 1822, under the direction of William Jessop and Thomas Telford.  Boats using the canal are raised and lowered 13 m. by a “ladder” of 5 consecutive locks, all completed in 1820.  The A82 road crosses the canal on a swing bridge at the foot of the 5 locks.

War Memorial Hall

The single storey War Memorial Hall, a public hall converted to the Territorial Drill Hall (and later returned to its original function), was designed by Inverness-born architect John Robertson (1840-1925) and built from 1891 to 1892.  It Italianate style detailing includes round arch windows with unusual convex moldings and deep overhanging beams.  The interior includes a good hammerbeam roof in the main hall.

The Clansman Centre

A memorial plaque, set in a round arch recess at the porch front of the hall, has a battlemented parapet and was built in 1918.  It commemorates the residents of Fort Augustus who were killed or missing in the First World War (21 names) and the Second World War (5 names).

The Mill Shop

The village’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism and all around the town are many gift and souvenir shops selling tartan treats (scarves, blankets, woolen jumpers, etc.), traditional Scottish souvenirs and Nessie souvenirs such as the Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre, The Mill Shop (a converted church), the Fort Augustus Gift Company, the Clansman Centre, etc.

Caledonian Canal Centre

The Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre, beside the lowest lock, offers visitors and locals a wealth of local heritage and internationally renowned local features of the Caledonian Canal (designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822), Great Glen and Loch Ness. This world-class visitor and destination hub also offers all year round facilities for visitors, a gift shop promoting relevant and locally sourced goods and a café serving homemade, Scottish produce. There is also a grab and go offer, boasting fresh coffee and local artisan ice cream from the Black Isle Dairy.

Fort Augustus Gift Company

The Clansman Centre, housed in a historic 19th century Victorian schoolhouse, is a quaint little craft and gift shop specializing in Celtic and locally produced crafts and gifts such as silver jewelry, Harris Tweed, tartan, whiskey barrel clocks and frames, Celtic plaques, clan scarves and Nessie souvenirs. An interactive museum, it also offers shows on the Clansmen, featuring live re-enactments with weapons demonstrations, by costumed actors dressed in traditional Highland garb, in a recreated Highland turf house theater.

Bothy Restaurant & Bar

Aside from Monster Fish & Chips, you can also dine at Bothy Restaurant & Pub, The Moorings and the Boathouse.

The Moorings

The Boathouse

Monster Fish & Chips: 6, A82, Fort Augustus PH32 4DD, United Kingdom.

Fort Augustus Gift Company: Main Street, Fort Augustus PH32 4DD, United Kingdom.

The Mill Shop: Mackay Hall, Fort Augustus PH32 4DJ, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 1320 366404. Open daily,10 AM to 4 PM.

Caledonian Canal Visitor Centre: Canal Side, Fort Augustus PH32 4AU, United Kingdom. Open daily, 9 AM to 5 PM. Tel: 01463 725581.  E-mail: stay@scottishcanals.co.uk.

Clansman Centre:   Old Schoolhouse Canal Side, Fort Augustus PH32 4BD, United Kingdom.  Open daily, 11 AM to 4 PM.  Tel: +44 1320 366444.  E-mail: clansmancentre@gmail.com. Website: www.clansmancentre.uk. 

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Fort Augustus is located 161 kms. (100  mi.) from Edinburgh and 692 kms. (430 mi.) from London. The village is served by the A82 road and lies approximately midway between Inverness (56 kms.) and Fort William (51 kms.) in the Scottish Highlands.  Coordinates: 57.1432°N 4.6807°W.

Spean Bridge (Scotland, U.K.)

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Spean Bridge

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

From the Three Sisters Viewpoint, another 45-min. (49.56 km.) drive brought us  to Spean Bridge, a small and attractive village This prominent landmark, visible from the A82, offers views across the River Spean valley to the peaks of Ben Nevis and Aonach Mòr to the south.

Check out “Three Sisters Viewpoint”

The village, nestled at the southern end of the Great Glen, was named for the Highbridge, over the River Spean, built by famed military road and bridge-builder Gen. George Wade in 1736 (only the piers now remain).

Mhor Health Pharmacy

This was believed to be the place of the first Jacobite Uprising action in 1745, called the Highbridge Skirmish, where a small force of 11 men and one piper, all Keppoch MacDonalds, fooled government troops into thinking the bridge was heavily defended. These forces were then reported to be chased to Loch Oich, at which place they then surrendered.  The village is best known for its iconic Commando Memorial.

Check out “Commando Memorial”

Spean Bridge Mill

During our short stopover, we dropped by Spean Bridge Mill which has a wide selection of knitwear, accessories and gifts.  Homemade food, tea and coffee is also available at the coffee shop.  The resident weaver there demonstrates his craft on impressive Hattersley Looms. The Whisky Shop beside it boasts over 150 different Scottish malts.

Spean Bridge Mill

Spean Bridge Mill: Station Rd, Spean Bridge PH34 4EP, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1397 712260.   E-mail: speanbridge@ewn.co.uk.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com.

How to Get There: Spean Bridge is located around 15.1 kms. (9.4 mi., a 15-min. drive), via the A82, northeast of Fort William in the Scottish Highlands.

Three Sisters Viewpoint (Scotland, U.K.)

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Three Sisters Viewpoint

Part of Scottish Highlands Tour

One of the highlights of our Highlands tour was our visit to Glen Coe, one of the most scenic and beautiful places in the Scottish Highlands. The area around this beautiful green valley is simply unique and breathtaking, a magical land straight out of a medieval story book and worth the visit.

Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh

There are various places to pull over and photograph and relax along the A82 (one of the most beautiful roads that the Scottish Highlands has to offer) in Glen Coe, with many trails to hike and scenic vistas. One of the easiest yet most rewarding places to visit in the Scottish Highlands is the Bidean massif’s Three Sisters, one of the most iconic sights in the Highlands and a view that’s emblematic of Glen Coe.

Beinn Fhada and Gearr Aonach

From Rannoch Moor Viewpoint, it was an 8.85-km. drive to the Three Sisters Car Park and its viewpoint where there’s plenty of room for motorists to pull in and take in the sights here.  Along the way, we saw, from a distance, the waterfalls at Allt Coire nam Beithach Glen.

Check out “Rannoch Moor Viewpoint”

Waterfalls at Allt Coire nam Beithach Glen

Also known as Bidean nam Bian Mountain (the highest point in the county of Argyll) in the Scottish Highlands, the “Three Sisters of Glen Coe” are three distinctive, steeply-sided ridges extending into the north.

Jandy and Grace with Gearr Aonach and Aonach Dubh in the background

Also known as Bidean nam Bian Mountain (the highest point in the county of Argyll) in the Scottish Highlands, the “Three Sisters of Glen Coe” are three distinctive, steeply-sided ridges extend into the north.  Residing in the Valley Glen, right off A82, going towards the town of Glen Coe northwest of Glasgow and Stirling, it is a great way to experience the Highlands and learn about the history of Scotland.

This part of Scotland, filled with rolling hills and waterfalls, is accessible year round.  In the summer, green grass surrounds the area and, in late fall/early winter, the grass turns a beautiful yellow brown if it is not covered by snow.

The author

From this classic viewpoint, you have a gorgeous view of the road-facing trio of siblings in question – the 952 m. high Beinn Fhada (or Ben Attow), the 692 m. high Gearr Aonach in the middle and the 892 m. high Aonach Dubh. Each sister is a termination of the northeast reaching ridges that protrude from the main spine of the complex and awe-inspiring Bidean.

These mountains have volcanic origins dating back hundreds of millions of years and the area was carved by glaciers from the last Ice Age, creating this stunning landscape. Gearr Aonach (Short Ridge) and Aonach Dubh (Black Ridge) converge at Stob Coire nan Lochan, a 1,115 m. (3,658 ft.) high subsidiary peak of Bidean nam Bian that lies about 1 km. to the northeast of the actual summit.

Beinn Fhada (Long Hill), the final, most easterly sister, joins the Bidean nam Bian massif at the summit of Stob Coire Sgreamhach.  It is separated from Gearr Aonach by a glen known as Coire Gabhail (translated as “Glen of Capture”).  However, the glen is more normally known as the Lost Valley, as it has a wide flat area concealed from Glen Coe by the landslip which blocked the entrance and allowed a loch to form. The Clan Macdonald  used the valley to hide their livestock from raiders, or hide cattle they themselves had stolen.

Hikers also use the car parking as a starting point for either adventures on the Bidean or to begin an ascent to the Aonach Eagach ridge to the north. However, for the latter, there is more suitable parking along the main road to the east.

Manny, Selena and Paula

Three Sisters Viewpoint: A82, Ballachulish PH49 4HX, United Kingdom.

The Hairy Coo:  Suites 6 & 7, Administrative Office Only, St. John’s Studios, 46A Constitution St., Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RS, United Kingdom.  Tel: +44 131 212 5026.  E-mail: contact@thehairycoo.com. Website: www.thehairycoo.com. 

How to Get There: The Three Sisters viewpoint is located 1795 kms. (a 2-hour and 35 min. drive via A82) from Edinburgh and  138.7 kms. (a 1-hour and 50-min. drive via A82) from Glasgow.