Well my Mom came over to visit and see some of Scotland during my final few days in the country. We went all over the place and really got to see some of Scotland's famous places. There will be two posts about our trip. The first one will cover our day-trips in Stirling, St. Andrews and Edinburgh. The other post will be all about our trek into the highlands and over the sea to the Isle of Skye.
Sunday August 21st I put on my tour guide shoes and we set out into Stirling. Our first stop was Stirling Castle then the old bridge and then a wee tour of the university. Here are a few highlights from Stirling.
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| Royal Palace and garden at Stirling Castle |
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| Climbing the rocks around Stirling Castle |
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| Planking around Stirling Castle |
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| Royal bed chambers |
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| Stirling Castle seen from Stirling Bridge |
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| The Bruce and the Wallace Monument |
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| Stirling Bridge |
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| Stirling Castle from the western side |
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| Andrew and The Bruce, not sure where my smile went. |
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| Dumyat from Airthrey Castle |
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| Airthrey Castle at Stirling Uni. |
Monday we set out for St. Andrews, which is known for being the home to the oldest golf course in the world. Additionally, St. Andrews has played an important part in Scotland's history and many of today's cultural artefacts can be tied back to this area.
St. Andrew's Cathedral, established in the 12th century, was once the largest cathedral in all of Scotland and housed the relics of its patron saint. The cathedral was over 350 ft. long and was the seat of the archbishops until the Protestant Reformation in 1560. The chancel and St. Rule's tower dominate the skyline around the ruins and create a picturesque setting overlooking the North Sea. After we toured the ruins of the cathedral, we walked over to
St. Andrew's Castle. This castle was the home of Scotland's archbishops until the reformation, when it began to fall into disrepair. It was the site of many political and religious battles which influenced the monarchy and church of the day. The castle also features a medieval mine-countermine siege works under the castle walls. These mines were used to gain access to the castle so that protestants could kidnap and kill the archbishop. After the castle, we strolled over to the northern part of the town to
The Old Course. The golf course has been used for sport for over 600 years. Additionally, it plays host to the The Open Championship every decade or so and many of the world's top golfers consider it the standard bearer for all of golf. Many of the game's greatest moments have taken place at The Old Course and it continues to grow in popularity and mystique. I enjoyed St. Andrews because there were lots of places to climb. Here are a few highlights from our day in St. Andrews.
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| Andrew climbing on the rocks on the coast of the North Sea |
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| Standing in the North Sea--it was cold. |
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| Andrew, Jordis and Rachael |
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| Andrew on the beach with St. Andrew's Cathedral in the background |
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| The mine-countermine at the castle. |
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| A nice resting place in the graveyard of St. Andrew's Cathedral |
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| Climbing the walls of St. Andrew's Castle |
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| Andrew at the front of the cathedral |
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| St. Andrew's Castle, Planked! |
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| Clouds over the nave |
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| Entrance to the cathedral down the nave towards the chancel |
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| The chancel of the cathedral. |
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| Phonebooth classic! |
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| Mom climbing up St. Rule's Tower |
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| Mom on the ruins of the castle |
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| Holding up the chancel and tower |
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| The bridge at the Old Course. |
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| St. Andrew's Castle from the shore. |
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| University of St. Andrews--3rd oldest uni in the English speaking world. |
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| Andrew on the Old Course |
Sincerely,
Andrew
