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The picturesque castle of Eilean Donan is on the small island of Eilean Donan, which is at the point where three lochs meet: Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh.
The island is also known as Donan and may be named for Bishop Donan, an Irish Saint who visited in the late 500s.
Defensive structures and castles were built here over the centuries. Spanish soldiers held the castle in 1719 in support of the Jacobites. They were attacked by the English. The rebuilt castle is available for visits.
Greenock is
a Scottish port town by the Firth of Clyde and a gateway city for those on
cruises who want to visit Glasgow.
The attractive
town centre includes a 245 foot Victoria Tower built in 1886 (pictured above).
On the hillside is a pleasant park and impressive memorial.
I arrived by cruise ship and quickly headed for the railway station to board a train to Glasgow. The journey through the attractive countryside takes nearly an hour.
On the return, I stopped by the mall.
Perhaps the
most famous Scot from Greenock is the engineer, James Watt (1736-1819) known
for the Watt Steam Engine and the unit of power called the watt.
Glencoe is a popular scenic spot in the Scottish Highlands.
Historically, it is the site of the Massacre of Glencoe on 13 February 1692. Government forces attacked men from the local Clan MacDonald who were not supportive of King William and Queen Mary.
The glen is a popular place for hiking. The Glen is named after the nearby River Coe.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum opened to the public in 1901. I visited for the second time in 2022 after a pleasant walk from the Glasgow Central railway station.
The entrance hall is impressive.
Following is a video clip panning the entrance hall and the ornate ceiling during part of the 1 pm organ recital.
There's a large collection of Scottish and other art works in the galleries.
On a cruise around the UK, we stopped at Lerwick on the Main Island of Shetland, Scotland.
For many, the island has come alive in the Shetland book series written by Ann Cleeves. Also, a visually rich TV series is based on the books or Cleeves' characters and features many scenes throughout the island.
We were anchored off shore and arrived by a shuttle boat into Lerwick harbour where we saw the view above.
The harbour itself is an attractive scene before even viewing the picturesque island.
We were planning to visit Scalloway Castle but learned it was closed so we took the local bus south to the amazing ruins at Jarlshof. There's a lot to see so I created a separate post for Jarlshof.
Signboards tell the story of the Fort with a 350-year history guarding the Bressay Sound.
For lunch, I wanted fish 'n chips. When I attempted to place my order at the first chippy, the woman peered out the window and said the haddock hasn't arrived yet. Truly a place where you can get a fresh catch of the day. So, I walked away from the waterfront and had a nice bit of fish from the shop below as I watched the tourists and locals.
As an aside, the shop is featured in one of the Shetland TV episodes.
As a fan of the Shetland series, I couldn't resist a photo of the police station where detective Jimmy Perez and his team solve many mysterious crimes.
Lerwick Police Station/ Sutton 2022
Nearby is the Town Hall--often seen in Shetland stories.
Town Hall, Lerwick
A local shop, Shetland 2022
Of course, the courthouse is critical to Shetland crime stories.
Court/ County Buildings Lerwick/ 2022
This war memorial on Hillhead in Lerwick is near the police station and often seen in the background in Shetland stories. The memorial commemorates WWI and WWII Shetlanders who killed or missing.
The memorial was completed 6 January 1924.
War memorial in 2022
Lerwick's Library was once St. Ringan's United Free Church built 1885-1886. The change to a library was completed in 2002. The photo below is from my 2022 visit. Most of the stained glass windows were in the church. The library is another fine building adding character to the Shetland stories.
St Ringan's Church, Lerwick
Lerwick Methodist Church
A typical Shetland scene includes water, hilly landscapes, and sheep.
Leaving Shetland
Learn more about Shetland at https://www.shetland.org/
Notes
Shetland is 123 miles north of the Scottish Mainland and 222 miles west of Bergen Norway.
There's evidence on the islands of early settlers from the Stone Age.
The bus service is reliable and a good value.
There is a special cultural event in Lerwick, which you'll read about in the Shetland novels called Up Helly-Aa (Up Holy Day), which is celebrated the last Tuesday of January ending the Yule season.
Gretna Green is a famous wedding and dining stop just north of the Scottish border. They proclaim themselves as the gateway to Scotland.
Below is the famous Blacksmith shop where many tourists enjoy shopping for gifts. There's food as well.
Gretna Green has hosted weddings since 1754.
The Wedding History Story
In 1754 a new law, Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act, was brought into force in England. This law required young people to be over 21 years of age if they wished to marry without their parents’ or guardian’s consent. The marriage was required to be a public ceremony in the couple’s parish, with an official of the Church presiding. The new law was rigorously enforced and carried a sentence of 14 years transportation for any clergyman found breaking it.
The Scots however did not change the law and continued with their centuries-old marriage customs. The law in Scotland allowed anyone over the age of 15 to enter into marriage provided they were not closely related to each other and were not in a relationship with anyone else.
This marriage contract could be made wherever the couple liked, in private or in public, in the presence of others or no-one at all.
