Visit Scotland UK

 

Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

Scotland is the nation on the northern end of the United Kingdom.

This page contains links to photos, videos, and travel information about places I've visited in Scotland.

Braemar

Culloden

A village three miles east of Inverness close to Drumossie Moor where the Battle of Culloden was fought.

Dunrobin Castle

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle

Eilean Donan Castle

Floors Castle, Kelso

Glasgow

Glen Coe

Greenock

Gretna Green & the Border

Invergordon

Inverness

Isle of Skye

Jedburgh

Jarlshof, Shetland

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Glasgow

Orkney Islands

Shetland

St Andrews

Urquhart Castle / Loch Ness

More to see in Visit the United Kingdom

   with links to England, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Please check out my website    suttong.com

Orkney Islands, Scotland UK

 

We began our visit to the Orkney Islands of Scotland with a cool and rainy drive to the windy Point of Buckquoy, which is northwest of where we landed at Kirkwall. From the point you can see across the Brough Sound to the Brough of Birsay--about 262 yards away--a site of early Pictish and Norse settlements. There's a Brough of Birsay lighthouse on the hill in the distance. If you have time, there are some interesting trails.

Watch this video to get a feel for the stark beauty of this point.

Nearby is the town of Stromness. A few photos of our wandering about the town.

I couldn't resist- What's your fave?

Stromness Hotel

They have it all

Another amazing site is the stone circle known as the Ring of Brodgar, which gives you a feel of being in a fantasy adventure film somewhere in the grey mists of time--especially since it was pouring with rain during our visit.

Watch the video as I move around the ancient stones.

Across from the Ring is the beautiful Loch of Harray where a fisherman in bright yellow and a blue boat stood out against the somber landscape.

Watch a short video of the Loch of Harray where the man is fishing.

In Kirkwall, I wandered about the scenic Tankerness Gardens 

...and browsed through the collection of artefacts in the museum, which includes examples of the distinctive Orkney Chair.

Orkney Chair

About the Orkney Chair

A few other scenes from Kirkwall.

St Magnus Cathedral/ Church of Scotland

Watch and listen to the bagpiper playing outside St Magnus Cathedral.

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Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

 Edinburgh Castle is an impressive landmark fortress atop Castle Hill in Edinburgh Scotland.

Castle Hill has been a military site at least since the Iron Age. There has been a castle here at least since the reign of David I in the 1100s. 

We enter through the Portcullis Gate

If you are nearby at 1.00 pm, you'll hear the 105 mm field gun, which replaced the original 64-pounder. The tradition began in 1861-- ships on the Firth of Forth could set the ship's clocks.

The next stop on the included audio tour is the Argyle Battery.

Looking over the walls, you can see fabulous views of the city and the obvious advantage of the castle's location for defense.

Prisoners were kept here since the 1700s. There were pirates of the Caribbean, POWs from the Battle of Trafalgar, and rebel colonists captured in the American War of Independence. We bent our heads and entered the dark passage ways to view their bunks and places where the ate and played games.

After exiting from the prison into Crown Square, there are a few places to visit.

There's a place of reflection honouring those who died in the defense of the nation. Photos are not permitted inside the National War Memorial.

There are fabulous crown jewels.

But photos were not permitted. In 2022, the Stone of Scone was on display. That's the stone upon which the Kings and Queens have been crowned for centuries. For hundreds of years it was in Westminster Abbey in London but it has been returned to the Scots.

The Great Hall is a stunning display of colour constructed for King James IV in 1511. When Cromwell captured the castle in 1650, he turned it into a barracks. Check out the amazing wooden ceiling.

We work our way toward the top of the castle where we find a tribute to Mons Meg.

The Mons Meg has different origin stories. It appears to have come from Flanders and dates from the 1400s. It takes 386 pound cannonballs. It had been taken to the Tower of London in 1754 but was returned in 1829. 

Nearby is Edinburgh's oldest building, St Margaret's Chapel. It was built by King David I about 1130 and dedicated to his mother. Margaret was a Saxon princess who escaped England during the Norman invasion.

Following are a few views of Edinburgh from the castle walls.

Notes

There is an entrance fee.

Our English Heritage card was honoured 

The audio guide is worth having. You enter the numbers found on various locations throughout the castle.

You can eat in the Tea Rooms in Crown Square or have a meal in the Redcoat Café.

There are shops at the castle and online.

Learn more at the website https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/

St Margaret's Church, Westminster London England UK

St Margaret's Church, East side

 St Margaret's Church, located on the grounds of Westminster Abbey, was established by the monks at the nearby Westminster Abbey, which was the monastery of St Peter in Westminster ordered by Edward the Confessor in 1065.

The church was built in the 1100s to serve the people and dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch. The church fell into disrepair in the 1400s and was rebuilt with a consecration 9 April 1523.

Photos inside St. Margaret's Church courtesy of Patricia Hudgins.

Links

Westminster Abbey

Places to visit in London

View of St Margaret's Church to the left of
Westminster Abbey