After an eclectic life as traveling minister, West Texas rancher and, finally, Massachusetts legislator, my great grandfather returned to his home country to spend his final years.
Now I can completely appreciate why he wanted to see Scotland again before he died.
My husband Mike and I took a twoweek tour of my ancestral land in October. Its charm and beauty are something to behold.
Accompanied by friends, we started in Edinburgh. Its fortress on the hill lends the town a unique beauty. Built on lava rock more than 1,000 years ago, Edinburgh Castle harbors a chilling underground vault that held prisoners of war in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The gently inclining Royal Mile—so called although it changes names along the way--leads up to the castle. Below, on its opposite end, the Palace of Holyroodhouse continues to be used on occasion by the Royal Family—giving it a lived-in feel.
You can opt to tour (a fraction of) the sprawling palace using an audio guide, which efficiently takes you through elegant rooms while pointing out interesting paintings, secret doors and the private chambers of Mary Queen of Scots. Just outside, stroll the striking ruins of the Holyrood Abbey—founded a millennium ago.
Along the Royal Mile are shops, mind-blowingly old pubs and other attractions. We dropped by the Writers’ Museum, set in a 17th century house, that honors Scotland’s greatest authors. Nearby is friendly Deacon Brodies Tavern--the double-lived owner of which inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Then it was onward to the Highlands and the Isle of Skye, with many delightful stops along the way.
We strolled St Andrews, especially enamored with a medieval burial ground. Prince “Will” and Kate Middleton met while attending university there, as eateries proudly note.
Afterward, we watched a sheepherding demonstration at a working farm. The humorously gruff husbandman almost magically orchestrated his pack of adorable dogs, who happily obeyed him as the sheep obeyed them.
Of course, being in Scotland and all, we squeezed in whisky tasting—dropping by Newburgh’s lovely Lindores Abbey Distillery, which five centuries ago was inhabited by whisky-brewing monks.
One forever-memory was our tour of Culloden Battlefield, where in 1746 Highlanders faced the British army in a futile effort to restore the throne to Scottish lineage. (If you are an “Outlander” fan, you know something about it.
The decisively quashed “Jacobite uprising” –a major turning point in Scottish history—launched the integration of the Highlands into the British kingdom. The field where so many Highlanders died remains infused with a sense melancholy and sacredness.
On another day we went to the regal Dunrobin Castle, surrounded by beautiful gardens. On the grounds there we watched a falconry demonstration where trained birds of prey show off their hunting and flying skills.
We ended our exploration of the Highlands on the Isle of Skye. No ferry required, it’s only a short bridge from the bigger island of Scotland. We arrived mid-October, just before most inns would close for the harsh winter.
The dramatically beautiful Skye is popular with bikers, campers and sightseers in general. Skye is a visual delight-from jagged mountains to pristine lakes to rugged seascapes to medieval castles to brightly colored houses.
Trip’s end, we circled back to city life in Glasgow. Although less picturesque than is Edinburgh, Glasgow teems with its own enchantments and university- town vibrancy.
My favorite site was St Mungo’s Cathedral, built in the (gulp) 1100s. (“Outlander” sidenote: The dark, thick, echoey, cavernous building’s crypt was used as a “hospital” in season two. You’ll recognize it.) Behind the cathedral is its terraced cemetery with centuries-old gravestones.
Like my great-grandfather before me, I shall be returning to Scotland.
Photos by Michael Goulding