Scotland - On our way there & Edinburgh

Earlier this month we spent a few days in Scotland. We have been to Scotland a few times and we really enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the area.

On our way to Scotland we made a stop in the North East England near where we lived from 1999-2003. We want to show the people with us Escomb Saxon Church. The church was contructed around 670 A.D. with much of the stonework coming from a nearby Roman Fort. It has been a place of Christian worship for over 1,400 years. We continued our journey across the border into Scotland and visited Edinburgh Castle.

Outside Escomb Church and the graveyard.

One of the old tombstones.

Another old tombstone.



Here we are crossing the border into Scotland. It was cold & windy!

Edinburgh Castle

Scotland - hotel and scenic walk

Our hotel in Scotland was quite unique. It was built by a Duke and was an estate before it became a hotel. It is along the River Tay and has beautiful views of the countryside. There were trails along the river, in the woods and to the ruins of an abbey.

The entrance from the main road, but it is a mile drive to the hotel.

This is one picture of the hotel, taken when standing at the River Tay.

We took a walk along the river...here is one of our favorite pictures.

Enjoying the weather and scenery.

Unfortunately the abbey was closed the day we walked to it.

Scotland - Edradour Distillery

One day we visited Scotland's smallest distillery - Edradour. Only three men work the distillery and they only produce 12 casks each week. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm.

These are some of the buildings.

A small creek runs through the property.

These are the "wash backs" where mashing & fermentation takes place.


The next process is distillation which happens in these copper stills.

This is a spirit safe separates out the "heart of the whiskey."

Scotland - Loch Ness

Next we went to Inverness and then drove down the one side of Loch Ness. It is nearly a 35 mile drive with lots of turns, but beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast that day so the monster didn't come out to greet us.

Yes, those dots are sheep!

We thought this was pretty!

This is Urquhart Castle...we have no idea how to pronounce it.

Scotland - Stirling

Our last stop in Scotland was in Stirling. We really love Stirling Castle.

The outside of Stirling Castle

The William Wallace Monument

One of the statues on Stirling Castle


Another statue (gargoyle) on Stirling Castle

John having fun with one of the displays inside the castle.

Scotland Scenery

We thought you may enjoy seeing some various shots we took of the scenery in Scotland. The white "dots" on picture below are sheep. Also notice the headrows on the picture below.

Canterbury Cathedral

Last weekend, October 3-4, we did an overnight trip to Canterbury & Dover. After getting a rental car, we left Cambridge and drove south and then east to Canterbury. First we had a delicious lunch at a local Fish & Chip shop. Then we went to see the impressive Canterbury Cathedral. The building we saw dates back to about 1070. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the head of the entire Anglican Church. In addition, St. Thomas Beckett was martyred here in the 12th Century. After we left Canterbury we drove further southeast to Folkestone, where we stayed overnight. The next morning, Dover was less than a half hour drive.


Below are some pictures of Canterbury Cathedral.

Outside the Cathedral.

Memorial at the site where Thomas Beckett was murdered in 1170.

A memorial area for soldiers of WWI...the flags are very, very old.

Some statues before the entrance into the quire.

The beautiful ceiling in one area of the cathedral.

Dover Castle

Next we went to Dover Castle. We spent most of the day here because there was so much to see. It was a chilly, windy day, but we avoided the rain! Dover Castle can be traced back to 1066 when William the Conqueror built a castle, although there was probably an iron age fort here before then. In the 12th & 13th centuries, successive kings rebuilt & extended the castle into what is it today. It has a massive underground tunnel system, which we saw, but could not take photographs. It is from Dover Castle that Ramsay organized & directed the famous evaculation from Dunkirk, France during WWII and over 338,000 lives were saved.

Below are some pictures of some walls and gates at Dover Castle.

An ariel view of the Saxon Church & the Roman Lighthouse.

Dover Castle & our rental car

Here are some more pictures we took at Dover Castle and the final picture is of our little rental car!

A Roman Lighthouse from the first century A.D.

The inside of a Saxon Church.

The "White Cliffs" of Dover.

It was extremely windy!

Here is our little (very, very little) rental car. It is a Ford Ka.

London!

On Saturday we made an impromptu trip to London. We got some great seats for the show, "Spamalot!" so we took the train into London for the day. We enjoyed walking around the city, dinner in Chinatown and especially the show.

The London Eye. We've been on it a few times...but not this trip.

A close-up of one of the "pods," which can hold 20 people (at least).

Big Ben, part of the Houses of Parliament, an iconic feature of London.

This close-up shows the beauty of Big Ben (click on pic to enlarge).

Westminster Abbey (where Princess Diana's funeral was held).