8 minute read
Inspirational Visits
Baronial castles in sumptuous grounds, and city streets steeped in folklore. Take time out to explore Scotland’s built heritage and history. Every step a new discovery.
Forth Tours are fi rst
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Bridging the gap. ree times. As built heritage goes, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Forth Bridge. Except that it does. ere isn’t just one, there are three mighty bridges over the Firth of Forth, all line abreast between North and South Queensferry. e two road bridges are open to coach traffic, and your group could easily complete the trio with a short rail journey. Commuter trains run every few minutes over the famously ochre cantilevers of the greatest monument to Victorian over-engineering. Yet there’s a way to take a unique perspective on all three bridges, by sailing under them with Forth Tours. From a base in South Queensferry, just a few miles from Edinburgh, cruise boats leave from the very pier that used to berth the ferries that plied the crossing between e Lothians and Fife, right up until the opening of the Forth Road Bridge in 1964.
www.for th tour s. com
Inches of islands
e modern cruisers offer a much higher level of comfort than the rather utilitarian old ferries ever did, and have a much more varied life too. In addition to pleasure trips under the bridges, fully catered and enclosed in warm cabins, the boats of Forth Tours also sail further afield, to visit the Inches of the Forth - the islands in the river estuary. Groups can seal the deal with a visit to the seal and gull colonies. ere are abandoned forts too, most recently in use for Second World War defence of the nearby naval base at Rosyth, from where more recently the mighty aircra carriers Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales were commissioned. www. bkrailway.co.uk
e slightly smaller ships of Forth Tours are able to visit rather more ports of call than the huge warships. One such destination is the granite warship herself, Blackness Castle, a few miles upstream. e ancient monument is oen likened to a warship, since its profile, silhouetted in the morning light, has the demeanour of a ship’s prow, and her canons face towards the waters, to ward off unwelcome visitors. Tours run from Edinburgh, combined with sightseeing bus operators, and there’s a joint ticket with the heritage railway and museum at Bo’ness. Coach groups find this arrangement particularly convenient.
Castles and Codes
at great rail bridge over the Forth is connected halfhourly, directly and by changing in Edinburgh, with the Borders Railway, the northern thirty-five miles of track that once was the famous “Waverley Route”, all the way through the agricultural and textile landscape of the Scottish Borders.
e splendidly scenic ride takes about an hour, and includes views of at least one palace (Holyrood); two river crossings (Esk and Tweed); and three castles (Edinburgh, Crichton and Borthwick). e regular service train deposits your group just a mile-long transfer by bus or on foot to the world famous Melrose Sevens rugby tournament. It’s the same distance and the same shuttle bus arrangement to reach Abbotsford, the impressive home of Sir Walter Scott, who’s epic Waverley novels gave their name to the original railway route. Transfer by private coach, or service bus to the pretty equestrian market town of Kelso. Undoubtedly, the town’s top attraction, and one of the best loved in Scotland, is Floors Castle.
e famously so, smooth pronunciation sets Floors apart. e summer Horse Trials draw interest from all over the world.
From the Terrace or the Courtyard cafes, both of which sell estate produce and offer lovely views, your group can plan a stroll, or rendezvous with a guide for a bespoke tour. e Duke and Duchess are oen seen in residence. is remains the Roxburghe family seat and the largest inhabited castle in Scotland. By that, we mean this baronial elegance is huge. Be sure to take enough time to explore the collection of fine art, porcelain and restored tapestries amid the exquisite halls, galleries and corridorsall with beautiful views of the well tended grounds and rolling Borders countryside.
Rosslyn Chapel
One needlework that isn’t here in Floors Castle is the contemporary Tapestry of Scotland, its own home currently under construction in Galashiels.
e railway company would have you take their trains to Rosslyn Chapel, but that’s a bit of wishful thinking on their part, unless your group enjoys hiking. ere’s a nice ramble along an old branch line, but you’d be better off just catching a service bus from Edinburgh, direct to modern day Roslin. It’ll take you straight to the door of the world famous chapel. If only Tom Hanks had brought his bus pass, he could have solved that Da Vinci Code for free. Catch that bus back into town. It’ll take you all to the doors of the National Musuem Scotland, Edinburgh’s most visited attraction - unless you count the terrier-sized statue of Greyfriars Bobby - the loyal little dog - mounted on a plinth nearby the museum entrance. Easily missed - it is the size of a West Highland terrier aer all. Check out (or check in) at the Glasshouse. Not just a unique hotel, but a good stop for a cracking skyline view of Edinburgh and the best group photo opportunity of the day. Just saying. www floor scastle com www.rosslync hapel.com
Edinb urgh and East
Lothian
Even though the city is Scotland’s most popular destination in its own right, tours big and small depart constantly from Edinburgh. Established operators like Rabbie’s Tours will whisk you and your group off for short or long adventures, oen involving an overnight or two. Demand is high for the day trip taste of Scotland’s cra beer and whisky tour - we can’t imagine why. ere’s also a one-day tour of "e Beers, Whiskies & Gins of East Lothian".
So, if the golf, the beaches, the seaside resorts of North Berwick and Dunbar, the Roman and Pictish sites, the stately homes, horse racing and the Museum of Flight don’t grab your attention, you could always try that tour instead. Really adventurous groups can do a five day bender to the Outer Hebrides & the Scottish Highlands, stopping off at the breath-taking Cairngorm peaks and the white sands of Luskentyre – sometimes known as the Scottish Maldives. We can’t help but wonder if the Maldives are known locally as the Indian Ocean Scotland. Possibly not, owning to the lack of really significant mountain scapes and hairy, horned cattle.
Outlandishly Outlander
It’s time for some set-jetting, Scotland style. If your group fall into the generally afflicted demographic, known as Outlanders, then this is for you. ere are a whole ra of landmark destinations they will implore you to visit, but there are a couple of exclusively outdoor locations made even more popular by the hit TV series.
Calderglen Country Park lies just south of East Kilbride, one of Scotland’s five designated “New Towns” from the 1960s. For architecture and amenity, it’s certainly up there with the other four. at could be why Calderglen sometimes gets overlooked, since there is a surfeit of other parks nearby - Strathclyde Country Park; Chatelherault
Country Park and Cathkin Braes are all more illustrious. at however all changed, when Jamie and Willie made camp in the park, for the benefit of the Outlander cameras. Don’t worry, if this means nothing to you: we had to look it all up as well.
Calderglen gets TV stardom
Campsite pilgrimage aside, Calderglen Country Park does deserve a second glance. ere’s a Zoo and tropical conservatory, ornamental gardens, lots of nature trails and walks, a delightful courtyard cafe, play areas for younger groups, and a golf course for older toddlers too. A river runs through it, for an obscure second movie reference. e Zoo does group animal experience visits as well (maximum 25 persons per group). Torrence House, the park visitor centre, is suitably historic. Much maligned East Kilbride - and, let’s face it, East Kilbride has much to be maligned about - does have some other redeeming features. Not least, the major national attraction of the Museum of Rural Life.
www nms ac uk www.sbek.org www visitscotland com
Also, there’s something rather different, for true fans of modernist architecture.
e brutalist brick-built St Bride's Roman Catholic Church is possibly the most un-ecclesiastical place of worship in all of Christendom.
Muiravonside Countr y Park
Head off north, though Bellshill, famously the birthplace of Sheena Easton (actually, not that famously, since few people these days know who Sheena Easton is/was) and within the hour, you’ll be at Muiravonside Country Park. For some reason, the producers of Outlander chose to make Muiravonside stand-in for the battle site of Prestonpans. e reason for this being that the actual battle site of Prestonpans has a demolished power station dumped upon it at the moment, somewhat compromising its eighteenth-century credibility. at’s not actually true, least we offend the custodians of the site, but it makes good copy.
Prestonpans battle site is actually rather pleasant (more so now the power station is no more).
If you linger at Muiravonside, you’ll find much natural heritage packed into a compact and hilly beauty spot. e waterfalls are a lovely distraction, while a walk across the aqueduct that carries the Union Canal high above the disused mineral railways. Stride across its arches and you can lay claim to walking the John Muir Way - a long distance trail that commemorates the inspirational conservationist.
Back after the break
Now that you’ve done the obligatory group pictures, you can jump back on the bus, and head off for a few minutes to reach Linlithgow
(the ruined palace features in the TV series too). If you’ve made it to bustling and historic Linlithgow it would be remiss of you not to take what TV types call ‘a break’, and head for … Falkirk.
Now, before those of you in the know fall off your collective group organisers’ chairs, consider these points.
e archaeological Antonine Wall - the northern extent to the Roman Empire is still extant. French renaissancestyled Callendar House is one of the most significant buildings and landscapes in Scotland. e latter of course will be instantly recognised by the Outlanders. Good for a quick group photo we’d say. www.falkirkcommunitytr ust. o rg › venues › c allendar-house
en there’s the extraordinary experience of the Kelpies - huge equestrian art works, towering over their own park. en, for a finale, a ride on the Falkirk Wheel, the unique boat li that links the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde Canal. Still wondering why quaint little Falkirk is one of the biggest attractions outside Scotland’s cities? No, we thought not.
Blackness Castle
Alright, back on the Outlander trail. Blackness Castle, of which we mentioned earlier, is but a few miles further on, and well worth the effort. Coach drivers will need to be on their mettle to negotiate the medieval lanes that lead to the short and the castle’s location. Of all the locations on the Outlander trail, Blackness has benefitted most, with visitor number almost trebling since it took a starring role.
In fairness, Blackness is still a quite relaxed visit, so you’ll largely have the place to yourselves. It’s not quite the hajj-level pilgrimage that is endured by Rosslyn Chapel, for example, but 70,000 visitors per annum is praiseworthy enough. www.visitscotland. com/info/se e-do/blackness-castle
Did youknow?
e shortest commercial flight in the world is in Scotland.
e journey from Westray to Papa Westray in Orkney is approximately 1.5 miles long and takes just 47 seconds
