3 Weeks in Scotland – Lowlands
As I relate my great-grandmother’s colourful history to a local guide, I add in the detail that the younger lad she married on the train to BC was in fact a Lowlander. “Not a Sassanach?!” he gasps. Thanks to my extensive Outlander education, I know what that means and quickly reassure him that it’s not as shameful as an Englishman, but he was a McGregor lowlander. “Ah,” he responds, “We have a window at the top of the tower to throw that lot out of.”
For the final week of our Scotland tour we are descending from our Northern Highlands homeland into the Lowlands. Loch Lomond sits directly on the Highland Boundary Fault, acting as a natural gateway between the Lowlands and the Highlands. Its southern end rests in the Lowlands, while its northern half extends into the Scottish Highlands.
We drive south along the bonnie bonnie banks of this immortal lake, with my mother doing a bizarre zombie dance in honour of the belief that dead Scottish souls enter the afterlife through this lake. We sing “You take the high road…”, which we learn is a reference to Scottish people returning home either to visit loved ones (the high road) or as dead spirits (the low road).
We’re travelling with a career historian, so of course we join the National Trust for Scotland to support historical preservation. And we’re Scottish descendants, so of course we go out of our way to get the biggest bang for our buck, visiting every free site that our membership offers. On this day, that means the very interesting and odd Hill House, famous for the innovative architecture and interior design by Charles and Margaret Mackintosh in the “Glasgow style.”
Then on to Geilston Gardens, an immaculately preserved example of a small country estate walled garden dating back to 1797.
Glasgow - More than Just Industrial
”Skip Glasgow, go straight to Edinburgh,” we keep hearing. But we really like Glasgow. Staying in the funky artsy West End helps, especially during the annual West End Festival with outdoor music, fairs, art exhibits, and happy people everywhere. We take in a bawdy daytime musical - "A Play a Pie, and a Pint" at the old church-cum-bar-and-theatre on the corner. Even some rare Scottish sunshine, and a very welcoming Quaker meeting.
After the rural tranquility of Mull and Glencoe there’s an initial urban shock ($25/day if we can even find parking?!), but a good night’s sleep lets us fully enjoy the richness of a multi-cultural, vibrant city.
Stirling Castle and Alloa Tower
On the way to Edinburgh we stop at Bannockburn, site of Robert the Bruce’s greatest victory. Then on to the truly stunning Stirling Castle with its long, turbulent history featuring William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie. One history site likens it to “‘a huge brooch clasping Highlands and Lowlands together."
We picnic on the lawn beneath the looming Alloa Tower, the largest surviving keep in Scotland and yet another National Trust site. It’s closed weekdays so we miss the “opulent 18th-century interiors” and “views stretching across nine counties,” but it’s peaceful here on the park grounds, and we can imagine Mary, Queen of Scots and her son, James VI both playing here during parts of their childhoods.
The Royal Burgh of Culross
Final stop of this travel day is in Culross, Scotland’s most complete example of a burgh of the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the original coal-mining sites, it was named a Royal Burgh in 1588 to allow the Lord to sell his products internationally. These days, it’s a beautiful walk through cobble-stone streets, restored houses and the original “Palace” - a beautiful multi-roomed house that serves as Geillis Duncan’s house in Outlander.
Edinburgh and the Royal Mile
Edinburgh feels like the appropriate ending for a 3-week family roots tour. Where Glasgow was edgy and innovative like a Hamilton! song, Edinburgh is a stately, secure, harmonious Simon & Garfunkel athem. In Grassmarket we sit outside the oldest pub in the city, the castle looming high above. A bagpiper fills the air as we ascend the Royal Mile towards the castle, catching glimpses of Harry Potter Diagon Alley scenes. Narrow archways beckon us to explore mysterious alleyway shops and pubs.
It happens to be the first, and rare, sunny day of the summer, so the central city park is chock-a-block of couples and families sunning, picnicking, playing and romancing on the grass. Dave and I climb an hour outside the city to Arthur’s Seat for a commanding view of the city and ocean.
All told, Scotland has delivered on its promise.Tapping into our family roots with my mom and big brother was a treat. I would return to Glencoe for more rigorous hikes, perhaps even the 100-mile Highland Way. I could have happily settled into the outdoor life and creative community of Isle of Mull, including a vibrant creative writing/arts centre. Edinburgh is well worth visiting, but Glasgow is where we’d return to hang for several months, reliving our Commercial Drive artsy vibe from our Vancouver days.
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