We have been going through a lull in our travels so haven’t posted much lately. We will try to get back on schedule. I developed a stuffy ear which made it really hard to hear and Karen’s stomach issues flared up and we were both feeling a bit burned out so we really slowed down a lot during our time in Fort William and Stirling. We did do some drives and visited a couple of castles of course but weren’t especially active.
Glen Coe on a rare sunny day. It felt very weird to see lots of tourists in tank tops and flip-flops This is what Glen Coe is supposed to look like in proper weatherMoody and misty is the right weather for the sight of the massacre of Clan MacDonaldThe Glenfinnan monument commemorates where Bonnie Prince Charlie first raised his banner in 1745 A lot of Scottish history unfortunately is about massacres and defeats inflicted by the EnglishOn the other side of Glen Finnan is the viaduct made famous by the Harry Potter movies and the Hogwarts Express
From Fort William we moved on to Stirling (we actually stayed in Doune which is right next door) where we continued our lazy ways but managed to see a couple of the more famous castles like Doune and Stirling Castle. We took a walking tour in Stirling and saw the sites of perhaps the two most notable Scottish victories over the English. The first was the battle of Stirling bridge, where William Wallace won his most famous battle (but was later betrayed, defeated, and brutally executed). The battle of Bannockburn also took place nearby, which resulted in Scottish independence and Robert the Bruce being recognized as King of Scotland. In a weird twist, it also resulted in the razing of Stirling Castle by Robert the Bruce so that it could not be re-taken and used against the Scots.
Lancelot and HerbertNot the same angle but the same windowThey sold coconuts at the gift shopDoune Castle was used for many films and shows. First and foremost Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It was the location for Camelot, Castle Anthrax, French Knights, and Swamp CastleDoune was used as Winterfell for the first season of Outlander but was filmed in studio after thatOnce again not the same angle and it has been dressed up but the stonework on the window on the right is the clincher since each stone matched perfectly. The brazier is not the same as the movie propDoune was Castle Leoch in the Outlander SeriesIt’s amazing how it changes the look without sets and lightingOutlander being filmed in the courtyard at Doune Castle. The windows are unmistakable but it looks so different as a movie setStirling Castle is at a crucial crossroads to the north of Scotland so there is lots of history surrounding itThe Great Hall done up in King’s Gold. All of the castle buildings were painted as a show of royal wealth and powerOur last stop was Stirling Castle, my favorite Scottish castle. It has a little bit of everything in its long history. sieges, brutal murders, total destruction, the world’s oldest football, royal weddings, and the coronation of an English king (though he became king of England later)This lady in waiting was a seamstress. She told us the red coloring used on the walls came from the Southwest of the United States. Told us about all the languages of the court (French, Latin, English, Gaelic) with a smattering of other languages. Really amazing enthusiasm.This “lazy” guard told us all about his armaments and his duties and also about the reproduction tapestries on the wall. He was also very good.In the palace rooms, they had very knowledgeable and enthusiastic people din period dress. They were my favorite part of the visit to Stirling CastleThese stunning tapestries are modern reproductions woven using traditional methods at Stirling Castle over a 14 year period. We saw the team of 18 weavers working on them when we visited Stirling in 2006. All seven tapestries were completed in 2015 and we felt so lucky to see them completed. The original series this set is based on resides at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
