The Scottish Highlands

Sunday morning I hopped on a four-hour train up to Edinburgh Scotland. The scenery during the train ride was beautiful, and I arrived in Edinburgh at noon. Since I only had that afternoon to poke around this beautiful city I did what I usually do when I get to a new city: I go to the old town and meander around wherever looks interesting without really looking at a map. If you ever travel to a new place, I'd highly recommend this mode of exploration as you never know what you'll come across!

Old town

Edinburgh has the most gorgeous architecture, and its downtown streets are reminiscent of Parisian boulevards. It also had a vibrant park right next to my hostel.

Prince's Park

I strolled up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle but decided not to go in as my limited time would prevent me from fully exploring. I can happily spend three hours in a museum or castle, usually an aggravating habit for my traveling companions.

Edinburgh Castle

Instead I continued south down a hill into the Grassmarket.


Grassmarket

This market was originally used for livestock fairs but since medieval times has been a traditional place for markets. The White Hart Inn is one of the oldest pubs in Edinburgh, dating from 1516. It also claims to be the most haunted pub in Edinburgh. Apparently, two of its patrons were notorious murderers, and public executions were held at the gallows right next to it. Speaking of gallows I learned about a local woman with a tenacious grip on life. Maggie Dickson was a local 18th-century worker whose husband deserted her. She was forced to move and started working for an innkeeper. Naturally, she then got pregnant with the innkeeper's son's baby but concealed her pregnancy so she wouldn't lose her job. She had a stillbirth and was hanged in the Grassmarket for hiding her pregnancy. She was then pronounced dead and sent back to her birth town. When her coffin arrived, something was banging from the inside. The townspeople opened the lid, and there Maggie was, alive and well. They considered it God's will and let her live her remaining forty years of life working as an innkeeper.



Edinburgh also has an resourceful way of making street cleanliness fun!


Salisbury Crags

The highlight for me, though, was Holyrood Park. This striking highland park towers above Edinburgh. It was initially used as a 12th-century hunting grounds for the royalty. It has three small lochs as well. I walked up Salisbury Crags first. When I got to the top of those, I saw there was a much higher hill, the tallest point called Arthur's Seat. Naturally, I had to climb that as well.



Beginning the climb

Edinburgh Castle

The top of this hill was amazing. It was cold and windy and beautiful and breathtaking. I felt so alive up there! The views of all of Edinburgh were spectacular, and I felt like I was on top of the world.


The trail up Arthur's Seat



Salisbury Crags from above



Edinburgh

The very windy top

Arthur's Seat

A small loch in the park

Highest point on Arthur's Seat

On the way down, I went a different route where I passed by the ruined 15th century St Anthony's chapel which looked rather picturesquely over St Margaret's loch below.



St Antony's Chapel above St Margaret's Loch

The next morning I took a train and a bus east to Callander. This tiny little town sits on the eastern edge of Trossachs National Park and is the trailhead of the Great Trossachs Path (GTP).

I purchased some food at the supermarket there and then set off. Callander is snuggled into a valley in the shadow of a huge forested ridge. It's surrounded by highland hills.

Callander

It begins...

Lots of sheep

I started walking next to a river passing fields of sheep and old men with their four sheepdogs out for a stroll. Once I had crossed the valley, I started up a hill. I decided to take two short detours up very steep hills over the next mile. The first of these was a little track running about half a mile straight up the hill with no switchbacks! Carrying 40 pounds, I was dying by the time I reached the top, but it was worth it! The views were incredible, and I saw my first view of Loch Venachar and Callander behind me. The main draw of this detour was Samson's Stone. This huge rock had been deposited alone on the hilltop by glaciation and looked very out of place. Returning to the original path, I walked another half mile then climbed up another very steep hill to the iron age Dunmore hill fort. You could still see the banks and ditches at the top.

Trail up to Samson's Stone

First view of Loch Venachar, on the right is the Iron Age hill fort

Samson's Stone, Dunmore hill fort is to the right

The rest of the afternoon I walked the highlands next to Loch Venachar. Right before I came down from the hills to walk through the tiny town of Brig o' Turk, I passed by Drippan ruins. Drippan was a small farming town that had been deserted, and this one farm is all that was left. All you can see now are the stone foundations of a farm with a storage building, house, and barn.


Loch Venachar



Loch Venachar with Loch Drunkie behind it (the party loch)

Drippan

The GTP is absolutely stunning. The Scottish Highlands are commanding and picturesque. Much of it is wooded until you get to the grassy hilltops. The whole first day I walked I could see the imposing side of Ben Venue. Towards the end of the day, I found a campsite on the banks of Loch Achray in the shadow of Ben Venue. It was windy and peaceful and delightful. I got my first taste of midges the next morning, they are like mosquitoes but smaller and much worse! I am a midge pin-cushion right now!

The striking highlands

Ben Venue

The second day I reached Loch Katrine. Renowned for its hauntingly beautiful landscape Loch Katrine has inspired many writers, poets, and musicians. Sir Walter Scott was inspired to write the epic poem Lady of the Lake in 1810 which took place around Loch Katrine and the Trossachs area. This poem became very famous and had a hand in starting Scottish tourism. He also wrote about the local hero Rob Roy which I'll get into in a moment.

Loch Katrine

Ellen's Isle

One island caught my attention. This tiny spit of forested land is called Ellen's Isle. It has traditionally been a place where fugitives hide. One famous fugitive was Ellen Stewart who defended her children by killing an English soldier. The story inspired Sir Walter Scott, and he wrote about her in his poem.






I had heard of Rob Roy before, and if I'm not mistaken, it's one of my mother's favorite movies. Before coming to Scotland, I had thought it took place in Australia, so I was quite confused at first. Now I'm guessing that might be me mixing it up with Quigley Down Under (sorry mom!). Nevertheless, Rob Roy was a local cattle herder who constantly rebelled against English rule. When he defaulted on a loan after one of his workers absconded with it along with his herd, he was branded an outlaw. He spent the rest of his life thwarting the English and acting as a "Robin Hood" to his local Scotsmen.

Gregor Cemetery

This Clan Gregor Cemetery used to be thought of as the resting place of Rob Roy, but since then it has been found out that it was his clan's cemetery. It was a man made little peninsula that was quite quaint and picturesque.  





Gregor Cemetery



Rob Roy's birthplace and home

Rob Roy was born and raised in Glengyle house which has been renovated into this beautiful house. Apparently, many clan Gregor chefs are buried in its backyard. There was a meadow and river in front of the property before the water levels rose and flooded the meadow. The track is still visible. This was all unbeknownst to me as I slept a stone's throw away from it my second night!

View from my second campsite

The highlands, having been formed primarily by glaciation, are full of incredibly beautiful stones showing the pressures of glaciers over time.

Beautiful Glacial patterns

This tiny island is called Factor's Island because Rob Roy imprisoned a tax collector on it.

Factor's Island to the left

Once I reached Inversnaid, I realized it's not so much a town as it is a hotel, pier, and house. I stayed at a bunkhouse further back up the road where I tried haggis for the first time. It was delicious, but my opinion also might have been swayed by the fact that it was stuffed in bacon wrapped chicken breast... Hard to go wrong there!

Almost to the end

Loch Lomond



First glimpse of Loch Lomond



Loch Lomond under turbulent skies

Nicer skies today

Rob Roy's cave

The next day I took a ferry down Loch Lomond and a bus to Glasgow. While I was taking the ferry, the driver told us about a little cave where Rob Roy had had to hide out it to evade capture. Apparently, it's so well hidden that we couldn't even see it! Luckily, foreseeing our confusion, the Scottish tourism board attempted to assuage us by writing "CAVE" on the rock wall, so that voracious camera-clicking tourists such as myself would have something to take a picture of.

Honeymooner's Island

One last fun fact about this island. It's known as Honeymooner's Island because gypsies used to stick newlyweds on the island for one week. If they lasted the whole week without swimming ashore, their marriage would last forever!!




I arrived in Canterbury on Friday and found the place I am staying. It's a Franciscan school about a mile from the city center, charming and quaint.
I will be here three nights before I begin my pilgrimage on Monday morning!

Until next time!