Scotland & Northern England Highlights Day 9

Thursday, March 27th, 2025

This morning we checked out of our hotel in Edinburgh and we were heading to England. As we drove by Haddington, Scotland we saw such fertile land.

We passed by Eyemouth, Scotland. It was a fishing port along the North Sea and it was located about five miles from the English border.

By mid-morning we crossed the border from Scotland into England.

We had a quick stop at Berwick-upon-Tweed. It was the most northerly town in England and along the North Sea coast. The Royal Border Bridge was a railway line running between Edinburgh and London. The bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson and spanned the River Tweed. It had 28 semicircular arches and 13 of those arches spanned the river. The bridge used 8 million cubic feet of stone and 2 1/2 million bricks set in cement. It opened in 1850.

During WWII, the Royal Border Bridge was a vital target for German bombers. It was never successfully hit and it operated throughout the war. In the 1990s the bridge underwent a restoration project.

The Berwick Lighthouse was red and white at the end of the pier guarding the entrance to the River Tweed. It was built in 19th century and completed in 1826.

The lighthouse was very exposed with the North Sea gales. In 2020 it was repainted and repointed.

Down the coastline was Spittal Beach in the village of Spittal. It was a popular seaside resort due to its sandy beach.

Spittal got its name from a shortened form of “hospital”. That hospital was dedicated to St. Bartholomew and it was built here during the Middle Ages to care for lepers.

We passed by Holy Island also known as Lindisfarne was a tidal island known for its historical sites. The Lindisfarne Priory which was a former monastery and Lindisfarne Castle dated back to 1550. You could only reach the island by a causeway that only can be traversed following the tide schedule and the weather.

Bamburgh Castle looked over the Northumberland coastline and we stopped here for a visit and tour. The castle sat on a volcanic rocky plateau 150 feet above the coastline. Its remains dated back to the 12th century.

The Bamburgh Castle was home to a succession of kings from Henry VI to James I. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny beginning scenes were filmed outside of the castle. The castle doubled as a 1944 Nazi Germany location.

The Battery Terrace was located above the Battery Gate. It was designed to withstand attacks.

In 1894 William George Armstrong bought the castle. He was an inventor, industrialist, philanthropist and he transformed it into an archetypal castle. He added a unique collection of artwork, ceramics, and objects of art. The Castle was still owned by the Armstrong family. There were 14 rooms opened to the public.

Inside the castle, Dave sat in the Wessox throne that was created in Season 3 of The Last Kingdom which was a TV series. Some of the series was filmed at Bamburgh.

The Keep was a large square structure and the oldest surviving part of the castle. The walls were 11 feet thick to the front and 9 feet wide elsewhere.

The Courtroom was located within the Keep and originally was a Norman guardroom and now served as a portrait gallery.

At the base of the Keep was a Saxon well with a victorian cap.

The murder hole located in the castle was used to discourage or kill invaders from entering the castle.

The Cross Hall, located at the top of the King’s Hall had a tudor style fireplace and vast trapestries and the focus of the room was a copy of “The Card Players” by Theodoor Rombouts It was painted in 1630.

The King’s Hall was built on the site of the medieval Great Hall. The false hammer beam ceiling was made from teak wood that came from Thailand. It was the castle’s main social reception and banqueting hall.

We visited the Victorian Stables. It was built by Lord Armstrong. Now it was home to the Victorian Stables Bar and included a dog-friendly area.

We also visited the Library, with literature from the mid 17th and mid 18th centuries and the Faire Chamber that housed a collection of ceramics from the 18th and the early 19th century. The Armory had a collection of weapons displayed.

Views from the castle to the surrounding area.

View of the North Sea from the ground of the castle

Looking out at the North Sea we could see the Farne Islands, a National Nature Preserve. We could see a few of the 15-20 islands. Lighthouses have been built on many of the islands due to the danger to ships. Below were a couple of the islands we could see that had lighthouses.

When we left Bamburgh Castle we headed to Durham. Durham was located in Northeast England and was a hilly city and the Durham Cathedral dominated the skyline. Its name was derived from “Dunholme” or hill island due to its location and a bend on the River Wear.

The Durham Cathedral and the Durham Castle became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986. In 2008 the World Heritage site expanded its designation to include Durham University, Palace Green, University College, and Durham.

A few scenes from our walk in Durham.

The Durham Cathedral was founded in 995 AD by monks from Lindisfarne who were fleeing Viking raids. They brought their holy relics with them.

The Sanctuary Knocker or Sanctuary Ring currently on the north entrance door was placed there in 1981. The original was in the Durham Cathedral Museum and was from the 1100s.

The Sanctuary ring was used by a person who committed a great offense. That person would rap the ring and monks would give the person 37 days of sanctuary. The 37 days would be used by the accused person would need to decide whether to face trial or exile. This right to sanctuary was abolished in 1624.

Built in 1686 was a beautiful oak wood organ case. It was built by Bernard Schmidt or Father Smith as he was called. It was no longer in use.

The Cloister was a covered walkway with windows on one side that opened to a grassy area called the Cloister Garth. It was located south of the Nave and was built in the 12th century and remodeled in the early 15th century and this was what we saw today.

If you were a Harry Potter fan then you’d be interested in the scenes filmed at the Cathedral. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movies filmed scenes in the Cloister.

The Cloister Garth was used in a wintery scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. It was whenHarry released his pet owl Hedwig. It was also used in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Ron’s “eat slugs” curse backfires.

In the Galilee Chapel was constructed in the 1100s when Durham Cathedral was a monestary. This was one of the few places a woman was allowed. Saint Bede the Venerable was known for his writing, scholarship, and historian. His most famous work was Ecclesiastical History of the English People. His resting place was here.

If you watched Avengers: Endgame movie the Galilee Chapel was one of the rooms in the Asgard Palace.

The Nave was the main room of the cathedral. Services were held here.

The Nave was also used in Avengers: Endgame movie. It was where Thor traveled back in time and visited Asgard.

The South Transept was by the entrance to the Cathedral Tower. It had a colorful medieval clock above a door that the choir used to enter.

The clock was constructed by Prior Castell in the late 15th or early 16th century. In 1845 they removed the clock. The Victorians thought is was too frivolous. In 1938 the clock was reconstructed by the Friends of Durham Cathedral.

The Quire was the heart of the cathedral. Daily worship took place here.

The Shrine of St. Cuthbert was up the stairs in the Chapel of Nine Altars. He was buried beneath a stone slab that bore his name. The Shrine was located behind The Quire.

The Chapel of the Nine Altars was located behind the Shrine of St. Cuthbert. Today there were three working altars dedicated to St. Margaret, St. Hild, and St. Aiden. It was built between 1242-1280 because they needed space for the number of pilgrims visiting St. Cuthbert’s Shrine.

The Pietà sculpture was in the Chapel of the Nine Altars. It was carved from a beech tree with brass details from 1974-1981 by sculptor Fenwick Lawson.

We checked into our hotel and walked back into town to eat at the Fat Hippo. It was located in the historic center of Durham.

The Fat Hippo was known for their burgers so we all tried one and it didn’t disappoint. The restaurant was in a grade II listed building. That meant the building had to be preserved and was recognized on England’s National Heritage List. We were seated on the second floor which had a little bit of a slope. The building was from the 17th century.

After a eating a delicious meal, we walked back to our hotel.

Scotland & Northern England Highlights Day 7

Tuesday, March 25th, 2025

Today we were traveling to St. Andrews, Scotland. It was sunny but quite windy. We made a stop at The Forth Bridges. There were three famous bridges that we saw. The bridges crossed the River Forth which was a major river in central Scotland. The river drained into the North Sea.

The oldest bridge was The Forth Bridge which became an UNESCO World Heritage site in July of 2015. It opened in 1890 and was only open to trains. It was the world’s first major steel structure. It under went a complete restoration that was completed in 2012. It was constructed of 53,000 tons of steel, 6.5 million rivets and 73 lives were lost during its construction.

Memorial to those workers who lost their lives during the construction of The Forth Bridge.

The Queensferry Crossing (the bridge in the back in the photo below) opened in 2017. It was the longest 3-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world. It spanned 1.7 miles. Its bridge towers were the highest in the United Kingdom.

**Queensferry Bridge in the back and the Forth Road Bridge was in the front.**

The Forth Road Bridge (the bridge in the front in the photo below) was a long span suspension bridge. It was the 4th longest bridge in the world and the largest outside the United States when it opened in 1964. It was 1 1/2 miles in length and was built using 39,000 tons of steel!

When we arrived at the historic town of St. Andrews we had a self-guided tour of the R&A Golf Museum. It was located opposite The Royal and Ancient Clubhouse.

The museum explored the past, present and future of golf. There was a large collection of golf memorabilia from around the world. We were able to explore over 400 years of golf history in the museum.

When we finished the museum, we walked beside the 18th hole of the Old Course. It was created in 1754 and the Royal and Ancient Club headquarters of golf ever since. Our purpose was to take pictures on the famous Swilcan Bridge. It was located on the 18th hole and the bridge was originally built 700 years ago. The Swilcan Bridge was 8 feet wide and 30 feet long and spans the Swilcan Burn (stream). It was one of the most photographed bridges in the world.

We waited until the foursome on the 18th hole passed and we walked out quickly for our pictures.

More shots from around the course are below. Please click through. It was such a gorgeous day.

The clubhouse of the Royal and Ancient Golf Course
Be aware!
The course was by the North Sea
Statue of Old Tom Morris by sculptor David Annand.
Martyrs’ Monument- commemorates protestants that were executed.
The Old Course filled with golfers
It was a great day if you were a golfer.
The 18th hole was behind us!

The 2027 British Open will be played at the Old Course at St. Andrews. What a beautiful setting for the tournament. The beach and the bay by the course!

What a great way to forecast the weather at St. Andrews. Make sure you read the sign below.

Along the sidewalk across from the course were plaques of the British Open. Jack Nicklaus who was from our area won in 1970 and 1978!

Besides St. Andrews being known as the birthplace of golf, it had a university which was the oldest in Scotland. The University of St. Andrews was founded in 1412. Prince William was the most recent and famous alumnus. We could also see the ruins of the St. Andrews castle. When we visited here in 2003 we visited the castle and walked through the university. Today we had time to eat lunch and then meet our group. We asked a couple of University students where would be a good place to eat and they gave a few suggestions. We found a pub, Central Bar, that had been around for over 100 years! Many of us had their Grilled Cheese Toastie which was a grilled cheese sandwich.

As we headed back toward Edinburgh, we followed along the scenic coastline of Fife. We had a quick stop at Cellardyke, a village in Scotland. The Cellardyke Harbour had stunning views of the fishing village. Our next stop was the coastal town of Anstruther. It was another fishing village.

Along the road we saw farmland and we all commented on how fertile the soil looked. The soil didn’t have clay like our gardens at home.

This evening we were tired and went to dinner a block from our hotel. We had dinner at the No1 High Street on the Royal Mile. They were able to accomodate our group and our food was tasty. Another great day!

Scotland & Northern England Highlights Day 6

Monday, March 24th, 2025

Our day began with a drive through the “New Town” of Edinburgh and by new town, it was constructed between 1767 and 1890! It had stylish boutiques, classical Georgian architecture, many excellent restaurants, and large green spaces.

As we rode along, we looked back at the “Old Town” of Edinburgh and Castle Rock with the castle.

We passed Charlotte Square which had a statue of Prince Albert (consort of Queen Victoria). It was a private garden that was only for the owners of the surrounding properties.

West Register House- National Records of Scotland along Charlotte Square. It was constructed from 1811-1814 as St. George’s Church and was converted to the Register House in 1964-1970.

We passed the historic local pub, Greyfriar’s Bobby Pub. It had been around for at least 150 years and occupied the ground floor of a row of Georgian houses. In front of the pub was the statue of Bobby, a Skye Terrier. He was a famous dog in Scotland. Legend said that in the 19th century Bobby spent fourteen years guarding the grave of his owner until the dog died in 1872. Many stop and rub the dog’s nose on the statue for good luck.

Greyfriar’s Bobby Pub and statue of Bobby

Queen Elizabeth II’s yacht, the Britannia, was our next stop.

It was her Royal Yacht from 1954 to 1997. The ship was built in Scotland and it was appropriate for it to become a tourist attraction near Edinburgh, the capital. It opened as a visitor attraction in 1998. As of 2016 Britannia had over five million visitors. We had an audio self-guided tour as we toured the ship. We toured at our own pace.

The HMY (Her majesty’s yacht), Britannia traveled more than one million nautical miles. It had 250 crew members and it also served as Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal residence. She held state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons, and had relaxing family holidays on board the ship.

The double bed was added to this bedroom for Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s Honeymoon.

The Sun Lounge was the Queen’s favorite room.

The Drawing Room was a place where the Royal family would relax or sometimes it was a reception room and could hold up to 250 guests.

The State Dining room was the largest room on the yacht. The Queen entertained some very important Heads of State in this dining room.

We took a break during our tour and visited the Royal Deck Tea Room. This deck was previously used by the Royal Family for deck games. They also enjoyed drinks or buffets. One can only visit the Tea Room if you were touring the Britannia. We enjoyed our tea and scones.

All the clocks on board the Britannia stopped at 15:01 or 3:01 PM. This was the time that Queen Elizabeth II went ashore for the last time!

The officers and sailors on board also had their own places to relax. One of the places was a bar where you could pretend to enjoy a cold brew!

One could also be the “Admiral” during your tour!

The engine room was so shiny and pristine!

We visited five decks and saw so much! We just highlighted some of the rooms of the yacht. If you are in Edinburgh and have the time, we would recommend taking the tour.

When we left Britannia, our next stop was lunch before meeting at the entrance to the Edinburgh Castle. We walked up the Royal Mile to find a place for a quick bite. The Amber Restaurant and Whisky Bar was able to seat 11 of us and serve us quickly. The restaurant and bar first opened up in 1988. Its main focus was the scotch whisky experience but the restaurant was very good.

The rest of our afternoon was visiting the Edinburgh Castle. It was built from the 11th century to the 21st century. The castle was a military fortress, royal residence, and a military prison. It sat on an extinct volcanic plug. It currently served as an active military base. The highlight was the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo that happened every August on the castle esplanade.

Our Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce Group in front of the Edinburgh Castle

Everyday at 1:00 PM a gun is fired! They had signs warning of the loud noise! Mons Meg was a giant, late-medieval cannon.

St. Margaret’s Chapel was the oldest building in Edinburgh. It still hosted weddings and christenings.

Another building within the castle was the Scottish National War Memorial. It had a “Roll of Honour” where visitors with help could look up fallen soldiers from WWI to the present. It was run by a small charitable trust.

In the Royal Palace we saw one of the fireplaces that had the Royal Arms of James VI, King of Scots.

We walked all around the Half Moon Battery that was located on the eastern side of the castle grounds. The cannons were 18 pounds and built in 1810 for the Napoleonic Wars.

The sun was shining but it was very windy as we walked.

The panoramic views of Edinburgh from the caste were amazing. One could see for miles!

We could also see the Soldiers’ Dog Cemetery which dated back to 1837. Visitors can’t enter the cemetery but it can be viewed from above.

When we left the Edinburgh Castle we stopped at another traditional Scottish pub along the Royal Mile called the World’s End Bar. It was located in a 16th century building and its exterior wall formed part of Edinburgh’s ancient wall.

Some of us had a beverage while part of our group was shopping on the Royal Mile.

This evening we had reservations at a speakeasy in the New Town of Edinburgh. Some of our group took a cab to the location because it was about a mile walk and we had already walked over four miles and a lot of stairs.

**We left our hotel to walk to the speakeasy.**

Panda and Sons was the name of the speakeasy. It opened in 2013 by Panda and his family. It was located in a vintage style barbershop.

It was a classic style Prohibition speakeasy. The bar entrance was hidden behind a bookcase.

We enjoyed a drink in Panda & Sons and then we were in search of a restaurant for dinner. One of the waitresses suggested a restaurant and even called for us to see if they could seat the nine of us. She made a reservation for us at Old Pal and we walked there. It was almost a mile away. Our group decided as we walked to the restaurant that we would take a cab back to our hotel. We were all tired. As we walked we passed by Charlotte’s Square and saw West Register House illuminated.

Old Pal was a new restaurant that opened in 2024. The restaurant wasn’t busy but our food was delicious!

A block away from the restaurant there was a taxi stand! We took a taxi back to our hotel. Another busy day completed.

Scotland & Northern England Highlights Day 3

March 21st, 2025

This morning started with a bus tour of Glasgow. Our first stop was at the Glasgow Green. Here was saw the Doulton Fountain. It was a five-tier fountain in a French Renaissance style. It was built for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1887. It was restored in 2003-2005 and stood 46 feet high and 70 feet across the base and it was thought to be the largest fountain in the world.

We did our O-H-I-O in front of the fountain!

The fountain was located in front of the People’s Palace. It was built from 1893-1898. It housed the city’s social history collection.

We passed the Hydro. It was an indoor arena that had a capacity of 14,500 including the standing room and opened in 2013. It holds various events.

The bus also took us past the Clyde Auditorium which resembled the Sydney Opera House in Australia. The Clyde Auditorium also known as the Armadillo and opened in 1997. It hosts big entertainment names and performers and has a capacity of 3,000.

As we walked up to the Glasgow Cathedral we saw one of the former blue police boxes that were used from the 1920s and have been sold and converted into businesses. If you were a Dr. Who fan these former police boxes were used as his tardis (time machine) to travel from place to place.

We had an hour to tour the Glasgow Cathedral on our own. It was dedicated to St. Kentigern, also known as St. Mungo. He was a Christian missionary from the 6th century AD.

The cathedral was built in the 1100s and it took 350 years to finish. It was a medieval cathedral.

We walked through the crypt that housed the tomb of St. Mungo.

The set of stained glass windows were made in the 1860s by the Munich glass and were installed in the Cathedral between 1859 and 1864. The windows deteriorated and had to be replaced and the three pictured below were restored by Historic Scotland.

Behind the Cathedral was the Glasgow Necropolis. It was a Victorian cemetery and the first garden cemetery in Scotland. It opened in 1833 on a hilly site and the top was dominated by the 12 foot statue of John Knox. He was known most for the Scottish Reformation.

Near the Glasgow Cathedral was a statue of David Livingstone by John Mossman. He was a Scottish born doctor, missionary, and explorer. When we traveled to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in 2018 we saw a statue to Livingstone who discovered the falls in 1855 and named them after Queen Victoria.

Across the street from the Glasgow Cathedral was the oldest building in Glasgow, Provands Lordship. It dated from 1471 and was used by the clergy when they visited the cathedral.

Located behind Provands Lordship was St. Nicholas Garden. It was established in 1995 and contained herbs and plants used in the 15th century. In the center was a carved granite fountain. At the back were cloisters which contained Tontine Heads that were removed from the old Tontine Building which was once used as an exchange for sugar dealers. Below are a few of the Tontine Heads.

Before lunch we visited the Riverside Museum. It was filled with transportation and technology collections. The building opened in 2011 and took four years to complete. Dame Zaha Hadid was the world renowed architect that did the design.

The Riverside Museum was located at the junction of the Clyde River and the Kelvin River.

Displays from Star Wars could be found throughout the museum! Below were a few of the Star Wars collections.

This afternoon we have a tour of the National Piping Centre. It was located in a building from 1872 that was extensively renovated and the Piping Centre opened in 1996. We learned all about the history of Bagpipes. It was founded to promote the study of the music and history of the Highland Bagpipe. The Centre housed a museum of piping which we were given a tour. After our tour, we all had the opportunity to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb” on a chanter. It was fun to try it. A couple of people from our group then tried playing the bagpipe!

Our group really wanted to see the Highland Cows and when we finished at the Piping Centre we quickly left for the train station to go to Pollok Country Park. Of course we went to the wrong train station first! We made it to the correct train station, bought our tickets and had to rush for the train! At the second train stop we hopped off and walked to the park which wasn’t far away.

Little did we know that this park was Glasgow’s largest green space! It was gifted to the city in 1966 and the Maxwell family owned this estate before it became a park. The Maxwell’s established the famous Pollok Highland Cattle fold nearly 200 years ago. They were brought down from the Scottish Highlands to graze the grounds within the estate. There were about 50 cattle. These Highland cows spend all year outside due to their double coat of hair. We walked quite a distance in the park before we spotted some coos (or cows)!

Mama and Baby

As we walked back we found coos close to the entrance which weren’t there earlier. The park was huge! You could spend a full day here and not see all of it!

We had round trip train tickets that took us back to the city center.

The train station for the Pollok Country Park.

We were ready for dinner after a busy day! Near Merchant City where our hotel was located we passed a restaurant that could seat eleven of us! We ordered drinks and food and enjoyed both.

As we walked back to our hotel we passed by the Gallery of Modern Art which was located in an early 19th century neoclassical building in the city center. In front of the Gallery was a statue of the Duke of Wellington who had a traffic cone on his head! The placing of the traffic cone on his head and sometimes on his horse began by late night revellers in the 1980s. It demonstrated a sense of humor and that tradition has continued!

After walking almost six miles today we were tired and ready for bed! Tomorrow would be another exciting day in Scotland!

Scotland & Northern England Highlights Day 1 & 2

Wednesday, March 19th, 2025

This was our first international trip of 2025. We traveled with the Hilliard Chamber of Commerce. We have traveled on other trips with them and have found their itineraries to be well planned and the price better than if we put this trip together on our own.

On Wednesday we left Columbus for Atlanta on time. We were all in our zone lines for our second leg, KLM flight to Amsterdam, when the flight was delayed 10 minutes, then 50 minutes and then three hours. We were finally in the air four hours later than scheduled. That meant we would miss our connecting flight to Glasgow. Due to the late departure we were served one dinner, no breakfast because the flight attendants needed a regulatory rest. Also, because the flight was delayed so long our plane was not completely full. We sat in a row of three and had an empty seat between us. Even though we had an empty seat it was difficult to get any sleep. The plane was warm and the seats weren’t comfortable.

The early morning sky out the plane window.

When we landed in Amsterdam, our tour company had rebooked our group on a noon flight to Glasgow so we only lost half a day. Unfortunately all of our checked luggage did not follow us onto the plane. Thank goodness we always pack 2 days of clothing in our carryon!

Thursday, March 20th, 2025

When we arrived in Glasgow we were met by our tour guide, Laura. She introduced herself as we traveled from the Glasgow airport to our hotel. We checked in, freshened up and some of us went walking around the area.