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PrintA Royal Escape
Adventures Through England and Scotland
Photos by The Memory Journalists
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"Do you want to go to England and Scotland?” my sister asked.
I had not been to Europe yet, and she knew I had always wanted to go. So along with our hubbies, we set the dates and bought our plane tickets. Our adventures started in London, and as luck had it, the recent Royal Wedding took place the day after we left. We considered staying to participate in the royal day, but decided that the throngs of tourists and locals were not our cup of tea.
From London, we took a train to York and watched the wedding with locals at a pub. Everyone was ecstatic when Prince William and Catherine kissed exactly as planned on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. We hopped the train one more time to Edinburgh for another few days, and then rented a car and drove through Scotland. Our stops included staying in Inverness, the Isle of Skye, and in a castle near Oban; ferrying over to the Isle of Mull; and eventually heading back to Edinburgh where we caught a plane home on the 18th day.
Planes, trains, automobiles and ferries could sum up our trip. There are a variety of ways that you can travel throughout the United Kingdom, and we tried them all. Driving around on the wrong side of the road with the steering wheel on the wrong side was fun, too. Our husbands were the only brave ones; us girls were the mother hens who kept chanting, “Stay to the left!”
Below is our list of favorites – places to visit and things to do. Of course, the locals told us that we experienced their best two weeks of summer weather, which may have played a role in the favorites listed!
FAVORITE CITY
While York is larger than one may think, it feels less touristy due to the compactness of the city and the historic cobbled streets, where cars aren’t permitted. One can walk the Shambles – one of Europe’s oldest shopping streets – lined by many independent shops, or choose to stroll along the longest complete medieval city walls in the UK. The walls allow for an amazing view of the city and if you’re up for the entire length, it can take close to two hours. Of course, your visit won’t be complete without seeing York Minster, northern Europe’s largest Gothic cathedral. This turned out to be one of the very few places that allowed us to take photographs on the inside.
FAVORITE CATHEDRALS
The dome of St. Paul’s in London is one of the largest in the world. We climbed up the dome steps to the Whispering Gallery where our hubbies tried out its unique acoustics; a whisper on one side can be heard clearly on the opposite side at least 100 feet away. Continuing upwards for a total of 528 steps, we reached the Golden Gallery at the very top. While this hike raised our heart rates, it was well worth the breathtaking panoramic views across London.
While technically Westminster Abbey in London is not a cathedral, it was fun to see the preparation of the Royal Wedding already occurring while we were there. Some of the most significant people in the nation’s history are buried or commemorated in the Abbey, and I was in awe of the number of famous authors such as Chaucer, Dickens and Kipling.
St. Giles in Edinburgh is recognized as having one of the finest organs in Europe and while we were there, the organist was playing; one could just sit in the pews and listen to the beautiful music.
FAVORITE B&Bs
The Spoons, located in the Scottish Highlands of North Skye amongst farmland and built in 2009, is quiet, clean and was voted best bed by all four of us. Ian and Marie, the proprietors, were super friendly and created a sumptuous homemade breakfast using local fresh organic produce including eggs from their own hens.
A close second was Barcaldine Castle near Oban Argyll in Scotland. A “real castle” by our husbands’ definition of a fortified stronghold position; all four levels are accessed via the one and only entrance, and all rooms off of the spiral staircase. Upon our arrival, we sat with tea in front of the fireplace as Ronnie told us the history of the Black Castle, as it’s known. We were shown the secret passageways that allowed those in the Great Hall on the second floor the ability to escape unseen to the first or third floors in the event of attack. Liz and Ronnie made us a wonderful dinner of locally grown beef after serving appetizers of smoked duck, venison and beef.
FAVORITE CASTLES
Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the official residence of Her Majesty The Queen, of whom we happened to catch a glimpse! St. George’s Chapel is the heart of the order of the knights of the garter, and is the burial place of 10 monarchs, including Henry VIII. This is what anyone who has ever dreamed of living in a castle would picture. We were lucky to hit it so early in the morning and get right in, thanks to Harry Norman Private Tours knowing the crowds and queues.
Another favorite was Eilean Donan Castle – one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland and recognized by many for its role in the movies Highlander and The World is Not Enough. Interestingly, Eilean Donan can be rented for your wedding!
On the Isle of Mull we visited Duart Castle, the ancestral home of the Clan Maclean. Similar to Eilean Donan, Duart Castle sits at the intersection of important lochs atop a crag at the end of a peninsula; its position was well chosen for defense. You may have seen Duart Castle in the movie Entrapment.
