Travel - Touring the home of the haggis

BY FRANCINE GAUDETTE

My travel itinerary and Scottish currency waited patiently on my mantle. My luggage stood in the doorway like a soldier waiting for its marching orders. Everything seemed in order, yet something was missing.

At 3:25 p.m., my postal carrier arrived with the one thing that would enable me to take flight. I had just received my passport so I could begin my travel that same night. Talk about flying by the seat of my pants.

Laura, my travelling companion, and I departed for Scotland on July 9. At our hotel, we were greeted by our tour guide Michael, and our soon-to-be new friends from our Insight Vacation.

Our first day in Scotland included a sightseeing tour of the city of Edinburgh, which was divided into two parts — old town and new town — by Princes Street. The Castle of Edinburgh was in the old town and stood magnificently on the crest of a hill, overlooking ancient homes of stone with tiny gardens filled with flowers and closes, which are little passageways to quaint courtyards.

Our bus drove along the street where J.K. Rowling’s — author of Harry Potter novels — coffee shop stood. We saw the pub “The Spider’s Web” that Sean Connery claimed as his favourite “watering hole,” and we passed by the former home of William Stephenson, author of Robinson Crusoe.

Our next scheduled stop was a tour on The Royal Yacht Britannia, now dry docked and part of a museum. So much history surrounded me as photos displayed visits from the Queen and her family. We walked along the Royal Mile and saw the palace of Holyroodhouse — the official Scottish residence of the Queen.

That evening we were treated to a traditional Scottish performance, including Celtic dancers, bagpipe music and singing. Following a rather formal ceremony to the haggis, we were presented with this dish — that I must say I have yet to acquire a taste for.

The next day, we headed for the Highlands and crossed the Firth of Forth into Fife (try saying that three times fast). We headed towards St. Andrew’s Golf Course, where golf was born in the 15th century, as a sport exclusive to men at the time.

Our bus crossed the Tay River, where we saw Blair Atholl, the castle that is home to Britain’s only private army. Our hotel was in the Granpian Mountains. Our formal dinner included bagpipes, Scottish entertainers and wouldn’t you know it, haggis followed by a shot of the local whiskey.

On our third day, we headed towards Thurso into the Spey Valley and visited the battlefield of Culloden, where battle once took place between the clans. Markers and stones were inscribed with the family names.

We also made a stop at Loch Ness — Loch means lake in Gaelic. Unfortunately Nessie was nowhere to be found that day. Michael told us it was a water horse, and not a monster at all.

Our tour took us onto Thurso in the Pentland Firth. Thurso followed the northern coastline with white sandy beaches, misty valleys and glens. My travel companion and I revelled in the beauty of this quiet fishing town with all its little shops and friendly locals. We followed narrow roads where sheep grazed, seemingly unaware of our presence. We learned the peat moss in this area was dug up, dried and used to burn for heat in people’s homes.

The Isle of Skye offered so many beautiful landscapes that I wished we could have prolonged our stay there. Our tour continued to Ben Nevis where we visited the ruins of Fort Williams. I could almost hear the soldiers’ battle cries during their barbaric wars.

We headed away from the Highlands and onto the Lowlands and the bustling city of Glasgow. Our trip had come to an end, but my stories were just beginning.