Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for scotland
The Remotest Part of Great Britain
By Linda Tancs
Forty-one miles west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides is the archipelago of Saint Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles. Of its four islands, Hirta boasts the highest sea cliffs in the country. Its natural beauty earned it a World Heritage Site designation, an appellation enjoyed these days by its permanent residents consisting of puffins, gannets and other seabirds and wildlife. The human population long ago moved to the mainland to escape its isolation. If its sounds difficult to visit this place, you’d be right–but perseverance is rewarded. Try a cruise ship, charter or yacht, for starters. You should know that the only accommodation on Saint Kilda for visitors is a small camp site, with room for a maximum of six people. Visitors may stay for up to five nights.
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600 Years in the Making
By Linda Tancs
Golf is a 600-year-old sport. Hard to believe that it’s taken that long to get a golf festival going where it all began. The St Andrews Golf Festival is the first-ever celebration of golf at its birthplace in St Andrews, Scotland. Today through 1 April, the free calendar of events includes the Seve exhibition at The Scores Hotel, an exclusive talk by Mungo Park (grandson of the first winner of the Open Championship in 1860), the Bobby Jones exhibition and golf correspondent Lewine Mair’s talk on the history of women’s golf.
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Europe’s Largest Fire Festival
By Linda Tancs
Since the 1880s the folks in Lerwick, Shetland have celebrated Up Helly Aa, Europe’s largest fire festival. Taking place on the last Tuesday in January each year, the event involves a series of marches and visitations, culminating in a torch-lit procession, the burning of a galley and dancing in various halls throughout Lerwick. At least 11 halls will host revelers until the wee hours of Wednesday morning, a public holiday. Thank goodness.
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Lady Marmalade
By Linda Tancs
Dundee, Scotland is known for science. Science themes are explored at Dundee’s Sensation science center with some 60 hands-on exhibits, and Mills Observatory is the only full time public observatory and planetarium in the UK. Lesser known may be the science of marmalade production. Dundee has a long association with marmalade, reportedly beginning in the 1700s. The tale goes that a local grocer bought a ship’s cargo of oranges when the vessel docked in Dundee harbor during a storm. He passed the oranges on to his wife who used them to make a fruit preserve that proved vastly popular. True or not, Dundee and marmalade go together like peanut butter and jelly–uh, make that marmalade.
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Scotsman Soars from Edinburgh to London
By Linda Tancs
The Flying Scotsman is arguably the world’s best known steam locomotive, having dutifully plied the route between London and Edinburgh for decades. Purchased for the nation, it found a home at the National Railway Museum where it is undergoing restoration to full mainline running condition. In the meanwhile, what’s a busy traveler between Edinburgh and London to do? East Coast has the answer. In May, the train operator introduced a Flying Scotsman express service, a four-hour jaunt calling only at Newcastle in its route between Edinburgh and London’s King’s Cross station. The new service is the cream of the puff, you might say. Other improvements include a new early-morning service from Berwick-upon-Tweed, Alnmouth and Morpeth, which connects into the Flying Scotsman service at Newcastle.
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Scotland’s Favorite Son
By Linda Tancs
Robert Burns, Scotland’s hallowed bard, is celebrated in Alloway, Ayrshire at the recently opened Robert Burns Museum. A 40 minutes’ drive from Glasgow, the museum complex includes the residence where the poet was born, the historic landmarks where he set his greatest work, and a collection of his works. The museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free for National Trust for Scotland Trust members.
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Geoparks Celebrate Geological Diversity
By Linda Tancs
Shetland is, as its website says, an area where Scotland meets Scandinavia and the North Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Given this description, you would imagine there’s a fair degree of diversity in the landscape. Indeed, the region boasts a geological bonanza of newly-birthed mountains, ancient rivers, tropical seas and deserts. No wonder that Shetland has recently been designated a European Geopark. Simply put, a European Geopark is an area with a unique geological heritage that fosters the development of geotourism. There are currently 34 geoparks among 13 European countries. Learn more here.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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On the Fringe
By Linda Tancs
Now until 31 August it’s time for The Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hailed as the #1 tourist attraction in Britain, this arts festival commandeers a few streets in Scotland’s capital city during its duration. Not that anyone seems to mind, of course. For the uninitiated, the event is a combination of music, dance, comedy and carousing involving very large numbers of people. That means you better book your dinner early because the eateries will swell. You can book the events you’d like to see online as well.
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Of Nooks and Crooks
By Linda Tancs
Of all the little nooks in the world, the Guinness Book has it that Scotland’s Ebenezer Street in Wick takes top honors as the world’s shortest street. Situated in the Northern Highlands, Wick owes its origin to the Vikings, who named it Vik (meaning “bay”). Measuring just two yards and nine inches, the tiny thoroughfare sports one front door. For a long and winding road, you’ll need to visit Lombard Street in San Francisco, California, where the world’s most crooked street at its crest gives visitors the most stunning views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the rest of San Francisco Bay. Those with nerves of steel can drive their way through the switchbacks. The rest can get there via the city’s storied cable cars on the Powell-Hyde line.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
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Summer in Scotland
By Linda Tancs
In this week’s edition of Travelrific Travel Show, the topic is Scotland. You may not see Nessie, but you’ll delight in the urbane pleasures of city life or the tranquil views of the Highlands. Find out how at www.travelrificradio.com.
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