Scotland Dreaming
Here’s a “wish list” of sorts, adapted from http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/travel/tourists-flock-to-scotland-s-magnificent-seven-attractions-1-4039181#ixzz41ScsirTe
Been there in 2015, will go back in 2016: A total of 1.57 million people paid to visit Edinburgh Castle during 2015, though the other places attracting a million visitors were free to enter.
The National Museum of Scotland was the second most popular tourist site in Scotland in 2015, followed by the Scottish National Gallery and (saw the outside in 2015) St Giles Cathedral.
In Glasgow, (maybe 2016?) Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, which ten years ago, undertook a three-year, £27.9 million refurbishment, was the most popular place for people to visit, attracting 1.26 million visitors in 2015.
Loch Lomond Shores in Balloch was the remaining site to pass the one million mark.
Professor John Lennon pg Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “Scotland is clearly punching above its weight in visitor attraction performance.”
In the list of the top ten paid for attractions, Stirling Castle also performed well, attracting 458,932 visitors last year.
In the non-paid for category, after (want to see, maybe 2016?) Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens, which saw 836,755 visitors flock through its doors in 2015, Gretna Green’s Famous Blacksmith’s Shop was the next popular, with 775,868 tourist visits.
The Helix Park in Falkirk, which features the Kelpies horse head sculptures and the Falkirk Wheel provided a combined appeal to 1.3 million visitors to Scotland. Other top paid-for sites included Edinburgh Zoo, (Been there in 2015) Edinburgh Bus Tours, Glasgow Science Centre and (Been there in 2015, completely by accident) Urquhart Castle in Drumnadrochit.
The Royal Yacht Britannia and the Scotch Whisky Experience, both in Edinburgh, the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick and Culzean Castle and Country Park in Ayrshire completed the top 10 paid-for list.
We’ll see what 2016 holds and maybe add on a 2017 trip?
Right now our 2016 trip includes 3 days in Edinburgh to see the Edinburgh Tattoo again (HOORAY!). Hopefully I will be able to get to the top of Edinburgh Castle to see the Scottish National War Memorial where my grandfather’s name is listed as a war hero.
Then, we move on to Glasgow for 7 days. No real plans yet, but we’re taking a side trip to Lockerbie, a trip I’ve wanted to make for several years.
Someday, I would love to visit Eilean Donan Castle, the one that’s in the Piano Guys video This is Your Fight Song…
Behind on the Cruise Posts but…
It’s almost time to start posting Scotland stuff!
I think I have 5 days to catch up on the Bermuda Cruise posts and I’ll try to get those done this week.
Meanwhile..
We’re headed to Scotland by way of Amsterdam on Friday.
August 12, 2015, I’ll be going to the Edinburgh Tattoo. This has been on my bucket list for a long time since my grandfather was in the Black Watch and I just love to hear bagpipes. Even my cellphone ringtone is Scotland, the Brave.
My mom says that my Grandfather’s name is inscribed as a war hero in Edinburgh Castle, where the Tattoo is held. You know, I’ll find that! We have tickets for a tour of the castle as well as a bus tour of Edinburgh. I don’t know if we’ll get all of that done since we’ll be driving down from Inverness on the morning of the 12th. We will be staying overnight since the Tattoo gets out late so we’ll see.
I never met my grandfather. He had died in Peshawar, India, fighting for the Black Watch during World War l. Peshawar was on the northern frontier of British India, near the Khyber Pass.
In 1947, Peshawar became part of the newly independent state of Pakistan after politicians approved merger into the state that had just been carved from British India.
We have a trunk of his belongings, though, and it’s very interesting to recreate his life.
My dad was born in Scotland in 1913. Somewhere I have a picture of him getting off the boat at age 5 wearing his little kilt. I’ll have to post that for a TBT sometime.
In 1914, my grandfather was involved in this:
On the outbreak of war there were seven Black Watch battalions – for in addition to the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions and 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion there were a further four Territorial ones which had become part of the Regiment in 1908. They were the 4th Dundee [Mary O’Note: I’m pretty sure this was his, since that’s where my dad was born], 5th Angus, 6th Perthshire and the 7th Battalion from Fife. The 1st Battalion was in action at the very start of the war taking part in the Retreat from Mons before turning on the Germans at the River Marne and the subsequent advance to the Aisne. Trench warfare then set in and the 2nd Battalion arrived from India, both battalions taking part in the Battle of Givenchy. Meanwhile the Territorial battalions had been mobilised at the start of the war but only the 5th was in action in 1914.
I guess this is why I love the Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch so much.
Thanks, Grandpa!