Thoughts

__**April **__: I have taken out the vast majority of books on Scotland from the Cleveland Heights Main Library.

Talked with my advisor on setting up a blog and bibliography for my project.
 * April __:__ **

__**April **__: Have finished 8 book (see annotated bibliography) As well as checking out websites (see annotated bibliography).

With the assistance of Ms. Kieselbach, we set up my Wikispace Website. As I have used Wikispaces in French, I was already familiar with this website. We spent most of the time (47 minutes) talking about what to include.
 * May 1: **

** May 1-8: ** Added basic information, itinerary, and bibliography to wiki page.

My advisor and I evaluated and modified the website by phone and computer.
 * May 8: **

**May 12** Arrive in Edinburgh from Cleveland Travel to Carlisle Visit Carlisle Castle

**May 13** Hadrien’s Wall

** May 14 ** Train ride from Carlisle to Glasgow Train ride to Fort William from Glasgow


 * May 15 **

Trip to Corrour Station This station sits in the middle of Rannock Moor and nearly inaccessible by road. There is a hostel by Loch Ossian, and across the loch is a small community. The area is desolate and normally covered in fog, but we were lucky enough to see the area on a sunny day.


 * May 16 **

HIke up to Dun Deardail This hill is the site of a bronze age fort in Glen Nevis. All that remains of the fort today are some earthen mounds. The day was cold and wet but we had good views up the glen and across to Ben Nevis, the tallest point in the British Isles at 4400 feet. Atop Ben Nevis are the ruins of a weather observatory, which one individual visited every day for one in. Each year people run up and down the mountain in about 2 hours, while most people hike up the mountain in about 8 hours, one of the toughest hikes in Great Britain.


 * May 17 **

Train ride to Glenfinnin Glenfinnin is the site of the famous Glenfinnin viaduct and the monument to the Highlanders of the Rebellion of ’45. The viaduct crosses the valley above Loch Shiel, and is most famous for its appearance in Harry Potter 2, where Harry and Ron fly through the arches of the viaduct. We walked under the viaduct and partway up the valley before turning around to see the monument. This monument is a tower topped with a statue of a Highlander and sits at the head of the loch. The visitor center for the monument covered the history of the rebellion, from the arrival of the Bonnie Prince Charlie to the defeat at Culloden and his subsequent flight back to France. The monument sits atop the point where the Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the banner of rebellion in 1745. The tower itself is very thin with a small hole to get atop the monument.


 * May 18 **

Train ride to Mallaig At the end of the rail line sits the port of Mallaig. We hiked around the port and up a small valley to get views of the area, including the Island of Skye.

**May 19** Hike up Glen Nevis Our hike followed the River Nevis up to the lower waterfalls. We hiked along the base of Ben Nevis, which is 24 miles around. Somewhere up the Glen on the opposite side of the river was the filming site of part of Braveheart, in fact there is the Braveheart car park at the head of the glen. This hike was mainly a chance to see the glen

** May 20: ** I took the train down to Glasgow to see the country side.

**May 21:** Arrival in Inverness after taking bus from Fort William. We passed alongside several lochs and canals that make up the Caledonian Canal as well as Castle Urquhart, a ruin on Loch Ness. After arriving, we took the train out to Kyle of Localsh. This ride is primarily a coastal scenic ride.

**May 22** Fort George We took the bus over to Fort George, an active military base on the Moray Firth. This fort was built after the Rebellion of ’45. The British wished to have a force in the Highlands that could keep an eye on the Highland clans. Fort George is in great condition since it has never been abandoned by the military. It is now home to the Black Watch, as well as the regimental museum for the Queen's Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Cameron). After lunch, we attempted to go to Culloden battlefield but the bus never showed up, so we missed it.

Day trip to Loch Ness We took a tour with Jacobite Tours. This tour started at the Official Loch Ness 2000 Exhibition Center, a comprehensive look at the possibility of there being a Loch Ness Monster. A total of seven rooms went through the legends that surround the loch, different ways that people have looked for the monster and scientific reasons why the odds of their being a monster are very slim, mainly due to the murkiness of the water that causes the amount of photosynthesizing creatures to be present, meaning that a only very small population of animals. We next visited an ancient burial cairn from the bronze age. Our last stop on land was at Urquhart Castle. This one time great fortress has fallen on hard times and lies in ruins by the loch. After spending time at the castle we hopped on a boat that took us down the lich and part way along the Caledonian canal. This canal connects Fort William and Inverness, and includes 29 locks.
 * May 23 **

**May 24** Took train from Inverness to Stirling Visited Stirling Castle Stirling Castle sits atop a hill that overshadows the valley of the Forth River, the river that cut across the narrow waist of Scotland. Because of this location, Stirling Castle has played an important role in Scottish history, and for many years was the primary royal residence. At the time of my visit, the main building was being refurbished, so I was unable to enter. Recently the dining hall had been refurbished and was painted in Royal Gold. This castle ranged in age from the 11th century to the late 16th century when James 6 enhanced the castle interior for the baptism of his son, meaning the church within the castle was one of the fanciest in Scotland.

** May 25 **

Stirling

Morning went over to Wallace Monument on Abbey Craig

Before we got to the monument we crossed the River Forth at the old Stirling Bridge and walked along the causeway, which were the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge where William Wallace won his great victory in 1297, although the area has changed greatly over the years, as homes have covered the boggy ground where hundreds of English perished.

Monument spot chosen because Glasgow and Edinburgh both wanted it, compromise spot was place where Wallace had his greatest success at the battle of Stirling Bridge. Inside the monument are three floors displaying: the life of Wallace including his very large broadsword, the Hall of Heroes with busts to famous Scots from the past and interactive stations about modern Scots, the final floor goes through the history of the monument and Wallace statues around the World. From the top of the monument you get a great view of the surrounding countryside. One thing that the monument made me question was Mel Gibson as Wallace in Braveheart because the difference in height is not insignificant. Took train from Stirling to Edinburgh

**May 26** 

Edinburgh

Went to Edinburgh Castle in morning, inside castle are: Scottish War Museum, War Memorial, Royal Scots Regimental Museum, and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Regimental Museum. Also of note was changing of guard and one o’clock gun

The most visited site in Scotland filled at all hours of business with large groups of tourists. The castle is still home to members of the Royal Scots battalion of the Scottish Regiment, but only a few buildings are closed to the public, the majority of the castle is open. This particular castle was the main royal house for many years but some, including Mary Queen of Scots, chose the more fashionable Holyrood Palace at the other end of the Royall Mile. Within the castle are a wide range of sites to see, from the Scottish War Museum to the Honors of Scotland and the Stone of Scone. The Royal Scots are seen on guard at the entrance of the castle and outside the Scottish War Memorial.



Afternoon took train to Linlithgow for palace

Linlithgow palace is in relatively good condition for a ruin, especially in comparison to Urquhart castle. This former royal palace was never besieged so the walls are in good shape the only things missing are a roof and two floors, which were destroyed in a fire. Perhaps because the inside is empty, the place feels more like a maze than other castles what with the lack of furnishings.

   Tried to go to Holyrood palace, but it was closed (probably the Queen chose to use her place)
 * May 27**

Took train down to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

We walked on the Elizabethan defenses and along the Tweed River. Berwick-upon-Tweed and Carlisle are the two main border towns and were thus the most heavily defended along the English-Scottish border. Unlike Carlisle, Berwick changed hands several times between the two nations, but has remained under English influence since 1482. A strange note about the town is that it has never been officially made part of England, and currently there is a push for Berwick-upon-Tweed to return to Scotland. The two towns of Carlisle and Berwick-upon-Tweed were important points during the years when Scotland and England were not at war, for these two towns were home to garrisons that were often needed to defend the borders, not against invading armies, but against the thousands of border rievers. During raids, these two towns remained for the most part untouched by rievers, although there were exceptions to this.

Also of note at Berwick is the Royal Border Bridge.



** May 28 ** Hike up Arthur’s Seat Volcano

Train trip form Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Inverness, and Inverness back to Edinburgh
 * May 29 **

Walk around Edinburgh Fly back to Cleveland
 * May 30 **
 * May 31 **