James Waldron's 6foot6 Scotland travelogue

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Scotland:

Stories and images
by Jim Waldron

Defiant. That what the Scots are. Amazing to me ? someone who chuckles at regional conflicts in the United States ? that there remains such animosity against the English. It's pervasive. From the jokes by bus drivers and pub owners, to a preference for money printed in the country, despite that fact that English pounds are equal value, the Scots are still pissed off that England stole their country.

Stories

Sure it looks like I forgot to write,
but cut me some slack, my passport and credit cards were stolen,
all my free time was spent on the telephone. They musta thought I was English.

Photographs

Some favorites

See them all at once
Look at thumbnails of all the photographs from this country.
Each picture was made with the Agfa ePhoto 1280 digital camera.

On the Road with Haggis Backpackers
Whenever I get tired of walking aimlessly and alone through cities on the road I'll find the local backpackers tour company and sign on for a week or so. Haggis is one of these places located in Edinburgh, and I joined a six day bus tour around Scotland. It's a good way to see the whole country and be assured of partners at the local pubs. You trade off individuality for companionship and cheap transportation. Here's where we went:

William Wallace Memorial
Scotland's monument to the national hero William Wallace. For a highly fictionalized account of his life rent the movie Braveheart, but don't underestimate the Scottish people's pride in this man, who, after trying to maintain Scotland's independence from English rule, was drawn and quartered in London, where they made further point by displaying the quarters in separate places around town.

Window - Portrait of Wallace in stained glass
Stairs - Up the spiral staircase to the monument spire
Stoncarving - Ornament on the peak
Cannonballs - More ornament

Glencoe, Glen Nevis
Glencoe is the home of the United Kingdom's largest peak, Ben Nevis. Perhaps better known as one of the primary filming locations for Braveheart, Glencoe worships Mel Gibson nearly as much as William Wallace. this town is also noteworthy for being the place I was first introduced to single malt whiskies. Eight or nine of them in my first evening out.

Three Sisters mountains - Hilly terrain surrounds the lakes and lochs in Scotland
Fur and fog - The "hairy coo," Highlander Cow, local livestock
Red portrait - Hairy Coo up close and personal
The happy family - A Hairy Coo family
Grazing - Fierce looking grass eaters

Ullapool
Off the bus, on the bus, off the bus. Ullapool is a gorgeous waterside town that served as our evening of traditional Haggis meal, and a wonderful sunrise departure.

House - Typical house style from Scotland
Seafront - Nice place to walk in the morning
Street - Downtown

Skye
This island in the Northwest of Scotland is beautiful and mostly empty. Rolling hills and sharp craggy mountains are covered with sheep and surrounded by lovely views
Billy Bear Sausage - Perhaps the strangest food I saw on my entire trip
Bluff View - Top of a short hike at the tip of Skye
Bow - Local fishing boats beached at low tide
Harbor 2 - The harbor at the bridge to Skye
Harbor Beached Boats -
Harbor Boat -
Harbor Boats -
Harbor Prop -
Harbor Prop 2 -
Jen - My traveler infatuation du jour, unrequited
Cross - Hike down to a lighthouse
Lighthouse - Yup, a scenic lighthouse
Lighthouse Horn - Huge fog horn looks pretty odd
Lighthouse - Perched on a cliff

Duntulm Castle
And a fine castle it is. Beautiful and posh inside, with a commanding view of the lochs coming into Skye.
Castle - Guarding Skye from sea-bourne invasions
Clumsy - A mannequin inside the castle with a great pose
Cook - Portrait of mythical kitchen staff
Maid - More dummies
Staff - The happy mannequin staff

Loch Ness
Loch Ness, the famous lake, was whipped by wind and pelted by rain on our visit. Despite this myself and one other hardy soul took a naked dip. Later that night we trespassed on the site of Urquhart Castle without paying. Ah backpacking.

Urquhart Castle 4 - Not a good photograph, but strange
Urquhart Castle 7 - Love shooting photos at night without lights
Urquhart Castle 7a - Well, not so good, but it brings back fond memories for me
Jeremy - The most put-upon member of our tour gets the traditional Highlander outfit
Jeremy 3 - Ditto

Edinburgh
I think this would be a great city to live in for a while, despite the fact that I was robbed within eight hours of arriving. I'll always wonder what youth hostels consider "safe" in their safes. My passport, driving license, some credit cards and a handful of cash disappeared the night I arrived. When I got back I took a walk, and while visiting a museum randomly bumped into the only Scot I knew, Alero, who I had met nine months earlier in Bali.
Morag and Alero - My friends from an evening in Bali
Red window - Quiet architecture
Alley - Nice back alley along the Royal Mile downtown
Castle Relief - Brass sculpture from the Military Museum in Edinburgh Castle

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