Inveraray Castle. Photo provided.
By Kay Montgomery
DULUTH, Ga. | Recently, my husband, Mike and I traveled to Scotland for two weeks with two other couples from Duluth, Beth and Woody Bell and Susan and David Baker. We felt that an interior tour was best since most of the sights are not on the coast.
Kay Montgomery
Our first two nights were in Edinburgh which was amazing, and the Royal Mile proved to be a wonderful experience. We especially enjoyed Edinburgh Castle, the ancient architecture, the bagpipes, and the historic flavor of the city.
Our very nice, small 15-passenger bus took us away to St. Andrews with its fabulous golf courses and beautiful views where we met up with our niece, Maggie Fincher Hunter, who’s husband, Jonathan, is studying theology at St. Andrews University.
Then, on to the town of Aberdeen with its incredible beauty and historic Falkland castle. That night we tried the Scottish food, haggis and black pudding, at our dinner. None of us liked it, and we all enjoyed the Scotch whiskey tastings much better.
Next, we left for Inverness in the beautiful Scottish Highlands. Because we had watched Netflix’s Outlander, we really enjoyed the area where the Battle of Culloden took place plus all of the other great scenes shot throughout the country. After that we took a large boat across Loch Ness, although we did not see the fabled monster, Nessie.
The natural beauty of the Isle of Skye on the west coast is amazing. It is unbelievably gorgeous in every way with its mystic mountains of green, grand, glorious vistas and yes, Fairy Pools. This island is a must-see!
On through to Fort William, Glencoe and the southwest part of the country.
St. Andrews Cathedral. Photo provided.
When we arrived at Stirling Castle, I felt as if I were really discovering my past. Because I’ve been going to Ancestry.com for the past five years, I had learned that some of my ancestors had lived in this castle 500 years ago, and that was exciting. I had found that King James the IV, V and VI of Scotland ruled from this very place, and that King James VI had also later become King James I of England and Ireland.
I had also found that I was related to Mary, Queen of Scots. These ancestors were traced through my fourth great-grandfather’s line, Evan Howell (the founder of Duluth, Ga.).We also found that my family had ancestors from the Campbell clan at Inveraray Castle. I was humbled and overcome with happiness on these findings.
We stayed in different old inns on our trip. One of them was the oldest inn in all of Scotland, The George, (over 500 years old), in Inverary. The best meal was in Aberdeen of smoked salmon and Highland beef topped off with lemon tarts. The best shopping was in Edinburgh. We found scarves of the Family Montgomery plaid, crests and pins. And, Mike resisted buying a kilt!
The trip was well-planned by Nordic Visitor Co., and the people of Scotland were very kind, hospitable and happy to show us their wonderful country. In a land where there are more sheep than people, it’s a place of historic, mystic beauty. We highly recommend it for your next travel destination.
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