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St.Andrews
Twice in one week at St.Andrews, which is great. Surprising how advanced the preparations for The Open golf championship are, considering it is not until July it seems they only need to add scoreboards and cameras.
Arthur’s Seat #2
This is me at the top, it only took 45 minutes. A little steep and scrambly at the very top. Well worth the effort for the views.
Arthur’s Seat #1
Having a free afternoon in Edinburgh I decided to do something I had never done before – to climb Arthur’s Seat, the hill which dominates the old town of Edinburgh.
Anti-clockwise #2 Dunottar
Dunnottar, perched on sea cliffs is a roofless but substantial ruin. It was here, when filming Hamlet, that Mel Gibson heard of the story of William Wallace massacring the English garrison. This was the spark that ignited ‘Braveheart’.
Scotland anti-clockwise #1 Crathes
From the Borders to the North East and two castles: Crathes and Dunnottar.
This is Crathes, home of the Burnett family for almost 400 years. It has remarkable painted ceilings and original furniture, including a four poster bed dated 1595. The oldest object on display, however, is the ivory hunting horn given to the family by Robert the Bruce. They family kept the castle intact by keeping out of civil wars and rebellions as much as possible.
The worst Wallace statue?
This must surely be it! Tom Church’s statue of Mel Gibson as ‘Braveheart’ was so hated when it was displayed at the Stirling Monument that it had to be put in a cage for its own protection. Eventually it was given back to the sculptor who was unable to sell it at auction. It is rumoured that it was offered to Donald Trump who turned it down.
William Wallace, not Braveheart!
Of the many inaccuracies in the film ‘Braveheart’ number one must be that William Wallace was never called ‘Braveheart’. There are some grains of truth in the film, i.e. he did fight for Scottish independence against the English and the execution in London is actually a sanitised version of what happened. This is the Wallace statue in the Borders. Not the most flattering portrait but not the worst. The staring bulging eyes are probably the least appealing feature.
On top of Dunadd, ancient hill fort.
Me, i.e. the one in the kilt, with a lovely group from Finland a few days ago on Dunadd hill fort. In the 6th century A.D. this was the capital of the kingdom of Dalraida. On the hill top there is a foot shaped hole which was said to be where the king would place his foot during the coronation ceremony. Nearby is Kilmartin Glen which had the largest quantity of prehistoric monuments in Scotland, around 350 in a ten mile radius.
I couldn’t find my time pin, my tie always seems to blow away during photos. I have ordered a new one with a Celtic design.