Scotland

I’m sure many of you have heard me describe myself as a bit of a mongrel breed, with ancestors ranging from the Spanish on my mothers side to the UK range of Welsh, Irish and predominately Scottish on my fathers side.  Well of course as part of my year in the UK it would be remiss of me to neglect a tour of one of my ancestral homelands and the history that theoretically flows through my veins and has influenced my very DNA….

So Scotland where do I begin, perhaps with a little history of the clans and tartans we often associate with this wild place. The original Scottish clans of the Highlands and the great families of the Lowlands and Borders were gatherings of families, relatives, allies and neighbours for mutual protection against rivals or invaders. 

Over the years Scotland experienced invasions from Vikings, Romans and English armies. I’m sure you’ve seen Braveheart, (which we all know is an accurate depiction of Scottish history) and have heard stories of crazy Scot’s well this has some truth as even before they were fighting invaders they were happily or not so happily fighting each other.  

That brings me to the origins of my family name. My surname is Wilson which refers to being the ‘son of Will’ and apparently it was quite a popular name which anyone could tell you by looking up a phone book if you still have one. Moving on though the surname of Wilson is said to have developed around 1066 at the time of the Norman Conquest, which is when surnames became more predominant in Britain. Prior to this however the Wilson sept can be attributed to either the Gunn or Innes clans, which are both found much further in the North of Scotland, with the Gunns being at the furthest point in the Caithness region. I have been informed by other family members that we are descendent of the Gunn clan and the story of how the Wilson sept developed is due to a feudal battle between Gunn members and another clan which led to member called William deciding that the feud was uncalled for and led to him separating from the Gunns with a number of other clan members to live further south around the Stirling region.   I suppose it’s surprising (and not surprising) to learn I am descendent from a very war hungry clan that proudly proclaims as its motto “If not peace, then war” while a fist grasps a sword held high. 

These photos show a little around Stirling and also the famous Stirling castle, which has been preserved and renovated to look, as it would have when it was originally completed.  It sits atop Castel hill and has cliffs on three sides.  Most buildings date from the 15^th and 16^th century although a few are dated for the 14^th. What makes this castle important is that several Scottish Kings and Queens have ruled and been crowned here including the famous Mary Queen of Scots

So the tartans then I hear you asking. Well the first tartans were produced around 3000BC although these only appeared in Scotland around the third century AD. By the17th and 18^th century tartan was so pervasive it was considered the characteristic dress. Tartan was such an iconic part of the Highlander garb that during the 18^th century there was even an,  ‘Abolition and proscription of the Highland Dress’ by the Government of George II, this was later repealed by his son George III in 1782.

The word tartan actually refers to the pattern of interlocking strips along the warp and weft of the cloth, although we commonly think of clan tartans whenever the word is used.  The origin of clan tartans and names however is not a long story and was really only set in motion during the 19^th century when in 1815, the Highland Society of London wrote to the clan chiefs asking them to submit samples of their clan tartans.  Many chiefs had no idea what "their clan tartan" was supposed to be and so either wrote to tartan suppliers such as Wilsons, or asked the older men of their clan if they recalled any particular tartan being worn.  A few years later in 1822 King George IV visited Edinburgh, in a veritable "tartan fest" partly organized by Sir Walter Scot.  All the clan chiefs were asked to come out to greet the King in their "proper clan tartan."  Again, many did not have a clan tartan as most Highlanders wore whatever tartan they could get their hands on at the time.  Many new tartans were no doubt created, or renamed for the occasion and from this point on, the idea was firmly established that in order to even be a proper tartan, it had to be a named tartan.

So I have spent nearly this entire post bantering on about clans, names and tartans perhaps I should hurry on with some photos before I completely lose your attention and interest.

What I think struck me the most about Scotland besides the history was the sheer beauty and wildness of it. Once past Edinburgh or Glasgow, most of Scotland felt like it was isolated wilderness with small villages scattered between. The peat bogs and heather created a beautiful landscape that was breath-taking to drive through. The lochs everywhere created a beautiful blue contrast and the water in them was crystal clear.

The first sets are photos taken through Central Scotland and Loch Ness. Do I believe Nessie is out there? No. Sorry. However, I’m happy to entertain the idea if it helps people visit this beautiful place.

From Central Scotland we then continued north toward the north east coast in order to visit the region that the Gunn clan resided.  This took us to Wick and then along the North coast to the furthest point you can drive to in Scotland called St John O’Groats.

We drove the entire north coast and came across some amazing sights including Bob’s favourite the Yaks and eventually the Smoo caves. Thurso was a fantastic bustling little town on the very north coast and the while the National Park of Tongue was fantastic the midges nearly did me in.

The last half a week of our time in Scotland was spent driving along the west coast and then down into the western central Highlands. Bob and I both agreed that this was by far the most spectacular parts of Scotland and one of our highlights was Canyoning down a waterfall in Inchree just outside of Fort William.

These first photos are of Ullapool. A must see and the last town before you hit only a single lane road that is shared by traffic in both directions for most of the northern roads.

These next few photos are between Ullapool and Fort William. This area had many ruined castles and beautiful peat bog lands.

Before we stayed in Fort William we came across this beautiful spot at the end of Loch Ailort, which opened up onto the Sound of Arisaig. I think this is my favourite place in Scotland for wild camping, the water was amazingly clear and the midgies very manageable.

Unfortunately we had to leave Scotland but it is definitely a place I plan to see again as there is so much untouched beauty and wilderness to explore. I hope you enjoyed the photos.