the bones of the earth: travels in Scotland

I’m back from almost two weeks travelling Scotland and England with my mother and sister. Here are a few thoughts, impressions and photos.

Coming from New Zealand to Amsterdam to Scotland gives ample opportunity for “compare and contrast” descriptions. The Netherlands are flat and crowded, Scotland is hilly, wild and largely empty (at least the west coast, where we spent most of our time). New Zealand is similarly green and sheepy, but Scotland is covered in pieces of ancient history made visible in stone, while the human presence in New Zealand is younger than some of the rock carvings we saw. And so on, and so forth.

I was struck even before the plane landed in Edinburgh by the similarity to the New Zealand landscape, with its profligate wastage of space and rich greens. The dominant impression I’ve taken away, though, is of stone. If they’re not building with it, then it’s poking up through the grass of its own accord, the bones of the Earth showing forth. Where New Zealand farmers would place an electric or barbed-wire fence, the Scots build drystone walls. The sheer labour involved is unbelievable, but I guess the upkeep is pretty minimal. And the landscape is so rocky that you’re never lacking for raw materials.

In Amsterdam the major building material is brick. Having seen the competition, I have to say that brick is boring. You end up with nice neat rows all the same height, and the colour barely varies between buildings, let alone on a single wall. Whereas natural stone comes in all shapes and sizes, and produces a lovely subtle variation of colour and texture. Just take a look at these lovely ruins, and see if you don’t agree.

That’s not all Scotland has to offer though. I couldn’t quite bring myself to go inside and inquire about this one, but my guess is that this is the English word I know as “nook”, in folksy Scots. (Non-Dutch speakers: “neuken” is a rather impolite Dutch verb that has nothing to do with coffee, at least in normal society.)

A few random recommendations

A few places stood out from the whole trip. I’m hoping to get photos of the best of them up here at some point.

The ruined palace at Linlithgow was our first real ruins experience, and it was wonderful. The roof is missing everywhere, but the stone floors and staircases are still sturdy and the suprisingly large building very exciting to explore. Unlike many of the ruins being exhibited, the interpretation is restrained and doesn’t get in the way of enjoying the building itself.

Travelling up the west coast we stayed a night at the Craiglea bed-and-breakfast in Lochailort. A beautiful setting, hills and water and so on. And an extraordinary menagerie: snake, tarantula, five ferrets, two rabbits, three owls (eagle, snowy and barn) and one somewhat nervous cat. (The owls, I hasten to point out, are all captive-raised and unable to survive in the wild, two of the three having been rescued from horribly unsuitable previous conditions.) Here’s the eagle owl, although the photo cannot convey how intimidating his hiss and beak-clack really was (he’s almost two feet tall!).

Another recommended visit is the Kilmartin Glen, an area in Mid-Argyll with an intense archeological history spanning thousands of years. The Kilmartin House museum is fantastic, a modern interactive multi-media experience that still manages to stay serious, thoughtful and interesting. Here’s my personal favourite from the exhibits, a willow-and-hide coracle (plus interpretive panel explaining the surprisingly simple construction).

Photo credits

These two are responsible for the photos. On the left is my sister Zoë, on the right my mother Hennie. (They are in the topmost tower of Linlithgow palace.)

I’m very grateful for their talents, and also for Hennie’s heroic driving mission leaving me free to take in the sights.