20 days into what had already been an epic road trip we were headed to the stop I was most excited for: Hadrian’s Wall. I know that for some, what basically amounts to a crumbling brick wall in the middle of nowhere England might not be interesting, but for me, a history loving anglophile, this was an absolute dream come true! Built in AD 122, Hadrian’s Wall, was the North-west frontier of the Roman Empire for nearly 300 years!
I already knew this day was going to be great, but the icing on the cake, was when we accidentally came across a home once inhabited by Mary Queen of Scots on our way to Hadrian’s Wall. Ancient history and royalty, my perfect day!
Mary Queen of Scots House
ALONG THE WAY FROM Edinburgh to York… Jedburgh, Scotland
76.5 KM FROM Edinburgh
I do love a road trip, but I also love a nap, so it was pure luck that I woke up from my nap at the exact moment we were passing a sign that said: Mary Queen of Scots House. Of course we were stopping!! We soon discovered that we were in Jedburgh a little town 10 miles from the Scottish English border.
The boys weren’t as interested in visiting the Queen of Scot’s house, so they had a bite to eat while I looked around. The home contains what is said to be one of her two surviving death masks along with some other of her other items.
There is no admission fee, but if you want to purchase anything at the little gift shop keep in mind that they only accept cash.
Jedburgh though small was a great place to take a break from the road. There were a number of interesting sites, one of which was the Jedburgh abbey, which looked absolutely beautiful! However, Hadrian’s Wall was calling, so we were on our way…
Hadrian’s Wall
ALONG THE WAY FROM Jedburgh TO York… Hexham, England
83.7 KM FROM Jedburgh
The challenge when visiting a site 73 miles (80 roman miles) long is working out where exactly to stop. Many parts of Hadrian’s wall are truly in the middle of the countryside, in disrepair, or inaccessible by car. Adding to the challenge were the many fences also made of stone. After all, making sure we were oohing and ahhing at the right wall was key! After doing a little research we decided the best place for our visit to the Wall was the visitor center and ruins of Housesteads Roman Fort.
I was excited to discover that while most of Hadrian’s Wall is off limits there are sections where it is acceptable to stand upon or even walk along for a bit. Standing at and on such an important and ancient piece of history was an incredible feeling! The edge of an empire!
It’s quite popular to “walk” the Wall and I would have liked to, at least for a little while, but serious rain was threatening and after a few minutes the boys abandoned me for the shelter of the Housestead’s Museum.
The photographer in me wanted options, so we found another car accessible spot along the Wall, where I overcame my fear of “what might be in the grass,” cows, and bugs and ventured into the fields for a closer look and a few more snaps!
Maybe you’re not a history lover, but how about entertainment or movies? Hadrian’s Wall, although not a person, plays a major part in the movie King Arthur starring Clive Owen and Kiera Knightly, a personal favorite of mine. Standing on the wall looking north might bring to mind another favorite, Game of Thrones? Whether it’s an interest in pop culture, or a love of history, or both consider a visit to Hadrian’s Wall! Especially if it just happens to be “along the way…”
Practical information: There is a charge to visit Housesteads and if you’re planning to “walk” the wall for any length, you’ll want proper hiking shoes. We didn’t join a tour, but did enjoy the museum’s short film about the Wall’s history, Emperor Hadrian, and the Roman soldiers who lived at Housesteads and built the Wall. Of course we stopped in the gift shop where we picked up a few mementos of our visit!
Next stop: York, England
Have you ever visited a place that felt so right, so special that it was almost painful to leave? Love at first sight? That’s exactly how I felt about Edinburgh from 
Simon thought it would be a good idea to climb up 
We didn’t spend much time at the top, rain was on the horizon, and we were nervous about a slippery descent. The entire hike took about an hour and a half and we made it down just as the rain started!
Our accommodations at 
As we were leaving we noticed a sign for 
Blair Castle turned out to be the perfect stop. There was something for everyone and all four of us enjoyed the tour of the castle and it’s gardens. With 12 generations of Dukes, each with their own tastes and style, the 30 rooms on the tour are filled to the brim with many treasures ranging from a large weapon collection and military uniforms to jewels, photographs and other personal belongings. With the exception of a very unique ballroom photos aren’t allowed inside the castle.
The grounds are quite extensive, however Edinburgh was calling, so we only had time for a quick loop around the Hercules gardens, which recently restored offered a number of photo opportunities.
Before getting back on the road I stopped to take just one more photo of the Castle’s incredibly long and lovely “driveway!”
On our last morning in the Highlands we woke up to discover that the United Kingdom had voted to leave the European Union. While we knew this was a possibility, like many people, we didn’t think it could/would actually happen. Yet, here it was, history unfolding right in front of our eyes… It felt like a bad dream. Watching and listening to the local news we were shocked to hear that so many people felt the same, even those who’d actually voted for Brexit! People, this is proof that there is no such thing as a protest vote!
It’s somewhat ironic, but our plan for the final day of our tour in The Highlands was a visit to the 
The visitor center, run by the National Trust of Scotland, tells the story of Culloden from both perspectives in a very unbiased way. There are interactive displays throughout the exhibits, which we all found interesting, especially the weapons exhibit at the end. During our visit we joined a guided tour of the battlefields, which of course are mainly grass fields with markers and monuments placed here and there. While I found the tour fascinating, my boys are allergic to grass, which made it less than pleasant for them. Once the skies opened up, that was it for them.
Sitting on a small tidal island where three lochs meet, Loch Dutch, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh, it’s no wonder that 
There has been a castle on the island since the 13th century, however the castle was demolished during the Jacobite risings by the Royal Navy in 1719 and stayed that way until it was restored by Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap in the early 1900s. Keep your eye out for the war memorial located on the island dedicated to the men of the MacRae clan who died in WWI. You might recognize the lines from the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by his relative John McCrae.
Eilean Donan is not only one of Scotland’s most visited castles, but it’s also been featured in a number of films. The many views make amazing backdrops, and if you’re not already married It’s also available for weddings!
Though it wasn’t in our plans to visit the Isle of Skye on this trip, we saw that we weren’t too far and decided on a quick trip over the bridge.
The Loch Ness Monster, otherwise known as Nessie, is famous worldwide, but the Loch Ness is more than just a myth. In fact, at 23 miles long and almost 800 feet deep it is the second largest lake in Scotland, and contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined!
Having missed out on a visit to Loch Ness on our previous trip to the 
After that, take your time wandering about the ruins and enjoying the view. Who knows, maybe you’ll see something out there on the lake…
Afternoon Tea
Having learned about Glasgow’s tea rooms during our tour of the Glasgow School of Art we decided to visit the 
Once our bellies were full with tea and cakes we wandered toward George Square, named after King George III, it is home to an impressive amount of statues as well as the city council’s headquarters. This is a lovely spot to stop and rest, or feed the many birds.
A happy accident, we discovered Glasgow’s Mural trail on the way to our next destination! The trail, a series of paintings in just about every style imaginable, was created to reduce the negative impact of an economic downturn and to help bring new life and visitors to the city center. You’ll find these amazing works of art on the side and front of buildings both occupied and vacant. These are just a few of the many amazing pieces of street art on display! If you’re interested in the Mural Trail there is a 
Our guide, Tom, met up with us at our hotel and after a brief discussion about the day’s itinerary we set off in Tom’s “black” taxicab. The tour covered everything from Belfast and it’s Troubles, to The Antrim Coast and was an all day affair. I wrote about Belfast in an earlier post: 
Northern Ireland’s coastline is some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever had the good fortune to see! Each and every place we visited was a photographers dream come true, so even though it poured rain the entire day and the lighting definitely wasn’t on my side, I still managed to take MANY photos. I’ve done my best to narrow them down, but as you’ll see below I had a tough time with that… as I often do.
Our stop at 
The one that started it all! As soon as I read about 
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986 The Giant’s Causeway was created when the giant Finn McCool was challenged to a fight by Benandonner a Scottish giant. Finn built the causeway so the two giants could meet in the middle for their fight, but Finn played a trick on Benandonner making him think Finn was much larger than he was, Benandonner fled back across the sea destroying the causeway as he went. Or so the story goes…
Another plausible theory is that the Causeway, a very large area of interlocking basalt columns, was created as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Whatever story you believe this is a place worth visiting!
Practical Information: Although there is a fee to enter the visitor center, you don’t have to pay to visit the Giant’s Causeway. Buses located just beyond the visitors center will take you up and down the hill for about 1￡. Take care when walking on the columns as they can be extremely slippery.
We’ve all heard of Titanic, the unsinkable ship that sadly sank on her maiden voyage. Her tragic story and the stories of her ill fated passengers have held our fascination for over 100 years, but did you know that Titanic was built in Belfast, home to the famous shipbuilders Harland and Wolff? Titanic Belfast, a museum dedicated to all things Titanic, is appropriately located in the very spot Titanic was built and launched. The moment I knew we would be in Belfast I knew this place would be on my list and we weren’t disappointed! If you find yourself in the vicinity or anywhere near it I highly recommend a stop!
Along with our admission to the museum our tickets also granted us access to the 
A huge Game of Thrones fan I was excited to see that Titanic Studios, where some of GoT is filmed is located just behind the museum! Maybe next time I’ll work out how to get in there for a look around…
To better understand Belfast it’s important to understand at least a little bit about The Troubles. Fueled by earlier events in history The Troubles took place in the mid to later part of the 20th century. Though there are many factors, one key issue was whether or not Northern Ireland, which had become separated from the Republic of Ireland, would continue to be a part of the United Kingdom, or would/should it once again become part of the Republic. I don’t mean to oversimplify, but in a nutshell, many Protestants consider themselves British and have no wish to leave the UK, while many Catholics consider themselves Irish and wish to once again become part of what is now the Republic of Ireland.
As a child I remember hearing about the troubles in Northern Ireland and Belfast. The nightly news painting a picture of a city plagued by terrorism, unsafe and divided. This was a place I was sure I would never visit. It never even crossed my mind. Yet here we were! Just the very idea that things have progressed enough for our visit to safely take place was so meaningful! The people we met and spent time with were some of the kindest and most pleasant of our entire trip.
The Troubles officially ended in 1998, but during our visit it became immediately clear to us that the peace, which exists today, is a tenuous one at best. Belfast is still very much a city divided, and when I say divided I mean quite literally. Walls or “peace lines” as they are known, some as high as 25 feet, separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. A number of these walls were built AFTER the 1998 peace agreement.
Many of the peace walls have gates which are at times staffed by police. They are open for passage during the day, but are closed at nights and in some locations on the weekends as well.
Tom, born and raised in Belfast, was a wealth of information. He drove us through the city explaining the history of Belfast, the Troubles, and the peace walls. We drove through both catholic and protestant neighborhoods easily identified by the different flags flying high outside their homes. Catholics, fly Irish flags, while the Protestants fly British flags…We got out at the wall and signed our names and wrote messages of peace.
It’s hard not to form opinions when you see homes with cages covering them for protection from the debris thrown over the top of the walls. 
