Valentine’s Day is around the corner and in a little village in on the Scottish/English border, things may be getting a little busier.

Gretna Green was famous for its marriage trade in the 18th century and as a place where ‘runaway’ marriages were carried out. In the blacksmiths’ shops, Gretna Green’s blacksmiths became known as ‘anvil priests’ as they performed wedding ceremonies over the anvil for couples as young as 14.  No parental consent was required in Scotland at that time.

Saying "I Do"

These days the “World Famous Old Blacksmith’s Shop” at Gretna Green is still popular as a wedding venue and couples from the world over come to Gretna Green to be married over the blacksmith’s anvil.

This Valentine’s Day, if you’re travelling near this part of Scotland, you can arrange to declare your love for one another over the anvil or renew your marriage vows.  The resident ‘Blacksmith’ guide will perform a traditional Scottish oath in an Anvil Ceremony within the World Famous Old Blacksmiths Shop.

Read more about Gretna Green’s World Famous Old Blacksmiths Shop.

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You don’t have to be brave of heart to visit Scotland, but you do need a lot of stamina!  In Edinburgh alone, there are festivals after festivals to keep you busy throughout the whole of summer:

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (Jul 31 – Aug 9)

This annual event presents top-quality performers in venues around the city. There are around 100 concerts over the ten days of the event as well as jam sessions,  You can also look forward to barbecues and a full programme of free outdoor events.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Aug 7 – Aug 31)

While the official Edinburgh International Festival concentrates on what some like to call “the high arts,” the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival is more eclectic.

Edinburgh Art Festival (Aug 5 – Sep 5)

The festival offers more than 130 exhibitions and events covering a wide selection of artworks by local and international artists.

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Military Tattoo – (Aug 7 – Aug 29)

The Tattoo is the prime event of the Edinburgh Art Festival. You may have seen this on television before but it’s no comparison to seeing it live.  Watch the Castle change colour from red to blue to green…., and when that lone piper plays ‘Amazing Grace’ from the top of Edinburgh Castle, it sends shivers down your spine!

Edinburgh International Festival (Aug 14 – Sep 6)

Lovers of classical music, theatre, opera and dance will love this three week festival, one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world.  The Festival was established in 1947 “to provide a platform for the flowering of the human spirit” after the devastation of World War II and is just as needed in today’s world.

Edinburgh International Book Festival (Aug 15 – Aug 31)

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest Book Festival of its kind, with over 700 world-class writers and thinkers taking part in more than 800 events.  What’s great about this Festival is that everything at the Book Festival takes place in one, central location – you don’t have to run all over town to see what’s on offer.  A magical tented village is being created in a beautiful New Town square, creating a unique Festival environment.

Wasn”t that exhausting!

• If you’re contemplating visiting Scotland this summer, Travel Signposts Scotland photos show you what places are really like.
• For your choice of Edinburgh festival accommodation, check out our Hotel Comparison Guide which will find you the best deals on offer in a matter of seconds.
• Blend your Festival visit with interesting day trips of Edinburgh and beyond.

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Haggis is hot news this week with reports that exports of Scotland’s fabled dish are under threat as young people are no longer interested in being butchers. 

For the uninitiated, the ingredients for this dish include using the sheep’s stomach bag to hold a mixture of sheep’s liver, heart and lung, oatmeal, suet, stock, onions and spices.  This calls for only those with strong stomachs to try it.  Being a vegetarian, I’m mercifully spared, however even if I were not a vegetarian, no amount of fanfare would incite me into trying haggis and it certainly wouldn’t fall into my list of “10 Foods you must Taste before you Die”.

Apart from the shortage of butchers, is this dish really healthy?  Just from the ingredients alone, one would assume not and from recent debates, it appears that haggis is in hot water.  In its drive to contain childhood obesity in the under-fives, the British Government has placed haggis in the list of restricted foods for nursery schools.  Being classified as retricted foods means that haggis should only be eaten once a week.  If you ask me, even once a week is too much for such young children.

Haggis producers are up in arms claiming that haggis have got all the best of ingredients, which are all fresh and no harm can possibly come out of eating good haggis.  The government spokeman disagreed saying that haggis has high saturated fat and salt and is therefore not desirable for children.  Producers, how about taking up the challenge of reducing the fat and salt content and making healthier varieties.

Helen

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DAY 5 – After Loch Lomond we continued south through Glasgow into the Southern Uplands of Scotland.  On the way to the Scottish/English border, we stopped by a small village called Gretna Green.  I had never heard of Gretna Green previously, however the village’s claim to fame are the blacksmiths’ shops where many runaway marriages were performed.

In 1753, an Act of Parliament was passed, making the legal age of marriage in England 21 years old.  If both parties to a marriage were not at least 21 years old, then they had to get consent to the marriage from their parents.  As this law did not apply to Scotland, it led to many young couples eloping from England and making for the first Scottish village they came to — Gretna Green.

Gretna’s two blacksmiths shops became the focal point for the marriage trade and nearby inns and smallholding became the backdrops for hundreds of thousands of weddings. Today, Gretna Green remains one of the most popular wedding venues in the world, and thousands of couples still come from all over the world to be married ‘over the anvil’ at Gretna Green.

In law, Gretna Green marriage came to mean a marriage transacted in a jurisdiction that was not the residence of the parties being married, in order to avoid restrictions or procedures imposed by the parties’ home jurisdiction.

Helen

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DAY 5 – Mountains and glens greeted us as we drove through dramatic Glencoe. On the “bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond” we boarded a guided cruise on one of Scotland’s most beautiful lochs.  Most people will have heard of this sad ballad, composed by a local Jacobite soldier who was dying far from home.  In the ballad he laments that although he will be returning home before his compatriots, who will travel on the high road, he on the other hand will be doing so on the low road (of death).

Loch Lomond is Britain’s largest freshwater lake.  The Loch is 24 miles long and five miles wide and at its deepest point is some 600 feet deep.  On the Loch there are approximately 38 Islands, some of them inhabited and there is even a hotel on one of them, the Inchmurrin.  It may be beautiful, but it was rather cold as well, as you can see from these photos.

Loch Lomond must be the world’s most famous Loch and much has been written about it, both in song and verse. The area is renowned for its beauty and tranquility and on a clear day offers picture postcard views around every corner.

The Loch is crossed by the Highland Boundary Fault and exhibits the physical characteristics of both Highland and Lowland Scotland. Some 200 species of birds and over 25 percent of Britain’s wild plants have been recorded in the area.

Helen

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DAY 4 – This afternoon we crossed the Grampian Mountains for our hotel in Newtonmore. Newtonmore is home base for the MacPherson clan.  For those in the know, it is also the central location for the hit television series ‘Monarch of the Glen’.  Newtonmore is situated in Britain’s largest National Park -The Cairngorms. 

Our stay tonight is at the Highlander, a family-operated hotel.  To me, it was more like a motel.  The thing that stuck in my mind was the wet bathroom.  I can’t understand why they’d have a wet bathroom, especially in a cold climate, and to us it was a bit of a pain.

This evening our Highlight Dinner included haggis, accompanied by a bagpipe performance.  The Strathspey Pipe Band provided the fanfare for the serving of haggis.

Haggis is one of those dishes that is either loved or reviled.  Although I don’t know anything about what it actually tastes like, the fact that it’s made from stuffed intestines and offal and the description of how it’s made sounds rather horrific and I looked at the dish with deep suspicion.  Luckily, being a vegetarian, I was able to politely decline the dish. 

Newtonmore offers quiet and relaxing walks in the hills and glens.

Helen
 

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DAY 4 – After St. Andrews, it was time to visit Edradour, a whisky distillery where the local water, the finest malt and age-old skills combine to produce a ‘wee dram’.  Edradour is nestled in a pocket glen in the hills above Pitlochry in the Southern Highlands.  It is the smallest distillery in Scotland and also the last original ‘farm’ distillery in Perthshire.  Erdradour produces just twelve casks of whisky a week during production times.

Before we were taken on a tour around the Distillery, we were shown into a room and provided a history of the place, as well as to sample their various grades of whisky.  Apart from being a bit early in the day, I’ve never developed a liking for whisky and it was all wasted on me.  Luckily, there were others there to save the day.

  The Distillery was built in the early nineteenth century and still uses the same wooden equipment which is used to mash and ferment the whisky in the same time-honoured ways.  John Reid and his two assistants hand-craft Edradour without automation, using skills handed down through generations.  The three men use standards and skills handed down over generations. 

Highland malts enjoy a unique depth of flavour and quality that’s the result of a fine blend of altitude and mountain water.  These are laid down to mature for 10 years until the whisky reaches the peak quality.  With such limited production, Edradour can be quite hard to find.  If you are in the region it’s worthwhile stopping at the Distillery to sample some.  Tony’s mum is a whisky drinker so we took the opportunity to buy some for her.

Helen

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DAY 4 – This was our day for visiting St. Andrews, where golf was born in the 15th century.  On our journey there we crossed the Firth of Forth, a bridge that was completed in 1890.  The Forth was heavily over-constructed in an attempt to regain the public’s confidence after the tragic collapse of the Tay Bridge.  It was a daring design for its times and when completed, it was the longest span in the world.

Did you know that the earliest known reference to golf dates to 1457, when King James II of Scotland banned golf and football on the grounds that they were keeping his subjects from their archery practice…and rightly so!  What good is golf when one’s kingdom is being beseiged?  The ban was repeated in 1471 by James III and also in 1491 by James IV for the same reason. It just goes to show how golf-crazy these Scotsmen were.  The first surviving written reference to golf in St. Andrews is contained in Archbishop Hamilton’s Charter of 1552.  The charter reserves the right of the people of St. Andrews to use the linksland “for golff, futball, schuteing and all gamis”.  Initially, there was no standard number of holes on a golf course.  St. Andrews for example had 22 holes until about 1764 when 4 were merged to make an 18 hole course. 

Even non-golfers like myself know of the reputation of St. Andrews and it was quite exciting to be here where so many championships are held.  The six Links courses are open to the public, but are extremely busy and very advanced bookings are required.  We were told that you’d have to book a minimum of 3 months ahead.  It must be every golfer’s dream to walk on St. Andrews Links and we saw a few of them strutting around and very showy.  Even if not a golfer, it’s interesting observing the golfers and caddies getting ready.   I must say that I had expected St. Andrews to be a grander sight than what we saw .. but then, I’m not a golfer!

Film buffs would know that St. Andrew’s is also one of the set locations for the 1981 movie ‘Chariots of Fire’.  The beach was used for the Olympic team training scene.

Helen

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DAY 3 – We arrived in good time and the stands were already filling up.  It was quite nippy, but thankfully it wasn’t raining.  I can’t imagine what it’d be like watching the show in the cold and wet.  Back home, the Tattoo is televised on New Year’s Day every year and it was amazing to be here to watch it live.  What makes it so special is Edinburgh Castle in the backdrop.

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place in August and is the prime event of the Edinburgh arts festival. Tonight is the last show for the year and it was full house.

The Military Tattoo began in 1950 as the Army’s contribution to the Edinburgh International Festival.  Today, it is a truly international event which enjoys vast numbers of local and overseas visitors – approximately 217,000 visitors annually.  It’s good to know that The Tattoo is set up and run for charitable purposes and has gifted some £5 million over the years to service and civilian organisations.

Performers from over 40 countries have been represented at the Tattoo and the first overseas regiment to participate in 1952 was the Band of the Royal Netherlands Grenadier.  The massed pipes and drums of the Scottish regiments, usually incorporating guests from as far afield as South Australia, are at the core of any Tattoo.  There were marching bands, cultural dances and the motorbike dare devils were pretty impressive.  Normal performances of the Tattoo are timed to allow an appreciation of Edinburgh Castle silhouetted against the post-sunset light.  When it’s dark, the Castle is lit in different colours and its quite a spectacle.

At the end of the performance, a lone piper plays Amazing Grace from the Castle, making us all break out in goosebumps.  The Tattoo is well worth the experience.

Helen

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DAY 3 – After our Castle visit, we drove down the Royal Mile, past the venerable St Giles’ Cathedral, to see the Queen’s Holyroodhouse Palace before crossing over to the 18th century New Town.

The Royal Mile was the main thoroughfare of medieval Edinburgh, linking the castle to Holyrood Palace.  It extends from Castlehill to Canongate and many historical buildings line this stretch, for example in the second section are John Knox’s House and the Tron Kirk.  By the way, the Royal Mile exceeds a mile by 107 yards.

There was time in the afternoon to shop on Prince’s Street, now the city’s most famous thoroughfare.  We instead chose to spend the time exploring the Royal Mile and experiencing some of Edinburgh’s history and tourist attractions. 

Edinburgh is well renowned for the arts and August is festival time.  There were no less than six festivals on, including the Edinburgh Art Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Edinburgh Internationl Festival and the International Film and Book festivals. We walked through the Festival Fringe  area and enjoyed some of the activities there.  Scotland is also famous for its Scotch and this whisky merchant on the Royal Mile had an impressive window display that attracted a number of passer-bys.

As we walked a little further on, we came upon St. Giles Cathedral.  St Giles is the High Kirk of Edinburgh and is regarded as the mother church of Presbyterianism. Founded in the 1100s, the cathedral has witnessed executions, riots and celebrations, includidng the commemoration of Robert Louise Stevenson.  Its famous crown spire dominates the skyline of Edinburgh.  Ironically, it was from here that John Knox directed the Scottish Reformation. 

The Cathedral also contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle and has honoured some of the greatest Scotsmen over the past 300 years.  The exquisite rib-vaulting in the chapel, with its magnificent carvings and stonework is pretty amazing.

It was late afternoon and we sought out the The Greyfriars Pub, which we felt was a good spot for a lunch break and to visit the graveyard of Greyfriars Bobby.  This faithful little Skye terrier sat on an old drinking fountain near the gateway to Greyfriars Church, guarding his master’s grave for 14 years.  The people of Edinburgh fed him until his death in 1872.  There were so many other interesting and historical buildings and landmarks, and not to mention pubs, that it was impossible to explore everything in a day.

Helen 

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