Trip to Scotland 1983: Four and half months in the Highlands and Islands

[Silmakhor]

So far, this is a wonderful read. Reminds me of spending a few months in Germany at age 19 as part of a college semester abroad.

How incredibly generous people can be! That's astounding and wonderful. Thanks!

[DCampbell16B]

First meal I was offered was liver and chips. I am still surprised I could get the liver down. I shut up and ate it.

Pastor H* driving me around Edinburgh. We passed a school which he said was integrated, meaning both Catholic and Protestant students. He said tThey were kept apart for classes, brought together for recess to allow them to fight, then separated for classes again.

Pastor R and his wife invited me for tea, and later supper. They were an older couple and lived on the second floor (first floor UK). The stairs were narrow and went to a landing and then up. White painted on the walls to help with the light I assume. For tea we had tea in a cozy, sausage rolls, and small buttered pancakes which were slightly sweet, and a lemon cake. Also later for a main meal they served chicken, potatoes, rice, carrots and peas.

With the H family for breakfast they served eggs sunny side up ( I can’t stand eggs, but I put on a brave face and got them down!).

In the church service they sang “All Things Bright and Beautiful”. I couldn’t believe it.

On the 28th visited the National Portrait Gallery. Made many notes and drawings. I was brought to one of the staff rooms and given a binder of black and white photos of portraits and allowed to draw details from it.

First day in Edinburgh I worked my way down the Royal Mile looking for a good affordable daywear jacket. Visited Hugh MacPherson, John Morrison, Discount Highland Supply. Also Leith Army Stores for no particular reason. Ended up in the Grassmarket. I am not certain now, but I think I went back and got my jacket at John Morrison in the Lawnmarket. A Lovat Green Crail for £90. I still wear it. Hugh MacPherson had a similar jacket >£90, worsted kilt at £125 and heavy at £150.

Saw the Greyfriers Bobby monument.

Traffic almost got me looking the wrong way. Stupid tourist stunt.

St.Giles was awe inspiring, but I only stepped in the door as there was a service in progress.

Have seen five or six men in kilts.

One evening I walked a footpath to Corstorphin Hill overlooking most of the city.

Bloody whins are sharp as thistles!

On to Stirling next.

* I stayed with Pastor H’s family. I don’t want to use names as there are still family members living. I will likely do this in other places as well.

(Pictures to come)

[DCampbell16B]

Edinburgh toward Castle


Edinburgh Castle from Herriot School


Edinburgh Castle from Grassmarket (very imposing)


Edinburgh from Corstorphine Hill


Edinburgh across an honest to goodness cricket pitch from the second floor of a double decker bus

(I may reupload these in more detail. This was a test)

Click on the picture for a larger image.

[DCampbell16B]

(Please forgive the jumping back and forth in tenses. Some of this is my memories and some is direct from my journal.)

Edinburgh Addenda: On my last day in Edinburgh the Queen arrived in town, although I didn’t see her. Prince Philip was opening something in the afternoon. I wandered around the Grassmarket

I was sitting at a table for Sunday dinner with the pastor, his son, and a friend. One of them asked me my plans, to which I replied that I was “going to bum around the Highlands”. This drew funny looks and faces! It took me three seconds to realize what I had said, after which I had to explain how the word “bum” is used in the States.

As I was checking different stores for a daywear jacket, I was in one where a little boy, maybe 3 years old, was being fitted for a kilt and jacket for some occasion. The dad and the shop assistant were trying to get them on him. The boy had his back to a full length mirror. When they finally got the kilt and jacket straightened out they turned the boy around. When the boy saw himself, the crying stopped instantly, and he had such a look of joy and wonder on his face.

I caught the Stirling bus about 9:30. Met a piper from the Gordons. £1.70 for the ride. Could see the top of the Forth Bridge in the distance. Everything was very green. Passed 3 or 4 slag piles, possibly from coal mines? Passed through Linlithgow and Falkirk. Saw the hills to the north getting higher.

The hostel in Stirling was closed until 5:00. Got something to eat and ate overlooking the Carse. Standing there I am on my own and not “lost”. I know where I am going and am no longer answerable to anyone.

10p phone (don’t remember who I called)
63p lunch
1.70 bus
1.00 castle entrance
2.30 to stay at the youth hostel
35p to store the suitcase
18p for tea
75p fish and chips

Stirling Castle has better views than Edinburgh Castle (possibly I noted that because the Esplanade was basically bleachers). Stirling feels more available to visitors. The Argylls have an info branch here, and the 23rd Cadet training company is here. The Argylls were in Cyprus until June ’84, then transferring to Craigiehall.

I went through the museum, but I won’t bore you with my notes.

Trying to decide about going to Cupar and Comrie, and eventually Perth.

Hostel warder kindly looked after my pack while I went to shop for some souvenir.

Asked one of the guides at on the Castle parade ground the name of the mountain to the north. “Those are the Grampians. Been there for years.” (Well, I had wanted to know the name of a particular one, but he was funny enough I let it slide.)

That night I stayed in Argyll’s Lodging, so I got to stay in a building which belonged to the chief of the clan (not really that big a deal...). I understand that now it is a museum. Then it was pretty spartan, and work was ongoing.

Bought jam, oatcakes, bread for meals.

For those of you unfamiliar with Youth Hostels here is an introduction as to how it was then (there have been changes in the intervening years). You joined by paying a fee, and were issued a pass card with your picture. You were provided a bed in a dormitory and a place to cook your meals and eat. A hostel warden was in charge. You paid the fee and your pass was stamped. You were expected to do some chore as assigned to assist with the care of the hostel. The cost to stay was minimal, worked on a scale. The scale was as follows: Level 1 you got hot showers, Level 2 you could get a hot shower if you put a 5p piece in the slot, Level 3 the warden dumped a bucket of water over you.

[DCampbell16B]

Stirling continued:

Staying in the Argyll’s Lodging Hostel was interesting as a Campbell. But there wasn’t much to see as construction and restoration was going on. There was only one Canadian family (Toronto) and myself in the place so it was pretty quiet once the construction guys were done for the day.



The weather was cool, cloudy and windy. Walking around the town that evening (maybe 6 pm or so) there was hardly anyone on the street, all the buildings were dull gray to match the clouds. And the white painted ones looked so stiff.


Called ahead for a room at the youth hostel in Perth. Waiting a few more days before breaking out my pipes (too many people around/embarrassing).


Thoughts back to Edinburgh and comparing it to Stirling:
I was sorry to leave Edinburgh. The citizens have, or had (maybe from Glaswegians?), a reputation of being somewhat stuck-up, which I never found. In spite of being a city I liked it, and I am not a city person. Perhaps I would have felt differently if I worked there, but visiting was great. Stirling Castle was nice, although it did not have as much to see as Edinburgh Castle. However, it was not as “restrictive” (only word I can describe it with), and much better views all around.


This early on I found some of the accents hard to follow due to the accent and the lilt. The changing stress on syllables made it difficult.

I noted that carrying that suitcase around was such a pain. I wondered how soon I could send it ahead to Lewis, after going to Inveraray?

On to Perth:

£1.75 bus
35p extra for the luggage!
79p for hot bridie (also tea, scone, shortbread, 79p for all that)

I recorded the bus route to Perth via A9, saw Stirling Bridge, drove under Wallace Monument, saw Bridge of Allan into a glen north of Stirling. Saw Allan Water, was near Sheriffmuir, saw the Highlands to the north. Passed the Tullibarden Distillery, Blackford, lots of B&Bs. (I tried to follow this route now on Google Maps and it makes no sense. I'm guessing the routes have changed?)

Brunch at Jean Robertson’s Friendship Circle, with a hot bridie, shortbread and tea. All home baked by little old local ladies, with the atmosphere of a rummage sale. Phenomenal meal.

In spite of all I ate at the pastor’s house in Edinburgh I seem to have shed weight just from not eating sugar and the walking.

Weather is cloudy but very pleasant, warm even, and the sun breaks through.

Perth has an incredible number of antique shops. (Antique furniture noted: Queen Anne upholstered side chair £205; Queen Anne Dining Table £240). It is about the size of Binghamton, NY (both in 1983 sizes) which is the nearest city I was really familiar with growing up. But it feels like Owego, NY where I did grow up.

79p breakfast
£1.75 bus
20p museum
30p roll
23p 7-Up
10p for the shower in the hostel
10p phone
75p fish and chips

£2.99 Bought windbreaker, found out it wasn’t waterproof...
Went is a grocer to buy items for breakfast.

Mr. Fletcher was the hostel warden.

[neloon]

"Asked one of the docents at on the Castle parade ground"

Just for information, "docent" is a US term unknown in the UK. I'm guessing the UK term might be "tourist guide".

I suspect the slag heaps you saw were from shale mines rather than coal.

Alan

[DCampbell16B]

Thanks. I made the change.

[DCampbell16B]

Edinburgh memory: I was fascinated by the bridges in the Old Town, like the George IV Bridge. What a reminder of how old this city is.

[Belay the windbreaker above. That was just pricing.]

1 July: Going to Comrie today. Met an Auckland New Zealander who crews/sails competitively. He was making a flying trip of Scotland.

79p breakfast; didn't note where I ate, but she called me darling and gave me an extra scone
2.30 hostel
1.65 bus to Courier-Journal
99p tea
1.65 return
1.00 white shirt (I don't know what I meant, unless I forgot to pack one)
43p thread and needles
25p chips

Notes during the bus ride again bouncy!
Saw the South Inch, bus went by Huntingtower (locals, please correct me if that doesn't make sense). If Comrie is not the Highlands it is close. Outside Perth the horizon is lined with mountains. Must change busses in Creiff. The ride from Perth to Creiff reminds me of the road from Dryden NY to Cortland NY (which I still drive occasionally today). There are gorgeous mountains on the far side of Creiff.

(I have a picture of/from Comrie looking west I'll add later)


Buses are cheaper for long trips. You meet local people. You go more places. Warm today with some rain in Comrie. There was some in Edinburgh last Monday. Only two days since here.
[The summer of 1983 was hot and dry across Britain. Roads buckled under the heat in parts of England, as per the TV news in the hostels. I had very little rain until the fall.]
[I have a note to myself to swap the kilt from the suitcase to the backpack and to put the tweed coat in the suitcase. The coat was a dark green herringbone Harris tweed a comfortably large on me. I wore a flat cape and really didn't stand out as a tourist. I got the coat from a thrift store for $5 and wore it (and the cap) through college, the trip, first jobs and finally gave up on it when my three year old son threw up on it so it couldn't be cleaned.]
__________

[DCampbell16B]

The purpose of my trip to Comrie was to visit the Tartan Museum. In keeping with my past entries I won't describe details of how clothes were sewn, or how the backs of target were constructed. But I see in my notes to contact or meet one P MacDonald. @figheadair would that have been you in 1983?

[DCampbell16B]

2 July

95p to Newburgh
85p fish & chips
15p tea
95p bus back
£2.50 gloves
£2.99 windbreaker (the non-waterproof one...)
£1.08 food
5p phone

[The wallet I used was a long bookfold one to carry travelers checks, cash, and passport. Walking to get fish and chips I had my jacket over my shoulder since it was warm. Getting on the bus I noticed it gone. I ran back and found it still lying in the road. It could have been a bad day.]

I made the bus to Newburgh. Had a layover. Day clear, breezy, cool. Newburgh looks about the size of Owego (NY where I grew up and still live). Very quiet ( because it was Sat morning?). Everyone very friendly, busdrivers wave, talk to passengers. Passengers on the local bus know each other and talk.

Need to get vitawheat, shortbread, jam, OS map of Pitlochry. [Went to a leatherworker by the name of Morris.] He said the fire at Inverary little was lost. Antiques carries out by chains of rows people and kept in homes out of weather until the castle rebuilt.