Photos and the City

Tag: UK

Travelling in Scotland in times like these

Today is my last day in Orkney and half of my summer in Scotland is already over. Time flies by! Tomorrow the ferry will take me to the North of Scotland for a week in Assynt and then another ferry to Lewis & Harris. Two isles down, two (and one) more to go before I´ll be back home in Vienna (and probably doing another self-isolation).

Orkney was quite the surprise after Shetland. Shetland feels quite rough and raw, with no trees, high cliffs and lots of sheep. Orkney has soft rolling green hills and sometimes reminds me of Ireland. Very little sheep but lots of cows.

So how is travelling in Scotland in times of the Covid virus – it is definitely different than usual but then also not and it is easy to forget about the whole thing.

First of all, keep an eye on the official Scottish government sites to be up to date with the current regulations, they change regularly AND are different from the ones in England or Wales.

Since Monday all of Scotland is on Level 0 which has brought a few changes to social distancing (just one meter) and how many people can meet. But we are still required to wear a mask inside a shop or museum or on the ferries. Ferries have reduced capacities as have restaurants and cafés. Here in Orkney, the inner-islands ferries must be prebooked and during the sailing, we stayed in the cars.

When visiting an island we are asked to take a lateral flow test three days prior and on the day of boarding the ferry (or plane) – I brought lots of rapid tests with me and am testing myself every other day and on the days I am on a ferry.

It probably isn’t as busy as it usually would be. In Shetland, I was told that all the cruise ships and coaches had been missing, the same here in Orkney. But this week I saw the first coaches driving around and this week the very first cruise ships were arriving in Lerwick and Kirkwall, so things might get busier now.

Not all sites of interest or museums are open – I have quite the list for next time. But there is still enough to explore and visit. or just take a walk along the shore or in the hills.

Again it helps to have an eye on the sites of the Historic Environment of Scotland and the National Trust of Scotland. It is also often required to book tickets for open sites. Track & Trace is in operation at every site, museum and restaurant or café.

I have mostly booked self-catering places, loved every single one so far, and am always greeted with loads of hand soap and disinfectant. Often things like books or DVDs are removed to avoid “contact” with former guests and every place gets deep cleaned.

Even when we might stay two meters apart, people are still incredibly friendly and helpful and there are lots of cute dogs to cuddle! I am enjoying every minute so far! After a year mostly spend in my apartment and in & around Vienna this wideness and having all this space is just the most relaxing ever.

23/07/2021
My Scottish Summer

It´s been three weeks now that I have arrived on Scottish soil, but I consider the day after my mandatory 10 days of self-isolation the actual start of “My Scottish Summer”! Even though the 10 days went by pretty quickly, thanks to all my lovely retouching clients keeping me busy with work, I was so happy to wake up on day 11 and just be able to go for a nice long walk.

After my celebratory walk through the still sleeping Edinburgh, I went to pick up my car and drove straight to Aberdeen to catch my ferry to Shetland. Going to bed, or better said to my sleeping pod somewhere in the middle of the sea and waking up at Shetland, the perfect way to travel.

For the last one and a half weeks (or so) I´ve been exploring mainland Shetland, Yell & Unst and am now in the North of mainland Shetland, the Northmavine. Tomorrow I will board the next ferry going to Orkney. The self-isolation cut my time in Shetland a bit shorter than originally planned but I can always come back.

When I rolled over last years plan to this summer I didn´t expect things to be still so uncertain thanks to these virus mutations, but I am happy to be here and just try to take everything as it comes. It doesn´t matter that many sites and museums are still closed, these are just all the more reasons to visit the islands again another time.

Shetland greeted me with sunshine, salty air and it doesn´t get dark here in the summer, something I didn´t expect.

It was an instant relaxation!

Many more pictures and adventures will follow over the next weeks…

13/07/2021
Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle is situated on a little peninsula in Loch Ness – a very imposing and also picturesque spot on the large Loch. No wonder it is one of the most popular destinations in Scotland and often filled with people. But they also have long opening hours and it was less crowded in the evening.

Entry is free when you have the Historic Environment Scotland Membership or the Explorer Pass.

The walk down the hill from the visitor centre (and gift shop) to the castle is a nice possibility to take all the views in. And look out for Nessie – the mystical creature living in Loch Ness, or not – just a few days ago and new sighting has been reported. Nessie definitely adds to the romantic flair of Urquhart Castle.

You can think of Urquhart Castle as being build in a sort of “B” shape. You approach from the straight side of the “B”, and the gatehouse is offset slightly to the left or north of the centre of the site. Beyond it is the lowest and narrowest part of the castle, complete with the water gate which would have allowed the occupants access to a pier. More than once during its troubled history the castle held out because it could be resupplied by ship.

From this central part of the castle, the ground rises in both directions. To the southern end, the highest part of the castle is the summit or upper bailey, commanding extensive views. At the other end of the castle lies the Grant Tower, once the five storey hub of the castle capable of being defended even if the rest of the castle fell to whoever wanted ownership at the time. (Undiscovered Scotland)

There might have been a Pictish Fort on this site and there defiantly was a Pictish settlement in this area.

St Columba may have visited around AD 580. Adomnan, his biographer, tells of the saint’s encounter with a monster in the loch. (Historic Environment)

Around AD 580 St Columba travelled from his Isle of Iona monastery to the Inverness court of Bridei, king of the Picts.

As he was travelling up Loch Ness, Columba was summoned to visit an elderly Pictish nobleman at Airdchartdan (Urquhart). Emchath was close to death, and Columba baptised him and his entire household.

Emchath’s residence may have stood on the site of the castle. The discovery of a fragment of Pictish brooch from the late 700s or early 800s hints that the promontory was possibly a high status Pictish site.(Historic Environment)

The first notion of a castle dates back to around 1230 when Alexander II crushed a revolt in Moray and defended this strategic route through the highlands.

From being in English hands to Scottish and again into the English – Urquhart Castle has a turbulent history. It also was one of the castles keeping alive Robert the Bruce’s claim to the Scottish Crown. Urquhart was one of the great castles taken by the English when Edward I invaded in 1296. The Lords of the Isles then seized the castle repeatedly in the later Middle Ages, in an effort to expand their territory into the north-east.

By the 1390s the focus of conflict had switched. Now it was the Scottish Crown trying to defend itself against incursions from the Macdonalds, the Lords of the Isles, from the west. And again Urquhart Castle was pivotal, with ownership moving back and forth between the two sides for a further 150 years. (Undiscovered Scotland)

After another conflict between the Clans around 1513, the castle was besieged and subsequently plundered by the western clans in 1545. Even so, Urquhart Castle was repaired, the decline of the castle started at this time.

In 1689 Urquhart Castle saw its last action, when a small garrison supporting the new Protestant monarchy of William and Mary held off a much larger Jacobite force. The garrison later left, blowing up much of the castle as they did so; and signs of this can still be seen around the gatehouse. (Undiscovered Scotland)

From now on Urquart Castle was mainly used as a convenient quarry for the houses in the area which also explains why so much of the buildings is gone.

The Grand Tower crashed to the ground in 1715 during a violent storm. In the 19th century, the frame of mind around the ruins changed and Urquhart Castle was seen as a noble ruin in a majestic setting. It passed into state care in 1913 and is now cared for by the Historic Environment Scotland.

Make it a day out when you visit Urqhart Castle, have a picnic along the shores of Loch Ness, walk to Drumnadrochit and do a boat tour on the Loch and look out for Nessie.

23/06/2020