We are headed for Scotland next year.

Even bought a map of the UK !!

Don't need a map!  Just head north!  Yer can't miss it.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Dec 15^th, 2024 at 8:53am:

We are headed for Scotland next year. Even bought a map of the UK !!

Wow Sprint! Looking forward to reading about the adventure and sights.

Yer goin ter go ter Glasgow? (Billy’s town)
(Sorry my poor attempt at Scot’s accent  ;D)

We’ve got a road here we take a shortcut through although windy and hilly … to avoid clogged roadworks at roundabout…
Well every time we are going to go there … the husband imitates Billy Connelly “We’ll goo Glasgoooh Roooad”
;D
Anyway… before we left for UK in September just gone… we were trying to plan and cram in whole of UK not just England… but time restraint and not seeing as much of Europe stopped us from seeing more of UK. We did thoroughly enjoy seeing as much of London/England as we could in a week.

Hope you see lots of those Scottish castles. Maybe even spot Loch Ness monster!
How exciting! :)

Don't forget to pack your skirt

And your Dirk if going to Glasgow. :D

Good on you Sprint. The Scottish highlands are on my bucket list

Sophia wrote on Dec 15^th, 2024 at 9:36am:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Dec 15th, 2024 at 8:53am: We are headed for Scotland next year. Even bought a map of the UK !! Wow Sprint! Looking forward to reading about the adventure and sights. Yer goin ter go ter Glasgow? (Billy’s town) (Sorry my poor attempt at Scot’s accent  ;D) We’ve got a road here we take a shortcut through although windy and hilly … to avoid clogged roadworks at roundabout… Well every time we are going to go there … the husband imitates Billy Connelly “We’ll goo Glasgoooh Roooad” ;D Anyway… before we left for UK in September just gone… we were trying to plan and cram in whole of UK not just England… but time restraint and not seeing as much of Europe stopped us from seeing more of UK. We did thoroughly enjoy seeing as much of London/England as we could in a week. Hope you see lots of those Scottish castles. Maybe even spot Loch Ness monster! How exciting! :)

We're staying at Dumbarton, a bit west of Glasgow.

No, am leaving my kilts at home. They are too bulky
Have managed to borrow a small laptop for travelling, think I can post from there.
Still have no idea how to put images on here

I have travelled extensively in Scotland, one of my favourite places. I lived there for nearly 12 months back in the late 70s and have been back quite a few times since. 
The people are great and while the Scots have a largely undeserved reputation for casual violence if you avoid discussing football or politics all will be well.   ;)

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2025 at 4:50pm:

Sophia wrote on Dec 15th, 2024 at 9:36am: Sprintcyclist wrote on Dec 15th, 2024 at 8:53am: We are headed for Scotland next year. Even bought a map of the UK !! Wow Sprint! Looking forward to reading about the adventure and sights. Yer goin ter go ter Glasgow? (Billy’s town) (Sorry my poor attempt at Scot’s accent  ;D) We’ve got a road here we take a shortcut through although windy and hilly … to avoid clogged roadworks at roundabout… Well every time we are going to go there … the husband imitates Billy Connelly “We’ll goo Glasgoooh Roooad” ;D Anyway… before we left for UK in September just gone… we were trying to plan and cram in whole of UK not just England… but time restraint and not seeing as much of Europe stopped us from seeing more of UK. We did thoroughly enjoy seeing as much of London/England as we could in a week. Hope you see lots of those Scottish castles. Maybe even spot Loch Ness monster! How exciting! :) We're staying at Dumbarton, a bit west of Glasgow. No, am leaving my kilts at home. They are too bulky Have managed to borrow a small laptop for travelling, think I can post from there. Still have no idea how to put images on here

So you have kilts?
Can I ask, do you or do you not….wear underpants under the kilt?  :)

Great Diving along the Scottish west coast.
From Oban, you can take a boat cruise to watch the massive Basking Sharks 🦈 up close.

Jasin wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2025 at 2:04am:

Great Diving along the Scottish west coast. From Oban, you can take a boat cruise to watch the massive Basking Sharks 🦈 up close.

Wow, thanks

Belgarion wrote on Aug 2^nd, 2025 at 7:56pm:

I have travelled extensively in Scotland, one of my favourite places. I lived there for nearly 12 months back in the late 70s and have been back quite a few times since.  The people are great and while the Scots have a largely undeserved reputation for casual violence if you avoid discussing football or politics all will be well.   ;)

thanks

Sophia wrote on Aug 3^rd, 2025 at 12:21am:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 2nd, 2025 at 4:50pm: We're staying at Dumbarton, a bit west of Glasgow. No, am leaving my kilts at home. They are too bulky Have managed to borrow a small laptop for travelling, think I can post from there. Still have no idea how to put images on here So you have kilts? Can I ask, do you or do you not….wear underpants under the kilt?  :)

The only worn under a kilt is lipstick.

That was a big few days. We just accepted to spend 2 days travelling.

A few things helped the flying a lot. Drink lots of water, good blindfolds, good travel pillow, good earbuds, sleep whenever you can, do yoga wherever you can, a light hoodie works well for me.

The train/tube trip from Heathrow to London city was challenging.
To get up to street level had to take 1 lift lower down, then 2 others upward to the top.
This is AFTER travelling for 2 days and getting both our phones going at the airport, then finding the right trains to get from Heathrow to London city with 4 bags.

 

Londons very good. The underground can be challenging.
We had 3 days here, staying at a Premier Inns Motel on a recommendation. Big breakfast at the hotel was really good.
It's very good.

Booked 3 days here (4 nights) as one day may be written off due to flying. Wife was unwell so we did have a quiet day.
Went for 2 days on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Works well. We saw pretty much all of London in 2 huge days.
The palaces, cathedrals,, Tower Bridge, Nelsons Column, Trafalgar square, squirrels in parks. The Kings guards, mounted horses, The Shard, The Wheel, Big Ben,
LOTs of money here, Amazing car sales agents. Bugatti, Masaretti, Bentley, ferrari all in the same block.

Quite a roman influence, a lot of statues to wars
Big nudie statue of Achilles  that was 'inscribed by their country women'.  So it said.

Traffic is slow, crossing roads is done at will, noone waits for the lights to say cross. Cyclists are plentiful. Perfect place for cycling. The parks are set up for cyclists
Weathers been perfect,

Off to Salisbury tomorrow.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 6^th, 2025 at 1:33am:

That was a big few days. We just accepted to spend 2 days travelling. A few things helped the flying a lot. Drink lots of water, good blindfolds, good travel pillow, good earbuds, sleep whenever you can, do yoga wherever you can, a light hoodie works well for me. The train/tube trip from Heathrow to London city was challenging. To get up to street level had to take 1 lift lower down, then 2 others upward to the top. This is AFTER travelling for 2 days and getting both our phones going at the airport, then finding the right trains to get from Heathrow to London city with 4 bags.

Ah huh! So it wasn’t just us that found the underground tubes challenging!
BS is ppl saying how easy it is!
Piccadilly … which way? No one could help. Other commuters looked anaesthetised  ;D
So the week we spent in London we decided to go by expensive taxi instead of stressing in them tubes.

The other challenge was…. We decided not to risk Sunday morning taking tubes to a destination hub where a bus will depart for our 3 day trip to see stone henge etc
The hotel said we don’t need to book a taxi for Sunday morning.
Comes Sunday morning … no taxis!  >:(
The guy from motel ended up going out on street to flag one down.
It took time and we thought we were in trouble and would miss out on our trip.
Christ on a bike that was stressful!
We made it though.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 9^th, 2025 at 12:07am:

Londons very good. The underground can be challenging. We had 3 days here, staying at a Premier Inns Motel on a recommendation. Big breakfast at the hotel was really good. It's very good. Booked 3 days here (4 nights) as one day may be written off due to flying. Wife was unwell so we did have a quiet day. Went for 2 days on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Works well. We saw pretty much all of London in 2 huge days. The palaces, cathedrals,, Tower Bridge, Nelsons Column, Trafalgar square, squirrels in parks. The Kings guards, mounted horses, The Shard, The Wheel, Big Ben, LOTs of money here, Amazing car sales agents. Bugatti, Masaretti, Bentley, ferrari all in the same block. Quite a roman influence, a lot of statues to wars Big nudie statue of Achilles  that was 'inscribed by their country women'.  So it said. Traffic is slow, crossing roads is done at will, noone waits for the lights to say cross. Cyclists are plentiful. Perfect place for cycling. The parks are set up for cyclists Weathers been perfect, Off to Salisbury tomorrow.

I ended up surprisingly falling in love with London.
But not the fact our Aussie dollar is worth half their British pound.

Sophia wrote on Aug 9^th, 2025 at 7:37am:

The other challenge was…. We decided not to risk Sunday morning taking tubes to a destination hub where a bus will depart for our 3 day trip to see stone henge etc The hotel said we don’t need to book a taxi for Sunday morning. Comes Sunday morning … no taxis!  >:( The guy from motel ended up going out on street to flag one down. It took time and we thought we were in trouble and would miss out on our trip. Christ on a bike that was stressful! We made it though.

Yes, that would have the stress levels racing.

Just went to an Choral EvenSong at Salisburys Cathedral.
That was High Anglican. Had a Choir from Canada there .


https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/



[url=https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/]https://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 9^th, 2025 at 12:07am:

Londons very good. The underground can be challenging. We had 3 days here, staying at a Premier Inns Motel on a recommendation. Big breakfast at the hotel was really good. It's very good. Booked 3 days here (4 nights) as one day may be written off due to flying. Wife was unwell so we did have a quiet day. Went for 2 days on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Works well. We saw pretty much all of London in 2 huge days. The palaces, cathedrals,, Tower Bridge, Nelsons Column, Trafalgar square, squirrels in parks. The Kings guards, mounted horses, The Shard, The Wheel, Big Ben, LOTs of money here, Amazing car sales agents. Bugatti, Masaretti, Bentley, ferrari all in the same block. Quite a roman influence, a lot of statues to wars Big nudie statue of Achilles  that was 'inscribed by their country women'.  So it said. Traffic is slow, crossing roads is done at will, noone waits for the lights to say cross. Cyclists are plentiful. Perfect place for cycling. The parks are set up for cyclists Weathers been perfect, Off to Salisbury tomorrow.

Re Heathrow to London - Gatwick has a lot going for it in this regard. It is in the Brighton to Cambridge via East Croydon and central London train line.
East Croydon is a major hub, there is a bus from Heathrow.

We saw the Magna Carta today.

It's one of the worlds most significant documents, there were 13 copies sent out in the day. Only 4 still exist.
This one is the one in best condition.

Amazing history to it . A lot of our laws and culture is from here

Have you visited Scotland's filthiest public toilet in Glasgow?
You know, the one in the movie Trainspotting.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 13^th, 2025 at 6:02am:

We saw the Magna Carta today. It's one of the worlds most significant documents, there were 13 copies sent out in the day. Only 4 still exist. This one is the one in best condition. Amazing history to it . A lot of our laws and culture is from here

That would’ve been incredible to view it.
Do our laws follow the whole of Magna Carta?
I need to go through the list.
This one below makes me wonder ….since the Magna Carta was written in the 1200s and then those certain English people were exiled from their country to Australia in the 1700s.

---

Now you are being BLOODY awkward Lols! That looks like habeas corpus and lots other NARSTY things MAGAnuts want gone!

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 13^th, 2025 at 6:02am:

We saw the Magna Carta today. It's one of the worlds most significant documents, there were 13 copies sent out in the day. Only 4 still exist. This one is the one in best condition. Amazing history to it . A lot of our laws and culture is from here

You saw photos or the actual documents?????  Parliament House in Canberra boasts an Exhibit of Magna Carta, and the 'seal' etc.

There were all those copies because it had to be sent to all the Pommie Earls.  Poor bastard who had to produce/write all of them!

Sophia wrote on Aug 14^th, 2025 at 8:32am:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 13th, 2025 at 6:02am: We saw the Magna Carta today. It's one of the worlds most significant documents, there were 13 copies sent out in the day. Only 4 still exist. This one is the one in best condition. Amazing history to it . A lot of our laws and culture is from here That would’ve been incredible to view it. Do our laws follow the whole of Magna Carta? I need to go through the list. This one below makes me wonder ….since the Magna Carta was written in the 1200s and then those certain English people were exiled from their country to Australia in the 1700s.

Did you not see the sneaky 'except?'  Further, the originals were written in Latin.

Medieval Latin for Magna Carta = “Great Charta”

Now I read about freedom of speech.
Perhaps that was ignored when that awful Vic premier arrested people during the COVID protests.
I know of a few that were arrested, went to court, and… it was all let go. No charges … nothing.
See… Magna Carta and freedom of speech.
But bluffing Andrews thought he was above the law. Yet Magna Carter says none are above the law.

Aussie wrote on Aug 14^th, 2025 at 5:00pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 13th, 2025 at 6:02am: We saw the Magna Carta today. It's one of the worlds most significant documents, there were 13 copies sent out in the day. Only 4 still exist. This one is the one in best condition. Amazing history to it . A lot of our laws and culture is from here You saw photos or the actual documents?????  Parliament House in Canberra boasts an Exhibit of Magna Carta, and the 'seal' etc. There were all those copies because it had to be sent to all the Pommie Earls.  Poor bastard who had to produce/write all of them!

The real thing

About finished our stay at The Cotswolds.
Saw Arlington Row this morning.
Quintessential english village, loved the slate roofs.
Went to an Organ recital last night at St John the Baptists Medieval Cathedral at Cirencester.
England is better than I thought it would be.
Caught up with relatives.
Got a traditional butter Walnut cake with 2 layers of clotted cream in it for smoko. 

Off to Carlisle and Hadrians wall tomorrow

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 21^st, 2025 at 11:19pm:

About finished our stay at The Cotswolds. Saw Arlington Row this morning. Quintessential english village, loved the slate roofs. Went to an Organ recital last night at St John the Baptists Medieval Cathedral at Cirencester. England is better than I thought it would be. Caught up with relatives. Got a traditional butter Walnut cake with 2 layers of clotted cream in it for smoko.  Off to Carlisle and Hadrians wall tomorrow

I have to admit I was surprised how it was better than I thought it would be also!

Did you see the old church and the ancient graveyard at Cotswold?
I found it fascinating. Some tombstones are so old it’s hard to read the engraving being worn from hundreds of years of weather wear and tear:
Here’s a pic of a house in Cotswold. I wonder how people that live there put up with tourists coming in and out everyday.

---

I am going overseas next week, including Ireland. First time in Ireland.

As for Scotland, Robin Williams always rings in my ear.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lXCHNBqjXLI?si=m8l9JuzA2f-C9_Xo

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 9^th, 2025 at 12:07am:

Londons very good. The underground can be challenging. We had 3 days here, staying at a Premier Inns Motel on a recommendation. Big breakfast at the hotel was really good. It's very good. Booked 3 days here (4 nights) as one day may be written off due to flying. Wife was unwell so we did have a quiet day. Went for 2 days on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Works well. We saw pretty much all of London in 2 huge days. The palaces, cathedrals,, Tower Bridge, Nelsons Column, Trafalgar square, squirrels in parks. The Kings guards, mounted horses, The Shard, The Wheel, Big Ben, LOTs of money here, Amazing car sales agents. Bugatti, Masaretti, Bentley, ferrari all in the same block. Quite a roman influence, a lot of statues to wars Big nudie statue of Achilles  that was 'inscribed by their country women'.  So it said. Traffic is slow, crossing roads is done at will, noone waits for the lights to say cross. Cyclists are plentiful. Perfect place for cycling. The parks are set up for cyclists Weathers been perfect, Off to Salisbury tomorrow.

I was in England for 2 weeks early August.

Went to London Tower saw the crown jewels they were very strict with not allowing pics. Lots of Gold there doors are bigger than bank vaults.

Have ancestor buried in Westminster Abbey saw his grave only had one day in London.
No problems with underground had English friends who know it

Most of my time was further north around Oxford went to Blenheim Palace Winston Churchill was born there.

450 pounds for tour of McLaren F1 factory. :o

Lots of cyclists in England bikes locked up everywhere no helmet laws. Most of the bikes were older shitters ridden by young and old.

British Airways suck plane was delayed when leaving for new wheels blamed on towing it 2 of the hardest landings i have ever had in 787 which was likely cause.
Air Canada is worse.

People are really polite and considerate much better than expected.

Sophia wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2025 at 11:52am:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 21st, 2025 at 11:19pm: About finished our stay at The Cotswolds. Saw Arlington Row this morning. Quintessential english village, loved the slate roofs. Went to an Organ recital last night at St John the Baptists Medieval Cathedral at Cirencester. England is better than I thought it would be. Caught up with relatives. Got a traditional butter Walnut cake with 2 layers of clotted cream in it for smoko.  Off to Carlisle and Hadrians wall tomorrow I have to admit I was surprised how it was better than I thought it would be also! Did you see the old church and the ancient graveyard at Cotswold? I found it fascinating. Some tombstones are so old it’s hard to read the engraving being worn from hundreds of years of weather wear and tear: Here’s a pic of a house in Cotswold. I wonder how people that live there put up with tourists coming in and out everyday.

We went there too

Drove through the Trossachs and Scottish Highlands today. Scenery went from oak forests and waterfalls to a Ski field and very steep volcanic mountains. Heather covered slopes.
Our 2 hour drive morphed into a 7 hour exploration

I've got Scottish heritage so this is close to my heart. Come from the Gunn Clan.
We are onto the Jacobite Steamer tomorrow. Made famous in the Harry Potter series.

The Scots are a very genuine people. Scotland has never been overrun by anyone.
Not the English, not the Romans. No one. It's always been populated by Scots.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 29^th, 2025 at 3:41am:

Scotland has never been overrun by anyone. Not the English, not the Romans. No one. It's always been populated by Scots.

Yep! Reminds of the tag of an old joke...

At 70, a woman's body is like Scotland... Everybody knows where it is, but nobody wants to go there!

Am in Plockton Holiday Lodges for a few days.
Will be visiting The Isle of Skye .

The Scottish highlands has amazing scenery.
Heather coated, Mountain streams cascading down the grassed mountain tops.
Very craggy, distances are deceptive. deep ravines in the rocks, white colours high up could be quartz or white lichen. 

Made it over to Inverness.
Spent time with the Coos, wonderful beasts, lovely.
Is dryer here, cooler at nights.
Will be off to Culloden and to see the city tomorrow.
Bought some very nice Salmon here today

Inverness has a different Scots feel to it than Plockton did
Plockton was wilder.

haggis is pretty good. Very rich.
Bought a vegetarian haggis to cook tonight.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Sep 4^th, 2025 at 2:14am:

haggis is pretty good. Very rich. Bought a vegetarian haggis to cook tonight.

A normal haggis is this I looked up (not vegetarian) are you a vegetarian Sprint? Otherwise I’d be trying the real McCoy! Its ingredients are everything but vegetables! More like a load of a bit of everything else leftover!

What is real haggis made of?

haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

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Sophia wrote on Sep 4^th, 2025 at 4:13pm:

Sprintcyclist wrote on Sep 4th, 2025 at 2:14am: haggis is pretty good. Very rich. Bought a vegetarian haggis to cook tonight. A normal haggis is this I looked up (not vegetarian) are you a vegetarian Sprint? Otherwise I’d be trying the real McCoy! Its ingredients are everything but vegetables! More like a load of a bit of everything else leftover! What is real haggis made of? haggis, the national dish of Scotland, a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

I had the real haggis, pretty good, very like in the piccie you posted. Very rich.
The vegetarian haggis is very similar, not so rich.

Scotlands really good.

We went here https://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/

The highlands are where the commandos were formed.
Due to it's rugged terrain and harsh climate.
Yet, it is outstandingly beautiful. heather grows up to the snowline, waterfalls cascade down the Munros constantly.

The Scottish people are very nice. Very proud of being Scots.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Sep 6^th, 2025 at 7:24am:

Scotlands really good. We went here https://www.dunrobincastle.co.uk/ The highlands are where the commandos were formed. Due to it's rugged terrain and harsh climate. Yet, it is outstandingly beautiful. heather grows up to the snowline, waterfalls cascade down the Munros constantly. The Scottish people are very nice. Very proud of being Scots.

Thanks for the link… I’ve found it on YouTube to share in here for you so others can see it. Looks like a beautiful castle and grounds. Very majestic.
I’m astounded it’s 700 years old! I bet the gardens didn’t look like that all that time.

Dunrobin Castle is the most northerly of Scotland’s great houses and the largest in the Northern Highlands with 189 rooms. Dunrobin Castle is also one of Britain’s oldest continuously inhabited houses dating back to the early 1300s, home to the Earls and later, the Dukes of Sutherland.

The Castle, which resembles a French chateâu with its towering conical spires, has seen the architectural influences of Sir Charles Barry, who designed London’s Houses of Parliament, and Scotland’s own Sir Robert Lorimer. The Castle was used as a naval hospital during the First World War and as a boys’ boarding school from 1965 to 1972.

Dunrobin Castle is on the east coast of the Northern Highlands overlooking the Moray Firth, just north of the villages of Golspie and Dornoch (famous for its cathedral and Royal Dornoch Golf Club).

https://youtu.be/zzP-lVsFw_k?si=1vw9SxQfC-gCpDDC

Thanks Sophia.

Our time here is running out, fly out in 1 1/2 days time.
We have spent the last few days in Edinburgh.
Coming back to civilisation is always a bit flattening.
We like the HighLands, Cairngorms, Red Squirrels, heather in bloom, forests that look too perfect to be true, Deer, Coos.

The Old city in Edinburgh has amazing architecture.
Some is Neo-Gothic. Think of the Batman building, then add 500 years to that.
Had Haggis, neaps and tatties for dinner last night.
England was better than I thought it would be.

I have Scottish heritage and own kilts in Aust.
Scotland is kilts, haggis, a beautiful accent, Black pudding pies, bagpipes, Deer, grit boxes on steep roads, Castles, Jacobites, heather in bloom up to the snow line, is the home of Commando training and  Munroes.
Scotland is Scotland.

Thanks for your travel diary and mention of places which I looked up to learn about.
Hope your flight back is smooth and comfortable.

Scotland took the cake

It is out of sight, the people, the scenery, the 'scottichness' of it.
Haggis is good

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1334244168436363

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1334244168436363

TRUMP