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This page is continued from HERE.

The Isle of Bute
This small island is less than an hour from Glasgow – an easy place to get away to for a short break.  It's only about 15 miles long and less than 5 miles wide with a population of just over 7000.

It has much to offer with hills in the north, lots of sandy beaches, ruined chapels and forts, yachting, fishing, golf, etc. Bute's many gardens benefit from the Gulf Stream which gives the island a mild climate enabling palm trees and other exotic plants to grow. One of the main visitor attractions is the spectacular Mount Stuart House which is definitely worth a trip.

Bute sits on the Highland Boundary Fault, marked by Loch Fad, which almost cuts right across the island, so you will see a distinct difference in the landscape north and south of this point. For the best view of the island - go to Canada Hill.

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It's also one of the wettest places on earth, I don't think I've ever been there when it didn't rain:-)
It was home to an American base for many years, not sure if it still is?
Oh and Rothesay, the town there was where my parents had their honeymoon in March 57……….I arrived Jan 58, you do the maths:-)
Liz

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oh wonderful! eternal rain :)

Hugs,

Nicole

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I lived in Oregon and SW Washington for many years, also amongst the wettest places on earth!  You'll get a kick out of this!  A joke amongst Oregonians was that they didn't suntan, they rusted, and that they grew webbed feet which is one of the reason's their college team was the Oregon Ducks…lol.  Hope you like the northwest humor!
Barb

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Liz - I was born in Sept of '57.  Obviously, it was a very good year :)

Nicole - I think it must be like Oregon in the US which is known as “The liquid sunshine state.”

The Isle of Coll
Another of Scotland's Inner Hebrides is the island of Coll. It is 13 miles long and 3 miles wide in parts and is home to some 150 people.  Located to the north-west of the Isle of Mull, it is just north of neighboring Tiree.  Coll is rockier than Tiree and has more acid moorland. Whether you want to walk on deserted beaches, go bird-watching, cycling, camping or simply gaze upon the sea, Coll is an island where you get close to nature again. 

The island was once home to Mairi Hedderwick, author of the children's books, Katie Morag. The fictional island of Struay is based on her experiences of living on Coll. Her daughter Tamara still lives on the island and produces pottery at Coll Ceramics near the ferry terminal.

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The Isle of Colonsay
The island of Colonsay lies in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Fifteen miles to the north lies the island of Mull; the eastern and southern horizons are bounded by the islands of Jura and Islay; and to the south west, just visible from a high point on a clear day, is the coast of Donegal in Ireland. To the west lies the Atlantic, with only the Du Hirteach lighthouse standing between Colonsay and Canada. Together with its semi-detatched neighbour Oransay, it forms an island group roughly ten miles long and two miles wide.

With just over one hundred inhabitants and its nearest neighbouring community almost twenty miles distant, Colonsay constitutes one of the most remote communities in Britain. The island has a primary school (currently with ten children and three pre-school starters), one hotel, a shop and post office, a tea shop and a number of other seasonal enterprises. There is a resident doctor, two churches (one Church of Scotland and one Baptist) but no resident minister. It is served by ferry five times a week (in winter three times) from the mainland port of Oban and there is an additional summer service from Kennacraig via Islay.

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sounds delightful!

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The Isle of Gigha
Gigha, the most southerly and one of the most beautiful of the Hebridean Islands. Seven miles long by a mile and a half wide, Gigha is situated three miles west of the Kintyre peninsular, approximately three hours drive from the City of Glasgow.  Gigha is breathtaking - sandy beaches, clear green seas, a host of wildlife.

Interestingly, Gigha is a community-owned island.  Since the buyout in 2002 the island has gone from strength to strength with a growing population that is sustainably developing its local economy.

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sustainably developing! excellent,

Love,

Nicole

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The Isle of Iona
Only 5 minutes over the sea from Mull sits this tiny island with its Abbey, now famous for its history relating to Saint Columba and Celtic Christianity. Iona is thought to be the first Christian site in Scotland. As such, this tiny island (1 mile wide, 3.5 miles long), now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, is very popular with pilgrims and the thousands of tourists who come to visit the Abbey in the summer months.

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Only about 200 islands to go before you run out Laurie! The Queen musical “We Will Rock You” opened in Edinburgh this week and I saw the crowd going in, there was no one under 50 - I thought to myself, is this a real life or just a fantasy?

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Kevin - Imagine … in just four years, you too will reach the half-century mark!  It's a glorious place to be - trust me.

200 more islands, eh?  Well, I'll just consider that life insurance.  I can't take the big dirt nap until I've at least completed all of the islands, now can I?

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The Isle of Islay
Islay (pronounced “eye-la”) is known as the Queen of the Hebrides.  Famous for its numerous whisky distilleries, Islay is a beautiful island with a dozen beaches, several historical sites and not too many tourists. On a clear day you can see over to Ireland.  The human population of the island is just over 3000. It is estimated that the island is also home to over 60,000 geese!

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only 20 times as many geese as people! :)

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Link to Hadrians Wall and the Roman Occupation period of Scotland.

www.aboutscotland.co.uk/hadrian/

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More On Hadrians Wall
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In 43 AD, the Emperor Claudius sent 24,000 soldiers to Britain, to establish control under a military presence.

 Subjugation of southern Britain proceeded fairly smoothly, and by 79 AD,
 England and Wales were firmly under control, the far North remained a problem.

 Emperor Vespasian decided that Scotland should also be incorporated into the Roman Empire.

 The governor of Britian, Julius Agricola, subdued the Southern Scottish tribal clans, the Selgovae, Novantae and Votadini by 81 AD.

Further to the North lived loose associations of clans known collectively as the Caledonians.

 Agricola tried to provoke them into battle by marching an army into the Highlands. Eventually. 30,000 Caledonians were killed.

The Roman victory was a hollow one, for the next day the surviving clansmen melted away into the hills, and were to remain fiercely resistant and independent.

By the time Hadrian became Emperor in 117 AD, the Roman Empire had ceased to expand.

Hadrian was concerned to consolidate his boundaries. He visited Britain in 122 AD, and ordered a wall to be built between the Solway Firth in the West and the River Tyne in the east “to separate Romans from Barbarians”.

This Demonstrates the Toughness of the Scots, that they could hold off the might of Rome. Hadrians Wall is an ever-present reminder that the Scots could
never be dominated, and they should be proud that it had to be erected.

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Torchholder - Thank you for your INTERESTING contribution!

Isle of JuraVery close to Islay, Jura (derived from the Norse words meaning Deer Island) is this sparsely populated island, home to 6,500 deer – in contrast to the human population of less than 200.  George Orwell chose to retreat at Barnhill on the island in the 1940's to write his novel '1984.'  He described Jura as “an extremely un-get-at-able place.”  The island is 29 miles long and 7 miles wide in places. It has one road which leads up the east coast.  The west is wild and virtually uninhabited, occupied only by the three Paps of Jura which are known in Gaelic as The Mountain of the Sound, The Mountain of Gold and The Sacred Mountain.

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I lived very close to Hadrian's Wall in 1979 to 1980, near Carlisle. What an amazing year that was.

Hugs,

Nicole

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Nicole - That's cool!  What took you across the pond for a year?

The Isle of Mull
Second largest island of the Inner Hebrides, Mull is a large, unspoilt island with a coastline of over 300 miles, yet its population is only about 2700. Much-visited for its scenery (hills, waterfalls, sea caves, forest walks and beaches), it is also very popular for fishing and is home to 2 golf courses (at Tobermory and Craignure).
The southern and western parts of the island are where you will find the mountains. The highest of them all at 3169 feet is Ben More whose scree slopes are the remnants of a volcano which exploded eons ago.

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Ancient Structures in Orkney, Scotland
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The great Neolithic henge the Ring of Brodgar stands sentinel on a slightly sloping isthmus, between the two largest lochs in Orkney.

 Its remaining upright stones stand in sharp contrast to the smooth and rolling Orkney landscape around them.

The area is illuminated, even on the gloomiest day, and for many visitors
 there is an indefinable spiritual nature about the place.

There are views of much of the central part of Mainland Orkney
 from the Ring, as well as other Neolithic

What does the Ring of Brodgar look like?
 
27 of the original 60 stones remain standing and form a perfect circle on an area of heather, which sharply contrasts with the pastureland and lochs all around

. Approaching the site, the stones stand against the sky: an awe-inspiring sight.

 The ditch still remains, albeit shallower than it would originally have been.

The Ring of Brodgar itself has a diameter of 103.6m, or 340ft,
and covers an area of 8,435m2, or 2.1 acres.

 This is exactly the same size as Avebury's inner rings.

Outside the Ring of Brodgar are a number of burial mounds.
Of the 13 that have been identified, four are large and clearly visible.
 A short distance due east is a solitary standing stone in a field,
 known as the comet stone.

in that area are structures, such as the tomb of Maes Howe,
 the Neolithic village of Barnhouse, and the scanty remains
 of another henge, the Stones of Stenness.

Until the 1840s the Ring of Brodgar was known locally
 as the Temple of the Sun and the Stones of Stenness
as the Temple of the Moon.

 Were the rings a method of mapping the heavens
and marking the passage of time: an ancient observatory?

There are certainly astronomical alignments at Brodgar,
 when natural landscape features are taken into account.

 For example, sightlines to local landscape features
mark the rising and setting of the moon at specific times of the year.

Other theories suggest that the megaliths provided a sacred
ceremonial site for local peoples.
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skara brae

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skara brae is a large stone-built settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.

 It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3100-2500 b.c.

Although it was in use for seven generations, from current excavation evidence, it appears that Skara Brae never grew any larger than eight structures.  The maximum number of dwellings at any one period, it has been suggested, was between six and eight, housing no more than 50 to 100 villagers at any one time.

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Torchholder - I thoroughly enjoyed your contribution over a cuppa hot tea this morning.  Thank you!

Small Isles
The four islands of Eigg, Rum, Canna and Muck each have their own character. Accessed by boat from Arisaig and Mallaig.  For any quiz participants out there looking for the colloquial name for the Small Isles, the answer you are probably looking for is ”cocktail islands”, a phrase which is thought to have been used by a journalist several years ago, although is not really used locally.

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Isle of Staffa
For those of you out there who are interested in movie trivia, you might like to know that Fingal's Cave was featured in the 1971 film When Eight Bells Toll.
Staffa is owned by the National Trust for Scotland and was declared a National Nature Reserve in September 2001 by Scottish Natural Heritage.

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So many islands to love… Laurie, you are amazing.

Hugs,

Nicole

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Great research Laurie. Staffa is well worth a visit, it's made of the same hexagonal stone formation as the Giants causeway in Ireland. It isn't found anywhere else.
Oh and Fingal's Cave is the everyday name for Mendelsohn's Hebridean Overture, which was apparently inspired by a vist to Staffa.
If it hadn't turned so cold outside, I'd be tempted to do some island hopping.
Liz

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Island hopping sounds fun, Liz! And Staffa sounds fascinating,

Love,

Nicole

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Hello Nicole - Yes, as Kevin pointed out earlier in this discussion thread, there are lots of islands.  Today we finish off with the islands of the Inner Hebrides.

Isle of Tiree
Part of Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the island of Tiree, 10 miles long and 4 miles wide in parts, home to less than 800 people, is a great place to get away from it all.  Located to the west of the Isle of Mull and just south of neighbouring Coll, it is one of the sunniest places in Britain thanks to its exposed location on the Atlantic Ocean. This also means that it is one of the most windy places too which is why its waves and white sandy beaches are popular with windsurfers. Every October the island hosts the Tiree Wave Classic - a world championship windsurfing event.

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MORE ON THE ROMAN CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE SCOTS
===========================================================================
 
i FOUND THIS LINK PAGE ON THE WEB, AND IT IS SO RICH WITH INFORMATION, THAT i LIST IT HERE
 
- IT CONFIRMS MANY OF MY GUESSES CONCERNING MY SCOTCH BLOOD, AND FARTHER DOWN THE GENETIC TREE TO THE VIKINGS AND ULTIMATELY TO THE MAMMOTH HUNTERS, WHO MOVED TO HUNTING WHAT WAS AVAILABLE AFTER THEY DOGGED THE MAMMOTHS TO EXTINCTION.
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http://www.romanscotland.org.uk/pages/narratives/tribes.asp
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 . 
Roman Scotland as a web based resource is primarily focussed on the Roman impact on and in their infrastructure within Scotland. However for balance we must address the reason Roman Scotland persisted and why the diverse peoples here did not culturally crumble as cultures did elsewhere under the imperial heel and continued to prove a trial and often a thorn in the Empires side for over three hundred years

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THIS FROM AN EXCERPT OF TACITUS, AGRICOLAS OFFSPRING
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Who the first inhabitants of Britain were, whether natives of immigrants, is open to question: one must remember we are dealing with barbarians.

 But their physical characteristics vary, and the variation is suggestive.
 The reddish hair and large limbs of the Caledonians proclaim a German origin; the swarthy faces of the Silures, the tendency of their hair to curl, and the fact that Spain lies opposite, all lead one to believe that Spaniards crossed in ancient times and occupied that part of the country.

 The peoples nearest to the Gauls likewise resemble them.
 It may be that they still show the effect of a common origin;
 or perhaps it is climatic conditions that have produced this physical type
 in lands that converge so closely from north and south.

 On the whole, however, it seems likely that Gauls settled in the island lying so close to their shores.

 In both countries you find the same ritual and religious beliefs.
There is no great difference in language, and there is the same hardihood in challenging danger, the same cowardice in shirking it when it comes close.

 But the Britons show more spirit: they have not yet been enervated by protracted peace.

 History tells us that the Gauls too had their hour of military glory; but since that time a life of ease has made them unwarlike: their valour perished with their freedom.

 The same has happened to those Britons who were conquered early;
 the rest are still what the Gauls once were
—————————————————————————————————————Their strength is in their infantry. Some tribes also fight from chariots.
The nobleman drives, his dependants fight in his defence.
Once they owed obedience to kings; now they are distracted between the warring factions of rival chiefs.

Indeed, nothing has helped us more in fighting against their very powerful nations than their inability to co-operate.

 It is but seldom that two or three states unite to repel a common danger;
 thus, fighting in separate groups, all are conquered.

 The climate is wretched, with its frequent rains and mists, but there is no extreme cold. Their day is longer than in our part of the world.

 The nights are light, and in the extreme north so short that evening and morning twilight are scarcely distinguishable.

 If no clouds block the view, the sun’s glow, it is said, can be seen all night long: it does not set and rise but simply passes along the horizon.

The reason must be that the flat extremities of the earth cast low shadows and do not raise the darkness to any height; night therefore fails to reach the sky and its stars.

 The soil will produce good crops, except olives, vines, and other plants which usually grow in warmer lands.

They are slow to ripen, though they shoot up quickly – both facts being due to the same cause, the extreme moistness of soil and atmosphere.

 Britain yields gold, silver, and other metals, to make it worth conquering.
 Its seas, too, produce pearls, but they are of a dark, bluish-grey colour.
 Some think that the natives are unskilful in gathering them; for whereas in the Indian Ocean the oysters are torn alive and breathing from the rocks,
 in Britain they are collected as the sea throws them up. I find it easier to believe that the pearls are of inferior quality than that people miss a chance of making a larger profit.
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The Britons readily submit to military service, payment of tribute, and other obligations imposed by government, provided that there is no abuse.

 That they bitterly resent; for they are broken in to obedience, but not as yet to slavery. Julius Caesar, the first Roman to enter Britain with an army, did indeed intimidate the natives by a victory and secure a grip on the coast.
 But he may fairly be said to have merely drawn attention to the island:
 it was not his to bequeath.

 After him came the civil wars, with the leading men of Rome fighting against their country. Even when peace returned, Britain was long neglected.
 Augustus spoke of this as ‘policy’, Tiberius called it an ‘injunction’.

The emperor Gaius unquestionably planned an invasion of Britain; but his impulsive ideas shifted like a weathercock, and his grandiose efforts against Germany had come to nothing.

 It was the late emperor Claudius who initiated the great undertaking.
 He sent over legions and auxiliaries and chose Vespasian to share in the enterprise – the first step towards his future greatness. Tribes were subdued and kings captured, and the finger of destiny began to point to Vespasian
——————————-
The first governor of consular rank to be appointed was Aulus Plautius, and soon after him came Ostorius Scapula – both of them fine soldiers.

 Not only were the nearest parts of Britain gradually organized into a province, but a colony of veterans also was founded.

 Certain domains were presented to King Cogidumnus, who maintained his unswerving loyalty right down to our own times – an example of the long-established Roman custom of employing even kings to make others slaves.

 Didius Gallus, the next governor, merely held what his predecessors had won, establishing a few forts in more advanced positions, so that he could claim the credit pf having made some annexations.

 Veranius succeeded Didius, only to die within the year.
 After him, Suetonius Paulinus enjoyed two years of success,
conquering fresh tribes and strengthening forts.

 Emboldened thereby to attack the island of Anglesey, which was feeding the native resistance, he exposed himself to attack in the rear
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For the Britons, their fears allayed by the absence of the dreaded legate, began to canvass the woes of slavery, to compare their wrongs and sharpen their sting in the telling.
 ‘We gain nothing by submission except heavier burdens for willing shoulders.
 We used to have one king at a time; now two are set over us – the governor to wreak his fury on our life-blood; the procurator, on our property.

 Whether our masters quarrel with each other or agree together, our bondage is equally ruinous. The governor has centurions to execute his will; the procurator, slaves; and both of them add insults to violence.

Nothing is any longer safe from their greed and lust.
 In war it is at least a braver man who takes the spoil;
 as things stand with us, it is mostly cowards and shirkers that seize our homes, kidnap our children, and conscript our men
 – as though it were only for our own country that we would not face death.

 What a mere handful our invaders are, if we reckon up our own number!
 Such thoughts prompted the Germans to throw off the yoke; and they have only a river, not the Ocean, to shield them.
 We have country, wives, and parents to fight for; the Romans have nothing but greed and self-indulgence.
Back they will go, as their deified Julius went back, if we will but emulate the valour of our fathers.

 We must not be scared by the loss of one or two battles; success may give an army more dash, but the greater staying-power comes from defeat.

The gods themselves are at last showing mercy to us Britons in keeping the Roman general away, with his army exiled in another island.

 For ourselves, we have already taken the most difficult step: we have begun to plan. And in an enterprise like this there is more danger in being caught planning than in taking the plunge
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Egged on by such mutual encouragements, the whole island rose under the leadership of Boudicca, a lady of royal descent – for Britons make no distinction of sex in their appointment of commanders.

 They hunted down the Roman troops in their scattered posts, stormed the forts, and assaulted the colony itself, which they saw as the citadel of their servitude; and there was no form of savage cruelty that the angry victors refrained from.

 In fact, had not Paulinus, on hearing on the revolt, made speed to help,
 Britain would have been lost.

But when Vespasian, in the course of his general triumph, restored stable government to Britain, there came a succession of great generals and splendid armies, and the hopes of our enemies dwindled.

 Petilius Cerealis at once struck terror into their hearts by attacking the state of the Brigantes, which is said to be the most populous in the whole province.

 After a series of battles – some of them by no means bloodless – Petilius had overrun, if not actually conquered, the major part of their territory.

 He would indeed have completely eclipsed the record and reputation of any ordinary successor.

 But Julius Frontinus was equal to shouldering the heavy burden, and rose as high as a man then could rise. He subdued by force of arms the strong and warlike nation of the Silures, after a hard struggle, not only against the valour of his enemy, but against the difficulties of the terrain.
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Such was the condition to which Britain had been brought by the ups and downs of warfare when Agricola crossed the channel with the summer already half over.

 The soldiers thought they had done with campaigning for the present and were relaxing, while the enemy were looking for a chance to profit thereby.
 Shortly before his arrival the tribe of the Ordovices had almost wiped out a squadron of cavalry stationed in their territory, and this initial stroke had excited the province.

Those who wanted war welcomed the lead thus given, and only waited to test the temper of the new governor. The summer was now far spent, the auxiliary units were scattered all over the province, and the soldiers assumed that there would be no more fighting that year.

 Everything, in fact, combined to hinder or delay a new campaign, and many were in favour of simply watching the points where danger threatened.

 In spite of all, Agricola decided to go and meet the peril. He concentrated the legionaries serving on detachment duties and small force of auxiliaries.

 As the Ordovices did not venture to descend into the plain, he led his men up into the hills, marching in front himself so as to impart his own courage to the rest by sharing their danger, and cut to pieces almost the whole fighting force of the tribe.

 But he realized that he must continue to live up to his reputation, and that the outcome of his first enterprises would determine how much fear his subsequent operations would inspire. So he decided to reduce the island of Anglesey, from the occupation of which Paulinus had been recalled by the revolt of all Britain, as I described in an earlier chapter.

 As the plan was hastily conceived, there was no fleet at hand; but Agricola’s resource and resolution found means of getting troops across.

 He carefully picked out from his auxiliaries men who had experienced of shallow waters and had been trained at home to swim carrying their arms and keeping their horses under control, and made them discard all their equipment.

He then launched them on a surprise attack; and the enemy, who had been thinking in terms of a fleet of ships and naval operations, were completely nonplussed.
 What could embarrass or defeat a foe who attacked like that?

So they sued for peace and surrendered the island; and Agricola was extolled as a brilliant governor, who immediately on his arrival – a time usually devoted to pageantry and round of ceremonial visits – had chosen to undertake an arduous and dangerous enterprise.

 Yet he did not use his success to glorify himself.
 He would not represent his action as a campaign of conquest, when, as he said, he had merely kept a defeated tribe under control
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Agricola, however, understood the feelings of the province and had learned from the experience of others that arms can effect little if injustice follows in their train.

 He resolved to root out the causes of rebellion. Beginning with himself and his staff, he enforced discipline in his own establishment first
– a task often found as difficult as the government of a province.

He made no use of freedmen or slaves for official business.
He would not be influenced by his personal preference, or by recommendations or petitions, in choosing centurions and men for staff duties.

 The best, he was sure, would best justify his trust. He knew everything that went on, but did not always act upon his knowledge.

 He would condone minor offences, but dealt severely with major crimes. However, he did not always pronounce sentence: if an offender was truly repentant, more often than not he was content with that.

 He preferred to appoint to official positions and duties men whom he could trust not to transgress, rather than have to punish transgressions.
 He made the contributions of corn and tribute less onerous by distributing the burdens fairly, and put a stop to the tricks of profiteers, which were more bitterly resented than the tax itself
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By checking these abuses in his very first year of office Agricola made the Britons appreciate the advantages of peace, which, through the negligence of arbitrariness of previous governors, had been as much feared as war.

 But when summer came he concentrated his army and took the field in person. He was everywhere on the march, praising good discipline and keeping stragglers up to the mark. He himself chose sites for camps and reconnoitred estuaries and forest; and all the time he gave the enemy no rest, but constantly launched plundering raids. Then, when he had done enough to inspire fear, he tried the effect of clemency and showed them the attractions of peace.

 As a result, many states which till then had maintained their independence gave hostages and abandoned their resentful attitude. A ring of garrisoned forts was placed round them; and so skilfully and thoroughly was the operation carried through that no British tribes ever made their first submission with so little interference from their neighbours
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The following winter was spent on schemes of social betterment.
 Agricola had to deal with people living in isolation and ignorance, and therefore prone to fight; and his object was to accustom them to a life of peace and quiet by the provision of amenities.
He therefore gave private encouragement and official assistance to the building of temples, public squares, and good houses. He praised the energetic and scolded the slack; and competition for honour proved as effective as compulsion.

 Furthermore, he educated the sons of the chiefs in the liberal arts, and expressed a preference for British ability as compared with the trained skills of the Gauls.

The result was that instead of loathing the Latin language they became eager to speak it effectively. In the same way, our national dress came into favour and the toga was everywhere to be seen. And so the population was gradually led into the demoralizing temptations of arcades, baths, and sumptuous banquets.

 The unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as ‘civilization’, when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement
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The third year of Agricola’s campaigns brought him into contact with fresh peoples; for the territory of tribes was ravaged as far north as the river called Taus (River Teith).

 Our army was buffeted by furious storms, but the enemy were now too terrified to molest it.
 There was even time to spare for the establishment of forts.
 It has been observed by experts that no general ever showed a better eye for ground than Agricola.

 No fort or site of his choosing was ever taken by storm, ever capitulated, or was ever abandoned. On the contrary, the garrisons could frequently venture upon sallies; for they were secured against protracted siege by having supplies sufficient for a whole year.

 And so winter in these forts held no terrors and every commandant could look after himself.
The enemy were baffled and in despair. They could no longer retrieve the losses of the summer by success in the winter, but were equally hard pressed at both seasons.
 Agricola was not greedy of fame and never tried to steal the credit for other men’s work. Every centurion and prefect found in him an honest witness to his merit.
 According to some accounts he was harsh in reprimand; and certainly he could make himself as unpleasant to the wrong kind of man as he was agreeable to the right kind.
 But his anger left no hidden malice in his heart, and you had no need to fear his silence. He thought it more honourable to hurt than to hate
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The fourth summer was spent in securing the districts already overrun;
 and if the valour of our army and the glory of Rome had permitted such a thing, a good place for halting the advance was found in Britain itself.

 The Clyde and the Forth, carried inland to a great depth on the tides of opposite seas, are separated only by a narrow neck of land. This isthmus was now firmly held by garrisons, and the whole expanse of country to the south was safely on our hands. The enemy had been pushed into what was virtually another island
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Agricola started his fifth campaign by sea, and in a series of successful actions subdued nations hitherto unknown.
The side of Britain that faces Ireland was lined with his forces.

 His motive was rather hope then fear. Ireland, lying between Britain and Spain, and easily accessible also from the Gallic sea, might serve as a very valuable link between the provinces forming the strongest part of the empire.

 It is small in comparison with Britain, but larger than the islands of the Mediterranean. In soil and climate, and in the character and civilization of its inhabitants, it is much like Britain; and its approaches and harbours have now become better known from merchants who trade there.

 An Irish prince, expelled from his home by a rebellion, was welcomed by Agricola, who detained him, nominally as a friend, in the hope of being able to make use of him.
 I have often heard Agricola say that Ireland could be reduced and held by a single legion with a fair-sized force of auxiliaries; and that it would be easier to hold Britain if it were completely surrounded by Roman armies, so that liberty was banished from its sight
===========================================================================
In the summer in which his sixth year of office began, Agricola enveloped the tribes beyond the Forth.
 Fearing a general rising of the northern nations and threatening movements by the enemy on land, he used his fleet to reconnoitre the harbours.
 It was first employed by Agricola to increase his striking-power, and its continued attendance on him made an excellent impression.

 The war was pushed forward simultaneously by land and sea; and infantry, cavalry, and marines, often meeting in the same camp, would mess and make merry together. They boasted, as soldiers will, of their several exploits and adventures, and matched the perilous depths of woods and ravines against the hazards of storms and waves, victories on land against the conquest of the ocean.
 The Britons for their part, as was learned from prisoners, were dismayed by the appearance of the fleet; now that the secret places of their sea were opened up, they felt that their last refuge in defeat was closed against them.

 The natives of Caledonia turned to armed resistance on a large scale – though the facts were exaggerated, as the unknown always is, by rumour.
 They went so far as to storm some of our forts, and inspired alarm by their challenging offensive.

 There were cowards in the council who pleaded for a ‘strategic retreat’ behind the Forth, maintaining that ‘evacuation was preferable to expulsion’.

 But just then Agricola learned that the enemy was about to attack in several columns. For fear that their superior numbers and knowledge of the country might enable them to surround him, he moved his own army forward in three divisions
—————————————————————————————————————
As soon as the enemy got to know of this they suddenly changed their plans and massed for a night attack on the ninth legion. That seemed to them the weakest point.
 Striking panic into the sleeping camp, they cut down the sentries and broke in. The fight was already raging inside the camp when Agricola was warned by his scouts of the enemy’s march. He followed close on their tracks, ordered the speediest of his cavalry and infantry to harass the assailants’ rear, and finally made his whole force raise a shout.

 Dawn was now breaking, and the gleam of the legions’ standards could be seen. Caught thus between two fires, the Britons were dismayed, while the men of the ninth took heart again; now their lives were safe they could fight for honour.
They even made a sally, and a grim struggle ensued in the narrow gateways.
 At last the enemy were routed by the efforts of the two armies – the one striving to make it plain that they had brought relief; the other, that they could have done without it.
Had not marshes and woods covered the enemy’s retreat, that victory would have ended the war
—————————————————————————————————————–
This success inspired with confidence all the troops who had taken part in it or heard about it.
They declared that nothing could stop men like them, that they ought to drive deeper into Caledonian and fight battle after battle till they reached the farthest limits of Britain.
 Even the cautions strategists of yesterday were forward and boastful enough after the event.

That is the crowning injustice of war: all claim credit for success, while defeat is laid to the account of one.

——————————————————————————————————————
The Britons, on their part, felt that they had not lost through any lack of courage, but through the Roman general’s skilful use of a lucky chance.

 With unbroken spirit they persisted in arming their whole fighting force, putting their wives and children in places of safety, and assembling together to ratify their league by sacrificial rites. Thus the campaign ended with angry feelings excited on both sides
—————————————————————————————————————-
The Britons were, in fact, undaunted by the loss of the previous battle, and were ready for either revenge or enslavement.
They had realized at last the common danger must be warded off by united action, and had sent round embassies and drawn up treaties to rally the full force of all their states.

 Already more than 30,000 men could be seen, and still they came flocking to the colours – all the young men, and famous men, and famous warriors whose ‘old age was fresh and green’, every man wearing the decorations he had earned.

 At that point one of the many leaders, a man of outstanding valour and nobility named Calgacus, addressed the close-packed multitude of men clamouring for battle. This is the substance of what he is reported to have said:
—————————————————————————————————————
When I consider the motives we have for fighting and the critical position we are in, I have a strong feeling that the united front you are showing today will mean the dawn of liberty for the whole of Britain.
 You have mustered to a man, and all of you are free.
There are no lands behind us, and even on the sea we are menaced by the Roman fleet.
 The clash of battle – the hero’s glory – has now actually become the safest refuge for a coward.
 Battles against Rome have been lost and won before; but hope was never abandoned, since we were always here in reserve.
 We, the choicest flower of Britain’s manhood, were hidden away in her most secret places. Out of sight of subject shores, we kept even our eyes free from the defilement of tyranny.
 We, the most distant dwellers upon earth, the last of the free, have been shielded till today by our very remoteness and by the obscurity in which it has shrouded our name.
 
 Now, the farthest bounds of Britain lie open to our enemies; and what men know nothing about they always assume to be a valuable prize.
 
 But there are no more nations beyond us; nothing is there but waves and rocks, and the Romans more deadly still than these – for in them is an arrogance which no submission or good behaviour can escape.
 Pillagers of the world, they have exhausted the land by their indiscriminate plunder, and now they ransack the sea.
 
 A rich enemy excites their cupidity; poor one, their lust for power.
 East and West alike have failed to satisfy them. They are the only people on earth to whose covetousness both riches and poverty are equally tempting.
 To robbery, butchery, and rapine, they give the lying name of “government”; they create a desolation and call it peace
===========================================================================
Nature has ordained that every man should love his children and his other relatives above all else. These are now being torn from us by conscription to slave in other lands.
 Our wives and sisters, even if they are not raped by enemy soldiers, are seduced by men who are supposed to be our friends and guests.
 
Our goods and money are consumed by taxation; our land is stripped of its harvest to fill their granaries; our hands and limbs are crippled by building roads through forests and swamps under the lash of our oppressors.
 
 Creatures born to be slaves are sold once for all, and, what is more, get their keep from their owners.
 We Britons are sold into slavery anew every day; we have to pay the
 purchase-price ourselves and feed our masters into the bargain.
 
 In a private household the latest arrival is made the butt even of his fellow-slaves; so, in this establishment where all mankind have long been slaves,
 
it is we, the cheap new acquisitions, who are marked out for destruction.
 For we have no fertile lands, no mines, no ports, which we might be spared to work in.
 Our courage, too, and our martial spirit are against us: masters do not like such in their subjects.
 Even our remoteness and isolation, while they give us protection, are bound to make the Romans wonder what mischief we are up to.
 Since you cannot hope for mercy, therefore, take courage before it is too late to strive for what you hold most dear, whether it be life of honour.
 
 The Britons, with only a woman to lead them, burned a Roman colony and stormed a camp; and if success had not tempted them to relax their efforts, they might have cast off the yoke.
 
 We, who have never been forced to feel that yoke, shall be fighting to preserve our freedom, and not, like them, merely to avenge past injuries.
 
Let us then show, at the very first clash of arms, what manner of men
 Caledonia has kept in reserve
—————————————————————————————————————-
Do you imagine that the Romans’ bravery in war matches their dissoluteness in time of peace?
 No! it is our quarrels and disunion that have given them fame.
 
 The reputation of the Roman army is built up on the faults of its enemies.
 Look at it, a motley conglomeration of nations, that will be shattered by defeat as surely as it is now held together by success. Or can you seriously think that those Gauls and Germans – and, to our bitter shame,
many Britons too – are bound to Rome by genuine loyalty or affection?
 
They may be lending their life-blood now to the foreign tyrant, but they were enemies of Rome for more years than they have been her slaves.
 
Terror and intimidation are poor bonds of attachment:
 break them, and where fear ends hatred will begin.
 
 All that can spur men on to victory is on our side.
The enemy have no wives to fire their courage, no parents ready to taunt them if they run away.
 
 Most of them either have no fatherland they can remember, or belong to one other than Roman.
 See them, a scanty band, scared and bewildered, staring blankly at the unfamiliar sky, sea, and forests around them.
 
The gods have given them, like so many prisoners bound hand and foot, into our hands.
 Be not afraid of the outward show that means nothing, the glitter of gold and sliver that can neither avert nor inflict a wound.
 
 Even in the ranks of our enemies we shall find willing hands to help us.
 
 The Britons will recognize our cause as their own; the Gauls will remember their lost liberty; the rest of the Germans will desert them as surely as the Usipi did recently.
 And beyond this army that you see there is nothing to be frightened of
 – only forts without garrisons, colonies of greybeards, towns sick and distracted between rebel subjects and tyrant masters.
 
 Which will you choose – to follow your leader into battle, or to submit to taxation, labour in the mines, and all the other tribulations of slavery?
 
 Whether you are to endure these for ever or take quick vengeance,
 this field must decide.
 
On, then, into action; and as you go, think of those that went before you
and of those that shall come after………….
—————————————————————————————————————
This speech was received with enthusiasm, expressed, in barbarian fashion,
 by singing and yelling and by discordant cries.
 
 Bodies of troops began to move and arms flashed as the most adventurous
 ran out in front, and all the time their battle-line was taking shape
—————————————————————————————————————-
Agricola’s soldiers were in such high spirits that they could scarcely be kept within their defences.
 
 For all that, he felt it desirable to put the final edge on their courage,
 and addressed them thus:

‘This is the seventh year, comrades, since by loyal service – yours and my own –
 
 you started to conquer Britain in the name of imperial Rome’s divinely guided greatness.
 In all these campaigns and battles, which called not only for courage in face of the enemy but for toil and endurance in fighting, as it were, against Nature herself,
 I have had no complaint to make of my men nor you of your general.
 Thus we have advanced beyond the limits reached by previous armies under my predecessors.
The farthest boundary of this land, which they knew only by report or rumour, we hold in our grasp with arms and forts.
 We have both explored and conquered Britain.
 
 Many a time on the march, as you trudged wearily over marshes, mountains,
 and rivers, have I heard the bravest among you exclaim:
 
 “When shall we meet the enemy? When will they come and fight us?”
They are coming now, for we have dug them out of their hiding-places.
 
The fair field for our valour that we desired is granted to us.
 An easy path awaits us if we win, but if we lose the going will be hard indeed.
 
 The long road that we have travelled, the forests we have threaded our way through, the estuaries we have crossed – all redound to our credit
and honour as long as we keep our eyes to the front.
 But if we turn tail, our success in surmounting these obstacles will put us in the deadliest peril.
 We have not the exact knowledge of the country that our enemy has, or his abundant supplies.
 However, we have our hands, and swords in them, and these are all that matters.
 For myself, I made up my mind long ago that neither an army nor a commander can avoid danger by running away.
 So – although an honourable death would be better than a disgraceful
 attempt to save our lives – our best chance of safety does in fact lie in doing our duty.
 And there would be glory, too, in dying – if die we must –
here where the world and all created things come to an end
==========================================================================
Even while Agricola was still speaking the troops showed intense eagerness, and the end of his speech was greeted with a wild burst of enthusiasm.
 
 Without delay they went off to arm themselves. The men were so thrilled that they were ready to rush straight into action;
 but Agricola marshalled them with care.
 
The auxiliary infantry, 8,000 in number, formed a strong centre, while 3,000 cavalry were distributed on the flanks.
 
 The legions were stationed in front of the ramparts: victory would be vastly more glorious if it cost no Roman blood, while if the auxiliaries should be repulsed the legions could come to their rescue.
 
 The British army was posted on higher ground in a manner calculated to impress and intimidate its enemy.
 Their front line was on the plain, but the other ranks seemed to mount up the sloping hillside in close-packed tiers.
 
 The flat space between the two armies was taken up by the noisy manoeuvring of the charioteers.
 
 Agricola now saw that he was greatly outnumbered, and fearing that the enemy might fall simultaneously on his front and flanks, he opened out his ranks.
 
 The line now looked like being dangerously thin, and many urged him to bring up the legions. But he was always an optimist and resolute in the face of difficulties.
 
 He sent away his horse and took up his position on foot in front of the colours
—————————————————————————————————————-
The fighting began with exchanges of missiles, and the Britons showed both steadiness and skill in parrying our spears with their huge swords or catching them on their little shields, while they themselves rained volleys on us.
 
 At last Agricola called upon four cohorts of Batavians and two of Tungrians to close and fight it out at the sword’s point.
 
 These old soldiers had been well drilled in sword-fighting, while the enemy were awkward at it, with their small shields and unwieldy swords, especially as the latter, having no points, were quite unsuitable for a cut-and-thrust struggle at close quarters.
 
 The Batavians, raining blow after blow, striking them with the bosses
of their shields, and stabbing them in the face, felled the Britons posted on the plain and pushed on up the hillsides.
 
 This provoked the other cohorts to attack with vigour and kill the nearest of the enemy. Many Britons were left behind half dead or even unwounded, owing to the very speed of our victory.
 Our cavalry squadrons, meanwhile, had routed the war chariots, and now plunged into the infantry battle. Their first onslaught was terrifying, but the solid ranks of the enemy and the roughness of the ground soon brought them to a standstill and made the battle quite unlike a cavalry action.
 
 Our infantry had only a precarious foothold and were being jostled by the horses’ flanks; and often a runaway chariot, or riderless horses careering about wildly in their terror, came plunging into the ranks from the side or in head-on collision
—————————————————————————————————————-
The Britons on the hill-tops had so far taken no part in the action and had leisure to note with contempt the smallness of our numbers.
 They were now starting to descend gradually and envelop our victorious rear.
 
 But Agricola, who had expected just such a move, threw in their path,
 four squadrons of cavalry which he was keeping in hand for emergencies and turned their spirited charge into a disorderly rout.
 
The tactics of the Britons now recoiled on themselves.
 Our squadrons, obedient to orders, rode round from the front of the battle and fell upon the enemy in the rear.
 
 The open plain now presented a grim, awe-inspiring spectacle.
Our horsemen kept pursuing them, wounding some, making prisoners of others, and then killing them as new enemies appeared.
 
 On the British side, each man now behaved according to his character.
 Whole groups, though they had weapons in their hands, fled before inferior numbers; elsewhere, unarmed men deliberately charged to face certain death.
 
 Equipment, bodies, and mangled limbs lay all around on the bloodstained earth; and even the vanquished now and then recovered their fury and their courage.
 
 When they reached the woods, they rallied and profited by their local knowledge to ambush the first rash pursuers.
 
 Our men's over-confidence might even have led to serious disaster.
 
 But Agricola was everywhere at once. He ordered strong cohorts of light infantry to ring the woods like hunters.
 
 Where the thickets were denser, dismounted troopers went in to scour them; where they thinned out, the cavalry did the work.
 At length, when they saw our troops, re-formed and steady, renewing the pursuit, the Britons turned and ran.
 
They no longer kept formation or looked to see where their comrades were,
 but scattering and deliberately keeping apart from each other they penetrated far into trackless wilds.
 The pursuit went on till light fell and our soldiers were tired of killing.
 
 Of the en¬emy some 10,000 fell; on our side, 360 men-among them Aulus Atticus, the prefect of a cohort, whose youthful impetuosity and mettlesome horse carried him deep into the ranks of the enemy
—————————————————————————————————————–
For the victors it was a night of rejoicing over their triumph and their booty.
 
 The Britons dispersed, men and women wailing together, as they carried away their wounded or called to the survivors.
 Many left their homes and in their rage actually set fire to them,
or chose hiding -places, only to abandon them at once.
 
 At one moment they would try to concert plans,
 then suddenly break off their conference.
 
 Sometimes the sight of their dear ones broke their hearts;
more often it goaded them to fury; and we had proof that some of them killed their wives and children in a kind of pity.
 
The next day revealed the effects of our victory more fully.
 
 An awful silence reigned on every hand; the hills were deserted,
 houses smoking in the distance, and our scouts did not meet a soul.
 
 These were sent out in all directions; and made sure that
 the enemy had fled at random and were not massing at any point.
 
 As the summer was almost over, it was impossible for operations
 to be extended over a wider area; so Agricola led his army
 into the territory of the Boresti.
 
There he took hostages and ordered his admiral to sail round the north of Britain.
 A detachment of troops was assigned to him, and the terror of Rome had gone before him.
 Agricola himself, marching slowly in order to overawe the recently conquered tribes by the very deliberateness of his movements, placed his infantry and cavalry in winter-quarters.
 At about the same time the fleet, which aided by favourable weather had com¬pleted a remarkable voyage, reached Trucculensis Portus.
 
 It had started the voyage from that harbour, and after coasting along the adjacent shore of Britain had returned intact
————————————————————————————————————-
Happy indeed were you, Agricola, not only in your glorious life, but in your timely death.
 We have the testimony of those who heard your last words that you met your fate with a cheerful courage.
 
If there is any mansion for the spirits of the just,
 if, as philosophers hold, great souls do not perish with the body,
 may you rest in peace!
 
 May you call us, your family, from feeble regrets and unmanly mourning to contemplate your virtues, for which it were a sin to mourn or lament!
 
 May we honour you in better ways - by our admiration and our praise, and if our powers permit by following your example!
 
That is the true honour, the true affection of souls knit close to yours.
 
To your daughter and widow I would suggest that they revere the memory of a father and a husband by continually pondering his deeds and sayings,
 and by treasuring in hearts the form and features of his mind,
rather than those of his body.
 
 Not that I would forbid likenesses of marble or of bronze.
 But representations of the human face, like that face itself, are subject to decay and dissolution,
 whereas the essence of man's mind is something everlasting,
which you cannot preserve or express in material wrought by another's skill,
 but only in your own character.
 
 All that we loved and admired in Agricola abides and shall abide
 in the hearts of men through the endless procession of the ages;
 for his achievements are of great renown.
 
 With many it will be as with men who had no name or fame:
 they will be buried in oblivion.
 
 But Agricola's story is set on record for posterity, and he will live on.
—————————————————————————————————————–
 
Set Down With Reverence by Tacitus, for Agricola

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Liz & Nicole - Thank you both for your visit and comments.

Torchholder - Thank you for your contribution.  I read it over a cuppa tea and it's certainly given me something to think about!  

Today we shift gears and head to the Outer Hebrides/Western Isles of which there are five islands:

Isle of Harris
Harris is a beautiful island of contrasts with spectacular scenery and a unique unspoilt atmosphere. In the west there are vast expanses of white sand.  In the north and east are rugged, rocky places which make you think you have reached the moon. In the Bays area, the lunar landscape is indented with hundreds of little lochs and on a clear day you can see over to the Isle of Skye.

In the Western Isles (also known as the Outer Hebrides) the landscape and history of Harris, together with the hospitality of its people, provide a wonderful retreat.  With luck you may even see otters, seals, eagles or dolphins. Deer tend to keep to the high ground during the summer, but sometimes you can see them near Ardhasaig and Ardvoulie along the main road from Tarbert to Stornoway.

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Isle of Lewis
Its capital Stornoway is the largest town in the Western Isles (the Outer Hebrides) and is less than 3 hours by ferry from Ullapool and a plane ride away from many UK airports. The island has many unspoiled sandy beaches and is home to the famous Callanish standing stones–second only to Stonehenge. Offshore is the beautiful island of Great Bernera with an Iron Age Village overlooking a spectacular beach.

The Gaelic name for Lewis is Leodhas which means marshy. Most of the island is indeed covered by a blanket of peat. Deposits of this started some 5000 years ago and today you can see it being cut and dried for later use as fuel. The underlying rock, Lewisian gneiss, is thought to be 2900 million years old - half as old as the Earth herself.

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Torchholder - hi, there are still a few barbarians here! And there are some things the Romans left behind. What did the Romans do for us?  Well, not much, it was too cold for those soft Italian types.
Laurie - you should be chair person of the Scottish Tourist Board!

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hey, kevin! good to see you stranger. I agree about Laurie! lol

hugs

nicole

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

I will not glorify the Romans. they have glorifyed themselves, and been glorified enough.

My ancestors were the Scots and Celts, and I Honor Them, and their ability to deal with the Great difficulty that the Romans, Vikings, Northumbrians, English, and others brought them with their greedy conquering armies.

However, you can see that the romans did Honor the Conquered and Unconquered in their recollections, and they did not have to.

 I am thankful that they did, for theirs is the main source for
Our knowledge of our ancestors of that time.

A man may not behave with Justice, but if He respects
 those who do, that is some measure of a Man.

The Valor of the Losing Army does not lessen their valor, or honor.

It is just that many may not remember them that way.
Such is the injustice of History and War.  Torch…

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

The Uists
The Uists don't get as many visitors as some of the other islands, perhaps because they are quite remote. The road signs are in Gaelic and the food supplies depend to a certain extent on the ferry.

The main road runs down the middle of this chain of islands from Lochmaddy to Lochboisdale. There is a local coach service and post bus. It is also a great place to cycle - start in the south and pedal your way north up the islands.

North Uist and South Uist both have nature reserves and are full of ancient monuments - many dating back thousands of years. Benbecula is a small island sandwiched between the Uists and linked by a stone causeway. Its main claim to fame is the airport and Army rocket range.

The North Uist Highland Games are usually planned for mid July.  The annual Ceolas (Gaelic music festival / summer school) is held in South Uist in July.

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Isle of Barra
Nestling near the bottom of the Western Isles chain, it has been quite rightly called “Barradise”. The old black and white movie ”Whisky Galore” (known as ”Tight Little Island” in the US) was filmed on Barra and based on the novel by Compton MacKenzie who adapted the true story of the S.S. Politician which sank off nearby Eriskay with its cargo of whisky in 1941. Its sequel, “Rockets Galore” made in color a few years later was also shot around the island. 

The population of the island is approximately 1,300.  Many of the islanders speak Gaelic.  An excellent place for cycling, Barra's main road loops 12-miles around the beautiful island.

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Are you all able to watch this from the BBC?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00p304w/A_History_of_Scotland_Series_2_Lets_Pretend/

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

No such luck on my end kevin…too bad!

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Kevin - Fiddlesticks!  This is the message I received, “Currently BBC iPlayer TV programmes are available to play in the UK only, but all BBC iPlayer Radio programmes are available to you.”  Thank you for trying!

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Isle of Eriskay
A stone causeway from Ludag now links South Uist to the beautiful little island of Eriskay – population approx. 140.  The AM Politician is the island's only pub.  There are plans to build a heritage center about the famous Eriskay Pony which will be tomorrow's focus.  

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Here is a Link that Solves the BBC Problem. Not free, but Relatively Simple.
_________________________________________________________________________
http://www.gettvabroad.com/how-to-watch-free-national-tv-abroad

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Thanks, Robert!

Love,

Nicole

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Thank you, Torchholder.

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Eriskay Pony
The short-legged Eriskay Pony is a local breed of pony of ancient lineage, the only surviving variety of Hebridean pony, but itself in danger of extinction.

The Isle of Eriskay is situated to the south of South Uist and its native pony is a hardy but dainty breed which looks like a smaller version of the Highland Pony.
Eriskay was only linked to South Uist by causeway in 2001, so with the difficulties of access, other breeds were not introduced, leaving a pure breed. By the 1970's, there were only around 20 Eriskay ponies left, but a group of people got together and established breeding groups, and now there are over 300 Eriskay ponies.

Comann Each na Eilean - the Eriskay Pony Society is based on the Isle of Eriskay. The society can help you to visit Eriskay ponies throughout the Islands and also to become a friend to this rare breed.

Re: Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

adorable!

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Today is our last visit to the Hebrides Islands.  Tomorrow were off on a new adventure.
 
St Kilda
St. Kilda is known as the islands at the edge of the world. It is located approximately 55 miles west of Harris.  The archipelago comprises the sea stacks Stac Lee and Stac an Armin and the islands of Hirta, Dun, Soay & Boreray.

Inhabited for centuries, then evacuated in 1930. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for both its natural and cultural significance.  Now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. St. Kilda is famous for its remoteness and sea bird colonies.

The name is probably a corruption of the Norse designation 'Skildir' (there never was a Saint Kilda or St. Kilda).

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Our new adventure starts in Edinburgh.  We'll take a few days in this beautiful city before we move along.

Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is an ancient fortress perched on top of Castle Rock, dominating the skyline of the city of Edinburgh. The most popular attraction of Edinburgh, the castle served as the seat of royalty during the Middle Ages, but with time, it came to be used as a centre of military activity. The head of the Army in Scotland has always served as the Governor of the castle. However, direct administration by the War Office ended in 1923. Edinburgh Castle still has its military garrison, though it is now used largely for ceremonial and administrative purposes.

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At 1pm every day they fire a cannon from the castle, which is quite loud. This is so the ships at sea could set their clocks accurately. Now all the ships have sat navs and computers, but the tradition remains.

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wow, that is so cool kevin.

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Kevin - that's great! 

Here's a few more interesting facts about the castle:

Edinburgh Castle is situated on top of Castle Rock, which falls in the Edinburgh city of Scotland.

Edinburgh Castle is the second-most-visited tourist attraction of Scotland.

It is believed that the castle was inhabited by human beings as far back as 900 BC, the late Bronze Age.

Edinburgh Castle thrived with people in 1st and 2nd century AD, when Scotland was under Roman occupation.

During Roman occupation, the castle was called the place Din Eidyn, ‘the stronghold of Eidyn’.

Angles invaded Scotland around 638 AD and since then, the castle is known as Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle became Scotland’s seat of royalty, headquarters of the sheriff of Edinburgh, military garrison and storehouse of the royal gun train, and repository of the nation’s crown jewels and state records, during the Middle Ages.

In 1566, Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI in the royal palace within the castle.

As the Scottish court moved to London, in the early 17th century, Edinburgh Castle became reduced to only a garrison fortress and arsenal.

Charles I was the last sovereign to sleep in the castle, in 1633, just before his coronation as King of Scots.

Edinburgh Castle served as an active army base after the Jacobite siege of 1745.

Stone of Destiny, Scotland’s coronation stone, was placed in the Crown Room of the castle, alongside the nation’s Crown Jewels (the Honors of Scotland), in 1996.

David II got the castle rebuilt in 1356. The David’s Tower in the castle is named after him only.

To be continued …

Interesting Facts about Scotland - Page 3

Mons Meg, the giant cannon, arrived in Edinburgh Castle in 1457, as a gift to James II.

From 1574 to 1578, reconstruction was carried out in the castle, with Half-Moon Battery and Portcullis Gate being added to it.

George IV visited the castle in1822, becoming the first ruling sovereign to do so in 189 years.

The One O’Clock Gun in the Edinburgh Castle was fired for the first time in 1861.

It was in 1950 that the first Edinburgh Military Tattoo was held on the Castle Esplanade.

The Stone of Destiny was returned to Scotland and put on permanent display in the castle, in the year 1996.

In 1999, Edinburgh Castle became the single most important building in the Edinburgh Old and New Town World Heritage Site.

Presently, the castle is the most popular attraction of Edinburgh, with more than 1.25 million visitors a year.

Edinburgh Castle is open from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, between 1st April and 30th September, and from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, between 1st October and 31st March.

Edinburgh Castle is maintained by Historic Scotland, a Scottish Government agency.

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Here's the castle shot from the Princes Street Gardens last satuday

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Also its so cold and windy in edinburgh tonight I feel like I have been cut in half

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Kevin - That's FANTASTIC (the photo, not that you've been cut in half)!

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EDINBURGH has witnessed some momentous events over the centuries – but there is plenty your history classes never told you about: the best cure for baldness in the city in the 17th century, or why a bunch of medieval monks went on strike.  And they certainly never explained where the famous phrase “You’ll have had your tea” comes from.

So, in an effort to bring alive some of the quirky events, tales and myths of Edinburgh, writer Jim Hewitson pulled them together in a collection called “Astonishing Scotland!”  It's a cheeky thesaurus of Scottishness. Over the next 50 days I'll post a peculiar fact about Scotland's capital city – Edinburgh.  Here's today's quirky fact:

Romantics may believe that Rose Street was named after the wild roses on the slopes above the North Loch (now Waverley Station). But Rose Street is commonly used to describe red-light districts of European towns, and to “pluck a rose” was a common euphemism for picking up a prostitute.

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The ironic Edinburgh greeting ”You’ll have had your tea?” is said to have originated with a nobleman, Mackintosh of Borlum, who in 1729 complained of the widespread habit of tea-slurping.  When out visiting, he had to confirm that he had already had his tea so that he could get a glass of beer instead.

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Or alternatively, when you arrive in a Glasgow house, hospitality demands you get whatever is going in the house. “Tea” here generally means “dinner”
So sit down, you'll have your tea.

In Edinburgh, they assume you ate at home………….

Thats how it's portrayed in the West, a sort of grudged hospitality
Liz

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I have to say this - this is wonderful information and I do enjoy reading them and everyones contribution. 

Much thanks!

kevin - Thanks for sharing the picture almost makes me feel a little closer to it all!

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Liz - That's funny that in Edinburgh they “assume you ate at home …”

Denim - Glad you're enjoying the information!

Today's Fun Fact about Edinburgh

One of the most popular cures for baldness in the 17th century Edinburgh was the application of the burnt ashes of dove’s dung.

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Thanks Laurie, I'm away to find a dove and a box of matches to cure the missing bits on the back of my head. Rose St is very narrow, and it runs parallel to Princes St. There is a section where almost every other building is a bar! But in the next block every other building is a shop selling skiing and outdoor equipment, ie waterproof and windproof clothing which is handy at this time of year. However in my unpaid role as an agent of the Edinburgh Tourist Information Service, it is quite mild tonight, if a little windy - so anyone under 140 pounds sould put some stones in their pockets to avoid being blown away…

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yes, kevin, you do like to stay up late at times, eh? you are too too funny! hugs

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Kevin - Your post made me laugh!  Isn't it just after 2am for you?!

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The first animal to be bought by Edinburgh Zoo was a gannet, which cost 18p and now appears on the crest of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

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No Laurie we are still one hour further back. Tonight is mild too… not even  a frost yet so global warming is defintely taking effect. Thanks for keeping this going… its much appreciated  

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Laurie is so awesome, isn't she, kevin?

Love you both,

Nicole

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Potholes are not a new phenomenon. In fact, the rough, potholed streets of Edinburgh in the 16th century meant there were only nine hackney carriages in the city, whereas there were 188 public sedan chairs and 50 owned privately by well-off families.

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Kevin & Nicole - thank you both.

In 1571, the Scottish Parliament earned the nickname the ”creeping parliament,” as when it met in the Canongate it came under fire from Catholic guns above them on the Castle rock, and members had to go about their business on their hands and knees. 

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When the bells of St. Giles in Edinburgh rang out to signal the Union between Scotland and England in 1707, the dubious melody was “Why should I be so sad on my wedding day?”

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Today, November 30th is St Andrews Day, the patron saint of Scotland. He was born in Bethlehem and died (well, killed) in Greece. He never actually made it to Scotland! Even so I think if you are not religious you have to admire someone prepared to stand up and die for their beliefs. Perhaps he was more than one person and over time the stories merged into one - who knows… happy St Andrews Day everyone!

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Since Mary, Queen of Scots, came up in the discussion of Edinburgh, I thought I would Introduce this Information.
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History > Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots was born in 1542 and was murdered on the orders of Elizabeth of England in 1587.

 She ruled Scotland from 1542 to 1567 and had many associations late in her reign with Perthshire.
 
Mary Queen of Scots stayed at Blair Castle just north of Pitlochry in 1564.
 
Mary visited Huntingtower Castle in 1565 while on honeymoon with Darnley.
 
She stayed at the Drummond Castle in 1565, by then seat of the Drummond Earl of Perth, and often hunted with Darnley in the Royal forests in Glen Artney, south of Comrie. This later inspired Sir Walter Scott to use Glen Artney in The Lady of the Lake.
 
Loch Leven Castle, on an island in Loch Leven by Kinross, is best known for being the prison of Mary Queen of Scots from 1567-8 after the Battle of Carberry.
 
 Mary escaped when young William Douglas locked everyone else in the Great Hall and threw the keys of the castle into Loch Leven. Those same keys were found 300 years later!
Mary used Doune Castle as a base and forces loyal to her held the castle until 1570.

Perthshire-Scotland.co.uk © 2004

I also Post this Link to Lock Leven Castle

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directly across from Loch Leven Castle, was Built an estate, by the Original Owner of Loch Leven castle, Sir William Bruce

link to loch leven and mary queen of scots and the bruces
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http://www.kinrosshouse.com/lochleven_maryqueen.html

link to sir william bruce, below

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http://www.kinrosshouse.com/history_sirwillbruce.html

subsequent owners to kinross house link below
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http://www.kinrosshouse.com/history_subsequent.html

link to the house and garden views
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http://www.kinrosshouse.com/gardens_creating.html

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Kevin & Torchholder -

WOW!  What terrific contributioins – THANK YOU!

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The first recorded instance of a Scottish industrial dispute comes in the annals of the medieval monks of Inchcolm Abbey in the River Forth, who downed their psalters (book of psalms) because of the abusive behavior of the abbot.
 
Note:  tomorrow – the first day of a new month – I will lock this page and start a new one.
 
 

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Incholm Abbey is still there, its on an island. I have been and was almost pecked to death by sea gulls in a “The Birds” style moment as they were protecting their chicks. However the Abbey is well worth a visit (says I, in my unpaid role as Edinburgh tourism cheer leader).
Great stuff Laurie!

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Kevin - I love your post – thank you!  You know that I'm posting 50 interesting tidbits about the lovely city you live in – Edinburgh – over the next 50 days.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it in your unpaid role as Edinburgh tourism cheerleader, is to take your digital camera out with you and capture some of your comings/goings.  

For instance, lets say you decide to go the The Oxford Bar at 8 Young Street.  Take your camera and get a shot of the entrance for us.  Or you decide to go to Edinburgh Blue - Gentlemen's Barber at 126 Dundas Street.  Grab a shot of that for us.  You get the idea.  Help us to live vicariously through you in Edinburgh :)

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I second that mission kevin, good job Laurie! 

kevin, I would be most pleased, honored and thrilled if you did so. 

No pressure of course as I see it is quite the feat we have now thrown down but how about at least a few pics! 

Three cheers for the unpaid lad of Edinburgh!


If you ever want to see my part of Canada as is here, all you need is ask, it would be a fun project!

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Perthshire is situated near the centre of Scotland. Know as the 'big county', not only because of it's physical area, but because of the diversity of towns and countryside to be found there.
 
In the east is the city of Perth, compact by most standards but with a wealth of shops, attractions and history.

 Perth lies on Britain's biggest river - the mighty Tay - while the Severn may the longest, the River Tay contains more water than the Severn and Thames added together!
 
To the southwest is Strathearn and in the north and west the Scottish Highlands begin
 - Atholl and Breadalbane - the land of Lochs, mountains, salmon rivers and hydro-electric dams.

 Other main towns situated around Perthshire are Crieff, Blairgowrie, Pitlochry and Aberfeldy.

Prior to local government reorganisation in 1975 when Perth & Kinross was formed
, historic Perthshire extended further south & west to include the towns of Aberfoyle, Callander, Dunblane, Doune and Killin plus the famous Trossachs.

 This web site covers the area tarditionally recognised as Perthshire.

Link below to Perthshire
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http://www.perthshire-scotland.co.uk/index.html

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Great contribution Torchholder, thank you.

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This page is now locked – it continues HERE.