7 The Explorer Pass

The Explorer Pass has been created by « Historic Scotland », which is an agency of the Scottish government. In is in charge of historical monuments (about 360), and it is an equivalent of “English Heritage” in England.

  

When I went to Scotland a few years ago, I first went to Edinburgh Castle and I saw advertising for the “Explorer Pass”. Though it is quite expensive, this Pass can be extremely practical if you decide to travel across Scotland, because it offers free admittance for 78 the properties of “Historic Scotland”. Its price depends on the number of days you plan to travel around Scotland.

For example, the 3 days Pass costs 22 pounds. The 7 days Pass costs 37 pounds, and the 10 days Pass costs 47 pounds. Of course, it is cheaper for children (less than 15) and concessions (students, unemployed and people who are more than 60). On each site, you can ask for a stamp to be applied on your Pass.

What’s more, I you want to visit only a small part of Scotland, you can purchase a regional Pass, for Orkney, the Borders, or Dumfries and Galloway.

 

You can find more information on this website : http://www.historicscotland.gov.uk/index/places/explorer.htm

6 About the One o’clock gun at Edinburgh’s castle

This gun is a time signal, which fires every day at one o’clock in the afternoon, from the half moon battery at Edinburgh’s Castle. It has been installed there for the ships coming to Edinburgh by the Firth of Forth. As a lighthouse, the gun could be heard from very retired places, and the noise indicated the distance from Edinburgh to those who hear it.
The type of the gun has changed since its establishment in 1861, but since 2001, the gun is a L118 Light gun.

As said before, the gun is used every day, except on Sunday, Good Friday and Christmas day. It is fired by the 105th Regiment Royal Artillery. As you can see and hear in the video below, the gun is nowadays a famous tourist attraction. The present gunner is Jamie (the “Canon”) Shannon.

5 Spynie : medieval architecture

Spynie, near Elgin, is unfortunately not very well-known, because it is a small castle. I came here in the first place thanks to a heritage program “Historic Scotland” ; the Explorer Pass. There is little to say about this castle, but it is for me a way to remind you that medieval castles were not only defensive buildings. As in Spynie, castles were also residential places, or mansions. Spynie was indeed the seat of the bishops of Morray, in Northern Scotland. It was the center of an important medieval town, even if there are no trace of this glorious past.

Nothing remains of the 13th century bishop’s fortified residence in Spynie. We can assume that these earlier buildings were made of timber, that’s why they have left no trace at all. Nowadays, visitors can still see walls of the 14^th century.

The most interesting part of the castle is David’s tower, named after the bishop who decided its construction (David Stewart) It is one of the largest tower houses in Scotland and measures 19 by 13,5 meters and 22 meters in height. It contained five floors and a vaulted basement.

 

The hall was the principal public room in the tower. In this room, the bishops entertained their guests and may also have held ecclesiastical ceremonies. The four upper floors were arranged with a large undivided central space, from which access could be made to a number of small chambers or closets set inside the walls. Each main room had a small fireplace, not really sufficient to heat it properly.

4 Stirling Castle

Stirling castle represent a symbol of the strong Scottish mind around the world. It is set in the very heart  of Scotland, standing high on a sharp rock. For ages, its spectacular position allowed its inhabitants to control the comings and goings across Scotland. Since the 12^th century, kings and queens like to spend time at Stirling castle, but this fortress has also been useful during war time.

Hest important moment of the history of Stirling castle starts at the end of the 13th century. The accidental death of king Alexander the 3^rd led the country to a crisis. The king of England, Edward the 1rst, was asked to choose the new ruler of Scotland. He chose John Balliol. But when Balliol refused to help Edward in his war against France in 1295, the English king started a punitive strike against Scotland, and Stirling castle was lost.

But at the end of 1297, the Scottish army, led by William Wallace and Andrew Murray took position ob Abbey Craig, a mountain that overhangs Stirling, and its only bridge, across the river Forth. They waited there for days, knowing well that the English troops had to cross the bridge one day or another. Finally, on September the 11^th, they attacked. The English cavalry was having a hard time crossing the narrow bridge they the Scottish troops swooped down on them. Most of them died within minutes.

This story has been told in 1995 thanks to the Hollywood movie “Braveheart”, which devotes itself to showing the bravery of William Wallace. Though fictionalized, this portrait is considered to be accurate.