Day 7 Scottish Tour

Day 7

This morning we traveled south to visit Glamis Castle. This was one of my favorite castles to visit because it was crammed with interesting things to see, and the local guide was excellent. This is the castle where the Queen Mother grew up and is the home of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghome. It is said that Glamis castle is the most beautiful castle in Scotland.

Glamis Castle, the legendary setting of "Macbeth."

Back view of Glamis Castle.

Side view of Glamis Castle.

The lawn in front of Glamis Castle.

A watchtower in front of Glamis Castle.

Leaving Glamis Castle.

Later that day, we drove across the Tay Bridge towards the town of St Andrews, the home of golf and where Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge attended university. It was on and off rain but I hadn't been back to St Andrews for fifty years and I enjoyed my visit.

The first thing I did was rush down to the shore where I filled my lungs with fresh sea air from the North Sea.

The beach at St Andrews.

View of The North Sea from the boardwalk at St Andrews.

St Andrews golf course.

The famous "Old Course" where only once, I caddied for one of the golfers when I was eighteen years old.

Pub close to the Old Golf Course where I had lunch.

An old cobblestone street in St Andrews.

The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral built in 1158.

Steps leading down to the North Sea.





St Andrews Cathedral was the center of the medieval Catholic church in Scotland.

St Andrew's Cathedral graveyard.

Another view of The North Sea looking down from the Cathedral.

Me at St Andrews Cathedral, windswept and rained on, but still enjoying the visit.

After visiting St Andrews, we drove south to our Edinburgh hotel, the MacDonald Holyrood hotel situated near "The Royal Mile," Edinburgh's most famous street. That same evening we went out to see a show and the show was very entertaining. The bus drove us to Prestonfield House (a five star boutique hotel) for an evening of Scottish entertainment featuring Scotland's "Three Tenors." We dined on gourmet food (a four course dinner) and there was a complimentary bottle of wine on the table.

The piper at Prestonfield.

Some of the tour guests that were seated at my table.

More tour guests at the table.

I had a good view of the stage because the tables in front of me were mostly empty.

The traditional serving of the Scottish National dish, "The Haggis" (a savory pudding containing sheep's heart, liver, lungs, onion, oatmeal, suet and spices.) Each guest was served a portion of Haggis at the end of the meal.