Tag: Edinburgh

“THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 5 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Outer Hebredies – Isle of Lewis and Harris”

My research into the Outer Hebredies was rather limited. The known history of the archipeligo starts in the Mesolithic era leaving a diversity of important prehistoric sites. The Outer Hebrides, sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (Scottish Gaelic: an t-Eilean Fada), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. The islands form part of the archipelago of the Hebrides, separated from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides by the waters of the Minch, the Little Minch, and the Sea of the Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides are considered to be the traditional heartland of the Gaelic language. Since 1998 the Council has used only the Gaelic form of its name, including in English language contexts. The council area is called Na h-Eileanan an Iar (‘the Western Isles’) and its council is Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (‘Council of the Western Isles’). There are 19 inhabited islands having an estimated population of 26,020 in 2024, and there are more than 50 substantial uninhabited islands.

The Romans appear to have had sporadic settlements on the islands but little other impact. The Western Isles became part of the Norse kingdom lasting for over 400 years. The ill-fated 1263 expedition of Haakon IV of Norway, resulted in the Outer Hebrides along with the Isle of Man, being yielded to the Kingdom of Scotland a result of the 1266 Treaty of Perth. The archaeological record of the Norse period is very limited with the best known find from this time being the Lewis chessmen, which date from the mid 12th century. With the Treaty of Union with England in 1707, the islands came under the control of Great Britain. Much of the land is now under local control, and commercial activity is based on tourism, crofting, fishing, and weaving.

When we awoke we were met by an austere vision of what we might expect in Stornoway. I have added the tourists Map of Stornoway which will make sense of my tale of exploration. The first photo is the barren “Deepwater terminal”. The absense of residences and human activity had us puzzled.

2026.01.02 Map of Stornoway part 1Download

Map 1 shows the location of the terminal at which we had docked. At that time by means of gossip amongst the passengers, we learned that there was a path to follow through the woods to reach the town or there was the shuttle bus. We elected for the path. Map 2 shows you where the path ended. We walked through Castle Lews (which was closed for a private function) into the harbour of the town.

2026.01.02 Map of Stornoway part 2Download

My photos of the walk through the woods to Castle Lews and then into Stornoway follow.

As we came to the end of the walk, we encountered people from the cruise boat visiting the castle and we became the bearers of the sad news that it was closed for a private function – glad we didn’t pay for that excursion. Crossing the bridge to enter the town we encountered a sculpture of a chessman one of the few Nordic reminders of the past. We strolled into town and found it to be a thriving village. With the back drop of the harbour and the Castle over the inlet it was romantic to walk the waterfront then head into the main street.

We moved into some of the semi-residential areas just on the edge of the town and discocered tha Harris Tweed weaver working in his shed (former garage attached to his house – not really a throw back to the shed outside the croft). And we found a reminder of home – the Foodbank office (Rotary obtains prepared meals for its Community Table in our Senior Citizens Hall kitchen with the meals being provided by FareShare at Morningside heated, packed and delivered by Rotary Brisbane South-East). We also found a memorial to soldiers lost in war and another stylish memorial chair as we saw in Kirkwell.

We also found the Sheriff Court and the bus station. We had decided that we would take the local bus over to the township of Harris. It was not difficult and they buses ran fairly regularly. Leaving Stornoway we passed the gate to the castle and soon we were into the countryside. Remote and wild, it took sometime to cross the island

Just as we were beginning to lose hope that we would get to the terminus, it happened – we arrived in North Harris. Perched on the side of a hill over an inlet the village of North Harris was celebrating with an Artisan Market. Set up in the community hall all the hand made crafts to be found on the island were on display. The first stall had wool not pulled into any shape but we had seen the off cuts in the Weavers shed. The stall holder told us she was having trouble obtaining the offcuts due to the decline in small weavers. As it happened I had picked up the business card for A. Harris Tweed Weaver in Stornoway and I passed it onto her. Not only was she grateful but couldn’t believe that a tourist knew more than she did on her subject. Other things of note were the inlet below, the war memorial perched on the very edge of the rock face of the inlet, the distillery and lighthouse below. Not a traffic light to be seen in the village.

Our bus had return to take us back to Stornoway and our ship to continue our adventure. The next port would be Belfast. We had spent sometime in Belfast a few years back when driving around Ireland (North and Eire) so we wondered what we might do. Lean about our decision when reading my next blog “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 6 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Outer Hebredies – Belfast Northern Ireland”

“THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 2 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Queensport & Edinburgh then Shetland Isles.”

The ship continued to rock and roll gently through the night. Kerry found this disturbing and I slept like a baby – except for the dig in the ribs from Kerry who wanted me to worry about the rolling with her. With the dawn we passed a number of oil platforms until we entered the harbour of Queensport. The ship was too big to dock at Queensport so the ship lowered the tenders and we travelled to the wharf to disembark. The pictures below are of the bridge across the Firth of Forth where the River Forth meets the North Sea, and famous for its three iconic bridges (Rail, Road, Queensferry Crossing) near Queensferry, serving as our entrance to Edinburgh. Some years ago we attended the Edinburgh festival and attended the Tatoo. We stayed at Fife taking the train across one the bridges (there only being two bridges at the time with third under construction) and the reunion with the bridge reminded us of that trip.

The ship provided a bus shuttle which we caught from the Ferry into Edinburgh. After sought out where we were, we made our way to Waterloo Place outside Princes Street Suites. A man in a uniform brandishing a placard advertising the Hop on Hop off bus stood under Prince Leopold’s Arch selling tickets. The arch built in 1819 to celebrate the visit of Leopold Prince of Saxe Courburg seemed out of place and there was no explanation as to the reason for it. My research shows that the arch marks the entry of Leopold into Edinburgh connecting Waterloo Place over the Old Calton Gorge, with the arch serving as a temporary triumphal gateway for the royal visit. A significant civic event at the time, though this Prince Leopold later became the first King of the Belgians. As we passed the arch we commenced the red line tour passing the Scott Monument. The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, near Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station. In the distance you will see Edinburgh Castle. 

The Bus moves along the Royal Mile through the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, connecting the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, perched high on a base of volcanic rock, the Mile is overlooked by impressive, towering tenements, and into the Grassmarket. The Grassmarket is a historic, picturesque, cobbled square beneath Edinburgh Castle, famous for its lively atmosphere, independent shops, quirky pubs (like The Last Drop and Maggie Dickenson), diverse restaurants, and its past as a cattle market and site for public executions.

The Last Drop sits in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket district which was a small open space where local farmers brought their hay and other produce for sale. It was also the location of one of the main gallows in the city and crowds would flock in huge numbers to see the public executions. The Last Drop Tavern is located immediately next to the scene of public hangings which took place there back in the eighteenth century. Tenements once stood on the site, but these were rebuilt into the pub you see today using the old buildings’ original seventeenth century stone.

Maggie Dickensen Pub. Maggie Dickson was a fish hawker from Musselburgh and in 1723 she “fell pregnant” after a secret relationship with an innkeepers son in Kelso. The newborn baby died and Maggie decided it was best to conceal the body so the affair would not be discovered. However, the baby’s body was discovered and Maggie was found guilty of killing a child. She was returned to Edinburgh for execution, which took place in Grassmarket on September 2, 1724. Her friends and relatives took possession of her body, and placed it in a coffin and to be taken to Musselburgh for burial. The party paused en route for a drink and they noticed, the lid of the coffin began to move. Maggie was alive and well enough to walk the rest of the way to Mussleburgh the next day. She survived she was a “good friend” of the ropemaker and the early breaking of the rope allowed her survival. Having already been pronounced legally dead she could not be tried again and she lived another 40 years and known as Half-Hangit Maggie. She opened the pub in Grassmarket, and whenever there was a hanging going on outside, she would bring the accused a pint and say not to worry, she survived her own hanging.

Pictures of both establishments are above. Next stop was Calton Hill.

Calton Hill is a prominent, historic hill in central Edinburgh, famous for its iconic monuments, panoramic city views, and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site location. Key features include the unfinished National Monument (a Parthenon replica) and the City Observatory, offering stunning vistas of Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, and the Firth of Forth. Moving on we passed Holyrood House, now overgrown with trees and then the Scottish Parliament Building seen below on the left. As we finished our tour we came across H & T Pawnbrokers. Very elaborate establishment – certainly no Steptoe and Sons there.

We returned to our shuttle bus stop after grabbing a sandwich at the Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station, tired from sitting in the bus – that still happens to me that I need a nap in the afternoon.

Our next adventure is “THE RETIREES GO AROUND THE WORLD – DAY 3 SS NIEUW STATENDAM – Shetland Isles.” We have both enjoyed the BBC drama of “Shetland” and I was anxious to see for my self how this small group of islands could have so many murders occurring on a daily basis.