01-12-2010, 08:11 AM
1
Episode 3
As Scotland is a country there is too much information to place here, this is just a taster of Bonnie Wee Scotland :-Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was an independent state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union led to a union with the Kingdom of England, resulting in the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Scotland comprises of approximately 790 islands, out of which around 130 are inhabited.
Scotland has its own parliament, which was elected for the first time in 1999. It is responsible for the social work service, education, health services and local government.
Television, telephone, video cassette recorder, finger printing, home of golf, tarmacadam, tyres are penicillin were all Scottish inventions.
Scotland boasts of over 600 square miles of freshwater lakes, known as lochs, of which the most famous one is Loch Ness.
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a long and narrow loch hemmed in by high mountains. It is exceptionally deep with very black water that makes underwater visibility almost impossible. It is separated from the open sea by the short two miles of the River Ness and one theory is that Nessie is some form of prehistoric creature that was trapped in the loch when it was shut off from the open sea after the last Ice Age.
Loch Ness is not the only Scottish loch with a monster. Loch Morar on the west coast boasts Morag, whose appearance is a harbinger of doom for a local family. Loch Morar is very similar to Loch Ness.
Robert the Bruce
Crowned King of Scotland in 1306 but almost immediately had to go into hiding when the English invaded his country. After many months of constant movement to avoid the invaders, Bruce hid in a cave when he was at his lowest ebb. There he watched a spider try to spin its web from one part of the cave roof to another. Six times it tried and six times it failed. On the seventh attempt it succeeded. He was eventually victorious at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when the Scots soundly defeated a much large English army.
"Arthur's Seat£
A rocky volcanic outcrop which is now a public park. No-one knows who "Arthur" was and indeed the name may be a corruption of the Gaelic "Ard na Saigheid" - "height of the arrows." There are remains of prehistoric forts and there is usually a gathering of observers there to see the sunrise on midsummer and midwinter's day.
THE FORTH RAIL BRIDGE
The 2.5 km. (1.5 mile) Forth Railway Bridge, the world’s first major steel bridge, with its gigantic girder spans of 521 m. (1710 ft.) ranks as one of the great feats of civilization. It was begun in 1883 and formally completed on 4 March 1890 when HRH Edward Prince of Wales tapped into place a ‘golden’ rivet.
Balmoral Estate.
Purchased by Queen Victoria in 1848, the Estate has been the Scottish Home of the British Royal Family ever since.
The Estate covers about 20,000 hectares (just over 50,000 acres) acres of heather clad hills, ancient Caledonian woodland, policies and of course the beautiful River Dee is nearby.
Over the past 150 years careful stewardship by the owners, The Royal Family, has preserved the wildlife, scenery and architecture which is available for all generations to enjoy.
Stirling Castle
Several battles of national importance have been fought in the land surrounding Stirling Castle. The most famous were the Battle of Stirling Bridge and the Battle of Bannockburn
The battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Statue of Robert the Bruce on the esplanadehad a major impact on the architecture of Stirling Castle. At the time of the battle, Stirling Castle was held by an English garrison.
The oldest surviving building in Stirling Castle is the North Gate, built in 1381 during the reign of Robert II. Traditionally, the North Gate is referred to as ‘the mint’.
Ben Nevis
The summit, at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) above sea level, features the ruins of an observatory, which was permanently staffed between 1883 and 1904. The meteorological data collected during this period are still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather. C. T. R. Wilson was inspired to invent the cloud chamber after a period spent working at the observatory.
The Munro's
The Munros of Scotland are known for presenting challenging conditions to hikers, particularly in winter when a number of fatalities are reported each year. Nevertheless, a popular practice amongst hillwalkers is "Munro Bagging", the aim being to climb all of the listed Munros. As of 2009 more than 4,000 have reported completing their round. The first continuous round of the Munros was completed by Hamish Brown in 1974.
Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie )
Grandson of King James VII who was driven out of Britain in 1688 because of his support of the Catholic faith. Parliament had originally wanted James' daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange from the Netherlands, to act as regents until James' newly born son, James Francis Stuart (Charles' father), reached his majority (and had been raised in the Protestant faith). But William was unhappy with this arrangement and insisted on having the crown along with his wife. Parliament agreed, thus sowing the seeds of the subsequent Jacobite Uprisings
William Wallace a Scottish Warrior?
He was only a minor noble and landowner who unexpectedly won a great victory for Scotland at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
By sticking Edward I's pride and never capitulating to England's rule, this Scottish warrior made himself a symbol of Scottish rebellion.
Edward tried to make an example out of William, but only succeeded in making a martyr.
In the 1400s a storyteller named Blind Harry made a lovely and inaccurate tale out of these events which still survives today as the version most people are familiar with. While Blind Harry's tale is a cracking good story, it ignores several key details in history that give the context necessary to true understanding.
Robert Burns
Arguably the most famous person from Scotland was a Scottish poet and a lyricist.
He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was voted by the Scottish public as being the Greatest Scot,
Robert Burns birthplace and country where he lived is a must for any visitor to Scotland.
Famous People( too numerous to mention them all)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, everyone must know or have heard of him Sherlock
Robert Adam one of the worlds great architecs
John Buchan's Thirty nine Steps to fame
Robert Dinwiddie, an important figure in American History
David Octavius Hill, a Pioneer of Photography
Joseph Lister, A pioneer of Antiseptics
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, a favourite of most people in the UK
Robert Louis Stevenson, 'Kidnapped', one of my favourites
Oor Wullie, A legendary Character of the Sunday Post.
Edinburgh
With streets steeped in history and a thriving cultural scene, the City of Edinburgh offers the perfect balance between all things traditional and contemporary.
The area has many historic towns and scenic villages, which are great for exploring. From award winning beaches, championship golf courses and some of Scotland’s most impressive visitor attractions the Lothians offer plenty of things to see and do.
The Royal Mile is actually more than a mile by 107 yards. It starts at the Castle entrance to the gates of Holyrood Palace. From the Castle esplanade which leads into the Royal Mile as you walk down the hill travelling East there are several streets which connect to make up the Royal Mile.
Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle. Holyrood Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining.
The first city in the world to have its own fire-brigade.
Glasgow
Like many cities, owes its existence to the river which flows through it and the fact that in historical times it was a convenient crossing point of that river.
In those days the Clyde was not a deep navigable river up to Glasgow, but was the last place where a bridge could be built to allow a crossing without a boat.
From the 18th century the city grew as one of Britain's main hubs of transatlantic trade with British North America and the British West Indies. With the Industrial Revolution, the city and surrounding region shifted to become one of the world's pre-eminent centres of Heavy Engineering, most notably in the Shipbuilding and Marine engineering industry, which produced many innovative and famous vessels.
Glasgow was known as the "Second City of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period
St Andrews
The home of Gold and a mecca for all golfing enthusiasts.
Inverness
The city is the administrative centre for the Highland council area,[ and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. The city lies near the site of the 18th century Battle of Culloden
John o' Groats
Is popular with tourists because it is usually regarded as the most northerly settlement of mainland Great Britain, although this is not a claim made by the inhabitants. It is, though, one end of the longest distance between two inhabited points on the British mainland, Land's End being the other. The actual most northerly point is nearby Dunnet Head
Also the start of a very long walk.
Rosemary please feel free to add anything you think people should know.there is a limit.
Episode 3 Somerset.
01-12-2010, 11:51 AM
2
Re: Episode 3
Great facts there, AB!Glasgow was also a city before Edinburgh - Edinburgh was still a wee garrison town when Glasgow made it to city status!
Charles Rennie McIntosh was born in Glasgow - he was an architect and designer - and he died in London!
William Wallace was born not far from where I live and there is a monument built on the site of his birth. We have a Wallace Day parade but not many people attend!
The Provands Lordship's house in Glasgow has the smallest doorway in Europe - well that is what is claimed anyway
Famous Glasgow theatre was the Empire and if the stars didn't appeal to the Glasgow audience - then they were doomed!
Greyfriar's Bobby in Edinburgh - "In 1858, a man named John Gray was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard. His grave levelled by the hand of time, and unmarked by any stone, became scarcely discernible; but, although no human interest seemed to attach to it.
The sacred spot was not wholly disregarded or forgotten. For fourteen years the dead man's faithful dog kept constant watch and guard over the grave until his own death in 1872.
The famous Skye Terrier, Greyfriars Bobby was so devoted to his master John Gray, even in death, for fourteen years Bobby lay on the grave only leaving for food.
It is reported that a daily occurance of people from all walks of life would stand at the entrance of the Kirkyard waiting for the one o'clock gun and the appearance of Bobby leaving the grave for his midday meal." - there was a film made of it.
Many thanks AB for posting those facts!
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