Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle

If you paid very close attention to yesterday’s post, you might have noticed that it was rather late in the day, on my second trip back to the hotel, that I finally booked a Highlands tour. The late hour meant the longer tour to Loch Ness had already been fully booked so I had to settle for the tour that included just Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle.

It was an early morning that saw me leave the hotel at 08:00 – 20 minutes earlier than needed. Three elements made our driver Alan an integral part of the day’s entertainment. First, he was simultaneously vehemently and quite vocally a Scot, this meant he was quite likely biased in his presentation of Scottish history, and he was certainly prone to a bit of embellishment when recounting some of his personal experiences.

On the way out of the city, he provided a bit of history about the political and cultural capital of Scotland. He claimed that the first settlement on Castle Hill was established by a monk named Ediyn who constructed a fort there in the early seventh century and, in the Gaelic based language the site was called Dun Ediyn meaning fortress of Edin. While I could corroborate the latter, that a fortress of some kind existed in the area in the seventh century, my research found no evidence of a monk named Ediyn.

In 638, the Angles (think Anglo-Saxon; English for a bit of etymology), conquered the fort, and anglicized the name to Edinburgh oppressing the use of the native term and it has remained Edinburgh (properly pronounced ED-in-buhrah) since. The name Dunedin survives today on New Zealand’s South Island (and in Florida, too). By the middle of the 10th century, there’s some evidence of a royal residence on the castle site.

St. Margaret’s Chapel was constructed under the rule of King David I in the middle of the 12th century. The chapel was named for his mother who was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250. It’s the oldest structure in Edinburgh.

Control of the area shifted frequently between the English and the Scots. Here’s a brief list: Edward I of England captured the castle in 1296. Thomas Randolph, the first earl of Moray retook it in 1314. The English regained control in 1334 under Edward III but only for seven years when William Douglas claims it for the Scots in 1341. And so it went.

All of this back and forth is a bit intriguing. Those of you familiar with The Princess Bride may recall this scene:

Now, looking at at where Edinburgh Castle sits,

I can’t imagine anyone ever had any fun storming this castle. And Stirling Castle, as we’ll see, is similarly situated.

Even with all of the back and forth over the castle near the Firth of Forth, Stirling Castle, which in appearance and situation with regard to the town is quite similar to Edinburgh Castle, has perhaps seen more battles, more changes of control, and more misery. Most people I’ve talked with see it as having greater historical importance. But more on that later.

First, we stop at the Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond.

First lesson, courtesy of Alan: While loch can mean lake, it has a broader meaning that includes “coastal body of water.” However, in this case, it is a lake. Although Loch Ness is larger by water volume, at 71 square kilometers, Loch Lomond has the largest surface area of any lake or loch in Scotland. Most consider it the boundary between the lowlands and the highlands and Alan thinks it the most beautifully scenic of all the lochs.

It’s also known as the lake of islands because it has between 30-39 islands depending on the water level. One of the great curiosities of the islands in the lake is the island of Inchconnachan. Lady Arran Colquhoun, who had a holiday home on the island, introduced Red-necked Wallabies to the island in the 1940s and they live there still. Tourists come to “Wallaby Island” see them.

We stopped at the town of Luss and were given all of 45 minutes to wander the beach and have a look about the town. And here’s my first of what may be many complaints: The tour should be 45 minutes longer not only for those who might have wanted to be able to walk more than a few hundred meters or spend some time wandering about the town but to allow for the possibility of a boat ride to see some of the islands which are such a large part of the loch’s beauty. And perhaps allow us to see a wallaby tens of thousands of miles outside its natural habitat. My experience of Luss and Loch Lomond was pleasant but felt a bit rushed and shallow.

Note: In keeping with my 2022-2023 reformation of the blog into shorter entries, backdated to maintain their sequence, any comments on this post might pertain to its new configuration. See the explanation in the post Conventions and Conversions.