by Jane Shortall
(France)
Loch Ness
Places to visit in Scotland, are what many visitors have a challenge with, as there are so many beautiful sights to see, and so many historical buildings to visit, how do you know which ones to fit into your trip?
Below you can read Jane's account of one trip she made to Scotland, as a guide for a group of students, and how Scotland's history and natural beauty enthralled her.
My Cousin Miss Brodie and the Kilt Connection
As a child, I lived in Dublin, Ireland and each year our Scottish relatives came over to visit us. This was a time of great excitement as Auntie Maggie always came laden with gifts.
When I was nine years old, out of her big, brown leather case came a kilt; brand new, with blue and green squares and red lines woven through. It had a proper shiny silver pin and two real leather fastening straps.
The kilt became my favorite item of clothing. I wore it until I simply couldn't fit into it any more. I wished I could stay nine years old and so be able to wear it forever. It was the real thing, with its straps and its big pin, made in the Highlands of Scotland, a place I would fall in love with just ten years later.
At nineteen years old I found myself conducting educational tours in the UK and Europe. I spent a lot of time in Scotland, and I fell head over heels in love with the enchanting countryside that is the Scottish Borders.
One evening, leaving Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, having seen the amazing library, the stunning collection of armory, the peacocks on the lawns, we headed for our destination for the night, the magical Trossachs hotel.
But the coach driver, unfamiliar with this particular trip, took a wrong turning and we completely lost our bearings. The coach party couldn't have cared less if we never got to our hotel.
They were happy, carefree students who, despite feigning interest, found the whole trip just one big joke.
We drove for ages, through the gold and purple shades of a Scottish evening in autumn. We passed a lone piper, playing in a dream landscape. These were the days before mobile phones, so I couldn't let the hotel know we were lost. But by then I honestly didn't care either, as we were seeing so much of the spectacular countryside.
The ruined abbeys of Melrose and Kelso, Jedburgh, the fabulous Trossachs hotel with its turrets, where I stayed in a room overlooking Loch Katrine, were all enchanting places to