Castles, Cabers & Harry Potter Magic!

Each year our theatre and travel man, Philip Hopkins, usually partakes of several 'adventures'! Following on from his earlier trip to the Philippines, today he recounts a small part of his recent 1900-mile drive around Scotland in which he sought to put right a lifetime wrong......to take a closer look at Byrne's very own Paradise!

I am not in the habit of watching so-called 'Romcoms' any more than I enjoy shouting at the TV but, recently, I did both as part of a channel hopping exercise that began just before the start of 'Made of Honour', a Hollywood movie in which a single American man realises he is in love with his best friend!

Sadly, I must agree with the pre-screening critic's appraisal, "the characters were too mean to be fun."

However, that's not why I was shouting at the TV, or watching this Tinseltown dross for that matter, it was because the film was set against the stunning backdrop of Eilean Donan, said to be Scotland's most romantic castle, and I'd just been there!

Although this stunning edifice, which sits alongside the Kyle of Lochalsh, dates back to the 13th century, for the best part of 200 years it remained in ruins until Lt Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap made it his life's work to restore the structure to its former glory in the early 1930's.

However, for me, it was a brief but beautiful interlude on a wider 1900-mile car drive around Scotland and, with the Isle of Skye firmly in my sights - it is just 43 miles from Eilean Donan - I was given the opportunity to remove this wonderful heritage site from my bucket list! (www.eileandonancastle.com).

I may have travelled the world but, until now, I have woefully neglected Scotland, something I resolved to put right when an artist friend asked me to play chauffeur, as she set off on her annual UK pilgrimage to acquire new landscape shots for her 'Scottish Collection'.

And guess what? Scotland is gorgeous, stunning in fact! Of course many of you already knew that in the same way that you probably also know that William Wallace country is prone to dark skies, downpours and, occasional good weather!

Sweeping Landscapes

But, if you want to sample some of Scotland's sweeping landscapes from the comfort of a warm environment whilst slurping a cuppa, or even quaffing a dram of whisky, then where better than on the Fort William to Mallaig 'Jacobite' train. A little further south than Skye, this 84-mile round trip has been described as one of the world's greatest rail journeys, taking you past a list of impressive extremes including Ben Nevis and Britain's most westerly mainland railway station, Arisaig.

However, it boasts a more famous claim! The Jacobite also provided the steam engine and carriages for the 'Hogwarts Express' as seen in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. (www.jacobitetrain.com).

Clearly a 1900-mile journey across Scotland produces far too many wonderful experiences to catalogue here, from the cityscapes of Glasgow to the history of Inverness' Fort George, probably the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain.

Then there is the aristocratic dignity of Leith's Royal Yacht Britannia to the quiet beauty of St Andrew's, both within shouting distance of Edinburgh.

But there is one annual bash that has to take pride of place - the Braemar Royal Highland Gathering (Games!) which take place each September, a must if you are in town at that time of the year. (www.braemargathering.org).

If you're lucky you'll get to see Her Majesty - this year the Queen, Prince Charles and Princess Anne honoured the Gathering with their presence - but, more to the point, if you have never been to 'The Games' then you should go if only for the experience.

Held at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, the event, which has been going for more than 200 years, features the wonderful spectacle of the March of the Massed Pipe Bands; it's worth a visit for that alone!

And yet Braemar has an almost quaint side to the pageantry of Royalty and its multitude of pipe bands. There's the Under 11 Boys Race, the countless Tug o' War heats as well as the more traditional Tossing the Caber events and Bagpipe playing contests, with prizes varying from £4 to £400 for the winner of the 'Tossing (the) Braemar Caber which weighs in at a cool 132lbs!

Braemar is a spectacle that takes over the whole town and, this year, it was the 150th anniversary of 'Royal' being added to the Braemar Highland Society's title. Having attended many Gatherings in the previous two decades, it was in 1866 that Queen Victoria commanded that the word Royal be added to the Society's title.

Scotland is a wonderful country and rivals anything I have seen around the world. After 1900 miles of driving I may be a little tired - more a quest than a 'holiday' - but I have put right a wrong that has bedevilled me for many a decade. I have taken a look at wider Scotland and by 'eck she's a Bonnie Wee Lassie!