I am now living in Australia and recently made an epic journey to Scotland. My friend and I completed the air route in just under 24 hours and then continued on bus, train and car to our final destination near Dundee.
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| Clockwise from top left: Sydney Kingsford Smith, Singapore Changi, London Heathrow, Edinburgh Airport |
Stirling
"He who holds Stirling holds Scotland." Stirling lies in the centre of Scotland and was an important battle ground for when William Wallace and Robert the Bruce fought for Scotland's independence from English rule. (Source: http://www.visitstirling.org)
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| Stained glass image of William Wallace He must have been a huge man - his sword is 1.67m long (taller than me) |
William Wallace is considered one of the greatest hero of Scotland. He was born to a Scots landowner and not a lot was known about him until when he led revolts after revolts against the English. The most famous of all was Battle of Stirling. From his vantage point, Wallace had watched King Edward I's army arrive and defeated them at the Sitrling Bridge.
(Source: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scotlandshistory)
Wallace sent letters to Europe to proclaim Scotland's independence and further took war to the North of England. He was eventually captured and tortured to a terrible death. (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/william_wallace/)
Wallace sent letters to Europe to proclaim Scotland's independence and further took war to the North of England. He was eventually captured and tortured to a terrible death. (Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/william_wallace/)
The National Wallace Monument was later erected in Abbey Craig, Stirling in 1869 to commemorate the life of William Wallace. The Battle of Stirling later inspired the film "The Braveheart". Standing on top of The National Wallace Monument, it was not hard to imagine how the English troop attempted to charge across the river and up the hill and how the Scotsmen roared and retaliated.
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| View of Stirling from hilltop |
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| Wallace Monument |
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| Sculpture of William Wallace leading his man |
Falkirk
Falkirk is about half an hour's drive from Stirling. Falkirk lies in the junction of Forth & Clyde Canal (which links 56 kilometers to the west to Glasgow) and Union Canal (which links 51 kilometres to the east to Edinburgh) and was an important centre during the Industrial Revolution.
During the Industrial Age, the canals in the Great Britain were main means of transporting raw materials such as coal, iron-ore and agricultural produce from town to town. The Union Canal, for example, was primarily used to transport coal from the coal centre in Edinburgh. The canals eventually lost the competition to the railway system in 1930s and stopped operating commercially.
The most unique thing about the canals in Falkirk is that Forth & Clyde Canal lies 35 metres below the Union Canal. In the olden days, the 2 canals was joined by a flight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of 1.5km but these were dismantled in 1933. It is fascinating how a boat can move from different heights through locks from canal to canal.
During the Industrial Age, the canals in the Great Britain were main means of transporting raw materials such as coal, iron-ore and agricultural produce from town to town. The Union Canal, for example, was primarily used to transport coal from the coal centre in Edinburgh. The canals eventually lost the competition to the railway system in 1930s and stopped operating commercially.
The most unique thing about the canals in Falkirk is that Forth & Clyde Canal lies 35 metres below the Union Canal. In the olden days, the 2 canals was joined by a flight of 11 locks that stepped down across a distance of 1.5km but these were dismantled in 1933. It is fascinating how a boat can move from different heights through locks from canal to canal.
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| Pound lock |
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| Boat waits in caisson for water to fill and lift boat up. Gate opens and boat sails merrily away. |
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| Boat travel up via Falkirk Wheel and to the next canal |
Not far from the Falkirk Wheel are The Kelpies. The Kelpies are 30 metres tall stainless steel equine sculptures by Andy Scott in the Helix Park. They are inspired by the mythical shape shifting water horse that lives in lochs and pools in Scotland. Andy Scott used Clydesdale Carnera horses as models (Source: www.thekelpies.co.uk) and both horses and stainless steel were chosen to reflect the industrial background of the location while the kelpie theme echoes the canals the area. I absolutely love The Kelpies.
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| The Kelpies |
