Waverley Cruise and Scotland Travels

  Well, here it is mid-August  and we had been talking about taking a cruise on the Clyde for a few months now.  We finally made it on The Waverley, for its last voyage out of Helensburgh for the season.  

The Waverley is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world.  Built in 1946, it sailed from Craigendoran on the Firth of Clyde to Arrochar on Loch Long until 1973.  It was then bought by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (for £1) and restored to her 1947 glory.  She was built to replace a PS Waverley that was built in 1899 that served in the Second World War as a minesweeper and was sunk in 1940 while helping to evacuate troops from Dunkirk.  

 The engine room is in full public view and is quite an impressive, nostalgic sight to see. 

It is powered by a three-crank diagonal triple-expansion marine steam engine. 

We took the cruise to the first port, Dunoon.  We had briefly visited Dunoon last year and we thought we would enjoy spending a little more time exploring the area.  We spent the afternoon walking around town, browsing the shops and enjoying lunch at the local pub.  

We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the town and now it was time to head back to pier and cruise back to Helensburgh.

The end of August we had a friend visit from Florida, CJ's friend Robin.  Robin had been visiting her daughter in England and decided to come visit us for her first ever trip to Scotland. 

We enjoyed her first night here hanging out in Helensburgh, eating at our favorite restaurant, Mira Mare and ending the night watching the WV game (American Football) at the pub. 

Sunday we hit the road for a full packed "Taste of Scotland Adventure." 

Our first stop was the town of 
Aberfoyle, where we stopped for lunch.

Getting back on the road we headed to Port of Menteith, where we took a short boat ride to Inchmahome Priory.

 

 

The priory was established around 1238 by a small community of Augustinian canons.  The priory has a long history of receiving many notable guests.  King Robert the Bruce, King Robert II and Queen Mary, aged four, hidden here for a few weeks.  The author, socialist and nationalist politician Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham and his wife Gabriela Cunninghame Graham are buried in the priory.  In 1560, the Protestant Reformation effectively brought monastic life at Inchmahome to an end. 


Our next stop was the Deanston Distillery.  

Deanston Distillery started life in 1785 as a cotton mill and remained as such for 180 years until it was transformed into a distillery in 1966. The constant supply of pure water from the River Teith contributed to the decision to turn the mill into a distillery and Deanston is now the only distillery in Scotland to be self-sufficient in electricity, with power generated by an on-site hydro-energy facility.

After a tour and a wee tasting we were back on the road. 
Our next stop was Doune Castle

  Doune Castle was originally built in the 13th century, then damaged in the Scottish Wars of Independence, before being rebuilt in its present form in the late 14th century by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. 

 

 

 

 The castle is used in several television shows and movies;
  The 1952 historical film Ivanhoe which featured Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor,
 The set for "Winterfell" in the TV series Game of Thrones,
 The fictional "Leoch Castle" in the TV adaption of the Outlander series of novels,
and the British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The next stop was the Dunblane Cathedral.
Dunblane Cathedral is a fascinating building.  It stands on a site that has been sacred for well over one thousand years.

The Cathedral was once the seat of the bishops of Dunblane until the abolition of bishops after the Scottish Reformation.   

There are remains of the vaults of the episcopal palace to the south of the cathedral. 

The building is largely 13th century in date, though it incorporates an originally free-standing bell-tower of 11th century date on its south side.  This tower was increased in height in the 15th century, a change clearly visible in the color of the stonework, and in the late gothic style of the upper windows.

 Passing through Stirling on our way back home.
  

Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument

 CJ and Robin spent the next few days working in the garden, browsing through the shops in Helensburgh and hopping the train to Glasgow for lunch and yet more shopping.  (and a few stops at our favorite pub, The Ashton, per Robin's request) 

The 3 of us got up Thursday to head to the Edinburgh airport, Robin heading back to Florida and us heading to Prague.  

We hope that she enjoyed her first visit to Scotland, we truly enjoyed our time with her and look forward to having her as our guest again. 

Look for our next blog featuring our recent trip to Prague, Budapest and Vienna. 

Wishing our family and friends much love,
John and CJ