The next two days of my trip were spent in Stirling and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Starting out the first morning in Dunblane, I had a Scottish breakfast at the hotel before heading to Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is incredibly important to Scottish History, with Stirling serving as the gateway to the Highlands. Stirling Castle featured in Robert the Bruce’s victory in the Battle of Bannockburn, and it was also the location where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned. Later, it served as a military fortress.
I spent the morning wandering around the castle, walking the walls, wandering into the great hall, chambers, and chapel, and generally learning more about Scotland’s history and the role of the castle within it.
The castle had changed purposes over the years, and so much of the original decoration no longer existed. The most interesting thing I learned about in relation to the castle’s original decor was the Stirling Heads, wooden carvings of mythic heroes and important contemporary Scottish lords and ladies which were mounted on the ceiling to create an impressive array. Although many of those displayed in the castle are replicas, including those mounted on the ceiling itself, there were some originals. And, replicas or not, they made for an impressive sight.
After the castle, I took a quick tour around the city and also stopped to get a good view of the castle before moving on to the site of the Battle of Bannockburn, where they gave an interesting history tour experience. After a glimpse at the Bannockburn monument, I headed out toward Loch Lomond.
Loch Lomond is immortalized in the song by the same name (also titled “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”). I took a boat tour out onto the lake, seeing some old houses, islands, and ruins. When the tour was over, I grabbed some fish and chips from the local chippy and took the meal along with me as I drove up the side of the lake. I drove clear around the top of the lake, stopping to see a few viewpoints and two waterfalls. As I drove out of the realm of the lake, back to Stirling, I also passed a few other lakes. I got back around 9:30 and had some more time to do some homework.
The next morning, I woke up bright and early, getting myself ready for the wedding. The wedding was, after all, the whole purpose of visiting Scotland. My friend Anna, who I went to Trinity College Dublin with, had visited this lake while we were living in Ireland. She told me about how it was the most beautiful place she’d ever visited, and I wanted an excuse to get there one day. When she invited me to her wedding at that very same lake over six years later, I was beyond excited to celebrate the day with her in the locale.
After breakfast, I checked out of my hotel and drove to see the Wallace Monument before the day began. Because I was already cutting it close on my other plans, I opted not to go up to the monument and only took photos of it in from the parking lot, hoping that I’d have time to get back before I left. Then I started driving to the Lake of Menteith, where the wedding was to be held.
Now, one of the selling points for Anna was that this lake had an island in the middle, and on the island were the ruins of an old priory. It had been open when she’d gone, but between Covid and an Osprey nesting pair, the island and the priory ruins had been closed for 4 years. Luckily, they’d opened up recently, and I was able to take the short boat trip to the island (in my wedding getup) to see the ruins.
I caught the first boat of the day. I only had about 45 minutes on the island. I could’ve stayed longer and caught a later boat back, but the 45 minutes between our boat arriving and the first return boat heading out was the perfect amount to spend exploring the priory and quickly walking around the island before the wedding. I had a great time wandering through the ruins and reading about various parts of the buildings. Then I hopped back into my car, drove the three miles to my hotel, checked in early (thankfully they were understanding about the fact that I didn’t know when the wedding would end), and then drove back to the hotel where the wedding was hosted (right next to where I’d caught the boat earlier). I had about 45 minutes until the ceremony started, so I did some final touches to my makeup, and then it was time for the ceremony to start.
We gathered outside of the hotel, on the lawn facing the lake, the island, and the priory. It was a short ceremony, with the groom and his groomsmen lining up in their custom kilts, the bridesmaids in their green dresses and custom tartan sashes eventually making their way down the aisle before the bride, wearing a pale lilac dress she’d sewn herself, finally made her way out to stand beside her groom. They did a Scottish ceremony, quick and to the point, promising their marriage vows before the guests and signing the marriage license right there.
Then it was time for the party. Pictures first, then dinner, and finally dancing. I didn’t know anyone at the wedding besides the bride, so some of the wedding party and the photographer befriended me. I was also finally able to meet the groom for the first time, after years of just missing him when they visited Chicago. Cake and one final round of food, and I turned in around 8:30. It was earlier than I’d normally leave a wedding, but things were winding down and I had a long drive ahead of me the next day.
WANDERING 