Scotland 2018: Day 8

Day 8  The Highlands are magnificent. It rained most of the afternoon, but we got lucky with good weather in the morning. The first stop of the day was the Blair Athol Distillery. We were asked to turn off our phones for safety reasons - seems the fumes can interact with the electronics risking explosions.   At the end of the tour we had a wee dram of the Blair Athol 12 year which was really good. 

Next up on our tour was Wallace Monument. It was built for Sir William Wallace (of “Braveheart” fame) who was hung, drawn and quartered by the English in 1305. There was a breathtaking view from the 67 m high Victorian monument. Each level of The Monument is accessed by a spiral staircase, with 246 steps to the top of the tower. That is a long way up!  And a long way down!  

The final castle visit of the day was Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most magnificent, built on a rocky outcrop and commanding a view for many miles around. It was built as an almost impregnable fortification, particularly important during the Wars of Independence in the 1300s. But it was also an important and luxurious royal palace.  This visit provided us with insight into the life of Scotland’s royal court, especially that of James V.
 

Our final destination today was to Arrochar where we checked into our hotel and ended the day with Esther and Cindy handing out our annual traveler awards including one to our guide Conor.  Cindy and Esther do a great job and there was non-stop laughter. Before we called it a night, we enjoyed a fun filled dinner together as a group in our hotel.