Scottish Tour Guide's Blog

Robert the Bruce Statue, Stirling

This evening, I am focusing one of Scotland’s key historical figures, namely King Robert the Bruce. The ‘Bruce’ was an instrumental figure in securing Scotland’s independence from England during medieval times and his legacy and ‘presence’ is encountered in course of various tours ranging from the Borders to Stirling. Here is a summary the life of Robert the Bruce:

• Born 1276 of Norman French descent, Originally paid homage to Edward I of England.
• Together with Red Comyn and others grew restive and plotted against the English.
• Bruce stabbed Comyn to death at Greyfriars Kirk, Dumfries in course of a quarrel. This resulted in excommunication by the Pope and a blood feud with the Comyns.
• Bruce had himself crowned King at Scone (Perth) on March 27th 1306.
• Bruce’s army suffered a major defeat by the English at Methven on June 20th 1306 following which Bruce went into hiding.
• Bruce returned in spring 1307 and commenced a guerrilla campaign against the English.
• English weakness resulted in Bruce controlling most of Scotland north of the Forth and Clyde by 1309.
• Bruce was recognised by the King of France and, in 1310, the Scottish Church also.
• Bruce invades and devastes northern England in 1311.
• Edward II marched against Bruce which resulted in a major victory for Bruce at Bannockburn on June 24th 1314 notwithstanding english superiority in numbers.
• Post Bannockburn, Bruce consolidtaes power in Scotland. Declaration of Arbroath signed April 1320 by scottish nobles.
• The Pope annuls Bruce’s excommnication.
• Traety of Peace between england and Scotland signed 1328 wich recognised Scotland as an independent country.
• Bruce’s baby son, David was married to Edward III’s little sister Joan.
• Bruce dies 1329 age 53 at Cardross, possibly of leprosy.

Here is the burial of Robert the Bruce at Dunfermline Abbey.

Burial Place of Robert the Bruce, Dunfermline

The heart of Robert the Bruce is buried at Melrose Abbey in the Scottish Borders.

Burial Place of Robert the Bruce's Heart, Melrose Abbey

Here is a statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn, site of famous battle in 1314 where the Bruce defeated a numerically superior English army.

Robert the Bruce Monument, Bannockburn, Central Scotland

Clearly, Robert the Bruce was one of the most influential figures in Scottish history.

This morning, I collected guests from Caledonian Hilton, Edinburgh and then proceeded as follows:

First to Dunfermline Abbey Church whose foundation dates from 1072. This is an interesting site comprising (a) the ruined Abbey (b) ruined former Royal Palace (c) the Abbey Church which is an active place of worship (Presbyterian) and location of burial of Scotland’s King Robert The Bruce (14th C). Effectively, this site was the capital of Scotland until 1603 when King James VI of Scotland moved to London to become King of England as well. We viewed all the principal aspects and availed of the scenic views towards the Firth of Forth.

Scottish Thistles at Dunfermline, Scotland

Dunfermline Abbey Church, Dunfermline, Scotland

Dunfermline Abbey, Dunfermline, Scotland

Next to central Scotland. First we stopped at Birnam to walk along the banks of the River Tay and visit the Birnam Oak. Then to the Beatrix Potter Garden and Exhibition.

River Tay, Birnam, Scotland

Birnam Oak, River Tay, Scotland

Next to nearby Dunkeld to have lunch at the Atholl Arms and then a walk down to visit the Cathedral and back along the bank of the Tay to the car.

Atholl Fountain, Dunkeld, Scotland

River Tay at Dunkeld, Scotland

Next a short trip up the A9 to Ossian’s Hall. We walked along the banks of the River Braan and then reached the stunning Falls of Braan  which provided  some good photo opps.

Falls of Braan, Dunkeld, Scotland

Next we continued north to Blair Castle, a popular visitor attraction and seat of the Duke of Atholl. Guests toured the interior which took about 1 hour.

Blair Castle, Blair Atholl, Scotland

After the visit to Blair Castle we drove north for about 90 mins to Inverness, capital of the Highlands and our lodgings for the night at a guest house on the banks of the River Ness.

Inverness, capital lof the Highlands, Scotland

This morning we departed our Dunfermline lodgings at 9.00am and then drove for about 45 mins to Rosslyn Chapel, about 7 miles south of Edinburgh. This small church dates from the 15th century and took 40 years to complete. It is famous for (a) quality and intensity of the stone carvings which adorn the interior and (b) connection with Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. Latter has been double edged in that visitor numbers have multiplied since release of film and book swamping facilities at the Chapel whilst on the plus side the increased revenue has proved of great help in funding the on-going repair and remediation work.

At Rosslyn we joined in the 10.00am tour which lasted about 30 mins and gave a useful and well informed overview of the 600 years of history associated with the chapel which today remains a living place of worship as part of the Scottish Episcopalian Church. Unfortunately, no photographs are permitted inside.

Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, Scotland

Next we journeyed south for an hour to Melrose Abbey, one of the famous ‘Border Abbeys’. As will evident form the images below, Melrose is a romantic ruin. The building originally dates from the 12th century but suffered extensive damage during English invasions of Scotland during the wars of independence and later with the final coup de grace being the Reformation of the late 16th century. In the Abbey grounds is buried the heart of King Robert the Bruce. The romantic author, Sir Walter Scott was also associated with the Abbey.

Heart of Robert the Bruce, Melrose Abbey, Scotland

Melrose Abbey, Borders, Scotland

We enjoyed a spot of lunch at Melrose (sitting outdoors) and then continued our journey south to Lockerbie and our lodgings at Queens Hotel from where I am writing this post.

Restaurant, Melrose, Scotland

Queens Hotel, Lockerbie, Scotland

Below I have posted some general images of Lockerbie town centre taken this evening. Lockerbie is perhaps best known for the terrorist attack of 1988  when Pan Am 103 exploded over the town with resulting huge loss of life. Today, the town centre is somewhat ‘mixed’ with some retail premises boarded up.

Lockerbie Town Centre, Scottish Borders

Lockerbie Town Centre, Scottish Borders

Tomorrow, we tour important sites connected with Clan Armstrong.