Scotland Through the Eyes of a Historian
Scotland has a very long and colourful history which for the historian provides an endless list of things to see in this beautiful country. Those of us who have Scottish Ancestry have an even stronger connection to the country. I have travelled around Scotland and even worked there for a time and it is through this experience that I have come up with a list of places which I think are worth visiting.
THE MITCHELL LIBRARY IN GLASGOW
This has a lot of resource materials (free to use) in their family history centre. So if you are seeking to find out more about your Scottish ancestry then the Mitchell Library just has to be at the top of your list. Getting there is fairly straight forward. Get on the underground train from Glasgow Queen Street station and get off at Charing Cross. It is only one stop away.
CULLODEN BATTLEFIELD
This is the site of the last land battle on British soil in 1746. Situated near Inverness, it has a visitor centre and book shop. There is a walk way around the battle field. A local bus from Inverness will take you to Culloden.
HIGHLAND FOLK MUSEUM
The Highland Folk Museum is at Newtonmore, near Inverness. This is basically a reconstruction of an old Highland farmlet of the 1800s. It is free to enter but donations are welcome. Any train travelling between Inverness and Perth will stop at Newtonmore.
SPEYSIDE COOPERAGE
This is a working cooperage with a visitor centre. If one of your ancestors, like mine was a cooper by trade then a visit to the Speyside cooperage will be an interesting experience for you. To get there, take the bus or train from Inverness and get off at Forres and hop on a local bus to Aberlour.
WILLIAM WALLACE MONUMENT
The William Wallace Monument is in Stirling. It was built during the 1800s as a memorial to the Scottish Hero William Wallace who led the Scots to a famous victory over the English forces at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Getting there is as easy as taking a local bus to the monument.
STIRLING CASTLE
Stirling Castle is certainly well worth visiting if you are in the area. Battles have been fought over control of the castle. Most notably the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 where Robert the Bruce led the Scottish army to a famous victory over England. These are by no means the main places of interest available to the historian, it all depends on what you want to see but if you do your research before heading over to the UK then you are able to get the most out of your holiday.
Scotland through the eyes of a historian gives you insight into this fascinating country. There are so many historic sights to visit there. A lot of people travel to Scotland in order to further their genealogy research and hopefully this guide will be some use to you if you are one of those.
COMMENTS