Stirling Castle sits high atop a hill with commanding views all around of Scotland below. This castle was the key to holding power in old Scotland. Whoever held the Castle, held Scotland. The first known castle was in 1110, and subsequent kinds and queens added on to this complex structure. It was sieged at least eight times, with the last siege being 1746, when Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart, who was a pretender to the throne) tried and failed to take the castle. More or less peaceful occupation occurred after that date.
Yet intrigue swirled around the castle--Mary, Queen of Scots, was at Stirling Castle as an infant until she was taken to France for her safety, returning to the castle in 1562. Mary was traveling from Stirling Castle when she was abducted by the Earl of Bothwell, beginning the chain of events that led to her forced abdication and her flight to England seeking protection from Queen Elizabeth I. However, Queen Elizabeth feared Mary had a more rightful claim to Elizabeth's own throne and kept Mary in various castles under her watchful protection until finally imprisoning Mary, then eventually beheading poor Mary.
This family of swans swam past our ship as it prepared to sail away:
I tasted haggis on shipboard for the first time--spicy and well flavored but the texture was a bit gooey. Lizzie wouldn't try it.
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