“My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here;/ My heart’s in the
Highlands a-chasing the deer;/ Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe;/
My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.” – Robert Burns, from My Heart’s in the Highlands
Only one of our first two days on the Scottish mainland was in the highlands, visiting Invergordon on the Firth of Cromarty. I'd abandoned my intended excursion to Loch Ness in order to spend the morning walking around town and around the firth. (I checked with those who went to the loch--no monster sightings.) Georgian architecture predominates on the High Street of the town, though many of the business fronts lie empty these days. Nevertheless, the half-dozen or so oil platforms in the harbor bear witness to the influx of oil money bringing Invergordon back to prosperity. And that prosperity is apparent in the more modern cottages and pristine playing fields that fill the immediate outskirts of the town center.
Despite the closed buildings, civic pride is evident throughout the city, where the sides of many buildings boast murals painted by residents and visiting artists. The parade of murals makes any walk through Invergordon well worth the effort.
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| Street mural in Invergordon |
Our next Scotland call was to the port of Rosyth on the Firth of Forth, gateway to the Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh and my favorite name for a body of water. The ship will be re-visiting the Edinburgh area next month, and we have special plans for that call, so this time I took a bus north to spend the day in St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf.
No, I am not a golfer, but I have heard of the beauty of the city and the storied history of its role in the growth of the sport of golfing, and so felt the need to see it. And it did not disappoint. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, was a disciple of Christ who himself was crucified. He was, however, crucified in a sideways position, and thus the flag of Scotland shows a sideways cross to honor its patron saint.
The city itself is filled with magnificent buildings, many dating back for centuries. The ruins of its cathedral, laid waste by severe gales and even more severe wars, give every indication of a once-magnificent edifice.
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Cathedral ruins
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And, though the cathedral is long gone, having been finally destroyed in the Reformation as John Knox stood in the pulpit of the nearby Protestant church and fired up the crowd into a mob that proceeded to destroy this Catholic structure, its cemetery has continued in use over the years. Among the graves are those of two famous golfers, "Old Tom" Morris, and his son "Young Tom" Morris, both of whom were four-time winners of the British Open and are venerated figures in St. Andrews, even though Tommy lived only to the age of 24.
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| Old Tom Morris' grave |
The University of St. Andrews is woven throughout the city, rather than set aside on a single campus, and is an integral part of the city's life.
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| University building on the high street |
But the dominant factor of St. Andrews is golf, with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club and The Old Course dominating the bay-front area. Here is the mecca of golfers everywhere, as they test out their skills on the putting green and proceed to the 18 holes. During the 15 minutes that I watched putting practice, not a single putt was sunk, as the tricky lie of the course deceived each golfer into mis-aiming.
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Swilken Bridge, in front of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club,
on the Old Course at St. Andrews |
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What St Andrews doorway is complete
without a bootscraper? |
And a fun fact I didn't know: the running scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed on the beach fronting the Old Course.
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Can you see Ben Cross running along this beach?
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