Scotland Archives - Rachel's Ruminations

Crathes Castle in Scotland

Rachel Heller — Sat, 15 Jun 2019 17:50:08 +0000

A so-called “tower house”, Crathes Castle in Scotland has been added to and changed over the centuries. First built in the mid-16th century, it was the home of the Burnett family of Leys, who lived there for over 300 years. It’s one of the 14 castles in Aberdeenshire worth visiting. Crathes Castle still has its...

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Dramatic Dunnottar Castle

Rachel Heller — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 11:32:42 +0000

As I wrote in my overview of Aberdeenshire castles, my expectation was that the Dunnottar Castle ruins would be worth about a half-hour’s visit. I’d seen photos, and its setting – on a cliff-edged finger of land extending out into the North Sea – made for some very dramatic photography. In those photos, however, it...

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Balmoral Castle tour: a review

Rachel Heller — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 13:39:13 +0000

If you’ve ever seen a film involving Queen Victoria, you’ve heard of Balmoral Castle. This is the place the queen used as her escape: her place in the country. She loved Scotland, and this location in Aberdeenshire is stunning, with its rolling hills and deep forests. Note added September 9, 2022: Queen Elizabeth died today....

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Craigievar Castle, Scotland

Rachel Heller — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 15:55:09 +0000

There’s something about the fact that Craigievar Castle in Aberdeenshire is pink that makes it conjure fairy-tale visions. Or maybe it’s that it’s taller than it is wide: think “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Either way, it’s an enchanting sight when you first spot it from a distance and do a double-take at its...

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Aberdeenshire castles worth visiting

Rachel Heller — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 23:52:08 +0000

Aberdeenshire, Scotland has dozens of castles, but many are them are either private or in ruins. Here are the 14 Aberdeenshire castles that are most worth seeing.

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Wick Heritage Museum, Scotland

Rachel Heller — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 13:09:19 +0000

The leaflet advertising the Wick Heritage Museum compares the museum to the TARDIS. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you’ll know exactly what that means: Doctor Who’s form of transportation, a blue police box (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), is bigger on the inside than the outside. Outside, the museum is small and unimpressive:...

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Dunrobin Castle, Scotland

Rachel Heller — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 12:32:53 +0000

In my last post – about the Scottish Highland heritage tour that I took with my friend, Kate – I mentioned Dunrobin Castle as one of our stops. In reality, we stopped there twice: once on the way north and again on the way south. The first time we tried to see Dunrobin, the electricity...

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A Scottish Highland Clearances tour

Rachel Heller — Fri, 23 Nov 2018 11:11:50 +0000

When I told my friend Kate that I was planning to visit my son in Aberdeen and spend a week exploring Scotland, she immediately wanted to come along. Kate has Scottish heritage and was curious to see some of the history of her family and why they left Scotland. Our trip turned into a wonderful...

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The Wallace Memorial and a travel blogger’s heart

Rachel Heller — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 08:22:17 +0000

My son has decided he wants to go to university in Scotland. After investigating the possibilities on line, he applied to five universities that offered the sort of program he was looking for. It didn’t really occur to him that perhaps he should consider other factors in his choice. Would he prefer an urban or a...

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