The holiday involved a stopover in Hong Kong on the way out and on the way back. Just time enough to catch up with both my cousins and their families. We arrived in London and stayed with friends for a few days Then down to Chichester to catch up with family before travelling north.

We made an early morning start heading north. Arriving at our first stop in York just after mid day. We had a really nice time sightseeing around the city and capped it off with a ghost walk after dinner. Next day it was on to Edinburgh but only after stopping and visiting Hadrian’s Wall where the Roman Empire finished. They did go north into Scotland and Built Antonine’s Wall, but they accepted that it was too difficult to actually conquer Scotland.

In Scotland we stayed in Edinburgh 3 nights, then we drove to Scone Palace where the Kings and Queens of Scotland were crowned, before again catching up with a cousin in Aberdeen.

Next day we visited the Culloden Battlefield 1746. Historically this is seen as the end of the 1745 Rebellion where Jacobite supporters of Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charles, took up arms to reinstate the exiled Stuarts to the British Throne opposing the reign of William of Orange, a Hanoverian from Holland. After being defeated at the battle The Jacobites were hunted down. It is unknown how many people, mainly men from their early teens and upwards, were killed. The Crown also banned the language, the wearing of tartan and the playing of the Bagpipes.

We stayed the night in Inverness then next day took a leisurely drive down the road following the Caledonian Canal. Driving through the Great Glens is the most beautiful drive I have taken. You start from Inverness and drive alongside the Canal. Some facts – the canal cuts right through Scotland from Inverness in the north east to Loch Linnhe just past Fort William in the west. It’s 60 miles – 97 km – in length and connects four lochs. Loch Ness, Loch Oich, Loch Lochy and Loch Linnhe. Just outside of Fort William is Neptune’s Staircase, with its 8 locks and it takes 90 minutes for a boat to pass through.

As we drive down we stopped off and stayed the night at the Letterfinly lodge Hotel. We had a great night and woke up to a fantastic view looking right on to Loch Lochy from our room window.

We stayed with my brother in Stevenson but spent most of our time visiting family and friends in the Glasgow area. During our stay in Scotland we attended two weddings, my niece Lorna and David Swann’s wedding in Linwood, and my brother David and Caroline’s at Gretna Green’s famous Blacksmiths.

Before we left Scotland we visited Dumbarton Castle. For many years I thought it was just a huge rock – Dumbarton Rock. At different times the fort was used to house prisoners of war during the Napoleonic wars, WW1 and WW2. But there was a Roman fort there as part of the 16 forts of Antonine’s Wall. Built from AD 142. Total length is 63km or 39 miles.

Next stop was Bath in England. Home of the famous Roman indoor baths. The water from the spring there are hot and very sulphuric.

To keep going with the Roman theme we finish our holiday in England at Chichester, which I believe may have been the unofficial Roman Capital before Londinium, now London,

Had a great trip and topped it off catching up with my cousins in Hong Kong during our stopover to Perth.