We awoke to a clear blue sky on this last day of our fifth
trip to Scotland. Folks we met on the
River Cruise in 2014, Alison and Murdoch Hunter, picked us up mid-morning and
off we went for a day’s adventure.
Murdoch did all the driving!!!
Great news for Dan.
Our first stop was in Largs, at the Vikingar exhibit. Vikingar means “sea pirate” an apt
description of the Viking warriors.
Inside we found a model Viking longhouse, in which we found many
artifacts depicting the Viking life. A
tour guide gave a remarkable presentation of daily life. His presentation was followed by a short
movie telling of the Viking history in Largs, culminating in the great battle
of Largs in 1263 when the Norwegian king brought upwards 20000 Viking warriors in
warships to firmly establish his control over mainland western Scotland. But the Vikings were unable to gain a
foothold, as the Scots were able to hold them off until winter broke and a
storm destroyed many of the warships.
This ended the Norwegian influence in Scotland (except in Shetland and
Orkney where the Norse still ruled) as after the king of Norway died that year,
his son was uninterested in continuing the battle and three years later signed a
treaty with the Scot king.
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| The monument to the Battle of Largs |
After a delightful lunch (our last authentic fish and chips)
we headed to Alloway, the birthplace of Robert Burns. Here we saw the cottage in which he was born,
complete with many artifacts from the time; also nearby is the Robert Burns Birthplace
Museum, which houses many, many papers, books, poems, music, and artifacts from
Burn’s short life-- 1759-1796. It’s pretty amazing all the paper materials
that have survived from that time. One
of his most famous poems, Tamer o’Shanter is depicted both by a willow statue
outside, and a series of excellent wood-carvings inside.
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| A recessed bed chamber in kitchen with baby gowns for each of the four siblings. |
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| The byre, an indoor barn where animals were brought for feeding and milking. |
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| The kitchen, where Robert was also tutored by John Murdoch. Reading tablets below. |
Finally we stopped at a four-star hotel in which Alison and
Murdoch’s daughter held her wedding reception.
It’s a hotel at the site of the Scottish Open golf tournament and we sat
on the patio overlooking part of the golf course and of course the sparkling
ocean water between mainland Scotland and the Isle of Arran. We shared some drinks, sat and talked about
family and life and how much we enjoyed our visit. Alison & Murdoch shared their experiences in WWII which gave us an in-person reflection on that difficult time. Our connection with them, after meeting them
only once previous was immediate and powerful. We were immensely grateful to
them and really enjoyed our visit and the sunny weather.
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| View from hotel patio, Isle of Arran in distance. |
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