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Palace of Holyroodhouse (Edinburgh)
by ilovemycat
I visited Edinburgh for the first time last week. It's an interesting and beautiful city, famous for it's Royal Mile, which begins with Edinburgh Castle towering high up on a bluff above town and ending down in the valley with the Queen's official residence in Scotland, Holyrood Palace.
I've been to a number of palaces and ... castles over the years, in several different countries. I love history but to be honest they're usually much of a muchness, and Holyrood was no exception. In short - it looks beautiful on the outside, with wonderful architecture, high walls, turrets, and ornate fountains. All of this is set among wonderfully manicured gardens (although these weren't actually open when I visited, due to it being winter time).
The inside, however, can be looked at in two different ways. One is as a succession of large, beautifully decorated rooms with near priceless works of art adorning every wall. The other is as a succession of large, empty rooms filled with musty furniture with faded seat covers, and decorated with crusty, faded tapestries and cracked, barely visible paintings.
Holyrood is a working palace, and if we could see some of the Queen's living chambers it would have been worth it. Of course we didn't, the audio guide instead leading us through a succession of increasingly large banquet, audience and ceremonial chambers, all complete with their ancient fittings as described above. A couple of videos showed us how it might look when the Queen was in session, but on a regular visiting day all there is to look at is the other customers.
It was the audio guide that made it for me. Without it I would have quickly lost interest, having been round such similar places before. However, it filled me in with enough detail and historical background to genuinely gain my interest. The only downside was that there were no headphones - you had to hold it against your ear, quickly inducing forearm-ache. Luckily I was able to offset this utter stupidity of design with the headphones from my I-pod. It was available in several different languages.
Probably the most interesting parts were the chambers of Mary Queen of Scots. Inside the dark, gloomy bedchamber with her original bed still on view behind protective glass, we could hear all about the killing of her Italian servant by her then husband, which started off a chain of events that sent her life spiralling downhill towards eventual imprisonment and death.
At 14.50 tickets were a bit pricy. However, this includes 3 pounds for entry into the Queen's Gallery adjacent to the gift shop, which is basically a collection of official photos of the Royal Family. To be honest, it was a bit of a rip off and is easily missable unless you really want to see lots of pictures of the Queen as a young woman. Also included in the price is 3 pounds for the audio guide - but I would recommend getting it.
Opening information (borrowed from The Royal Collection website) -
The Palace is open daily
1 November - 31 March
09:30-16:30 (last admission 15:30)
1 April to 31 October
09:30-18:00 (last admission 17:00)
17 March 2011
09:30-13:30 (last admission 12:30)
The Palace is closed
22 April 2011
17 May - 3 June 2011
22 June - 8 July 2011
27-31 July 2011
25-26 December 2011
During Royal Visits
For anyone visiting Edinburgh it's pretty much a must see, but I would also recommend buying your souvenirs in the gift shop here. They were expensive, but the quality was far higher than the usual tourist tat you find at such places. The china and cutlery in particular were very beautiful.
Thank you for reading and rating. I'll be posting this review on my headofwords Ciao page in the next couple of days, complete with some pictures I took as I don't think you can upload them here. Check it out if you're interested.
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Muiravonside Country Park (Linlithgow)
by steves001
Muiravonside Country Park is a former family estate of some 170 acres in the Falkirk Council area and close to the historic West Lothian town of Linlithgow (East Central Scotland). It has a number of special attractions that seem to have been drawing a large number of visitors recently.
~~Ducks, aquaducts and ... viaducts~~
The park is particularly popular with young families for its farm, which is open to the public all year round and has an interesting range of exotic livestock on display, including a duckpond. It also features splendid riverside walks and open vistas of the countryside beyond, with the nearby Avon aqueduct, Union Canal and a major railway viaduct.
We've been frequent visitors to the park for several decades. When our daughter was quite young we enjoyed occasional trips to the farm. I particularly recall the pigs and piglets. Slightly later, I remember flying kites in the high meadows there (with somewhat mixed success). Nowadays, we mainly go to walk the dog, rarely having to follow the same route twice. There are footpaths through open parkland, woodland, gardens and steep slopes down to the [River] Avon Gorge: plenty of variety for all.
This year (2011) you can take part in badger watches in the park, and there's also a 'doocot' - a dovecot with beautiful white doves which you can see at any time next to the children's play area, adjacent to the visitor centre and tea shop.
~~Access to the park~~
Muiravonside seems to be gaining in popularity recently, with parking in the main park now less easy at peak times in season. The farm is very close to the car park and there are a couple of disabled spaces both here and at the visitor centre, which is not far away.
There is normally a wooded area where you can park close to the main entrance, before the main car park, but this is currently out of action owing (I believe) to ongoing maintenance work. I'd recommend visiting outside peak times, if at all possible. The park is open during the day all year round and up to 8.30 pm from April to September; the farm is open all year from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm.
~~Key amenities~~
* Newparks Farm
* Nature trails
* Visitor centre
* Tea shop ('Steading Café')
* Children's play area
* Picnic areas
* Barbecue area
* Toilets
~~Nearby attractions~~
* Kinneil Estate & Museum
* Callendar House and Park
* Blackness Castle
* Linlithgow Palace & Peel
* Beecraigs Country Park
~~Verdict~~
A great place for the kids and for varied walks (with or without the dog). Highlights include the farm, stunning views of industrial archaeology and the steep slopes of the [River] Avon Gorge.
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Address:
Muiravonside Country Park
The Loan
By Linlithgow
EH49 6LN
Telephone: 01506 845311
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~~Footnote: 'Avon calling'~~
'Which Avon?', you may well ask. Nowt Shakespearean, that's for sure! The name 'Avon' is generic, an ancient Brythonic word for a river. Local pronunciations seem to vary.
~~Related links~~
* Falkirk Online : www.falkirkonline.net/ - details of all major attractions in the area
* Linlithgow (Undiscovered Scotland) : www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/linlithgow/linlithgow/
[© SteveS001, 2011. A version of this original review may be found on other review sites]
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Kinneil Estate Park (Bo'ness)
by steves001
Kinneil Estate is a large public park in Bo'ness, West Lothian. The park contains extensive woodland areas and grounds surrounding the historic Kinneil House. Its main points of interest include ancient Roman and medieval remains, plus a cottage where the inventor James Watt conducted experiments, in addition to the house itself and a ... fine little museum.
Situated just to the south west of the town (properly 'Borrowstounness') near Falkirk and Linlithgow in east central Scotland, Kinneil is quite easily accessible from the capital, Edinburgh. Visitors to the area will find enough of interest here to make a slight detour from the better known tourist attractions in this part of the world.
Part of the UNESCO Antonine Wall World Heritage Site, the park has good signage and well maintained paths throughout. It's very popular with regular walkers and dogwalkers. Indeed, Falkirk Council even organises informal health walks here under its 'Step Forth' scheme, which I can personally recommend.
Along with the nearby Beecraigs and Callendar Park, which I've also reviewed recently, Kinneil has been one of my favourite haunts for many years now. There's always something new to see and learn here too!
I don't propose to duplicate the excellent information which you can find from the websites listed below; but it is worth noting the main highlights, as these may not be quite as well known as they should be.
~~Museum and antiquities~~
Kinneil Museum and visitor centre is located close to Kinneil House, in a former (17th century) stables building. The centre is open afternoons Monday to Saturday, admission free.
There are a few parking spaces outside or it's just a few minutes walk from a larger car park at busier times (rare).
The ground floor reception area contains a limited number of displays, posters, leaflets and sale items. On the first floor of the museum, the main exhibition "2000 Years of History" covers the story of the park from the time of the Roman occupation, through medieval times to the 21st century. Other displays include wildlife in the park and numerous artefacts. A helpful and informative curator is there to advise and an educational activity area is also available, along with an audiovisual presentation which I still look forward to viewing in full...
Key archaeological remains and antiquities covered in the museum and clearly signposted in the park with interpretation boards:
* Antonine Wall, now part of UNESCO's 'Frontiers of the Roman Empire' World Heritage Site
* Roman fortlet
* Medieval church and village site
* Outbuilding used as a workshop by James Watt, with Newcomen boiler
~~Kinneil House~~
With a 15th century tower, Kinneil House was largely rebuilt as a stately home for the Dukes of Hamilton in the 1660s. Most of the year it is only possible to view the exterior but it is open on selected days for free guided tours, organised by Historic Scotland and the Friends of Kinneil.
Full details are available from the museum or online.
More about the museum, house and church: http://kinneil.wordpress.com/attractions/
~~Visiting the park~~
Access is easy by car and the park is close to the town. Parking is never much of a problem, though spaces near the house and museum are at a premium. I recommend the Provost Road car park from which it's just a short distance to the house and museum.
Address & Contact information
Kinneil Museum
Duchess Anne Cottages
Bo'Ness
EH51 0PR
Tel. 01506 778 530
[See also web links below]
~~Other resources and facilities~~
* Extensive woodland walks
* Ponds with wildfowl
* Children's play area
* Toilets including disabled access
~~Nearby attractions~~
* Scottish Railway Preservation Society Bo'ness and Kinneil line
* Bo'ness Hippodrome - One of the oldest purpose-built cinemas, now beautifully refurbished
* Birkhill Fireclay Mine
* Bo'ness Motor Museum
* Blackness Castle
* Linlithgow Palace & Peel
* Beecraigs Country Park
* Callendar House and Park
* West Lothian Golf Club
~~Verdict~~
Plenty to see and do at Kinneil and surrounding area, particularly during the House open days (check with the museum or online).
~~Footnote: the Wall~~
For those who may be interested, the Antonine Wall formed the northern border of the Roman Empire from AD 142 to AD 160. Unlike Hadrian's Wall, which it replaced, Antonine's wall is less evident, as it was largely earthworks with a stone foundation and sadly much of it has disappeared over the centuries.
~~Related links~~
* Kinneil Estate website : www.kinneil.org.uk - includes a virtual tour of the house and a free calendar, plus details of Open Days
* Falkirk Council : www.falkirk.gov.uk/home.aspx - contains information about the park and museum
* Falkirk Online : www.falkirkonline.net - details of all major attractions in the area
* Bo'ness and Kinneil Steam Railway : www.srps.org.uk/railway
* Bo'ness Hippodrome : www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome
* Birkhill Fireclay Mine : www.srps.org.uk/related/mine.htm
* West Lothian Golf Club : www.westlothiangc.com
* Historic Scotland : www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
* Visit Scotland : www.visitscotland.com
[© SteveS001, 2011. The original version of this review is on the Ciao site, under the same name, plus photos]
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