Day 5 in Scotland

The next day I took the bus back to the airport (very cheap from Ediburgh--about six pounds) and rented another car. This time I was heading to the lowlands, still hilly, but with a markedly different character than the area around Loch Ness.

First stop was Rosslyn Chapel, just south of Ediburgh. This is a small chapel covered with intricate carvings, many of which are linked to symbols from the Knights Templar. Very few tourist attractions can claim to have been transformed by a book. As the ending for the search for the Holy Grail in The Da Vinci Code, Rosslyn has become a bustling little landmark. The good news (according to the tour guide) is that they are five years ahead of their fundraising schedule due to the order of magnitude jump in visitors. The bad news is that the limestone carvings are in danger: unless the swell in tourists subsides, they might even have to limit the number of people coming into the chapel each year.

While heading to the south, I stopped at the Loch o' the Lowes to have some lunch. The area is far less green that the lochs farther north, but still a nice place to take a walk and admire the everpresent flocks of sheep.

The end of the day found me in the south of the country at Caerlaverock Castle. This castle dates back to the 13th century, and still has a water filled moat. On the grounds is also a working trebuchet. The castle belonged to a Catholic family, the Maxwells. Being on the border with England, it saw quite a bit of action, finally being abandoned in the 1600's after Protestant forces destroyed the south wall.

If touring the history of Scotland has taught me anything, it's an appreciation for the separation of church and state and the simple idea that multiple religions can exist peaceably in the same culture. For me that ranks pretty high on the list of good ideas that I wish would catch on worldwide.