Anyway, during the summer I went away with my family to Scotland, I love it there as it's so quiet and the scenery is stunning. We spent a week near the Moray Firth (saw many a dolphin ;D) and a week in a more rural area near Scourie. So I just thought I'd blog about some of the historical places/things that I got up to!The first was to receive my AS results via text (never a good idea whilst in rural Scotland where the signal is terrible!), and I was so happy to have got the A I needed in History. I blogged earlier on the two exams and I said the Tudor one was worse, and guess what!? I got full marks on that paper! =0. Crazy. I should never try and judge what I'm going to get as I am nearly always wrong.
Anyhoo, the first place we visited was Fort George, a military fortification very close to Inverness. It is opposite Chanonry Point which is where people go to see the dolphins. It was quite expensive to get in, but I found it interesting all the same. There are little rooms to go in which each have little plaques etc to read and which tell you about military life. Having done some background research I have found that it is the largest military fortification in Britain and possibly in Europe too. It was built in 1745 during the aftermath of the Jacobite rising in the Scottish highlands, and not yet been attacked to this day. It is now used as a Garrison or base for many soldiers, meaning they live there full time! I found this strange to see soldiers walking around dressed in uniform and to think that that is their everyday setting. Quite a historic home they have there! =D. Overall Fort George is definitely worth the visit, the only thing I would say is leave yourself time to look around fully. For example we went late in the day and so didn't have chance to completely explore, this wasn't helped by the fact that the dolphins in the Firth decided to put on a show, which admittedly distracted us all! It is a massive place and is apparently the only historic place in Scotland still being used as was intended when it was built.
Here's the description from the website;
Following the 1746 defeat at Culloden of Bonnie Prince Charlie, George II created the ultimate defence against further Jacobite unrest. The result, Fort George, is the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not Europe. Its garrison buildings, artillery defences bristling with cannon, and superb collection of arms – including bayoneted muskets, pikes, swords and ammunition pouches – provide a fascinating insight into 18th century military life.Positioned strategically on a promontory jutting into the Moray Firth, Fort George was intended as an impregnable army base – designed on a monumental scale using sophisticated defence standards. Today, it would cost nearly £1 billion. Within almost a mile of boundary walls was accommodation for a governor, officers, artillery detachment, and a 1600-strong infantry garrison. It also housed a magazine for 2,500 gunpowder barrels, ordnance and provision stores, a brewhouse and chapel. When the fortress was completed in 1769, the Highlands were peaceful but it was maintained in readiness for action that never came, and has remained virtually unaltered. Visitors today can see historic barrack rooms which are a time capsule of the domestic life of the Scottish soldier.
So that was Fort George. We also went to Loch Ness for the day and visited the exhibition there. It was actually really interesting but I have no idea how the Germans stood next to me managed to understand it as it was full of scientific jargon and I found it difficult! But then again their English was no doubt amazing. The exhibition made me realise how many so-called 'sightings' there have actually been of the 'monster'. In fact, there was actually a official surveillance team who investigated the Loch during the 60's and 70's! The most famous picture of the 'monster' is "The Surgeon's Photograph" from 1934, showing what appears to be a dinosaur like creature. Overall I did enjoy the exhibition but it could have been more interactive, for example my younger brother found it boring as he didn't understand the commentary. I, however found it very informative as I didn't really know anything about Nessie, having only seen the film 'Water Horse' as a child =P. Cool cool. So that's it for this blog post, thanks for reading and hope you found something to be of interest. I am going on a school History trip to Hadrian's Wall this Thursday to Friday, so will try and blog about that at the weekend. Then next week I will blog more about my holiday, as I visited a few more castles etc. Thanks for reading!
Over and out.
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