Castles and Highlands
August 23, 2026
This week I fulfilled a long‑held bucket list dream: attending the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. In this case, a “tattoo” isn’t ink on your skin but an outdoor military pageant—full of music, precision, and spectacle. To make it happen, I booked a tour that included the Tattoo along with several other activities.
August is an extraordinarily busy time in Edinburgh. The Tattoo runs for three weeks, the
Edinburgh Festival lasts the entire month, and the Fringe Festival—where up‑and‑coming performers showcase their talents—also takes over the city. Hotel rooms are scarce and expensive, so our group stayed outside Edinburgh in the small town of Dunblane. Dunblane is technically a city because it has a bishop and therefore a cathedral. On Sunday, I took the train there to meet the group.
Monday morning, we headed out—not to Edinburgh, but to Stirling. Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most important fortresses.
Both William Wallace and King Robert the Bruce fought and defeated the English here. Several Stuart monarchs lived at Stirling Castle as well, including Mary, Queen of Scots, and James VI. When Queen Elizabeth I of England died, James VI of Scotland became James I of England.
A fun Scottish fact: because Elizabeth I was never queen of Scotland, the late Queen Elizabeth II is considered Elizabeth I of Scotland. The Scots insist they never had a Queen Elizabeth until the recent one.
Stirling Castle was fascinating. The Queen’s rooms are decorated as they would have
been in the 1550s. There’s a display showing how tapestries were made, and the kitchen is set up as it would have been several hundred years ago—you can even get recipes for swan or wild boar. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to see either the tapestry or kitchen exhibits, but I hope to return. The castle gives a vivid sense of what life might have been like centuries ago.
After a long, steep walk into Stirling, I stopped for lunch at Costa, a coffee shop much like Starbucks. I’m beginning to frequent Costa quite often. Then it was off to Edinburgh—just as the sprinkles began.
We arrived in Edinburgh around 4:00 p.m., and the rain was getting heavier. We had about four hours to find dinner and entertain ourselves. Edinburgh is very hilly, and I was concerned about walking down wet cobblestones. Falling is dangerous for elderly people like me. After looking around, I found a set of stairs that took me safely down to a lower level.
I found a restaurant on Victoria Terrace, an elevated pedestrian walkway built above the rooftops. Sitting under a large outdoor umbrella gave me a wonderful view of the streets below. I lingered over my meal as long as possible, but eventually I surrendered the table.
With a couple of hours still to go before the Tattoo, I wandered from shop to shop looking for souvenirs. I bought a few small items—I didn’t want to carry anything bulky into the performance.
Time passed, and I joined the line to enter Edinburgh Castle, where the Tattoo is held. My seat was high up, which gave me an excellent view. By now the rain was pouring, and I was soaked despite my raincoat and hat. Thankfully, my waterproof Keene shoes performed perfectly—I can recommend them. The rain finally stopped about a third of the way through the show.
The performance was outstanding. It opened and closed with the march of massed
bagpipers and drummers. Military bands and drill teams from Germany, Qatar, New Zealand, the U.S. Army Field Band, and the UK RAF all performed. Scottish lasses danced the Scottish fling and other dances. Part of the program included a salute to the USA’s 250th anniversary. It was a surprise when the Qatar band played “Stars and Stripes Forever” and the New Zealand band played “I Did It My Way” by Frank Sinatra.
It was an excellent pageant, though the weather and nighttime lighting meant I got few good pictures. If you’d like to see it—at least in part—check YouTube for Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2026.
We returned to Dunblane soaked, tired, and facing an early wake‑up call. Still, it had been a wonderful day, and I was glad I had done it.
Tuesday morning, we headed into the Highlands. The scenery was glorious. In Aviemore, we boarded a historic train and enjoyed about an hour’s ride deeper into the Highlands.
Our next stop was the Kinrara gin distillery. Since I had never tasted gin, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to the tour. Instead of touring vats and bottling equipment, we went straight to the sampling room. The tasting was surprisingly educational. We sampled five types of gin—I had no idea there were so many. We drank small samples straight, and I didn’t care for any of them. When tonic or other mixers
Gin were added—including once a frozen blueberry—the gin tasted better, but I can still name at least twenty drinks I prefer.
I was fascinated by the bottles. A Scottish artist designed labels featuring animals of
Scotland made from the vegetation used in each gin. The bottles were beautiful. I didn’t buy any gin, but I would have bought pillow covers or tea towels with those animal designs. Unfortunately, although they were supposed to have them, they didn’t.
The tour ended Wednesday. It had been delightful—if soggy. I returned to Aberdeen, including changing trains for the first time.
Once home, I realized just how tired I was. I rested for the next two days. I think I’m getting old and simply can’t push myself the way I used to. The rest of the week was spent doing what needed to be done, but nothing more. I can’t do everything I once did, but I fully intend to enjoy where I am.
Aberdeen Weather: Sunny
High: 65 F (18 C) Low: 53 F (12 C)
Sunrise: 5:51 Sunset: 8:29 (20:29)
Hours of Daylight: 14 hours and 38 minutes
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