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Treasures of Scotland

from Dream Escape Magazine | Summer 2023

from Dream Escape Magazine | Summer 2023, page 22

Cromlix House gets a makeover

To celebrate the recently launched UNESCO Trail north of the border, Dream Escape gives the lowdown on all you need to know about Scotland’s six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, from a remarkable Neolithic village to breathtaking coastal wonders.

The Antonine Wall

The most northerly frontier of the Roman Empire, the aweinspiring Antonine Wall was the last frontier wall the Romans ever built – and one of the best. Stretching for 60km from modern Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde in central Scotland, it was a remarkable feat of engineering, built mainly out of turf and punctuated by 17 forts plus additional fortlets.

Emperor Antoninus Pius was the man behind this great landmark. He commissioned the wall around AD 142, which took 12 years to complete. Although its illustrious sibling Hadrian’s Wall often steals the spotlight, the Antonine Wall was of great importance, not only for guarding the territory but as a shining example of the Roman

Empire’s might and authority, with 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers stationed along the wall. Despite the wall’s magnitude, it was only occupied for around eight years before being abandoned in the AD 160s when the Romans fled south. In 2008, the Antonine Wall was recognised by UNESCO. Today, the landscape is perfect for a rambling adventure, with traces of forts, ramparts and ditches, all accompanied by spectacular rolling views.

Heart of Neolithic Orkney

The beautiful archipelago of Orkney in the far north, with its idyllic sandy beaches, spectacular wildlife and stunning coastal scenery, never fails to captivate. But what really sets these islands apart is their staggering swathe of monumental Neolithic treasures near Stromness on the West Mainland, one of the richest surviving Neolithic landscapes in Western Europe.

Set above the huge Bay of Skaill, the village of Skara Brae is remarkably preserved. Discover stone walls, passageways and the stone furnishings of the families who once lived here. There’s the large chambered tomb of Maeshowe – reached by a tunnel – which is accepted as one of the greatest examples of prehistoric Europe’s architectural brilliance. The two ceremonial stone circles are equally impressive: the Stones of Stenness with four surviving 6m-tall standing stones and the 36 surviving stones and 13 burial mounds of the Ring of Brodgar. It's an extraordinary place. Explore, take your time and imagine what life looked like during such a dynamic period in history.

New Lanark

New Lanark, a restored 18th-century cotton mill village, nestles in a narrow gorge on the banks of the Falls of Clyde. But it’s not just picturesque. This verdant spot goes down in the history books for spearheading a radical new approach to industry. The social reformer Robert Owen created New Lanark as a model industrial community to prove that an industrial enterprise can be profitable without treating its workers badly. He provided decent homes for workers, fair wages, free health care, a new education system for villagers and the first workplace nursery school in the world.

By the turn of the 19th century, the New Lanark mills were one of the largest factory sites in the world – and Owen’s enlightened approach began to spread across the globe. The mill operated until 1968 before falling into decline and being rescued by the New Lanark Conservation Trust, which restored most of the buildings. Today, the village, home to around 65 households, is flourishing once more. Visit recreations of the schoolroom, mill workers' houses and the village store. There’s a general store, too, where you can snap up lovely products made from the unique New Lanark woollen yarns.

St Kilda

There’s no place quite like St Kilda, a spectacular quartet of remote volcanic islands – Hirta, Soay, Boreray and Dùn – lying off the west coast of mainland Scotland. Rising dramatically out of the tumultuous Atlantic Ocean, the towering sea cliffs – some of the highest in Europe – and jagged sea stacks are home to the largest colony of seabirds in northwest Europe, most significantly northern gannet, Atlantic puffin and northern fulmar.

The human history of these ‘islands at the edge of the world’ is fascinating too. In 1930, the last 36 residents were evacuated from their traditional stone houses on Hirta, ending 4,000 years of human occupation. The abandoned houses, which can be explored, are now ghostly ruins – with a million seabirds for company.

The Forth Bridge

Opened on 4 March 1890 by the the future Edward VII, this 2.5kmlong, 110m-high cantilever bridge over the Firth of Forth, the estuary of the River Forth, was a milestone in the development of railway civil engineering. Designed by English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker and built by over 4,500 people, it’s an architectural masterpiece. The first major structure in Britain to be made of steel (a whopping 54,000 tonnes), it broke ground in terms of design, materials and scale – at a cost of £3.2m (about £235m today).

Linking Edinburgh and the Lothians in the south with Fife and the Highlands in the north, the Forth Bridge was one of the first cantilever bridges and for several years featured the world’s longest span (until being trumped by the Quebec Bridge in Canada). However, not everyone was convinced. Poet and artist William Morris declared the bridge “the supremest specimen of all ugliness”. But that didn’t put people off –including filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, who used the bridge for Richard Hannay’s daring escape from the Flying Scotsman train in The 39 Steps. Nowadays, in the hands of Network Rail, the Bridge carries up to 200 trains a day on the East Coast system.

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh

One of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world, Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns have wowed writers, artists, philosophers and scientists for centuries. Built on an astonishing volcanic landscape of hills and valleys, the Scottish capital is steeped in history. There’s the medieval Old Town with cobbled closes, vertiginous stairs, underground vaults and wynds (narrow alleys), leading off famous Royal Mile, with Edinburgh Castle at its head and the Palace of Holyroodhouse (The King's official residence in Edinburgh) at the foot. A short walk away is equally handsome New Town, which was designed in 1767 and is the largest and best-preserved example of Georgian town planning in the UK.

**The Grassmarket in the Old Town of Edinburgh**

Today, Edinburgh is a thriving city, buzzing with cool restaurants, thronging bars, independent shops and interesting museums. It is also home to the world’s biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where up-and-coming acts mingle with big names. Yet the history remains, with many buildings to explore: the Georgian House – an 18th-century residence designed by Robert Adam, Gladstone’s Land – a 17th-century merchant’s house with hand-painted Renaissance interiors, and the Museum of Edinburgh, which charts the development of the city up to the present day.

DREAM ESCAPE'S FAVOURITE PLACES TO STAY

Cheval The Edinburgh Grand

If you like the idea of a luxury allapartment Residence located in the beating heart of Edinburgh, then you need look no further than Cheval The Edinburgh Grand.

Situated on St Andrew Square in the city’s New Town area, the Residence pays homage to its former life as an historic banking landmark, The National Bank of Scotland.

The well-known building has been beautifully renovated to house 50 fully equipped serviced apartments, with options to accommodate from one to six guests. Each apartment seamlessly incorporates the building’s historic roots with slick contemporary design, and the interior decor has been intricately chosen to enhance authentic features, including original dark wood panelling, fireplaces, brass door handles and decorative cornicing.

The Balmoral

The Rocco Forte Collection’s Balmoral hotel is a luxury destination in the true sense of the word and a firm Dream Escape favourite. Complete with a Michelin-starred restaurant, a tranquil spa and kilted door attendants, the hotel is one of the city’s premier properties. Situated in what was once the North British Station Hotel, the hotel lies in the heart of Edinburgh where Old Town meets New, a true Edinburgh monument at an unparalleled address. While many Edinburgh hotels claim to have Edinburgh’s landmarks on their doorstep, few can say their own doorstep is a landmark!

Gleneagles Townhouse

Gleneagles’ launched their first luxury city hotel, spanning two historic buildings in Edinburgh, last summer (2022). Located in St Andrew Square, there's an all-day restaurant, a roof terrace and a members’ club. The stunning listed building was originally home to the British Linen Company and later housed the Bank Of Scotland. Today, Gleneagles' Townhouse is a 33-bedroom boutique hotel, and although it is not as vast as its 850-acre sporting and country resort, the lavish interiors, luxurious bedrooms and UNESCO World Heritage Site location makes it every bit as grand.

Find out more

Rosie Peattie, Client Relationship Manager

“Scotland has six World Heritage Sites, all with something unique and exciting to offer. From St Kilda, an isolated archipelago situated 40 miles west-northwest of the Outer Hebrides in the North Atlantic Ocean to the juxtaposition that is Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, they are fascinating to visit. I’ve visited them all for different reasons from the adrenaline rush of the boat ride to St Kilda to delving into life 5,000 years ago in Orkney.”

→ rosie@dreamescape.co.uk

WORDS | HARRIET COMPSTON

This article is from:

Dream Escape Magazine | Summer 2023

by Contista Media