Holyroodhouse Palace

It’s Sunday and the Old Course at St. Andrews is closed to golfers but open to all to walk the course. St. Andrews is a coastal town in Scotland which hosts Scotland’s top university and the world’s most famous golf course. Its medieval Old Town has ruins of a castle and cathedral and sandy beaches. It was less than a 2-hour ride from Edinburgh so it fit into our schedule. The course gets a tremendous amount of play and is not in the Open rotation this year, so it seemed in rough shape. However, walking the course, you get an understanding of the contours of the greens and fairways (and the severe bunkering) – makes our PB courses look a lot more playable.

After our excursion, we headed back to Edinburgh to tour the Holyroodhouse Palace and see some additional sites in Edinburgh. The Palace is the King’s official residence in Edinburgh and the home of Scottish royal history. Unfortuately no photos were allowed inside the Palace but you can photo the exterior and the gardens.

So my verbal highlights — We began our visit by wandering the staterooms – with amazing tapestries that adorn the walls. The skilled needlework draws a vivid image of the palace’s history, as well as playing an important role in keeping the palace warm. There are also many paintings depicting historical figures and events in Scotland’s past. Also, the rooms display beautiful objects including china and opulent fabrics. The carved plaster ceilings are also impressive. The Great Gallery’s walls are covered with paintings of over 100 Scottish rulers.

Much of the palace you’ll see today dates from the seventeenth century, but if you head to the Northwest Tower you can see the space where Mary Queen of Scots took residence. This includes the location of some of the more grisly aspects of her reign, including the murder of her secretary David Rizzio, an act orchestrated by her husband, Lord Darnley.

Outside the palace, you find the gardens (over 10 acres) at the base of Arthur’s Seat and the beautiful 16th-century ruins of Holyrood Abbey.

Walking back to our hotel, we passed the new Parliament Building, considered modern or just plain ugly.

St. Andrews