Side Trips From Edinburgh: Bruce and the Spider and Tartans and Shortbread in Scotland

Problem
What to see and do in Scotland?

Answer
My side trips from Edinburgh included Lockerbie, a puppet place and Bruce and the Spider.
When? According to Wikipedia the first Robert the Bruce came over with William the Conqueror in 1066. He hid in a cave from people hunting from him.

Actually he hid from the English. But the story is told in England to schoolchildren without mentioning this inconvenient fact. Scotland and England were united by a later King, in 1707, hence the Union Jack flag.

Alone and depressed, on the run, hidden by a friend in a cave, Robert was inspired by the persistence of a spider.

I saw a spider. Not Bruce's spider. Spiders don't live that long. Maybe a descendant. I could have asked. But I can't read spider sign language.

I didn't see the spider at first. It was still. Playing dead. Invisible units web. I expect that's how it catches flies.

Bruce was literally holed up for a long time. I was surprised to see a small, empty cave. What had I expected? A film show? Well, it might have been like that underground cave in the USA with a complete underground cafeteria. (Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky.)

 The Scottish cave wasn't that large nor furnished with conveniences in Bruce's day, nor is it today. The cave is just  a small one person cave. No lighting. Nothing. Dark, cold, depressing. Just as it must have been for Robert the Bruce.

I later researched Robert the Bruce's cave. Half a dozen places have Robert the Bruce's cave. It is not totally unlikely that once he got the idea of hiding in a cave, he made a habit of it, until he became king and could live in a palace.

I then looked for a photo of Robert the Bruce and found he lived in the 1300s. Oops. Oh dear. I can't spend all day sorting through a dozen accounts of Robert the Bruce. I was interested to see the reconstruction of a face from a skull, supposedly proving he had leprosy.

Tartans and Tatties
I wanted to buy tartan to wear to give a talk on seeing Scotland and Robert the Bruce. The main shops I expected to have bargains like the Edinburgh Woollen Mill (which has outlets all over Britain) had no tartans in my budget. They tended to sell complete outfits, or he assistant pointed out that you needed the correct white blouse, and the shawl, plus for the gentleman, socks with a tartan or matching feather, a sporran, a cap, a jacket.

I was also worried about buying the wrong tartan. The one I wanted with jolly red was a clan tartan. The clans have got very clannish. You are not supposed to by a clan tartan unless you are a member of the clan. It's like a military uniform. Impersonating, like wearing the old school tie of a school you didn't go to. So you have to buy a general tartan. I like Black watch. I don't think anybody would really think I was with the Black Watch.

 There's a Jewish tartan. I don't suppose anybody would want it unless they were Jewish or doing a comedy turn. Ah, there's an idea.

I ended up finding a tartan in a charity shop.


Tips
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/08/face-robert-bruce-reconstructed-showing-scottish-king-had-leprosy/

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and and speaker.

Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh and Scotland

Problems and Answers
First problem - I lost two hours of work on this post when I accidentally worked on a second opening of the page, then closed the first page which over wrote the later version. I then tried revert to draft which went back to the even earlier version. So, from now on, you will get my posts saved as I write the first draft.

1 When to go?
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
4 Aug – 28 Aug 2017

ROYAL MILITARY TATTOO
4-26 Aug 2017

New Year's Eve Dec 2017


2 Where to stay
My friends stay at the same hotel each year and book for the year ahead. That's why the central hotels are all booked up. You may have to go to latebookings.com and find something in your price range. Then book a more central hotel for the following year.

If you go by car, you can stay out of the city centre. If you are a group, try a self-catering place. The great ones I looked at were over £300 but slept four.

If you miss the Edinburgh Festival, consider booking New Year's Eve.

3 What to do and see
Performances, Plays and Performing

4 Stopover between Edinburgh, Scotland and London, England
I stayed in York for a night at a hotel which specialises in a wine theme and a large cellar restaurant, Hotel Du Vin. We travelled by car and made stops on the way up and back to see one of several places associated with Scottish hero Bruce and the spider. (See later post.) Also Lockerbie (see later post.

5 Any Comedy courses?
If you pay for a one day or two day or one week comedy or acting training course which ends with a performance in Edinburgh you then get invited to a post production party in London where you might meet a talent scout.

Going Solo
It's expensive to hire a venue for a night. To get an audience you need one or more of these:
A sponsor. A charity. Mum and Dad. Your savings. A theatre or orchestra or arts grant or city or country grant or student or university group.
Advertising budget for newspapers, free newspaper, posters, flyers.
People to hand out flyers.
Pub alongside with existing clientele.
Two nights or more so that those in the audience enjoying night one will come back on night two or send their friends.
An existing huge fan club or access to huge media circulation
A really wacky idea which gets lots of newspaper publicity.
A big name star to perform or endorse you.
Prior performance.

Who can perform? Actors in skits, plays, stand up comedy, open microphone shows, bands, poetry readings, small music groups, choirs and orchestras, singer-songwriters, musicals, ballets and dancers, street performers.
Alongside may be sellers of relevant books, souvenirs, tee-shirts, related to performances and to Edinburgh or Scotland.
Going With Groups
Look for comedy and acting courses. They end with a show. Just one night.

A huge group of students or others whose families will all pay a little for the performance.
A student group from a religious organisation sponsored by the church or synagogue, either on a topic or theme they like, or to create a fellowship of like-minded people.

Remember to record your comedy online for advance publicity and post-event publicity for the next year.

Invite the press to attend. Send a free ticket. Send a flyer for publicity. Take out an advertisement. Send them a photo or a video link. If they are too busy to send a photographer, offer to call at their office in costume for a photo with the reporter. You can take a selfie with your smart phone or laptop or theirs.

Tips & Websites
Edinburgh Festival
www.edfringe.com
http://edinburgh.org
https://www.latebookings.com//
www.lateluxury.com
https://www.visitscotland.com

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.