From abandoned monasteries, to strange caves with mystical legends here are 12 Forgotten Places in Scotland.
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4. Fingal’s Cave
Fingal’s Cave is made of basalt rock that formed after a volcanic eruption 50-60 million years ago.Some believe it was created by a giant and was often a setting for Scot/Irish mythology.The story has it that it was built in order for a Scottish giant to sail across the sea where he’d meet an irish giant for a good ole fashion brawl! The random large stones were thrown from the giant in Scotland all the way ireland. Although it almost looks like a man made structure, its from lava interacting with chalk beds and the way it cracked over time. The two strange geological formations are indeed connected but were not so sure about the part with the giants even though it seems like the perfect place for a mythical creature to hide out at . The cave was rediscovered in 1722 and spent a lot of time forgotten about by the population of Scotland. It’s fairly difficult to access and requires a ferry boat and various buses. But if you’re able to get to this amazing place, it could certainly be worth the journey!
3. The Jacobite
Described as possibly the greatest railway journey by many in the world, you take a trip through what seems to be forgotten land in Scotland and many seemingly untouched freshwater lochs. This certainly seems like a quite the magical train ride and is enjoyed by only the most dedicated travellers. Operated by west coast Railways, this steam engine uses a form of power that many people would have already forgotten about. People often report extreme variations in colors, weather, and landscapes just while taking this 84 mile train ride. Many claim one of the best times to get on this ride is during autumn when the trees start to slowly change their color. The journey starts at britain's highest mountain, all the way to the remote western lands of Scotland. It would almost seems like you’ve gone back in time as soon as you enter the Jacobite.
2. Dunnottar Castle- Dun-otter
Located on a sloping cliffside is an abandoned medieval fortress that seems like it would be impossible to build something on. The site has been fortified since the early medieval ages for it’s strategic territory that overlooks the North Sea. Not only has it been needed to protect against raids from the English to the south but also the pillaging scandinavians to the East. It was certainly an imposing fortification which was difficult lay siege upon for centuries. Can you imagine being an enemy soldier and getting order to march to this place? Today, you can still witness the castle’s violent past from things such as cannon blasts and even arrow shots. It’s not an easy castle to access by any means especially from heavy rain and turbulent winds. In the 1600’s it was fitted with gun ports but obviously it’s best defenses are from natural aspects. Due to it’s isolation besides from the city of Stonehaven, even getting here without arrows flying at you can prove to fairly difficult.
1. Viking Treasure Troves
The coast of Scotland got it’s fair dosage of Viking raids in the middle ages. Many of these Vik ings settled the land and modern day Scottish people could have a little bit of Viking ancestry. It was a fairly easy target for vikings to plunder geographically speaking and some of the Scottish isles are less than 200 miles away. Vikings often targeted Christian monasteries since they we ren’t often armed and had a large amount of gold sculptures. One of the largest Viking d iscoveries in the UK was made in Galloway, Scotland in 2014. This included silk from Istanbul and a silver brooch that came from Ireland. Much of this was likely loot that they had stashed or traded for about 1000 years ago. Items like this silver cross are quite rare and engraved with decorations on each side. Many treasures were found just by simply searching an area, they believed a Scottish church once stood in in the middle ages. It’s not too farfetched to believe that out there somewhere in the Scottish Highlands