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Who doesn’t love a yacht?
Having vacationed in many a seaside destination, I have seen plenty yachts of different sizes and value, but never had the privilege of seeing the opulence and splendor that exists on the interiors.
While in Edinburgh, I discovered that I could find out exactly how the Queen of England lives!
The Royal Yacht Britannia is the former royal yacht of Queen Elizabeth II, in service from 1954 until 1997 and traveling more than a million nautical miles around the globe. The now retired vessel is permanently moored in Leith, a few miles from Edinburgh’s city center and is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.
The journey to reach the Royal Britannia was a relatively easy one. There are many different bus lines that travel from Edinburgh to Leith and as luck would have it, there was a bus stop for one of them about a block and a half away from my hotel.
As I sat in the top section of the double decker bus, I watched the weather go from bad to worse as the grey skies opened up giving the city a good washing. Good thing I would be inside, right?
The bus ride was a quick and easy one with the last stop being at the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre. Following the signs through the mall, it was easy to find the entrance to the museum that preceded the ship’s visit.
Making my way through the exhibition, it was interesting to experience the many facets that made the Britannia what it was at the time, including uniforms, awards and stories about the royal family and crew.
Finally, it was time to make our way to the ship itself at 3:01 in the afternoon.
Starting from the upper level, we crossed a gangway to the ship’s control center, exploring the space where the captain navigated the high seas. We were free to explore the outdoor area, however, my theory of being indoors was shot down as a nice walk around the upper deck was out of the question with the rainy weather.
Moving downward through the attached stairwells to each if the five levels, we were able to explore both the living quarters of the royal family, including the Queen’s Bedroom and the State Dining and Drawing Rooms which hosted grand receptions for kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers throughout the world, all appointed in the rich (and sometimes flowery) style that the Queen appreciates.
The Royal yacht crossed the globe many times with a total of 696 foreign visits, only of which 272 were in British waters. From sailing the newly opened Saint Lawrence Seaway (with a stop in Chicago), to evacuating refugees during the war in Aden, the Britannia sailed 1,087,623 miles during its time in service. The ship even carried the newly married Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their honeymoon, traveling from Gibraltar, Tunisia, Sardinia, Greece and Egypt.
The crew quarters were located in the lower reaches of the ship and were a stark contrast to the spaciousness enjoyed by visitors to the ship on the upper levels. There were, however, some areas outfitted a bit more elaborately for senior members of the crew.
The crew of Royal Yachtsmen consisted of volunteers from the general service of the Royal Navy with officers being appointed for up to two years. The volunteer yachtsmen could serve for one year and then be admitted to the “Permanent Royal Yacht Service” and serve until they chose to leave or were dismissed. With that being said, many served for twenty years for more.
When the Labour Party replaced the Conservative government in 1997, it was revealed that the Royal Yacht would be retired and no replacement built. The last foreign mission of the Britannia was to convey the last governor of Hong Kong and the Prince of Wales back to Britain after Hong Kong was handed back to the People’s Republic of China on July 1, 1997.
Six months later, the Britannia was decommissioned with most of the senior members of the Royal Family in attendance.
It was said the the Queen (normally stoic) may have shed a tear. Or two.
Since being docked at the Ocean Terminal, the yacht has received more than 300,000 visitors per year and also acts as an event venue, hosting parties and affairs for the rich and famous.
While visiting, make sure to check out the Queen’s Rolls-Royce Phantom V state car and the 1936 racing yacht, Bloodhound, once owned by the Queen and Prince Philip. Also, take a few moments to visit the Royal Deck Tea Room to enjoy a scone and tea. Though I am not a fan of tea, I was able to enjoy the hand-crafted beer, brewed specifically for the Royal Deck Tea Room.
But be sure to be there at 3:01.
It won’t be hard.
Why?
It’s always 3:01 on the ship’s clocks as this was the time that the Queen last disembarked.
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Royal Yacht Brittania
- https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
- Address: Ocean Dr, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ, UK
- Hours: April to October, 0930-1630, daily. November to March, 1000-1530, daily.
- Admission: Adult, £16.50, Student and Ages 60+, £14.50, Children (ages 5-17), £8.75, Children under 5, free, Family (2 adults and 3 children), £46.00
Taking in the beautiful countryside scenery, you will soon find yourself encountering the ruins of Rosslyn Castle, a sharp contrast to the well-preserved chapel that we had just visited.
A French influenced two story home stands to the left of the courtyard, also built by William Sinclair, when he extended the castle between 1582 and 1597. Though the home is still in good condition, it is not accessible to the public.
As we descended a path near the start of the bridge, we walked beneath the remaining castle walls toward the river’s edge. Here, gardens once prospered and provided food for those who resided in the castle. The river gurgled and wound its way through the forest and we walked over the footbridge to take a closer look. We learned later that there is a scenic river walk from the ruins of the Roslin Gunpowder Mills, through what used to be a carpet factory and cottages, across the North Esk, around the castle, below the chapel via Gardener’s Brae and to Hawthornden and beyond.
Taking the short walk on our return back to the bus stop, we stopped for a few moments to pay our respect at the Rosslyn Cemetery.
While out at Rosslyn Chapel, make time to explore the forgotten ruin, an important part of Scotland’s and the Sinclair family history.
A most breathtaking structure, its architecture is considered to be amongst the finest in the country. Construction began on the chapel, formerly known as the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew, in 1456, by William Sinclair, the First Earl of Caithness for worship by the Sinclair family. After the Scottish Reformation in 1560, Roman Catholic worship in the chapel ended. It was then closed to public worship until 1861, and then opened again according to the rites of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Circling the church, we admired and photographed the carvings on all of the chapel’s outer walls. Though some are harder to distinguish than others, it was easy to pick out a fox running off with a goose (with the farmer’s wife close behind) on the north wall and faces carved into the window arches along with animals such as a stag and a ram. The west wall shows how the chapel was originally intended to be a much bigger building with doorways, which would have led to a nave (now blocked) and other features not normally found on exterior walls (as this was not planned to be one).
Eight Nordic dragons ring the base of an ornate pillar and more than 110 carvings of pagan deities known as Green Men can be found throughout the chapel. These human faces are surrounded by greenery, often growing out of their mouths. One arch depicts figures waltzing with their future skeletons and a double humped camel and bunches of maize can be spotted, both not found in Scotland. Stories from both the New Testament and the Old Testament are illustrated as well as 213 cubes protruding from pillars and arches with patterns on them. It is speculated that these patterns may have meaning, some thinking it is a musical score. Though there is much conjecture about the carvings and their meanings, not much is known as several fires at the nearby Rosslyn Castle consumed much of the St. Clair family’s archives and documentation on the chapel.
Originally planned in a cruciform shape, the chapel stands on fourteen pillars. The three pillars at the east end of the chapel, the Journeyman Pillar, the Master Pillar and the Apprentice Pillar all date from the Georgian period. The most interesting of the three, the Apprentice Pillar has a most intriguing legend attached to it. The master mason had decided the pillar to be too difficult to carve and had departed to Italy to study with other masons. His apprentice, however, decided to carve the pillar in his absence. When the master mason returned and saw the outstanding work, he killed the apprentice with his mallet. The wounded head of the apprentice was then carved into one capital of the pillar and his weeping mother was carved into another.
Descending into the sacristy, we were aware that it is also known as the crypt, though not the actual burial vault that lies underneath the chapel where several generations of Sinclairs rest. The actual crypt was once accessible from a descending stair at the rear of the building, however, it was sealed shut many years ago. Legends have resulted from the knowledge of this sealed crypt, many believing that it was a front for a more extensive subterranean vault which may have contained the reputed Templar treasure. In 1837, when the 2nd Earl of Rosslyn passed away, his wish was to be buried in the original vault. Though searches were conducted for many days, no entrance was found and he was buried beside his wife in the Lady Chapel.
The chapel, still owned by descendants of its founder, Sir William St. Clair is now guided by a trust that oversees the site. It is this trust that forbids the photography within the building. Several books are for sale within the gift shop offering a look at the unique interior published by the trust. Though photography is banned, other tourists were also spotted sneaking photos throughout their visit. After inquiring about the organ, we were allowed to photograph the area as this was not part of the original building.
Setting out on the highway, we first passed Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument standing tall on the nearby summit of Abbey Craig. On the right, our tour guide pointed out the Kelpies, 30-meter high horse-head sculptures near the River Carron.
Onward we traveled to the next destination, Inveraray, home of a beautiful castle on the shores of Loch Fyne. Although the tour brochure stated that we would visit the town of Inveraray for Highland souvenirs, we only stopped near a bridge so that we could photograph Inveraray Castle.
Fighting the strong winds, we managed to snap a couple of pictures and with a glance at our watches, we decided that if that path we missed on the way here was indeed a quicker, shorter way, we then had thirty minutes to make it back to the palace before the ticket counter closed.
Interesting to check out is the statue of John Knox, the preacher of the Scottish Reformation in 1560. Knox was the minister of St. Giles’ until his death in 1572 when he was buried in the churchyard. His grave was paved over and the area became known as Parliament Square. A six foot tall, bronze statue was erected and once stood over the site of his burial in Parliament Square, but was eventually moved back into the church when it was determined that the statue was being damaged by the weather. An engraved stone set in the pavement is now the only marker for his gravesite in the square.
The most interesting stories were of murder and hauntings. Images of disembodied limbs, child phantoms and gruesome animals have terrified many residing within and touring the close. The most recent and famous story, however, is that of a Japanese medium visiting the close. A little girl tugged on her coat as she left one of the rooms. The medium looked back to see a small girl crying in the corner. The little girl, Annie, claimed that she had died during the sickness of 1645 and told the medium of how lonely she was having lost her family, but mostly her treasured doll. The medium, went up to the Royal Mile, purchased a doll and left it for the child. Ever since, visitors have left dolls and other toys in the corner of the room for the little girl.