DAY 19: SINCLAIR'S BAY NEAR WICK

ALL my life I've joked that I have a castle in Scotland. Today, I saw it.

And even though it lies in ruins, she is absolutely beautiful.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is about 2 miles north of Wick on Sinclair's Bay on the east coast of Caithness, Northern Scotland. 

Technically, the ramshackle collection of bricks and stone belongs to a trust. Before that, it was owned by the Earls of Caithness, dating back to the late 15th century.

Unfortunately for me, a walk around her walls, treading on her grass and rocks littered with gorgeous white daisies and gazing upon the clear blue waters of her moat is about as close as I will get to owning her.

Let's face it, I'm no lady, let alone the lady of the castle.

After a morning cruise on Loch Ness and visit to Urquart Castle, we drove north ... almost as far  north as you can go in the United Kingdom. Only the Orkney Islands are further north and apparently we Sinclairs hail from around there, too.

A few hours driving around the coastline through some majestic rural scenery, forestry areas and a slew of pretty little villages, we arrived at the car park near the lighthouse operated by, you guessed it, another Sinclair.

The brown and red stone castle still commands respect across the countryside, built on a treacherous cliff (as are most castles to deter invaders) against the innocent backdrop of the glistening bay.

A handful of cows grazing in the paddock near the trail to the castle are only casually interested in the visitors that come in their twos and threes almost like a tag team this afternoon.

We take our time wandering in and out of the open ruins, reading the well-researched educational boards and gazing out over the water from the pedestrian bridge and other vantage points.

The castle website says that the Castle ceased to be inhabited after it was partially destroyed (possibly by cannon) about 1680, ironically by a Sinclair, George of Keiss, who was denying the castle to Campbell of Glenorchy, who had seized it and claimed the title of Earl of Caithness as settlement of the debts of the 6th Earl of Caithness. Oliver Cromwell's army probably did the rest of the damage.

For a long time, it was thought the area held two castles, hence the double name. But it has since been discovered the two were joined as part of Castle Sinclair.

As we head back to the carpark, I leave my husband with these words of wisdom: "I'm the queen of the castle and you're the dirty rascal."

I've always wanted to say that while standing in my castle in Caithness.

Today's lesson: The family tree is worth every little branch.

Long-haired bull count: 2

Deer crossing road signs count: 2953 (I may be wrong)

Number of deer seen crossing the road count: 0

DAY 18: STIRLING

MEL Gibson's Braveheart ensured the movie-watching world heard of the courage and ruthless deeds of Scotland's inspirational freedom-fighter Sir William Wallace.

So when we found ourselves in Wallace territory around Glasgow and Stirling, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit the National Wallace Monument.

The 67m high monument was built in 1869, although the idea was broached as early as 1810 and a committee had been formed in the 1830s to develop th project honouring the hero.

The result is an impressive tower atop a cliff face in Abbey Craig on Hillfoots Road, Causewayhead, and marks the spot where Wallace rallied his men before the Battle of Stirling bridge - the most famous scene in the film. 

For £8.50, visitors can climb the 246 steps to the four floors including the windswept The Crown where the views are worth the admission price alone. They encompass River Forth, a total of 13 battlefields, the city of Stirling including its university and castle, and as far as Ben Nevis, which is Scotland's (and the UK's) highest mountain.

Other floors: tell Wallace's story through a clever audio visual display (first floor) in which he and other historical characters talk about the times; present the busts and beautiful leadlight windows of Scotland's most famous names including Sir Walter Scott, James Watt, and of course The Bard of Scotland Robert Burns in the Hall of Heroes (second floor); and explain how the monument came to be (third floor).

You also will see the Wallace sword and may be lucky enough to enjoy special presentations by costumed actors recreating the times.

Major events are held throughout the year such as the Battle of Stirling Bridge anniversary marking Wallace's triumph over the forces of Edward I, which will be held this year on September 11.

Lesson of the day: Never underestimate the Scots. They delivered some of the most spectacular and diverse scenery of the trip so far, into the Scottish Highlands to Loch Ness.

Long-haired bull count: 1 ( but he was a great specimen, indeed).

DAY 17: BELFAST

BELFAST'S CBD is like Switzerland: neutral territory in this city of "them and us".

Parts of Belfast have just had the third night of violence following the July 12 Orangemen March.

On the radio  and on the BBC television news all the way up Ireland's west coast to the north, we have heard about the rioting.

It seems that under new rules, Protestant Orangemen, loyal to the British throne, have been prevented by law from marching into Catholic areas and their marching numbers also have been limited.

As we drove north, we began seeing flags flying from lightposts and homes. But apart from the Union Jack of Britain, we had no idea what they meant.

Coupled with the fact that most of what we know about Northern Ireland  we have learned from Hollywood and a mostly biased media, we wanted to hear the other side of the story - this uniquely Irish story - to better understand the long and very complex history and present "situation".

So we took one of the renowned Belfast Black Cab Tours. Its website says the cabs have plied the Republican Falls Road and Loyalist Shankill Road for over 40 years and the guides/drivers worked during The Troubles.

Our driver Kevin first stopped the cab outside one of five walls separating the British Protestant side of town from the Catholic Irish areas. It is the Berlin Wall all over again, complete with barbed wire.

But he is quick to point out that while the world may view the unrest along Catholic/Protestant lines, religion is only part of the bigger picture.

He steps into the back of the cab, says he's going to tell us a story, then tries to give us about 400 years of history in a nutshell.

It was clear after only a few minutes' chat that I'd love to sit down with him over a beer or 10 and hear his story. But that is unlikely to ever happen.

What I do learn is that he is passionate and calls himself an Irishman first and foremost. More importantly, he is a proud north Ireland Irishman (he will never call it Northern Ireland) who desperately wants his countrymen to be in charge of their own destiny now and in the future.

Irish history and especially north/Northern Ireland history is not something you can understand in the course of a two-hour cab ride.

I suspect all the people living modern history here on a daily basis may not be able to grasp the details.

Next, Kevin shows us the international wall of murals that commemorates lives lost here and abroad and the struggle the world's current political prisoners face.

Each mural has a two-year "life", replaced by newer messages telling similar stories.

He shows us the memorial gardens dedicated to those military personnel and civilians on the Catholic side who have lost their lives in "the Troubles".

Nearby, where the British have built the wall up to property lines on the Catholic side, families live their lives with caged backyards to better ensure their safety.

On the British side of the same wall, we see the myriad peace messages written by ordinary visitors and VIPs including former US president Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama. We find a tiny spare patch and add our own humble words of wisdom.

Finally, through one of the gates that allow us access into the British side during the day,  we see the pro-royalist murals, the red, white and blue-painted curbs and Union Jacks flying proudly.

Towards the end of the 90-minute trip that has rushed by into two hours, Kevin reveals that among the cab drivers are ex-IRA and former political prisoners who all have great insight and personal stories to tell.

He implores me to use Google and YouTube to verify what he tells me and to make up my own mind.

It's hard for outsiders to take it all in. 

I think that having witnessed such tragedy, heartbreak and anger, I would just throw up my hands, walk away and start again.

But I know nothing of family ties to this land over hundreds and possibly thousands of years, of what it's like to have all that I love in a cultural sense taken from me, to be told that the land and home I have worked so hard for is no longer mine, to be advised I am no longer Irish but a British subject, or to lose a loved one fighting to return what they believe to be rightfully theirs. 

Both sides have been at fault for one thing or another. Death and destruction have occurred , and innocent lives have been lost in violent circumstances.

For 11 months of the year, each side puts up with each other, keeps to themselves generally and gets on with life.

But July is Marching Season, culminating on July 12 when members of the Orange Order mark Prince William of Orange's victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. 

Kevin says he has good friends who are Protestants but they have taken a long time to find.

A few good men on both sides have ensured common sense has prevailed and the killing has stopped.

I pray that some time in the future, a few good men once again will set things right for good.

DAY 16: GIANTS CAUSEWAY

FINN McCool may not have set out to create a magical place when he took on the Scottish giant called Fingal who was hurling abuse and insults from across the channel.

After all, Finn was simply showing off his strength and agility in throwing thousands of "stones" into the waves. He wanted to build a path across the water so Fingal could face him man to man ... eh, giant to giant.

But when Finn sneakily glimpsed the size of his foe, he turned heel and sprinted home.

When the Scottish giant followed the path to Finn's house, Finn's wife tricked him into believing Finn was a wee little baby, obviously making his Dad a giant among giants.

The Scottish giant retreated home so fast, he broke up the path in his wake and sent many of the "stones" to the sea bed.

At least that's one of the explanations for the natural phenomena that is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The causeway, which some view as the eighth wonder of the world, is made up of 40,000 basalt columns, each measuring about 45cm wide and 12m long with five to seven sides.

The area has three sections: the little causeway is flat and dotted with shallow pools; the middle sticks up out of the sea and looks like honeycomb; and the grand causeway consists of high columns curving out to sea to form Finn's path.
But the breathtaking World Heritage site is much more than a bunch of rocks scattered all over the countryside.

Tall jagged cliffs, clear blue bays and quirky rock formations make for stunningly impressive vistas.

The scientific view is that the area was rolling hills without a wave in sight until volcanic action 60 million years ago on the Eurasian Plate.

Ice, wind and waves formed the amazing landscape that is continually changing.

Guides have been showing the Giants Causeway to visitors for 300 years and passing down the Finn McCool legend through the generations. The incredible scenery (coupled with bucketloads of wild weather at times, or so I'm told) is certainly worthy of an incredible legend.

Lesson of the day: If I had to pick a top 5 must-do natural attractions in Ireland, I'd start with the Ring of Kerry, continuing with Slea Head then Cliffs of Moher, heading out to the Aran Islands (Inishmore) and ending with the Giants Causeway. And because journalists are rarely good at maths, I'll add another with the Wicklow Mountain National Park.

Of course, Ireland isn't called the Emerald Isle for nothing. You'll find a "gem of a place" everywhere you turn.

We covered a lot of ground in a short time. And Irish eyes were smiling on us with the weather so we felt we saw the country at its best.