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Underwhelming visitor attractions.


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5 minutes ago, leginten said:


I’ve been there around a dozen times and I would happily return every year. It’s an endlessly fascinating city. Being out on the lagoon is an amazing experience too. 

Same here.

Love visiting all the churches Then to finish the day a couple of beers and pizza or pasta.

Coffee and ice cream to die for as well.

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Captain Sausage
21 minutes ago, benny said:

Same here.

Love visiting all the churches Then to finish the day a couple of beers and pizza or pasta.

Coffee and ice cream to die for as well.


You can’t get wood fired pizza in Venice due to local by-laws. 
 

It’s crammed full to the rafters of tourists, and the cruise ships pack it even fuller. 
 

For me, it’s about the only bit of Italy I don’t like (except Milan or Naples). 
 

Tuscany, Sicily, Amalfi Coast (not Capri!), Rome -all significantly nicer in my opinion. 

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Auld Reekin'

Smailholm Tower. The tower itself is very well preserved / restored, is very photogenic and in a very atmospheric setting, and you get great views from the battlements. The problem is what's in it.

 

Almost all of the stuff it contains relates to Walter Scott, on the fairly flimsy basis that he recuperated from polio as a wee boy at the nearby farm for a couple of years. As if that wasn't quite dull enough, the place is packed full of glass cases containing dolls in handmade costumes (yes, handmade! imagine that!   :o   ) in scenes depicting passages from some of his most famous writings that hardly anyone has actually read*.

 

For me, it would've been much more interesting if the bulk of the Wattie :rifle: stuff had been replaced with more about the history of the tower itself and the Pringle family who built it, its historical context, the lives of the people who lived in the surrounding area during the centuries it was occupied, and the details of its restoration.

 

Much prefer Greenknowe Tower, near Gordon: there's no entry-charge and it's refreshingly free of tedious exhibits. The main drawback is that you don't get much of a view from the top as it's built in a dip in the landscape.

 

(*With very good reason.   :ermm:)

Edited by Auld Reekin'
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been here before
9 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

Imperial War Museum. I suppose it wasn't underwhelming,  more saddening that there is a museum you can go to,  where our country pt pt proudly shows off the myriad ways it can and has killed people.

 

Didn't sit right with me,  won't be back. 

 

 

What did you think it was going to be about before you went?

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1 hour ago, Auld Reekin' said:

Smailholm Tower. The tower itself is very well preserved / restored, is very photogenic and in a very atmospheric setting, and you get great views from the battlements. The problem is what's in it.

 

Almost all of the stuff it contains relates to Walter Scott, on the fairly flimsy basis that he recuperated from polio as a wee boy at the nearby farm for a couple of years. As if that wasn't quite dull enough, the place is packed full of glass cases containing dolls in handmade costumes (yes, handmade! imagine that!   :o   ) in scenes depicting passages from some of his most famous writings that hardly anyone has actually read*.

 

For me, it would've been much more interesting if the bulk of the Wattie :rifle: stuff had been replaced with more about the history of the tower itself and the Pringle family who built it, its historical context, the lives of the people who lived in the surrounding area during the centuries it was occupied, and the details of its restoration.

 

Much prefer Greenknowe Tower, near Gordon: there's no entry-charge and it's refreshingly free of tedious exhibits. The main drawback is that you don't get much of a view from the top as it's built in a dip in the landscape.

 

(*With very good reason.   :ermm:)

 

And that is about it, good view from the top, but little else to get excited about.

 

Melrose Abbey is another which is overhyped, Dryburgh Abbey is much better and Jedburgh is probably the best.

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Auld Reekin'
15 minutes ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

And that is about it, good view from the top, but little else to get excited about.

 

Melrose Abbey is another which is overhyped, Dryburgh Abbey is much better and Jedburgh is probably the best.

 

Yep, agreed.

 

I loved revisiting Dryburgh Abbey, though, as I had quite powerful memories from sometime in the late 60s when I'd been there with my Dad and my uncle, both now long gone, sadly. I can remember being very impressed at the time, probably due to its secluded - almost secretive (or so it seemed to me at the time as an impressionable nipper) - location and setting. It was much as I remembered it on recent visits.

 

The nearby Temple of the Muses, down by the Tweed, is a nice spot as well.

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Weakened Offender
On 30/08/2020 at 09:28, Angel eyes said:

This and the fecking road up to get there is horrendous.

 

It's covered in Green Brigade stickers now too. 

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2 hours ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

And that is about it, good view from the top, but little else to get excited about.

 

Melrose Abbey is another which is overhyped, Dryburgh Abbey is much better and Jedburgh is probably the best.

I always loved Melrose abbey, used to muck around there when I was young though playing soldiers.

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22 hours ago, Weakened Offender said:

Craigmillar Castle

 

Used to play in it as a kid, long before it became a tourist attraction like it is now, in those days there was only a caretaker and it was easy to sneak into the castle via the fields surrounding it.

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6 hours ago, Auld Reekin' said:

Smailholm Tower. The tower itself is very well preserved / restored, is very photogenic and in a very atmospheric setting, and you get great views from the battlements. The problem is what's in it.

 

Almost all of the stuff it contains relates to Walter Scott, on the fairly flimsy basis that he recuperated from polio as a wee boy at the nearby farm for a couple of years. As if that wasn't quite dull enough, the place is packed full of glass cases containing dolls in handmade costumes (yes, handmade! imagine that!   :o   ) in scenes depicting passages from some of his most famous writings that hardly anyone has actually read*.

 

For me, it would've been much more interesting if the bulk of the Wattie :rifle: stuff had been replaced with more about the history of the tower itself and the Pringle family who built it, its historical context, the lives of the people who lived in the surrounding area during the centuries it was occupied, and the details of its restoration.

 

Much prefer Greenknowe Tower, near Gordon: there's no entry-charge and it's refreshingly free of tedious exhibits. The main drawback is that you don't get much of a view from the top as it's built in a dip in the landscape.

 

(*With very good reason.   :ermm:)

Passed by it on Sunday and pointed it out to the kids. They've not got great memories sowas trying to jog them about the last time but could only get as far as saying remember they had big bright rooms with wooden floors once you went by the women on the ground floor taking the entrance fee.  I ummmm-ed and errr-ed at trying to remember what was in these rooms and now you've reminded me ... nothing of any real interest!  :lol:

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Auld Reekin'
1 hour ago, pablo said:

Anne Frank House. Found it boring and the weeping backpackers a total buzzkill.

 

 

 

I used to know someone who'd managed to get himself stuck half-way up a flight of stairs in the Anne Frank House. I heard that Swarfega had to be applied to ease him loose.   :ermm:

 

Big Kenny was a rather large gentleman, right enough.  

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Auld Reekin'
1 minute ago, ArcticJambo said:

Passed by it on Sunday and pointed it out to the kids. They've not got great memories sowas trying to jog them about the last time but could only get as far as saying remember they had big bright rooms with wooden floors once you went by the women on the ground floor taking the entrance fee.  I ummmm-ed and errr-ed at trying to remember what was in these rooms and now you've reminded me ... nothing of any real interest!  :lol:

 

No surprise that your young-uns had blanked it out!

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5 hours ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

And that is about it, good view from the top, but little else to get excited about.

 

Melrose Abbey is another which is overhyped, Dryburgh Abbey is much better and Jedburgh is probably the best.

 

4 hours ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

Yep, agreed.

 

I loved revisiting Dryburgh Abbey, though, as I had quite powerful memories from sometime in the late 60s when I'd been there with my Dad and my uncle, both now long gone, sadly. I can remember being very impressed at the time, probably due to its secluded - almost secretive (or so it seemed to me at the time as an impressionable nipper) - location and setting. It was much as I remembered it on recent visits.

 

The nearby Temple of the Muses, down by the Tweed, is a nice spot as well.

 

And seeing you're in the area, drop by the butchers (JM Quality Meats) for a scotch pie, they're the dugs baws!

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Just now, Auld Reekin' said:

 

No surprise that your young-uns had blanked it out!

Aye, though as mentioned it's situated in a pretty cool loaction; we enjoyed exploring round it, and the Saltire was fully extended due the breeze on that occasion. 👍

 

Only let down on our wee Borders Sunday trek (Flodden, Floors, Hume Casrle, Tweed & MUses, ...) was Scotts View, as you really couldn't see the Tweed below! Hume Castle too, I guess tho daughter did find a frog on the way up.  She didn't kiss it unfortunately.  I'd have taken Bauben back.  :D

 

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Jambo, Goodbye
On 29/08/2020 at 18:57, Stokesy said:

Robben Island. It would be great if you could wander around and take it in at your own pace but, you're herded around very quickly.

 

I missed out on that cos the ferry was cancelled due to being a windy day. Feel better now having read this :) 

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Jambo, Goodbye
On 30/08/2020 at 06:29, Kalamazoo Jambo said:


 Not quite sure what you expected from a pencil museum, TBH. We enjoyed taking Kalamazoo Jr there a few years ago.

 

Edit: erased my joke because I wasn't sharp enough to add to the pencil puns :( 

Edited by Jambo, Goodbye
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A Boy Named Crow
6 hours ago, been here before said:

 

What did you think it was going to be about before you went?

I suppose pretty much what it was.  It had never appealed to me  I'd lived in and around London for years before i finally went with someone else who really wanted to go. 

A nice surprise would have been to discover it was monument to the pain and suffering that all wars have caused innocent people across the years,

... instead it just seemed like they had a stiffy for the hardware.

 

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Brunel museum in London if you can call it a museum it’s in Shoreditch takes a fecking age to get there once there it’s an old bunker type thing with an old guy taking your £10 entry a few pictures laminated on the wall then you get shown a dvd for an hour ats it🤣 no even a cup of tea and hob nob.

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22 hours ago, John Findlay said:

Vastly overrated and very expensive city.

And to think, all the nice South Africans go there. 

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On 29/08/2020 at 14:01, Vlad Magic said:

John O Groats.

 

Its a shit hole with a  big sign telling you how far away you are from where you actually want to be right now.

:laugh: Was there last month. Couldnt agree more. Utter dugshit tourist trap trinket guff and plastic microwave food and over inflated prices. Ugly as feck and boring as shit! Stay well away!

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On 30/08/2020 at 19:01, Jamhammer said:

Loch Ness Visitor Centre. Like taking a time machine to the 70’s

Urquhuart Castle The opposite. Well worth a visit

Stopped at Urquhart Castle last month on my back from doing the NC500 with the family PJ (3 adults and a kid under 13).

 

Was going to cost around £65 for all of us to get in to see a feckin ruin!!!

 

Get it roond yeez ya tourist rip off arseholes!!!!

 

(Needless to say I kept my money and continued south).

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John Gentleman
19 hours ago, Captain Sausage said:


You can’t get wood fired pizza in Venice due to local by-laws. 
 

It’s crammed full to the rafters of tourists, and the cruise ships pack it even fuller. 
 

For me, it’s about the only bit of Italy I don’t like (except Milan or Naples). 
 

Tuscany, Sicily, Amalfi Coast (not Capri!), Rome -all significantly nicer in my opinion. 

Ditto. It might be better in summer but it's a stinking shitehole in early spring. Every building had that 'foosty' rising damp smell about it. And it's full of rip-off merchants tae.

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20 hours ago, Captain Sausage said:


You can’t get wood fired pizza in Venice due to local by-laws. 
 

It’s crammed full to the rafters of tourists, and the cruise ships pack it even fuller. 
 

For me, it’s about the only bit of Italy I don’t like (except Milan or Naples). 
 

Tuscany, Sicily, Amalfi Coast (not Capri!), Rome -all significantly nicer in my opinion. 

 

I quite like Milan. Nice architecture, the sort of city that's fun just to wander around off the beaten track.

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13 hours ago, ArcticJambo said:

Aye, though as mentioned it's situated in a pretty cool loaction; we enjoyed exploring round it, and the Saltire was fully extended due the breeze on that occasion. 👍

 

Only let down on our wee Borders Sunday trek (Flodden, Floors, Hume Casrle, Tweed & MUses, ...) was Scotts View, as you really couldn't see the Tweed below! Hume Castle too, I guess tho daughter did find a frog on the way up.  She didn't kiss it unfortunately.  I'd have taken Bauben back.  :D

 

 

Duddo standing stones and Greenknowe Tower are also well worth a look next time you're down this way. Shame you didn't get much of a view from either Hume Castle or Scott's View: both can be fantastic on a clear day.

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5 hours ago, Pans Jambo said:

Stopped at Urquhart Castle last month on my back from doing the NC500 with the family PJ (3 adults and a kid under 13).

 

Was going to cost around £65 for all of us to get in to see a feckin ruin!!!

 

Get it roond yeez ya tourist rip off arseholes!!!!

 

(Needless to say I kept my money and continued south).

We went a couple of year ago round new year. 4 adults. Weren’t that dear. It was a beautiful sunny day. You sit and watch a film then they pull back the curtain and there’s the castle. I was impressed.

Having said that Culloden smashed it

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I thought Venice was amazing but I was only 14 and it was 1978 and I was half pissed 😀

Always thought it’d be nice to take me Mrs to see it. Not sure now like

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On 29/08/2020 at 10:59, Bull's-eye said:

Lego Land.

Went down a couple of years ago and found it alright to be honest. However thought the actual lego models could have done with being cleaned. Hopefully the lockdown has allowed the models to be cleaned and rebuilt where required. Seems to be better for kids around 5 years and above. As mentioned before not a great deal for younger kids to enjoy with plenty of height restricted rides.

 

If anyone is planning on going. Get in early and go straight to the back of the park where the bigger rides are and work your way back to the front of the park. The big rides tend to get busier and you can queue for a long time to get on but they are quieter first thing. Also if you're going for two days or more, it's worth purchasing the all you can drink cups and then smuggling them in the next day.  Will save you a fortune on juice.

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4 minutes ago, dougal said:

Went down a couple of years ago and found it alright to be honest. However thought the actual lego models could have done with being cleaned. Hopefully the lockdown has allowed the models to be cleaned and rebuilt where required. Seems to be better for kids around 5 years and above. As mentioned before not a great deal for younger kids to enjoy with plenty of height restricted rides.

 

If anyone is planning on going. Get in early and go straight to the back of the park where the bigger rides are and work your way back to the front of the park. The big rides tend to get busier and you can queue for a long time to get on but they are quieter first thing. Also if you're going for two days or more, it's worth purchasing the all you can drink cups and then smuggling them in the next day.  Will save you a fortune on juice.

 

Cheers. Top advice there. Going midweek in the October break, so hoping the combo of lockdown and English kids being at school will mean the place will be quiet. 

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3 hours ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

Duddo standing stones and Greenknowe Tower are also well worth a look next time you're down this way. Shame you didn't get much of a view from either Hume Castle or Scott's View: both can be fantastic on a clear day.

Yes enjoyed Greenknowe, when visited previously, and weather was decent for both Hume & Scotts view, just the former was really just a grassy field conatined within a square castle ramparts and  the latter was a case of too much vegetation (summer height) to be able to see the bend in the Tweed below.  Was hoping to get into Dryburgh Abbey again but it was closed, and passed on the Wallace monument as we were all getting hungry grumpy.  Still a grand day out for the most part.

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3 hours ago, Jamhammer said:

I thought Venice was amazing but I was only 14 and it was 1978 and I was half pissed 😀

Always thought it’d be nice to take me Mrs to see it. Not sure now like

All depends what you like.

If you love Renaissance art and churches  you will love Venice.

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47 minutes ago, ArcticJambo said:

Yes enjoyed Greenknowe, when visited previously, and weather was decent for both Hume & Scotts view, just the former was really just a grassy field conatined within a square castle ramparts and  the latter was a case of too much vegetation (summer height) to be able to see the bend in the Tweed below.  Was hoping to get into Dryburgh Abbey again but it was closed, and passed on the Wallace monument as we were all getting hungry grumpy.  Still a grand day out for the most part.

 

Right, I getcha.

 

Hume Castle has been "restored" beyond all and any recognition as a castle and the only reason to go there is for the view from the turret (which, in fairness, is well worth seeing). In fact, I reckon it was reconstructed as it is just now to look very impressive from a distance as the layout of the battlements would make no sense and be of no value defensively. 

 

The Wallace Monument has little artistic or aesthetic worth - in fact it's downright ugly - but it's a nice wee woodland stroll to it and you can continue on down the path from it to take you down to the Tweed and the Temple of the Muses. You can then walk back up the way you came or just follow the road back up.

 

Yep, the Borders has a lot going for it.

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22 hours ago, maroongoals said:

Rosslyn Chapel,  hyped by davinci code, wondered why

No way! That was an amazing building way before the da Vinci code and it still is. It has its own legends without the help of a crappy book. It might have more visitors because of that book but that's where it ends.

 

Freakishly cold in that chapel every time I've been in it no matter what the weather.

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1 hour ago, martoon said:

"Just a hole in the ground". 

 

My sister's description of The Grand Canyon. 

 

Other quotes from her many travels...

 

The Taj Mahal: "Looks a bit like a mosque".

The Pyramids: "Really old and a bit tatty looking".

The Parthenon: "Falling to bits".

The Aurora Borealis: "So what? A few green lights in the sky...".

Petra: "When are they going to finish it?".

Machu Picchu: "Where is the gift shop?".

The Sistine Chapel: "where're the toilets?".

 

;)

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52 minutes ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

Other quotes from her many travels...

 

The Taj Mahal: "Looks a bit like a mosque".

The Pyramids: "Really old and a bit tatty looking".

The Parthenon: "Falling to bits".

The Aurora Borealis: "So what? A few green lights in the sky...".

Petra: "When are they going to finish it?".

Machu Picchu: "Where is the gift shop?".

The Sistine Chapel: "where're the toilets?".

 

;)

 

Toured the Greek Islands with a mate in the building trade years ago. One month of him complaining about everything falling to bits and the electrics etc. Tut, tut, tutted from island to island. 

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5 minutes ago, martoon said:

 

Toured the Greek Islands with a mate in the building trade years ago. One month of him complaining about everything falling to bits and the electrics etc. Tut, tut, tutted from island to island. 

😂 I’ve got a mate like that. Been away with him a couple of times and until he’s pissed he just moans like **** about everything. The lager, the food, the service, the pillows, too noisy, too quiet, too hot, too windy,  the weird plugs 😀. Couple of vodkas and he couldn’t give a shit about anything

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Samuel Camazzola
1 hour ago, Auld Reekin' said:

 

Other quotes from her many travels...

 

The Taj Mahal: "Looks a bit like a mosque".

The Pyramids: "Really old and a bit tatty looking".

The Parthenon: "Falling to bits".

The Aurora Borealis: "So what? A few green lights in the sky...".

Petra: "When are they going to finish it?".

Machu Picchu: "Where is the gift shop?".

The Sistine Chapel: "where're the toilets?".

 

;)

Sounds like descriptions Karl Pilkington gave/would give. 

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40 minutes ago, GinRummy said:

😂 I’ve got a mate like that. Been away with him a couple of times and until he’s pissed he just moans like **** about everything. The lager, the food, the service, the pillows, too noisy, too quiet, too hot, too windy,  the weird plugs 😀. Couple of vodkas and he couldn’t give a shit about anything

 

Your mate and mine sound like they're made for each other. 

 

😁

 

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5 minutes ago, martoon said:

 

Your mate and mine sound like they're made for each other. 

 

😁

 

Yeah, some people are hard work. I remember on a lads holiday to Palma a few years ago I came back in from an early morning walk and he was in the restaurant bit moaning about the sausages. I said to him - glorious day out there. His reply - could be doing with some rain to clear the air. 🤣

Edited by GinRummy
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32 minutes ago, GinRummy said:

Yeah, some people are hard work. I remember on a lads holiday to Palma a few years ago I came back in from an early morning walk and he was in the restaurant bit moaning about the sausages. I said to him - glorious day out there. His reply - could be doing with some rain to clear the air. 🤣

 

: D

Edited by martoon
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On 01/09/2020 at 13:42, Auld Reekin' said:

 

The Wallace Monument has little artistic or aesthetic worth - in fact it's downright ugly - but it's a nice wee woodland stroll to it and you can continue on down the path from it to take you down to the Tweed and the Temple of the Muses. You can then walk back up the way you came or just follow the road back up.

 

Yep, the Borders has a lot going for it.

 

Apologies if I'm out of line, but isn't the Wallace Monument near Stirling?  Unless there are two.

 

I'm aware that there's a large statue of Wallace in the Borders area, sandstone I think.

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Kalamazoo Jambo
42 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Apologies if I'm out of line, but isn't the Wallace Monument near Stirling?  Unless there are two.

 

I'm aware that there's a large statue of Wallace in the Borders area, sandstone I think.

 

it pains me to say so, but you are correct on both counts. Must be the William Wallace Statue that Auld Reekin’ was referring to.

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6 minutes ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:

 

Must be the William Wallace Statue that Auld Reekin’ was referring to.

 

It was.

 

Monument, shmonument.

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Doctor FinnBarr
2 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Apologies if I'm out of line, but isn't the Wallace Monument near Stirling?  Unless there are two.

 

I'm aware that there's a large statue of Wallace in the Borders area, sandstone I think.

 

Big statue up on the wall at the end of the High Street in Lanark as well.

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