From The Blarney Stone To Big Ben

RCHS Group Tours The British Isles

Editor’s note: Rockbridge County High School students Lydia Kendall and Josie Kuehner wrote the following story.

This summer, a group of 45 Rockbridge County High School students, their family members, and chaperones embarked on a trip of a lifetime where they were able to witness priceless treasures and amazing landscapes as they traveled through the British Isles.

On Sunday, June 9, the group gathered at RCHS to embark on their long-awaited 15-day tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

After a very long travel day, we arrived in Dublin and met up with our EF tour director Elaine, who is an expert of the United Kingdom. EF, also known as Education First, is an educational tour company that organized our itinerary and provided us with our tour director.

Along the way to our first destination, Killarney, we stopped at our first castle of many to come, Bunratty Castle. Afterwards, the drive back to Killarney featured numerous sheep and beautiful, rolling hills. The landscape was breathtaking.

On the second day of our travels, we had our first traditional Irish breakfast and left to experience the famous excursion that was a jaunting carriage ride. Our coachmen made the rides humorous with witty comments such as, “If you can’t see the mountains, it’s raining, and if you can see the mountains, it’s going to rain.”

We witnessed the beautiful sites of Killarney National Park throughout this ride, which included the exciting appearance of the red deer native to that region.

Once the ride came to an end, we gathered onto the coach and took a scenic drive around the Ring of Kerry on the southern coast of Ireland. We stopped to see numerous breathtaking views, but the most memorable to us was a picture stop with the dog on a donkey!

The next day, we began our trek back to Dublin, on which we experienced the famous Blarney Castle where numerous members of the group chose to daringly kiss the Blarney Stone, known to give the gift of eloquent speaking and good fortune.

This thrilling experience started with a nar- row trek up spiral staircases, the space shrinking with each step we took. The view at the top was worth the hike, though, and as we reached the top, we met other members of our group who were all excitedly awaiting the Blarney Stone, while we anxiously stood in line because after all, who would want to hang upside down to kiss a rock? But in the end, we only live once, so why not kiss the rock? After this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, many of us explored the castle’s vast grounds that included a witch’s (alleged) cave and poison gardens.

The next day, we were given the opportunity to explore the sites of Dublin, first through a guided tour and then on our own. During our free time within the city, we had the option to visit the archeological museum, the National Gallery of Art, or buy a famous Claddagh ring. We personally chose the archaeological museum because it is home to the bog bodies, which were well-preserved corpses found in a peat bog, and other artifacts from the Viking Era and Ancient Egypt.

We grouped back together and then headed to the Irish Emigration Museum, also known as the EPIC Museum, which had hands-on activities to teach us about the history and different aspects of Irish culture and emigration during domestic struggles.

The following day, we boarded a ferry and left behind the beautiful scenery of Ireland to travel to Holyhead, Wales. When we arrived, we visited the Beaumaris Castle, which met our expectation of a true castle due to its moat and spectacular view of the surrounding beach.

Then, we explored the gardens of Rydal Mount, home to the famous English poet William Wordsworth, as well as the house itself and his outdoor writing studio. From there, we headed to the rest of the Lake District to have free time to explore.

Our first stop the next day was to see the striking Kelpies statues, massive shining metallic structures of horse heads 100 feet tall, based on shape-shifting mythological creatures. After experiencing this memorable monument, we took a guided tour of Edinburgh, which included its famous castle at the peak of the city.

Once given free time to explore Edinburgh, many chose to seek out the well-known Victoria Street that is rumored to be the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series.

Before the day came to a close, we were split into two groups to go on a ghost tour. Our group’s tour guide, Sarah, made this an experience like no other through haunting stories of cursed cemeteries and mischievous grave diggers, as well as showing us the grave stones that may have been the inspiration for many of the names of J.K. Rowling’s characters, including the Potters and the Riddles.

At this point of our trip, the days were blurring together but there was still more to experience. We took a short, hour-long boat trip on Loch Katrine in the highlands of Scotland, where the skipper informed us about the area, including how its views were an inspiration for the famous piece “Ave Maria” by Schubert. After this peaceful boat tour, we stopped to see the adorable Highland cows, which was truly an unforgettable and iconic moment.

We then stopped at Shakespeare’s birthplace and Anne Hathaway’s cottage, which was an exciting moment for our English enthusiasts and allowed us to learn about the famous writer’s upbringing.

One of our favorite days of the trip was the day we visited the Roman Baths and Stonehenge because of their global and historical fame. We were lucky enough to visit Stonehenge on the day of the summer solstice, which made it even more special.

Our final three days were spent in the incredible city of London. We first took a guided tour of London sites, including the chance to roam the grounds and buildings of Windsor Castle, which at the time housed the King of England, as well as the burial site of Queen Elizabeth II, and the famous Doll House, which were open to the public. The changing of the guards at Windsor Castle was definitely a highlight, and the marching band came out and played the traditional music for the changing of the guards and then finished off with a rendition of music from “Mamma Mia.”

In addition to Windsor Castle, we visited Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey, the Tate Modern Museum, and the Globe Theatre. A personal favorite was getting to see the Crown Jewels housed in the Tower of London because it was interesting to see the many different crowns used over several monarchies, as well as solid gold items, such as a punchbowl that weighed 8000 ounces.

To finish off our adventures, we had a free day in London, allowing us to explore the city and ride the London Eye. From the top of the London Eye, we had a spectacular 360-degree view of the entire city, concluding our trip of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This experience has encouraged us to continue to explore what our world has to offer outside of Rockbridge County.