In 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated the English led army of Edward II in a total arse kicking of a battle, resulting in eventual Scottish independence (at least for a few hundred years). The battle is considered to be one of Scotland’s finest moments and is immortalised in our national anthem.

I, strangely, had never visited the site of this battle so it was an important pitstop for me on this trip, and proved a stark contrast between the experience of Culloden and the tragedy of that sad encounter, which ended far differently.

Our guide on the visit was excellent and I particularly enjoyed hearing how Bruce defeated Henry de Bohun in a one-on-one (or ‘square go’, as we refer to it in Scotland) prelude to the battle (axe to the face, naturally).

We were taken through a detailed account of the battle, people and strategies and its historical ramifications. Afterwards we had a look at the garb and weaponry and got to play dress up. Awesome.

The awesomeness continued at the Edinburgh tattoo, something I’d always wanted to see, which was excellent. The displays and pipers were fantastic. Norway in particular put on an incredible display (despite a wee gun drop) urged on by Katrine screaming her support in my ear. The lighting and fireworks added to the fun and we went home to our guesthouse on the last train, satisfied once more to be wringing the sponge of Scottish culture dry.