We had a very leisurely walk through a very thick forest path to find this enormous statue of William Wallace. He looks like a Roman soldier — and is overlooking Trimontium and the Eildon Hills, facing England; watching for the next invasion, according to the people sitting beneath it. According to many scholars, Wallace was a giant. Just to wield the sword, they say, he would have to be well over six feet tall. Regardless, he’s a bit larger than life here!
There were a half-dozen people here, just relaxing in the sun and enjoying the view. I think that we were the only non-Scots there. “Doesn’t look much like Mel Gibson, eh?” we were asked. Most of the Scots we met were really amused by everyone’s fascination with William Wallace now that ‘Braveheart’ was such a hit in the States. He’s been a cultural hero all along in Scotland.
Later in our trip, a bunch of school kids at Ravenscraig Castle regaled us with their “Scottish accents” as they mimicked Braveheart, they knew the whole ‘Can’t take our freedom’ speech. I didn’t have the heart to tell them we didn’t hear the difference between their own accents and their “put on” accents!
