Travel Possibility

Pitlochry, Scotland is a beautiful and quiet town that is well known for the amazing scenic views surrounding and that are also part of it. It is full of century old stone based Victorian homes and buildings, which add to its charm and overall atmosphere. Many of the Pitlochry hotels are also located in buildings that have been adapted from previous Victorian stores and houses. The town increased in popularity as a tourist destination after Queen Victoria visited the area herself 1842. The following year a new railway was constructed, which made accessing the town much easier and convenient.

Queen Victoria visited Blair Castle, which is extremely close to Pitlochry, and her overall approval and appreciation of the area gained for it much more awareness and popularity. Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 until 1901, which is the longest period of time anyone has served as Britain’s monarch. No one before or after has held the crown longer. She was of German descent and the daughter of Prince Edward Augustus, who was the Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria, who was the granddaughter of George the third.

During the later part of the 19th century, which is often considered to be the prime of her reign, the Victoria became a popular symbol and figure for the social moral codes and also architectural designs. This time era is known as the Victorian period, and the clothing, interior design elements and many other social aspects are still associated with her. Although, the social orientation was known for extremely conservative morals and behaviors, the aesthetic aspects of the Victorian era are still extremely popular today. Oscar Wilde was an English writer during this period and is well known for his representations and commentaries on Victorian society. The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband are two of his plays from this period.

I took my backpack to Cotswolds, England to see if, in my late 40′s, if I could still make the cut. My wife wasn’t thrilled, but she decided to join me, after all it’s England, you know, that place across the pond? Actually, I signed up for what’s called Luxury Backpacking; meaning we will be travelling in a pack and instead of a tent, we will be walking from Cotswolds Hotels to Cotswolds Hotels. This is another reason my wife decided to join me.

We will be enjoying the outdoors during the day and in the evenings being served a nice hot dinner and sleep in a luxury bed, instead of hauling around sleeping bags, clothes, pots and pans. We will be able to take a nice hot bath to relax any muscle we stressed earlier during or hike. I thought this would be a perfect blend of the beautiful freedom of the outdoors and my much needed creature comforts.

Cotswolds is a perfect place for backpacking. The area is breathtaking and a paradise for walkers. There are more than 1,600 miles of pathways of lanes, paths and small roads that traverse all of Cotswolds. I planned my backpacking walk with restaurants in mind. I read all the reviews off the Internet. It was easy for me to find hotels with restaurants that were only 13 to 16 miles apart, or sometimes less. The paths were, in the beginning, created by animals, which in turn were used by early travellers and then turned into actually foot paths for tourists and locals alike. Most of the paths are easy tracks that go down slopes and across small streams.

Thousands of travellers come to Cotswolds every year to experience the original paths take by stone-age people who followed the animal tracks to pastures and to water. I’m not a good walker, but I will try to visit three Cotswold villages in a day and I fit in rest time were my wife and I can get a good lunch at a village pub which will let us get to know the local people and hopefully get a good laugh or a nice story before we continue on to the next village. All in All, even if I’m not a good backpacker, it will be nice just to spend time with my wife and nature.