HMS Unicorn, Discovery Point, And The Black Watch Museum: Day 13 – Scotland 2017
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18 April 2017
After a surprisingly warm night in our tent, we packed up, had a cheap breakfast (thanks, McDonald’s), and headed over to our first stop of the day, the HMS Frigate Unicorn.
HMS Unicorn
The HMS Unicorn is a frigate that was launched in 1824. She is one of the oldest ships in the world that is still afloat and is the oldest ship in Scotland. She is moored in the waterfront of Dundee. The Royal Navy used the HMS Unicorn as a reserve training ship from 1873 to the 1960s. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because we saw a similar ship at the beginning of our Scotland trip, the Trincomalee (you can read more about the Trincomalee and our visit here).
The HMS Unicorn is much smaller than the Trincomalee, but it was every bit as fun to explore. We got there right after they opened and roamed the ship all by ourselves. What a treat! We went through the ship rather quickly, which always feels weird to me. I second-guess myself and wonder if we missed something, but truly, there just wasn’t a whole lot to see. It’s a ship. You can go through it. We did. It was cool.
Discovery Point
Five minutes down the road was our second attraction of the day. Since our visit was short at the HMS Unicorn, we had more time to explore the RRS Discovery at Discovery Point. Sensing a theme for the day? The RRS Discovery took one of the most famous trips in sailing history and is now on display for all to see and explore. The ship was built specifically for scientific research and a journey to Antarctica. The continent was still uncharted wilderness and there were plenty of folks chomping at the bit for a chance to explore it.
Lieutenant Robert Falcon Scott was hired to captain the RRS Discovery on its journey to Antarctica. The ship launched in 1901, and by December of that year, the British National Antarctic Expedition was under way. I could write for days about the expedition, but for the sake of keeping it short, here’s the quick version. The ship left with a total of 48 men. Among the sailors and officers were a group of scientists and two civilians (one is listed as a laboratory assistant and the other as 2nd cook).
A Quick Expedition Overview
The men arrived in Antarctica on 8 January 1902. The main purpose of this expedition was purely scientific and focused on magnetic surveys. They discovered over 500 new species and were the first to spot an Emperor Penguin rookery. It was a huge boon for the scientific community. On 2 November 1902, a group set off overland to explore. Alongside Scott, one of these men was Ernest Shackleton. That name should sound familiar to you as he later went on to head three Antarctic explorations of his own. They made it farther south than anyone else ever had, but they weren’t faring well. Consequently, the sled dogs they had taken with them were slowly dying, and the men weren’t doing much better.
Incredibly, all of the men made it back to the ship on 3 February 1903. Fast forward to December 1903. The RRS Discovery is now completely cut off from the open ocean by 20 miles of ice. January 1904 brought two relief ships, and in mid-February of that year, the ship was finally freed. The men used controlled explosions to blow away the ice and make a pathway to open water. The ship arrived at Spithead in September 1904, and Scott was declared a national hero. There were only two deaths during the entire journey. Charles Bonner fell from a mainmast to his death while the ship left port from Lyttleton, and Able Seaman George Vince was killed after he slid over the edge of a cliff during a blizzard. His body was never recovered.
RSS Discovery and Museum
I’ll start by saying Discovery Point was incredible. History is something we both love, but there’s something extraordinary about being able to stand on and touch the thing you’re learning about. Your journey at Discovery Point starts in the museum. You wind your way through, from timbers being laid for the ship to the homecoming of Scott and his men. You’ll also learn about the expedition in 1910, where, unfortunately, Scott and a group of his men did not return. After learning about their expedition, seeing artifacts from the trip, and learning about the ship’s history in later years, you step outside and are greeted with a truly incredible sight.
Just outside the building sits the RSS Discovery herself. Not only do you get to see this amazing ship in person, but you also get to walk on board and explore as long as you like. The history lesson continues aboard the ship because it is set up as it would have been for the National British Antarctic Expedition. Of all of the ships we visited during our trip, this is the one we’d recommend to see if you could only choose one. The others are wonderful, but there’s something about this one that speaks on a deeper level.
After taking our time in the museum and onboard the ship at Discovery Point, we headed back inside so I could browse through the incredible gift shop. I made it out purchasing only three books, which was a miracle. The three I bought were the ones that piqued my interest the most. If explorations are something that intrigues you, you might be interested in these as well!
The Black Watch Castle And Museum
30 minutes down the road, we arrived at our final attraction for the day, the Black Watch Castle and Museum. The museum (situated in a stunning castle) documents the Black Watch regiment through its formation in 1739 up to its present-day operations. We decided to do the guided tour to learn more about what we were seeing since we didn’t really know much about it.
Our guide’s name was Bill, and he was spectacular. It was just the three of us on our tour of the Black Watch Museum. Bill was so patient in answering our questions and eager to share stories about the displays and the men that served in the regiment. After he guided us through the museum, we were left on our own to go back through and explore more slowly. The most poignant of the displays in the museum was this kilt. The plaque next to it read: “Kilt worn by Captain W D McL Stewart of the 1st Battalion The Black Watch when he was killed during the battle of the Somme on 25th September 1916. The kilt was kept untouched by his family and still carries traces of mud.”
If you’re into military history or Scottish military history, the Black Watch Museum is the place for you! There are hundreds of displays and artifacts to comb through, and you could easily spend hours here. The museum also has a lovely cafe. We had a quick lunch and then poked through the extensive gift shop before going on our way. It was a touching and solemn end to our day of sightseeing with great staff members to guide us through.
Another Night In The Tent
After our long day of sightseeing at the HMS Unicorn, Discovery Point, and the Black Watch Museum, we made our way to our campsite for the night and set up the tent. We stayed at the Scone Club Campsite, which was really quite impressive. The facilities were really nice, and they had a rec hall with free WiFi! The only downside? Our tent pitch was next to the tree line and the birds that were roosting there were ungodly loud. They were incredible to listen to and only affected our sleep slightly. It’s easy to sleep through the noise when you’re exhausted in the best kind of way! Lucky for us, we didn’t have far to go the next morning. Our first stop of the day was to be Scone Palace, just minutes down the road.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy
