AMERICAN WAY December 15, 2000

SEAN CONNERY’S SCOTLAND

“Scotland Forever, “his forearm says.  So we asked this knighted megastar to map out a driving tour of his beloved homeland.  And you don’t even need an Aston Martin.

For four decades, Sean Connery has reigned as an actor, the embodiment of James Bond in seven installments of the 007 franchise before breaking out to star in some of the most memorable films of our time: The Man Who Would Be King, The Wind and the Lion, The Untouchables, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, and many others.  “There are seven genuine movie stars in the world today, and Sean is one of them,” Steven Spielberg once said.  But in his hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connery will always be remembered as the son of a truck driver, whose childhood bed was a dresser’s bottom drawer, a 9-year-old milkman and paperboy who joined the British Royal Navy at 16, only to return home discharged with stomach ulcers to become a bricklayer, coffin polisher, semi-pro football player, lifeguard, and model.  His hobby as a bodybuilder became his salvation.  Traveling to London, he competed in a Mr. Universe competition and, more importantly, he won an audition as a stage actor.  Recently turned 70, Connery remains at his professional zenith, starring this month as a reclusive author in Finding Forrester, which he calls “a film about friendship.” But his most important role is that of Scotsman.  He was knighted this year after being anointed a few years back as Freeman of the City of Edinburgh, which he considers his greatest honor – even greater than his Oscar.  Thirty years ago, he helped found the Scottish International Educational Trust, which has educated thousands of poor, young Scots.  Today, his fierce pride and political involvement in his homeland have never been stronger.  As the tattoo on his right forearm proclaims: “Scotland Forever.” Here’s a weekend driving along the roads, through the cities, and to the golf courses of Scotland with the country’s favorite son, Sean Connery.

By MARK SEAL AN AMERICAN WAY CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

FRIDAY

ARRIVING IN GLASGOW "Flying into the Glasgow airport is a great start to any break in Scotland. As the plane crosses the border with England, you can look down on a wonderful landscape from seemingly barren hills, which nevertheless glow with the sunlight, every season a different color. The great benefit of landing in Glasgow is that the MB motorway, which will take you to many of my planned destinations, comes right to the airport door. As we head for the city, you will pass the home of the Glasgow Rangers, Scotland's first successful football team. Ibrox Stadium, which used to be surrounded by tenement buildings, sits largely alone these days, like a temple. If you go to a game, you can see how important 'the beautiful game' is to us. People sing and chant as the team plays. And you can try the dubious pleasure of a hot pie. Just don't ask what's in it."

BREAKFAST "Now driving into Glasgow, I would say it is time for a great Scottish breakfast at One Devonshire Gardens, one of Glasgow's best hotels, which serves a fantastic breakfast with all of the traditional options: kippers, potato scones, local sausage, and Ayrshire bacon. All mouthwatering. A tip for travelers: There's a scheme called A Taste of Scodand, which awards commendations to restaurants and bars for the quality of the food they serve. This commendation guarantees you the freshest local produce, served in an imaginative way, with affordable wine to go with it. One Devonshire not only has this classification, it has the only Michelin star in the city."

SIGHTS "Glasgow has reinvented itself over the last two decades. It has become an elegant and modern city, renowned for its years of being known as the U.K.'s City of Architecture and Design, and the European City of Culture. There's a wonderful beauty in the last remaining shipbuilding cranes by the river, juxtaposed as they are with the Kirkpatrick Hills, Dumbarton Rock, and the Erskine Bridge. The red granite of many of these buildings seems to glow in the morning sun -when we get sun, that is. I don't recommend you go to Scotland to get a tan. You'll notice parks are in abundance all over Scotland. Glasgow means 'dear green place,' and places like Pollok Country Park, Glasgow's loveliest park, make that definition a reality."

SHOPPING "After breakfast, I look forward to shopping in Princes Square, Glasgow's most exclusive shopping mall, or the shops in Merchant City, and buying all the cashmere, golfing equipment, and whiskey you can dream of. Then, I head for the

Burrell Collection, a modern museum with an eclectic and impressive display of artifacts, set in PollokCountry Park."

LUNCH "Glasgow is home to some of the best Indian restaurants outside of the subcontinent. The Koh-I-Noor at Charing Cross is one of the best. For lunch, I would probably stick to the many different types of pakora, deep-fried meat and fresh vegetables, all with different dipping sauces, but pick your favorite meat or fish entree and they are sure to prepare it in an amazing way. Or try the delights of art-deco Glasgow and go to the Rogano, which is just behind the new Gallery of Modern Art, now housed in the old Stirling Library on Queen Street. Unchanged for almost a decade, Rogano is a treasure trove of deco touches, and their specialty fish is a real treat."

ON TO EDINBURGH “After lunch, I would head to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city. The short and lovely one-hour drive from Glasgow takes you across moors and through the mining and steel-making areas. Edinburgh has many different parts, but Princes Street divides its center. On the one hand, you can see the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, built in the 12th century and still occupied and working as a garrison of sorts. Around it are the cobbled and narrow streets of the Old Town. The Royal Mile is one of the great walks of Scotland. But it is steep, so if you don’t feel too energetic, I suggest you start at the castle and work your way down. For the first-time visitor, I recommend going to the Outlook Tower and Camera Obscura - an incredible show of mirrors, cameras, and holograms created by an optician in the 1800s. A very unique way to see the panorama of the city."

CULTURE "I like to visit the Palace of Holyrood- house and the wonderful gardens and parkland around it. This is the site of some of my happiest memories of recent years because it's where I received my knighthood and where, on another great occasion, I was driven as new Freeman of the City. The new Scottish Parliament building is currently taking shape near there."

DINNER "My favorite restaurant in Edinburgh is Cosmo, a classic Italian restaurant. Fish is a specialty. It's small, intimate, on two levels, and very hip and trendy. You can be guaranteed a good night there, with great food and wine and, best of all, good company. The Tower, the restaurant on the very top of the new Museum of Scotland, also has good Scottish seafood and Angus beef, and great views of Edinburgh besides. After dinner, I like to walk around the streets of the New Town, especially Rose Street, where I can be persuaded to drop in for a nightcap at one of the pubs and bars in that part of town."

LODGING "In Edinburgh, there are accommodations to suit every type of traveler, from the modern Sheraton Grand Hotel, to the boutique Point Hotel, which offers much style for a reasonable price. With golf on my mind, I get a great night's sleep, to be up early in the morning."

SATURDAY

GOLF "Saturday combines my two great loves: golf and the East Coast of Scotland. I follow the Firths of Forth into Fife. Try saying that after a dram! The Kingdom of Fife, as it is known, is home to some of the best golf courses, and certainly the first golf course, in the world. The best thing is that you don't have to be Sean Connery to play a round. They are pretty much open to letting anyone on who takes the time to look around. The fishing villages of Crail and Elie are built around ancient churches and abbeys that still stand. You might want to stop for lunch at the Peat Inn, a former coaching inn near St. Andrews. Most golfers, including me, like to play the Old Course at St. Andrews, the world's first golf course. It gives a satisfying round for the golfer. The ancient village of St. Andrews itself is worth a look. Home of the oldest university in Scotland, it has many interesting buildings and places to see."

SIGHTS "From St. Andrews, I like to drive over to Stirling, meandering past the Ochil Hills with their many pretty old villages. This route brings you into the Stirling by the Wallace Monument, a testament to one of Scotland's favorite sons, Sir William Wallace. If you've seen the movie Braveheart, you get the picture. Stirling also has the Stirling Castle, which sits on a solitary rock formation strikingly on the valley floor. From here, I'd head for Gleneagles in Perthshire to spend the night and position myself for a day trip into the Highlands to finish my journey."

LODGING "Heading up past Dunblane, it's a short drive to Perth, a market town for the area, and beyond to Auchterarder, to the Gleneagles Hotel. It's not cheap, but a great treat. Opened in 1924 as a railway hotel for Victorian visitors to hunt and fish, it still stands as a getaway for city folk. For a big hotel it has a cozy atmosphere, and if you crave privacy there are cottages as well. The Gleneagles also has one of the great golf courses of the world, King's Course, as well as several other courses, and one of the best restaurants in Scotland, with excellent local salmon and grouse.”

SUNDAY

HIGHLANDS DRIVE "Sunday morning, I'd get up early again for a drive that encompasses as much of the beautiful Highlands as possible. Here, you can really appreciate the giant Scottish sky. Stand atop any hill in the Highlands and you'll see four different types of weather. As Billy Connolly, a Scots comic, advises, 'There is no such thing as bad weather in Scotland. Only the wrong clothes.' So layer up with waterproofs for the rain, sweaters for the wind, and shirts for the sun. In fall, you'll change more often than a runway model, but that's part of the fun of the place."

LUNCH "I have two favorite places in the Highlands. To the east, there's the Skibo Castle, once the home of Scottish/American steel king Andrew Carnegie, but now a world-class hotel with a golf course, Carnegie Links. You can hunt and fish at Skibo. If you stay at the lodge, you're awakened by a bagpiper. You eat at big, long community tables in the Skibo Casde dining room, which serves traditionally Scottish food, including haggis, which is basically chopped-up innards. Actually very tasty. To the west, I head for Ullapool, a fishing village still visited from fishing fleets of all countries. Heartbreakingly picturesque. It's a long drive, but I think it's worth it. Many of the restaurants, which line the road, will have just pulled the fish out of the loch, which is Scottish for 'lake.' You'll be assured of the freshest fish you've ever had in your life. The different blues of the sea and sky are best seen at Ullapool. Not being a poet, I find it hard to do it justice. If you have time to stay in one of the local hotels, be sure to go to one of the little bars in the port. On many nights, a singsong develops and you'll hear the old songs of Scotland. But I warn you -You'll be asked to join in."

MAGICAL LIGHT, MYTHICAL MONSTERS  "Driving back down through the Western Highlands, you have many choices. My last place, if I could manage it -as this would make for a very long day behind the wheel -would be to go to Glen Coe. The Great Glen, a deep divide in the earth that splits Scotland in half; at sunset is one of the loveliest and most desolate places in the world. The changing of the light is magical. Nearby is Loch Ness, the storied waterway with its mythical monster. A couple of hours later, having seen the mountains and hills level out, I am back in Glasgow, to head back from where I came."

A FAVORITE DAY IN EDINBURGH

“I have so many great days to remember, but I suppose I should plump for the most historic of those, the opening of the new Scottish Parliament, the first parliament in 300 years.  I had been up very late the night before, talking and enjoying the odd dram with friends and others who had been part of the campaign to make this day happen.  I had spent the days before hosting press in Edinburgh talking about my last film, Entrapment, which had, at least in part, been filmed in Scotland.  The actual day dawned and the weather was glorious, which by now you know is very rare.  It was both a wonderfully formal and informal day, where everything went off well until it came time to get ready for the actual proceedings.  I know you may sympathize that it is very difficulty to make sure that you have with you everything you need when you travel as much as I do.  I discovered at the last minute that I had forgotten to pack both of my socks, which are worn with a kilt.  While this may sound strange, the socks are frankly very thick as they go right up to the knee and one can look like two if you’re not careful.  Lots of people were dispatched to possible places to get a new pair, on a day when shopping was the last thing on everyone’s mind.  Luckily a pair was found and my dignity saved.  I made it to the ceremony with minutes to spare.  It was a day I’ll always remember for the sheer joy felt in the streets, with a special flight of the Concorde over Edinburgh and street fairs with children and shows everywhere you looked."