#TRAVEL TO REAL-LIFE GAME OF THRONES LOCATIONS

Castle Ward, Northern Ireland
photo by Ardfern

Jason Biondo is an amateur bodybuilder and a travel junkie who loves to share insightful tips to his fellow health enthusiasts and travelers. He is also a User Interface Developer Consultant and the Founder of Trekeffect. 

9 Breathtaking Real-Life Game of Thrones Locations

Game of Thrones is a phenomenon in the television industry and as far as its ratings are concerned, there are no signs of it slowing down. If you’re wondering where on earth to find the majestic places where the show is filmed, here are the answers.

Castle Ward, Northern Ireland – Winterfell’s Courtyard

The Castle Ward was featured as Winterfell’s courtyard and was used for the scene where King Robert arrived at Winterfell in which they were met by the house of Stark during the first episode. This historic farmyard is a unique 18^th century mansion that is famous for its dazzling mix of architectural polishes. It is located on a rolling hillside overlooking the waters of Strangford Lough, Downpatrick. Because of the fame brought about by the television series, the place is now visited daily by many tourists. Game of Thrones tours are widely offered.

City of Dubrovnik, Croatia – King’s Landing

Dubrovnik is the main filming location for the scenes in South of Westeros or primarily the King’s Landing during the second season of the show. As most GOT fans know, this city showcases red-tiled roofs with orange terracotta tiles, large historic stone walls and scenic narrow streets as well as the wild seas. Known as the Pearl of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik is truly one of the most historic and fabulous places along the Adriatic Sea.

Lovrijenac Fortress, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Lovrijenac Fortress, Croatia – The Red Keep

Another well-known place is the Red Keep – a place where kings and queens of Westeros rule the Seven Kingdoms. In real-life, this GOT place was filmed in the Fort Lovrjenac, which is also within the city of Dubrovnik. Also known as the Fort of St. Lawrence, it is located outside high walls that are over 50 meters thick to prevent its destruction by enemies. Visitors can climb the 175 stone steps to the impressive beacon to catch a glimpse of the city’s skyline.

Minceta Tower, Croatia – The House of the Undying

Built in 1913 as the highest quadrilateral fort, it is the highest part of Dubrovnik’s walls and gives a magnificent overview of the city. Minceta is often referred to as the most remarkable fort of the city and regarded as the symbol of the place. The scene where Daenerys Targaryen walks around the exterior and has to face unexpected visions in the House of Undying in order to gain knowledge about her future was shot here.

Done Castle, Scotland
photo by Steve Collis

Doune Castle, Scotland – Winterfell

This was the filming location of the show’s pilot episode where the interior served as the festivity area when the royal party arrived. The background of the castle was also used for many scenes in the Winterfell. The castle was rebuilt during the 14^th century and served as a hunting lodge for Scottish royalty in the earlier years as well as a house for a widowed queen.

Azure Window, Malta – Wedding Scene

Located on Gozo Island, this natural limestone arch in the sea cliff was seen during Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding. Even before the scene was shown on TV, it had been known as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Malta. Unfortunately, recent reports have suggested that it will collapse in the next few years because the sea is slowly eroding the arch. There are danger signs posted all over the arch.  However, people ignore them to walk across and head to the top for a stunning picture of this well-known place.

Fort Saint Angelo, Malta – The Red Keep Dungeon

Located at the hearth of Grand Harbour (which was used as a military habitation), this prehistoric structure was used by British soldiers and was severely damaged during World War II. The tunnels were used for the scene where Arya was chasing a cat as an assignment from Syrio Forel wherein she overheard a discussion about the possibility of a war.

Dina City Gate, Malta
photo by GFDL 

Mdina City Gate, Malta – King’s Landing

This was originally the main setting of Game of Thrones, particularly on the first season, but because of logistics issue, it was later replaced by Dubrovnik. It is the old capital of Malta and one of the island’s oldest, strategically located walled cities.  Mdina’s inland setting, red-stoned buildings, and tall gates were the perfect shooting location for the show.

Dark Hedges in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland – Kingsroad

The stunning view of beech trees that were perfectly aligned at the side of the streets is the location for the scene when Arya Stark escaped King’s Landing disguised as a young boy. It is considered the longest highway in the Seven Kingdoms, running from King’s Landing to the wall where Arya Stark rides for Castle Black. In real life, the Dark Hedges was created to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to Georgian Mansion. After a couple of centuries, the trees still retain their magnificence and have become one of the most photographed natural sights in Northern Ireland. 

SCOTLAND AS SETTING WITH AUTHOR ROSEMARY GEMMELL

Loch Lohman

Author Rosemary Gemmell lives in a village on the west coast of Scotland, twenty minutes from Loch Lomond and thirty minutes from the centre of Glasgow. She joins us today to talk about how her Scottish surroundings inspire her writing. Learn more about Rosemary and her books at her website and blog.

Highland Mary's Grave

Scotland as Setting

The setting in any novel is often one of the most important aspects of the story for the author and the reader. This has never been truer than it is for The Highland Lass, my new Scottish novel, as it is mainly set around my own area in the west coast of Scotland and across the River Clyde to Argyllshire. An unlikely early inspiration was the large Greenock cemetery where ancient and elaborate graves stones, winding paths, and overhanging trees provided much scope for imagination. This was where my mother first introduced me to the gravestone of Highland Mary, who was a brief but important love interest of Robert Burns, our national poet. This early memory and a fascination for Mary Campbell was the inspiration for the short historical chapters of The Highland Lass.

Inverclyde has an envious position right beside the River Clyde, and across from Gourock sits the small seaside town of Dunoon in Argyll. From my side of the river, we can see the entrance to the Holy Loch, bordered by the towering Argyll hills, where the American Navy was based from the 1960s until the early 80s. This provided another thread in the story, as Eilidh is seeking the identity of her father, who may have been an American officer. Dunoon is also where Highland Mary was born and her statue forever looks across the Clyde.

Another inspiration is our famous Loch Lomond, one of the largest freshwater lochs (or lakes) in Britain. It is now part of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and its huge surface area crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, which separates the highlands from the lowlands. One of my favourite places is the fairy-tale village of Luss where the modern hero, Lewis, takes Eilidh one day. The tiny cottages with their abundance of flowers in summer months line both sides of the narrow main street, which wanders right down to the edges of the loch. You may have heard the chorus of the famous song, The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, the lyrics of which were evidently written in the 18^th century when one highlander was set free in the north of England after supporting the defeated Bonnie Prince Charlie and one was condemned to die.

Luss Cottages

“Ye'll tak' the high road and I'll tak the low road

And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,

For me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.”

The other main setting for The Highland Lass, in the present and past, is Ayrshire, known as Burns country. Mary and Robert Burns met and plighted their troth there in the 18th century and the small villages have hardly changed at all. The inn where Burns and his cronies met, Poosie Nancie’s, is still in the same street in Mauchline. Ayrshire is also where the blossoming relationship between modern heroine, Eilidh Campbell, and handsome Scot, Lewis Grant, takes another step forward.

But it is around Inverclyde where all the story threads come together and where Eilidh finds the answers to the past. One of the best-known views where Greenock meanders into Gourock is from the Lyle Hill overlooking Cardwell Bay and the Argyll hills beyond. Along by this stretch of the Bay was the perfect setting for Eilidh’s return to Scotland. Many of the large cruise ships now visit the port at Greenock but you can still watch out for the oldest sea-going passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world, The Waverley, which sails down the Clyde during the summer months and maintains our links to the steamers of the past.

The Highland Lass

Eilidh Campbell returns to her Scottish roots from America with one burning ambition: to discover the identity of her real father. But her mother's past in Inverclyde is a mystery with family secrets, a book of Robert Burns' poems with a hidden letter and a photograph link to the Holy Loch at Dunoon when the American Navy were in residence. Staying with her childhood friend, Kirsty, while searching for answers, Eilidh begins to fall in love with handsome Scot Lewis Grant, but just how divorced is he? Together they trace the story of Highland Mary and Robert Burns, with its echoes to her mother's story. From Dunoon, to Ayrshire and culminating in Greenock, Eilidh finds the past is closer than she realises.

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TRAVEL WITH SERENA--AUTHOR ROMY GEMMELL ON SCOTLAND

Edinburgh Castle

Award-winning author Romy Gemmell writes short stories and novels for both adults (as Romy Gemmell) and tweens (as Ros Gemmell.) Today she joins us to talk about Scotland and how she used the setting in her latest Regency novel. Romy short story, Highland Hogmanay, is featured in the FREE Holiday Anthology from Exquisite Quills. Learn more about Romy/Ros and her books at her website and blog.

Scotland as a Setting

Having lived in Scotland all my life, I decided it makes sense to use aspects of the country as the setting for some of my fiction. My home is on the beautiful west coast, half an hour from the great city of Glasgow and about twenty minutes across the river to stunning Loch Lomond. It’s a great location as we have the River Clyde on one side and the hills and countryside on the other.

Snowy Loch

In my new Regency-era novel, Midwinter Masquerade, I wanted to take the story away from the usual Regency London setting, so it begins in Edinburgh, our capital city. Apart from the impressive castle that sits atop a rocky incline, my favourite part of the city is the Royal Mile, the ancient cobbled road leading from the castle down to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Although now lined with a variety of tourist shops and cafés, the old tenements and historical buildings remind us of its past, the dark, narrow alleyways hinting at skulduggery and dark deeds.

Since this is a winter themed novel, however, the story then moves to the Scottish countryside during the lead-up to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. From the lowlands to the highlands, our hills and mountains, rivers and glens are the picture of romance, even without men in kilts, although most young men still wear the kilt to weddings and end of school parties!

Part of the Royal Mile

The countryside around the lowlands is filled with rolling green hills and forests of fir trees and my hero’s country estate is in such a setting. Our winters often begin in October or November, which should be autumn months, but it’s no exaggeration to say we can experience all four seasons in one day here. Once the clocks turn back an hour on the last weekend in October, darkness descends by around 4pm in many places, especially on the very rainy days, which we’re famous for in the beautiful, green west coast.

Since autumn and winter are my favourite times of year, it was fun setting Midwinter Masquerade within the cold, frosty scenery and there’s a skating scene on the frozen loch, an activity that still takes place on a small loch in the countryside near me. But my favourite part of the story is the Masquerade Ball on the winter solstice, a magical time of year when the sun changes direction. And it also heralds a change of direction for my heroine before winter is over.

Midwinter Masquerade

In Edinburgh, December 1816, young widow Lady Lenora Fitzallan accepts an invitation to the country estate of Edward Montgomery, the man she once thought to marry seventeen years previously. Accompanied by her godmother, Lady Pettigrew, Lenora forms a friendship with Edward’s young niece and ward, Annabelle, who has a propensity for getting into scrapes and falling in love with the wrong man.

In the days leading up to the Masquerade Ball on the Winter Solstice, unexpected guests arrive and family secrets are revealed. Once the past is revealed and the real villain unmasked, Lenora must decide where and with whom her future now lies.

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BOOK CLUB FRIDAY - GUEST AUTHOR ALEXA BOURNE

Today’s Book Club Friday guest is Alexa Bourne, teacher by day and romantic suspense writer by nights, weekends, and all school holidays. When she's not concocting sinister plots and steamy love scenes or traveling and exploring new cultures, Alexa spends her time reading, watching brainless TV and thinking about exercising. Visit her at her website or blog. 

Alexa is offering a copy of Her Highland Champion to one of our readers who posts a comment to the blog. -- AP

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Great Britain. If I could move tomorrow I'd go without reservations. I love the food, the beer, the culture and especially the accent. Whenever I hear a British man speaking, I get all gooey inside. I swear even hearing a Brit read the phone book would make my knees weak. Of course I don't judge him COMPLETELY on his accent, but that is definitely a starter.

Speaking of accents...can I tell you a secret? Promise you won't tell? When I read a book set in Great Britain, I hear the accent in my head. It makes for a more interesting story for me to “hear” it. I'm also one of those people who loves to have the words and phrases of the culture in the book because it puts me right in the center of the action. It helps to make me feel like I'm there in the story with the characters. Some people, I know, don't like a lot of the “different language” in their reading. Maybe it makes the reading harder when the reader has to stop and figure out what the characters mean by the strange words. With Britain, I’m familiar with deciphering the language since I have relatives there. Huh. Maybe that’s another reason I love to “hear the accent” as I read.

Not only do I hear the accent when I read, I actually hear it when I write, too. Now, many industry professionals will tell writers not to bog down the story with words and phrases of a different culture. They request we put in just enough to give the readers a feel for that setting or that character. As a writer, I follow that bit of advice, but not right away. When I'm writing my rough draft, I usually toss in A LOT more of the British terminology. As I go through each draft, I throw out more of the complicated words and phrases and revise the story for the majority of readers. Hearing the accent in my head even while I’m writing makes me love the process even more.

So, what about you? Do you hear accents in your head when you read a book with a character from a country different than your own? Or am I alone in this? Leave a comment here and be in the running for a copy of my contemporary Scottish romantic suspense, Her Highland Champion. (Then you can “hear” the accent as you read my book!)

Buy link for Her Highland Champion

Thanks for joining us today, Alexa! Readers, let’s hear from you if you want a chance to win a copy of Her Highland Champion. Don't forget to either include your email address in your comment or check back on Sunday to see if you've won. We can't get your books to you if we can't contact you. -- AP

TRAVEL WITH SERENA -- GUEST TRAVELER, AUTHOR ELLE DRUSKIN

American born author Elle Druskin has traveled the world, often with children in tow. Today she talks about traveling to Scotland with her children. A nurse by profession and academic, she has used her background in crafting her novels. To Catch A Cop, a romantic comedy/mystery was nominated as Best Romantic Comedy of 2010 by The Romance Reviews. To Catch A Crook, the second book in the To Catch series, is now available. Visit Elle at her website. -- AP

SCOTS WHA HAE!

My newest book, To Catch A Crook, takes place in London and the Scottish Highlands in the fictional town of Fraoch Falls. Fraoch, which is pronounced Frewoch, is Gaelic for heather. I first went to Scotland years ago after reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and I'm still reading the series and been back to Scotland many times. Today there are Outlander tours, but in those days, you were on your own. It didn't dampen my pleasure and delight in Scotland, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of that with you, especially if you might be traveling with children.

Think you want to see Scotland? Who wouldn't? History, intrigue, architecture, cuisine, scenery and of course, the Scottish people. You can't miss. I've been to Scotland many times, and I’m still ready to get on a plane and go again. My children were so enchanted by my stories about Scotland that they begged me to take them, and they still talk about that trip even if it was many years ago. Traveling with kids is different. It's a slower pace, and the things that fascinate adults might be boring for children, depending on their personalities and ages, but the benefit is that you get to see another country through their eyes. We often went in the middle of winter, bundled up to face a climate where the sun barely comes out that time of year. (The sun rises around 9 and sets around 3 pm. Of course, that meant the kids were fooled by the long darkness and ready for bed by 7pm.)

Edinburgh Castle

I prepared my children, who were 6 and 11 at the time, by telling them what we would see and do and showing them pictures. They also enjoyed Robert Carlyle's Hamish MacBeth series and hoped they were going to run into Hamish somewhere. I think that helped them and gave us a chance to talk about the trip. We landed in Edinburgh after a long flight from Sydney, made our way to our Bed and Breakfast, and were ready to head out to Edinburgh Castle.

Bed and Breakfast is a good way to travel in the UK. It's cheaper than hotels and some of them are more accommodating with children. Some, not all. We were very lucky with the one in Edinburgh; the room was like something out of a Victorian picture book, with a real fireplace, although we relied on central heating, a necessity in a Scottish winter. The owner also had children and kindly invited mine down to play with his kids in the afternoon. This was great; kids want to be with other kids.

He also suggested that we order a delivery for dinner rather than trudge outside in the cold and dark, and he happily supplied any cutlery or plates that we needed. Other Bed and Breakfast arrangements were not as good; we stayed at one that could only be described as a "Tartan Nightmare." Everything from bedspreads to curtains was a plaid riot. In Beauly, up in the Highlands, we stayed at another that was quite Spartan, but when my son asked for a particular breakfast cereal, the owner took him by the hand and the next thing I knew, they were walking outside to the little grocery next door where he told my son to choose whatever he wanted. They also had a party on Saturday night with all the locals, a "ceilidh" where music and dancing went on until 4 am. I suspected we were invited because the noise would have kept us awake, anyway, but it was fun and a chance to spend some time with locals, doing the things that they do, not only touristy activities.

http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk

This is the official site for Edinburgh Castle including a lovely photo of it in the snow. This is a great starting point for any visit to Edinburgh; the castle, which is more of a fortress is perched on volcanic rock high above the city and at the start of the Royal Mile. I much prefer walking downhill to uphill <g> so off we went.

Holyrood Palace

There's so much to see within the castle grounds from the Great Hall to the Scottish National War Museum, Prisoner of War Museum and Regimental Museum of the Scottish Dragoons. For my son, this was fantastic! The uniforms, the swords, the cannons, all the colorful military kinds of things that lots of little boys love. We ended up buying several sets of tiny metal soldiers in one of the shops, and my son would line them up and have pretend battles.

Although most tourists will be in Edinburgh in the summer (lots of daylight and much better weather,) we had a few advantages going in December. No long lines for anything, and the castle staff had plenty of time to spend with the kids. They demonstrated how to roll up in a plaid—a length of tartan fabric, and turn it into a kilt and let the kids try. There's no way they would have had time for that in the summer.

The castle has many ghosts associated with its history and the kids loved that. They weren't sure if ghosts were real but they tended to believe it.  Everything from a ghostly drummer warning of impending attack to a musician trapped in the tunnel that runs below the Royal Mile fascinated my children. They were particularly taken by the story of the "ghost dog" who arises from the dog cemetery within the castle grounds. Yep, dog cemetery. "If people can be ghosts, why not a dog?" asked my son. Made perfect sense to him.

My daughter loved seeing the Honors of Scotland, the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny and the Royal Palace. Being older, she appreciated the history much more than my son and understood the familiar joke that happens every day at 1 pm. At that time, the castle cannon, (The One O'clock Gun) booms over the city. One huge kaboom. The joke? People often ask why at One and not at Noon, where there would be twelve cannons. Of course, the Scots always reply, "You're in Scotland. Far more economical to fire off one cannon than twelve." That went over my son's head but he loved the cannon anyway.

There's a lot to see within the Castle but the best way to approach a visit is to go online and plan in advance. The kids also enjoyed the recorders with headsets and could play them at marked spots throughout the grounds and listen while looking at the various sites.

As you walk down the Royal Mile, there are plenty of places to stop and visit, especially with children. The Royal Mile runs all the way down to Holyrood Palace which looks more like a "fairytale castle" than Edinburgh Castle, and the New Scottish Parliament.  It's the oldest street in the city and full of shops, tourist traps, pubs, whiskey tasting (skip that one with the kids <g>) and things like the Writers' Museum (think Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns.) Lots of other places like John Knox House, the High Kirk of St. Giles, Outlook Tower, etc.

A few places of interest for kids: Brodie Close. Edinburgh is full of wynds, little alleys that are dark and kind of creepy even during the daytime. Brodie Close is named for William Brodie. Robert Louis Stephenson used Brodie (a respectable man by day, a burglar at night) for his classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Kids also will enjoy the Brass Rubbing Center where they can make impressions from replicas of the ancient Pictish crosses and the Museum of Childhood, which houses a collection of historical toys, dolls and books.

Greyfriar's Bobby statue

A must see with the kids is a slight detour from the Royal Mile, not more than a minute's walk to Greyfriar's Kirkyard. I made sure that my children saw the old Disney movie about Greyfriar's Bobby and they couldn't wait to see the Kirkyard. Even before you get to the kirkyard, there is a small statue of Bobby (a Skye terrier) on a pedestal. If you don't know the story, Bobby was owned by John Gray, known locally as Auld Jock. When Jock died, he was buried in an unmarked grave in the kirkyard. Bobby was so attached to Jock, that he remained at his master's grave for 14 years. Fed and cared for by the locals, Bobby is an Edinburgh legend, and his signal to leave the kirkyard was that famous One O'Clock Gun.  Off he would go, be fed, and return to guard his master's grave. Bobby is buried in the kirkyard, too. Huntley House, which is on the Royal Mile displays Bobby's collar.

Thanks so much for the virtual tour, Elle! Readers, how many of you have been to Scotland? How many plan to go someday? -- AP