By Maureen Jones

Rosslyn Chapel, left, is called the Cathedral of Codes and was built in 1446 by the Knights Templar. Photo special to the Town Crier

When I was in Edinburgh earlier this year for a travel conference, a colleague from the Scottish Tourist Board told me that travel agents are expecting Rosslyn Chapel to be one of the top tourist attractions in the coming year because of the best-selling novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” by Dan Brown. Director Ron Howard was in Europe this year filming a version of the novel for the big screen.

I had never been to the chapel, so she offered to take me. We drove in a snowstorm out to Bothwick Castle, a popular destination for tourists about 45 minutes from Glasgow airport. The ancestral home of Clan Galbraith dates back to the 14th century and boasts spectacular highland views and accommodations in a castle that could be straight out of a fairy tale.

We had coffee with the owner of Bothwick before leaving for the chapel. We borrowed a key from the caretaker in the village and went to Bothwick Chapel, a lovely little church with hundreds of years of history in its graveyard.

Rosslyn Chapel, often called the Cathedral of Codes, was built in 1446 by the Knights Templar and is engraved with a mind-boggling array of symbols from the Jewish, Christian, Egyptian, Masonic and pagan traditions.

It is a rare architectural gem, constructed with exquisitely carved stone. Each carving is interconnected and sits in its rightful position as if it were a note in a silent symphony.

What few people realize is that Rosslyn Chapel was built on the Rose Line, one of the most significant ley-lines running north-south through Western Europe.

The chapel is located on an intricate design of sacred geometry that reaches far beyond the confines of the rolling hills that surround the chapel on College Hill.

The Rose Line, a mystical geographic alignment, traverses Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh before reaching Rosslyn Chapel.

The scenery around the chapel, nestled in the Pentland Hills, is lovely.

The land is owned by the clan Sinclair, or St. Clair, a Norwegian family that settled at Rosslyn Castle after a long sojourn in Normandy.

I was amazed at the crowd of tourists gathered at the chapel.

The weather was dreadful and it was early morning, yet the chapel was filled with tour groups accompanied by guides. My first thought was, “This place will be mobbed by summer, with nowhere to park.”

Having read “The Da Vinci Code,” which I found fascinating, I appreciated the well-laid-out signs within the chapel, guiding the visitor and providing information about the different symbols mentioned in the book.

Visitors to Scotland can take a tour from Edinburgh that picks them up from their hotel.

I recommend taking a tour because you get the benefit of a historian’s expertise along with an explanation of the layout of the chapel and its history.

I enjoyed my visit to Rosslyn chapel and recommend reading the novel.

From the chapel, I went to the Shetland Islands, another story in and of itself. They are 16 hours by ferry from Aberdeen and only 2 hours by ferry from Norway.

I always enjoy going home to Scotland. This was my 105th visit since moving to California.