Dalmeny 1/2 Mile

You DON’T want to know just how many times I saw this sign today.  I was beginning to think that the local ASDA recently had a sale on “Dalmeny 1/2 ” signs because they kept popping up in the darn’dest places.

I had planned the day’s trip to Dalmeny House but couldn’t seem to find any actual directions to the place….. not for lack of trying. Even the woman at the information center couldn’t help me.

So, I searched for the place on google maps and wrote the directions down in my notebook,  and alighted from the train station in search of Bankhead road. 

I noticed a sign marked “Dalmeny 1/2 m ” pointing to steps leading to what looked like a bike trail.  So, I made my way to the trail and walked along for what seemed to be about half a mile when I finally saw an exit to the left.  So, I climbed up the steps, and saw a similar sign that said “Dalmeny 1/2 m” pointing in a different direction. 

 I was a bit confused by this point (who wouldn’t be?), but I made my way to the street and started heading in the direction where I expected to find Dalmeny House.

I finally came to a tiny village that I figured had to be Dalmeny.

 I was on Bankhead Road, which I was supposed to take to Main street, but if I was actually on Main street, it ended in a yellow field…with no sign of the road indicated on Google maps.

So, I continued along Bankhead Road, and it was quite obvious to me that I was heading back in the direction of the train station.

I continued until I could go no further, turned around and saw the sign, “Dalmeny 1/2”.  Ok, I could believe that.

Then, I spotted another sign that said “Dalmeny House” with the little blue thistle, indicating that it was an Historic Home, and I followed the direction of the arrow.

I can’t tell you how far I walked, but I did come to another sign  and you can guess what that said.  That’s when I came up with my ASDA sign sale theory.  And, the really amusing part of this whole fiasco is that the town consists of a church, mercat cross and a few houses. 

In any event, after walking a VERY long distance, I finally came to an intersection, intending to turn right (leading me in the direction that google maps had indicated), when much to my surprise, there was a large blue sign that said, Dalmeny House……on my left!

A Church Gate House stood on the corner,

 and a very friendly man was at the gate and greeted me.  It was obvious that I was quite excited to find the place, and this fellow was amazed that I had walked from the station, and he went on to comment that it was a shame that I arrived so early, because the place wasn’t open yet.

I mentioned that I was quite aware that it did not open until 2:00, but that I had left extra time….just in case I got lost….which I had.  He left out quite a chuckle, and directed me to go along to the house and to enjoy the sheep along the way.

What he did NOT mention, was that the walk to the house from the street is 1.6 miles.  He probably knew that it would take me awhile at that point to get to the house after already walking my feet off!

I crossed the cattle grates

(the first time I’ve seen something like this) and began the walk down the road.  It didn’t take long for me to realize just why those grates are there. They are designed to keep the sheep from getting out of the pasture.  Their skinny legs would fall into the spaces if they tried walking over it.

I really don't know much about sheep, except that I have seen ewes become very territorial when their babies are around.  I've always respected that, and have backed off and away so that mamma doesn't get upset.  But here I found myself amidst the wooly creatures.  And, I was obviously the object of interest

which became quite obvious when everywhere I looked I was being stared down.

I decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to stare back, so I just ambled along, enjoying the day.  I found it rather amusing to see sheep hiding just about everywhere.

I was reminded of an episode of Shaun the Sheep and I looked to be sure that there weren't any sheep hiding up in the trees!

I could hear the calls of the Grouse, and soon spotted a pair within short distance of the road.

This was turning out to be quite an entertaining adventure for me. 

When I finally arrived at the house,  there were no signs indicating where I should enter,  no benches on which to rest and…..more importantly….no sign of any people, anywhere.

Does this kind of stuff only happen to me?

Long story short (OK, so it's already a long story, but definitely less than it could be), I found a workman who led me to the office which was NOT the entrance.  No worries, a woman escorted me through the house to the entrance, where I met an extremely entertaining woman who was obviously very excited to greet me, and even more so when she heard my accent.  I felt rather lucky because I can't imagine that anyone would be happy to have a stranger come strolling through the wrong door.

I should mention here that Dalmeny House is only open in the months of June and July, and only Sun – Wed from 2:00 through 5:00.  The house is only accessible by private tour, of which there are two:  2:15 and 3:15.

With such limitations, I would have expected more people to show up. (Perhaps they were out following the maze of "Dalmeny 1/2" signs).

 I found myself as part of a tour of three as an older couple showed up just around 2:15 p.m.

The guide was an older gentleman who obviously loved his job because he spent a LOT of time explaining the history of the family and showing us the contents of several rooms.

The family name is Primrose, but the earl is officially known as the Earl of Roseberry.  The 5th Earl of Roseberry can be credited with the beautiful house as well as the many fine collections.  He married into the Rothschild family, and with that came quite a fortune as well as countless priceless heirlooms.

From tapestries commissioned by Goya hanging in the stairwell to the original porcelain statue of Maria's Antoinette's dog found in her apartments after her execution, to an entire room dedicated to Napoleon, this manor house was brimming with countless priceless items.  And our guide was thrilled to supply all of the details.

Since the family is in residence year round, we were permitted to view five rooms,  but with so many items of interest, each with an explanation of some sort, our guide had us completely occupied for a full hour.

The final room on the tour boasts a table that can serve up to 48 guests.  Famous paintings and sculptures decorate the perimeter, and a captivating view of the firth is on view from the picture windows.  When the tour was finished, the guide asked us if we would like a cup of tea "on the house".  The couple on tour with me declined, but since I hadn't had anything since breakfast, I was more than happy to accept the offer.

The guide invited me to sit at the end of the beautiful long table while he showed the elder couple out of the building and went to retrieve the tea.   But prior to leaving, he looked at me and said, "I'm going to leave you here.....but don't touch anything!"  I had been on my best behavior during the tour, so I can't say what caused him to make that comment! 

I laughed and assured him that I would behave myself.  It was quite obvious to me that the camera in the upper corner of the room was there for a reason.

In short time, the guide returned with a cup of tea and a plate with no less than 3 slices of different tea breads.  I was told that all three were for my enjoyment. I asked him to please share them with me, but he apparently suffered from Celiac's disease and wouldn't be able to partake of the yummy looking treats.

We chatted for a few minutes, and he was called off to do the second tour.  I must have appeared trust worthy by this point, because he left just bidding me farewell.

And, I found myself in this beautiful room, with a gorgeous view of the firth

sitting at a long table that could accommodate 48 people

alone....... with a cup of tea

AND 3 slices of scrumptious looking tea breads!

Only I wasn't really alone because every few minutes a strikingly beautiful small shetland sheepdog kept running in the room, giving me a look, then running back out again. 

I sat there sipping my tea, enjoying the view and wondered if I should pinch myself.  That's the one thing about gallivanting alone.  If I wasn't living this experience, I probably wouldn't believe it.   How in the world could I expect someone else to believe this crazy stuff?

So, did I eat all three slices of tea bread?   No......I decided to partake of two, and gave some serious thought to consuming the 3rd, but decided to wrap it up and bring it back to the room for Marty.

Somehow I made my way through the maze of rooms to the entrance where I bid farewell to the friendly woman and she wished me a lovely walk.

Once again, I was in the company of sheep, but this time they didn't seem so concerned by my presence. 

In fact,  I’m pretty sure that I heard a couple of them saying “Baaaaaaye” as I  made my wait out to the road.

I decided to take a different route back to the station, rather than risk getting lost again, so I headed towards South Queensferry, 

climbed 120 steps to the top (yes….I counted them), and finally managed to make my way to the Train Station.

Marty enjoyed the tea cake, even though it was flat as a pancake by the time I got back to the room.

And, after I told him of today's adventure, we managed to put a GPS system onto my cell phone for future use.  Good-bye "Dalmeny 1/2" signs!

What a great end to the day!  

A Fabulous Day in Fife

Could I have asked for a more picture perfect day?

No grey clouds in sight.  Now, how lucky was that?

I could hear the Coastal Path calling my name.

As I indicated in my last post, I decided to head out to find those seals that I had searched for on my first visit to Scotland.  That was in January ’12, and although I remember a brilliant day, the trail was practically non-existent after a certain point, and quite contrary to what you may have been led to believe, I had no intentions of doing anything crazy just to view some seals.

But, Yvonne, the woman who runs the B&B where we are staying here in Kirkcaldy, mentioned that she and her husband had just seen the seals this weekend.  Well, that comment was all I needed to do a quick plan change and put on my walking shoes.

I headed through town, down to the Firth where the tide was obviously recessing.   The access to the Coastal Path was a bit complicated due to a lot of new construction going on right along the firth where the path entrance runs.

Apparently some genius decided to build a giant supermarket right against the firth, destroying the breathtaking views from dozens of homes built along the coast with the purpose of actually seeing the Firth.  The homeowners were told that they did not buy the view when they purchased their homes.  Now, I ask you, how sad is that?  Who in the world would want to gaze upon a supermarket instead of the beauty of nature?  And why would any company think that such an idea would be acceptable?  But, it appears to be a done deal, and I'm certain that there are a lot of very disappointed home owners.  

Well, I finally accessed the path and just could not believe the beauty of the day.  I walked along until I could see this stone tower ahead. 

This is the point where I had to stop the last time I attempted this walk. Yvonne had told me that this tower is one of many that had once stood along the coast.  People would travel up the coast on holiday, and would need a place to stay to break up the trip, so families had their own privately owned tower to overnight in. 

When I had walked the coastal trail at this point previously, the well trodden path had ended here.  Much to my surprise, a cindered walkway was greeting me this time,  and I knew that I'd have no problems hiking this part of the trail.

I rounded the corner and began my descent along the path.

 I wasn’t too far from the tower when I heard a long bellowing sound in the distance…….like a very sad moan.   Over and over again.   

Had the weather been foggy, I might have been convinced that there was some ghost haunting the tower, but I realized that the sound that was echoing off the cliffs came from the source of my quest.

How exciting!

It wasn’t too much further along the trail when I could glimpse the seals on the rocks.

Here’s a close up of the happy creatures

Can you see them laying on their backs, sunning their tummies?  They probably don't get many sunny days in which to bask themselves, and they were obviously enjoying themselves.

I stood there for quite awhile, watching them jump in and out of the water, just having a grand time, while continuing to  bellow out a forlorn cry.  It was obviously low tide, and I wondered if they would have come in much closer during high tide, but I certainly  wasn’t going to wait the hours involved with the changing of the tide to see.  I didn’t need to shake hands with them to enjoy their magnificence. 

At this point, I decided to continue on the coastal path to Kinghorn, since I had noted that the tower was just about a halfway point, and since it was newly graveled, I felt comfortable that I would have steady ground to walk along.

The vistas were gorgeous.

 And, there was plenty of activity along the way.  Obviously, something must smell awfully good here to attract this much attention.

Once in Kinghorn, I made my way to the train station to catch the train back to Kirkcaldy.  The station in Kirkcaldy is next to the art museum that just opened up last week.  I decided to pop in and see what the place had on display.  It was free, and I had plenty of time……so why not?

I was very impressed with the set up inside the museum.  Someone obviously put a lot of time into putting together the displays.  I was surprised to see that the museum holds the original charter from 1644 when Charles I confirmed Kirkcaldy as a Royal Burgh.  It is mounted behind glass, in its entirety, behind a steel door that you open up to view, then close when finished. .   Now that’s pretty amazing.

The place was brimming with the history of Kirkcaldy, which was once world renown for its linoleum industry.  Unfortunately this town ended up like many of the steel towns when those businesses closed down.  There is little vibrancy in the town today.

One facet of the museum that I was excited to see was its genealogy center.  If one had family to research from Kirkcaldy, or any nearby area, the resources that one would need are right at your fingertips. 

It is a genealogist’s dream.  Microfilm, with three readers, shelves of books that included parish registers and biographies,  census and newspaper films.

And all of these resources are free. 

So, if you have any family to research in this area…….you know where to go.  It’s right off the Kirkcaldy train station.  And, there’s a café where you can take a break and get a wee snack.   What more could you want?

I could have spent more time looking around inside, but I wanted to be sure to get outside to enjoy the lovely weather, which is a rare treat.  The grounds around the museum are landscaped beautifully and offer a pleasant walk in themselves.

Since the museum is free, I may just try to get back to view it in more detail should the weather become rainy.

In the meantime, I hope to get out on another outdoor adventure today even though the sun has disappeared. Ernest has promised me dry weather....but I'll be wearing my raincoat just in case.

Until tomorrow.......

  

A Literary Heaven

Shiver me timbers! 

  Did I mention that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island just a few cottages away from where we were staying in Braemar?

And, that Old MacDonald had a room…….ee – eye – ee – eye – oh?

But it was time to head on, so we “took the high road” and we “took the low road”, as we drove away in Scotland in the morn’n.

Over hill and dale, weaving our way through the Cairngorms. Did you know that a large mountain in Scotland is called a Ben? (just some trivia for you)

The road was twisty and narrow, and at one point it became quite obvious that

Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep.

Hey!  We could tell her where to find them!

Luckily, there had been a hand drawn map side posted at the side of the road as a warning.

At first, we thought the sign was quite amusing, but we could see now that it was posted for a good reason.

This little guy seemed to be confused as to what to do when we showed up, and he kept running down the middle of the road bleating, “Maaaaa-ma!   Maaaaaa-ma!”

What an adventure!

My hope of seeing a Highland Cow (coo as they say here in Scotland) were met when we spotted one obviously posing for anyone interested in stopping.   He was so friendly, that  I expected him to start doing a jig!

When we entered the grounds for Blair Castle, we were greeted by an attendant who insisted on selling us two “senior” tickets.  I suppose that I should start getting used to that.  I attempted to argue with him, but I don’t think he heard me.  (He was pretty “senior” himself!)

This castle was built in 1296 by the Earl of Atholl. While he was off fighting in the Crusades, his neighbor kindly decided to build the tower and move his family in.

When the Earl returned, he complained about the "squatter" to King Alexander III and won back his land, evicted the occupants, and built the rest of the castle around the tower.

The inside is filled with  heirlooms and historical items dating back from the 1^st Duke of Atholl and carried through the 11^th Duke, who died in May 2012.

The holding were quite remarkable, with original hand stitched bed hangings dating from the 1690’s and sets of chairs with needlepoint covers that were painstakingly sewn by the wife of the 2^nd Duke of Atholl.

All of the rooms were quite amazing.  The only room in which we could take photographs was the ballroom.

If you're wondering why THIS would be the only room permitting photography, then you are not alone.  Believe me, when I think of the word "ballroom" I would never imagine something with antlers mounted all over the walls.

Or swords, for that matter.

Antlers seemed to be a big theme in this room as well as in the hallways, which were lined with them throughout the house.  The rooms, however, were decorated quite elegantly, in direct contrast.

 On the estate stands St. Bride’s Kirk where Bonnie Dundee, the Jacobite leader, is buried.  His breastplate and helmet are on display inside the castle.  I was surprised at how little this man was.

The grounds also feature a huge walled garden, known as Hercules Garden.  

We spotted a Little White Duck floating on the water  and, as you can see, there were plenty of lily pads had he wanted to take a bite!

 We headed out to make our way to Birnden to the Beatrix Potter Garden.  I had been looking forward to walking through this special place. 

 Let me just say that what you see is just about the whole of it.

We did see Peter Rabbit with some friends,

and Mr. Jeremy Fisher having a chuckle on a rock (he's in the far right corner)

I’m kind of worried that the Mr. Tod, the Sly Fox  might have had Jemima Puddle-Duck for lunch, because she was nowhere to be found.

It took all of 5 minutes to walk through the garden.  I had imagined much more.  Marty said that it was a good thing that I hadn’t planned this stop as our main adventure of the day!

But I certainly did love this quote by Beatrix Potter.

Since we obviously had some time, we decided to walk through the Hermitage, a lovely wooded walk that leads to a spectacular waterfall

What a lovely way to end the day!

Today I'm off to find some seals!  

But, I don't plan on climbing out on any rocks like someone else I know.