Chillin' Castles

Don't you just love the panoramic setting on my little sony camera?  Kind of makes you feel like  you are standing right there, doesn't it?

This is Loch Leven Castle, one of several castle where Mary, Queen of Scots, was held captive, and in this particular castle, she was forced to sign a paper of abdication.  

Mary's captors went to great lengths to keep her isolated, and this particular castle is located in the middle of a loch (lake as we know it) and is only accessible by boat.  

As we loaded into the boat for transport to the castle grounds, snowflakes started to fall, so you can only imagine how frigid we felt motoring the 10 minutes from start to finish.  

The palace looks so serene as you approach it from the water.

The grounds are nature at its best.  Swans were floating on the lake.  A kingfisher swooped by and this pheasant was having a great conversation with his friend who was hiding somewhere nearby.

And the lake is apparently filled with some kind of unique brown trout, but that was of way more interest to Marty than to me. 

Knowing some of the history of Mary, Queen of Scots, this castle just didn't seem large enough to hold the entourage that accompanied her during her captivity, as well as the family that lived in the house.  And it's hard to believe that she even managed to escape across the loch from captivity here, although she was soon captured afterwards.  Being rowed across that loch must have seemed an eternity to her.

From the photo, you may be deceived into thinking that the weather suddenly changed and that we were lucky enough to warm up a bit. No such luck!  The weather changed from cold and sunny to frigid and snowy several times while we visited the island. 

And, I love the fact that my cohorts for the day were prepared for the weather.

With our teeth chattering, we were eager to make the trip back to the mainland and warm up somewhere.  My original plan was for us to hike "Mary's Gate Trail" along the Loch, but the weather was way too frigid for enjoyment so we decided to drive to Dollar Glen and check out another castle, this one located way up on the top of a cliff.

The entrance to the castle was not easy to find, so we stopped to asked directions.  I no sooner rolled down the window when the man who was washing his car looked at me and said, "Castle Campbell?"  I nodded to which he said, "Not to worry...I have someone ask me nearly every day."  He directed us back down the hill to a very narrow road that was bordered by 6 ft. high stone walls.  

We found ourselves climbing this narrow road for quite awhile until we came to a car park where we parked and began the hike to the castle grounds.

I have to admit, it was pretty spectacular.  High up on a cliff, it made one wonder how anyone actually managed to visit.  Once again, we were told that Mary, Queen of Scots was a guest at a wedding at this castle.  She certainly got around, considering her limited mode of transportation in the 1500's.

We toured the interior then hiked along the ground taking advantage of sunny moment opportunities to capture photos such as this panorama.  

Once again, snowflakes began to fall as we walked the castle grounds.  Typical Scottish weather.

We certainly enjoyed finding ourselves engrossed in some fascinating Scottish History.  And the guide at the castle was extremely friendly, giving us a personal talk on the history of the castle  and directing us to some significant features.

The drive back to our hotel was surreal, passing flocks of sheep grazing on the hills and watching the frolicking of tiny lambs enjoying the day.  We couldn't help but smile.

And then we passed this:

Giant Iris along the road near Glenrothes.  I'll bet you weren't expecting to see that. 

And that's why I took the photo.  Hope you found it entertaining.