We began this chilly morn near Queensferry, at Hopetoun House, a beautiful manor house that lies close to the Firth of Forth. The house was magnificent, and the inside details were reminiscent of the recent PBS series, Downton Abbey.
The female guides located in the house were delightful, each one eager to share some history associated with the house. The downstairs guide explained some unusual details of the house, and I couldn't help but chuckle when she described a "Bonnie" well-carved doorframe at the top of the stairs, installed by a "chap" named Bruce.
Personally, I find the word "chap" to sound so much more genteel than the word "bloke", but that is certainly only my opinion. In case you are wondering, that door is constructed from Scotch Pine.
The interior was intricately decorated and each room had a unique feature of interest.
One of the bedrooms:
The dining room:
Calling bells for the servants in the Butler's Pantry.
Some interesting wall decor:
And a beautiful view of the Firth of Forth from the roof:
The grounds were filled with gardens, surrounded by fields filled with sheep grazing in the distance.
We could have easily spent the day enjoying the beauty of the surroundings.
But, we had bigger ventures planned and so we hopped in the car and drove the few miles into Queensferry where we embarked by boat for Inchcolm Abbey.
If I told you that we were headed to Inchcolm Island, I would be redundant, as I learned that the word "inch" is actually Gaelic for island. So, we were headed for the Island of Colm.
When Stacey set up this trip, she had no idea that temperatures in Scotland could be so frigid in April. But we bundled up as best we could and set off for this island that features the Abbey.
We were told that we might even spot Puffins, which are known to inhabit the island, and we were ready to face the challenge of finding them.
The island is about 4 miles east of Queensferry and the view upon approach is phenomenal.
After we were dropped off, we had 90 minutes to explore the island before our transport boat would return to pick us up.
The abbey began as a Monastery, built by David I. His brother, Alexander I, had been sheltered here during a storm, and in thanks, promised to build a monastery. But he died prematurely, and his brother made certain that the promise was fulfilled. In 1235, the dwellings were raised to full Abbey status and were occupied by Augustinian monks.
Obviously, this is not a monk, but Marty contemplating some of the important features of the chapel.
After exploring the Abbey, we set out on our search for Puffins. We couldn't help but notice that we were being carefully scrutinized as we walked along, hoping for a glimpse of just one Puffin.
Marty was on a real quest, scoping out every possible spot where he thought that a Puffin might set up home.
This is not a wave of triumph.
Rather, this is Marty letting us know that he was coming back down from his climb, as it was almost time to embark upon our journey back to Queensferry.
And, so, we bid farewell to this lovely island without nary a sight of a Puffin. We were just a wee bit disappointed. But, this guy decided to cheer us up on our way back to the port:
Suddenly our search for Puffins was forgotten as we were entertained by this large grey seal who actually gave a wave our way as we were passing by.
Who needs Puffins, anyway?
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