Sunday morning began with Mass at the local Catholic Church in Stonehaven. For as ornate as the outside is, the inside was surprisingly stark. And, obviously unheated as there was quite a chill inside. But the priest made everyone feel quite comfortable and he smiled a lot during the service. He began his sermon with a reference to something that Benjamin Franklin had said at the Constitutional Congress, which I found interesting, since I'm sure he did not expect Americans to be listening to his homily!
What a delightful way to begin the day! They were mostly women, but all were eager to learn about us and each felt the need to give us some sort of travel tip. It was cold, miserable, and raining like crazy outside, only making our indoor experience that much more enjoyable.
Soon the time was up, but not before Mary insisted on taking a photo of us outside the church in between the raindrops.
Ok, before you make judgement on my choice of outwear, let me just say that this cape is made of wool, and is actually quite warm, and it repelled the water quite well, too! The length keeps one's legs warm as well. I purchased it in Edinburgh on my January visit and was surely glad that I brought it along for the trip. I may stand out in a crowd, but at least I'm cozy!
Ready to face the weather, we jumped in the car and headed to Dunnottar Castle on the coast of the North Sea, just south of Stonehaven.
This place was amazing. The wind and the rain didn't keep us from exploring the grounds, which were really quite vast. William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots, and King Charles II all found safe harbor in this castle at some time.
It was here that a garrison held out against Cromwell's army for 8 months and saved the Scottish crown Jewels. They now have safe harbor at Edinburgh Castle.
What is so amazing about this castle is how it stands high on ground jutting out into the North Sea. It really is surrounded on 3 sides by high cliffs and water. And the 4th side takes some real climbing up and down a long series of steps in order to get to the castle. Invading it surely could not have been an easy feat!
Words really cannot describe the beauty of the area where this castle stands. Dolphins were swimming along the shore of the North Sea, and sea birds were nesting in the rocks. The crashing of the waves only enhanced the experience.
We really could have stayed longer, but the cold, rain and wind convinced us to travel on where we could spend time indoors away from the harsh conditions.
About half an hour away, along a beautiful scenic route featuring the autumn leaves along the hills, was Crathes Castle, built in the 16th century. (What were you expecting?)
This castle appears to be much smaller than some of the ones that we have visited, but the tour inside was spectacular. We actually walked through 4 floors of the building. We kept finding ourselves in a turret, making our way up the circular steps to the next floor for viewing.
The tour was self guided with information sheets in each room, so we could look about at our leisure. There were guides in some of the rooms if we had any questions.
When we first entered the castle, there were a couple of features that I found to be interesting. First of all, the walls were well over 6 ft. thick. The doorways were deliberately made low to prevent anyone who might choose to invade from running through the castle at high speed. An intruder would have to duck, thereby slowing his pace once inside. Clever, don't you think?
But first, he would have to manage getting past the Yell, a special metal gate behind the wooden door, that was built in such a way that it would be very difficult to penetrate.
And, as if that wasn't enough to delay an invader, the 11th step up the turret tower is a "trip" step, designed as such to cause someone running up the steps to trip due to the slight difference in height.
The castle was built with 2 sets of turret steps so that the family could escape down the one set if invaders came up the other.
Personally, having seen a lot of castles, I'd say that the guy who built this one suffered from Invasion Paranoia. In the history of the castle, it was never mentioned that it had been invaded, but I suppose that back in that time period one couldn't take too many chances.
No photos were permitted inside, except that we were permitted to open the windows on the top floor and get a beautiful shot of the gardens.
We had chosen not to tour the gardens, which was a smart move on our part, since the rain began to fall once again upon our exiting the castle.
By this point, with the change in the time, it was getting dark earlier, so we opted to head to Kirkcaldy, which was almost a two hour drive along the scenic roads of Angus. We drove through Dundee, across the Firth of Tay and into Fife. Believe it or not, we could see the sun low on the horizon, and, luckily, it has lingered into this morning.
We are staying at the Dunnikier house which is an old hotel. It has quite a bit of charm to it, with a roaring fireplace and big leather sofas in the lobby, but the rooms definitely show the age.
Our room is on the top floor, which involves many steps, but I am happy to be on top. I feel bad for whomever might be below because it is impossible to walk anywhere without hearing the creaking of the floorboards.
We have a lovely view of the Firth of Forth in the distance, and I could watch the sunrise this morning, over the firth. Just lovely. I'll try to take a photo and post it so that you can see how lovely it is.
Time to enjoy the sun while it is shining!
A pipe organ added to the service, and I particularly enjoyed the version of Amazing Grace, which was one of my grandmother's favorite hymns. The sound of the congregation singing radiated through the interior, making it that much more enjoyable.
It was obvious that we were not locals, and as we were exiting the church, one of the woman from the parish named Mary invited us to the hall next door to join their weekly tea and biscuit bunch for a wee chat.
Soon the time was up, but not before Mary insisted on taking a photo of us outside the church in between the raindrops.
Ok, before you make judgement on my choice of outwear, let me just say that this cape is made of wool, and is actually quite warm, and it repelled the water quite well, too! The length keeps one's legs warm as well. I purchased it in Edinburgh on my January visit and was surely glad that I brought it along for the trip. I may stand out in a crowd, but at least I'm cozy!
Ready to face the weather, we jumped in the car and headed to Dunnottar Castle on the coast of the North Sea, just south of Stonehaven.
This place was amazing. The wind and the rain didn't keep us from exploring the grounds, which were really quite vast. William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots, and King Charles II all found safe harbor in this castle at some time.
It was here that a garrison held out against Cromwell's army for 8 months and saved the Scottish crown Jewels. They now have safe harbor at Edinburgh Castle.
What is so amazing about this castle is how it stands high on ground jutting out into the North Sea. It really is surrounded on 3 sides by high cliffs and water. And the 4th side takes some real climbing up and down a long series of steps in order to get to the castle. Invading it surely could not have been an easy feat!
Words really cannot describe the beauty of the area where this castle stands. Dolphins were swimming along the shore of the North Sea, and sea birds were nesting in the rocks. The crashing of the waves only enhanced the experience.
We really could have stayed longer, but the cold, rain and wind convinced us to travel on where we could spend time indoors away from the harsh conditions.
About half an hour away, along a beautiful scenic route featuring the autumn leaves along the hills, was Crathes Castle, built in the 16th century. (What were you expecting?)
This castle appears to be much smaller than some of the ones that we have visited, but the tour inside was spectacular. We actually walked through 4 floors of the building. We kept finding ourselves in a turret, making our way up the circular steps to the next floor for viewing.
The tour was self guided with information sheets in each room, so we could look about at our leisure. There were guides in some of the rooms if we had any questions.
When we first entered the castle, there were a couple of features that I found to be interesting. First of all, the walls were well over 6 ft. thick. The doorways were deliberately made low to prevent anyone who might choose to invade from running through the castle at high speed. An intruder would have to duck, thereby slowing his pace once inside. Clever, don't you think?
But first, he would have to manage getting past the Yell, a special metal gate behind the wooden door, that was built in such a way that it would be very difficult to penetrate.
And, as if that wasn't enough to delay an invader, the 11th step up the turret tower is a "trip" step, designed as such to cause someone running up the steps to trip due to the slight difference in height.
The castle was built with 2 sets of turret steps so that the family could escape down the one set if invaders came up the other.
Personally, having seen a lot of castles, I'd say that the guy who built this one suffered from Invasion Paranoia. In the history of the castle, it was never mentioned that it had been invaded, but I suppose that back in that time period one couldn't take too many chances.
No photos were permitted inside, except that we were permitted to open the windows on the top floor and get a beautiful shot of the gardens.
We had chosen not to tour the gardens, which was a smart move on our part, since the rain began to fall once again upon our exiting the castle.
By this point, with the change in the time, it was getting dark earlier, so we opted to head to Kirkcaldy, which was almost a two hour drive along the scenic roads of Angus. We drove through Dundee, across the Firth of Tay and into Fife. Believe it or not, we could see the sun low on the horizon, and, luckily, it has lingered into this morning.
We are staying at the Dunnikier house which is an old hotel. It has quite a bit of charm to it, with a roaring fireplace and big leather sofas in the lobby, but the rooms definitely show the age.
Our room is on the top floor, which involves many steps, but I am happy to be on top. I feel bad for whomever might be below because it is impossible to walk anywhere without hearing the creaking of the floorboards.
We have a lovely view of the Firth of Forth in the distance, and I could watch the sunrise this morning, over the firth. Just lovely. I'll try to take a photo and post it so that you can see how lovely it is.
Time to enjoy the sun while it is shining!
I love your cape! And those gardens looked lovely and best enjoyed from your warm, dry vantage point.
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