Gallivanting Geismom: Dr. Livingstone......I presume?

So we're all somewhat familiar with the phrase, and most of us probably have some idea regarding the story of David Livingstone. But did you know that he was Scottish?

Well, even if you did.....I never really gave it much thought, and today was certainly quite a learning experience for me!

But before I delve into that fascinating story, let me start at the beginning of the day.

After a delightful breakfast at our B&B, we loaded up the car with our luggage and began the drive to Craignethan Castle. Finding it was a bit challenging, to say the least, as we wove our way up a very narrow, curvy road, praying that no one would be rounding the corner in the opposite direction.

My first words to the proprietor were, "Do you get many visitors up here?" He immediately realized that we had taken the difficult route up, and he was kind enough to give us directions that were quite easily maneuvered on our way out.

The castle was built in 1530 by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart and it stands on the edge of a natural gorge.

Heading down from the car park this stronghold is the only thing in view.
Believe it or not, but the sun was shining so brightly today that it was difficult to get a photo of the castle.

The sun was definitely shining on Marty before we entered through the gate.

It's a good thing that he remembered his sun glasses!

This castle was the last of its type built in Scotland, as manor houses became the more comfortable residence. But in its day, Craignethan is famous for having sheltered Mary, Queen of Scots in May 1568.

The construction was unique, as it was a “double pile” residence. The back tower cannot be seen from the front of the grounds.

It also had a caponier, one of only two built in Scotland, and the first built in Britain.

The grounds were quite vast and in remarkably good shape, although there were some areas that were off limits as the NTS is attempting to stabilize them.

This is the view from the front tower.

Here you can see the gorge from the top of the tower.

And this view is from the back tower looking towards the front entrance.

After a rather extension exploration of Craignethan Castle, we headed towards Chatelherault, located in a village called Ferniegair.

This magnificent place was built as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Hamilton in 1734.

It has been preserved in a large park that offers 9 miles of wooded walks, and it was the perfect day to go out and explore the area.

First, we walked through the lodge itself, which had some absolutely stunning rooms.

And we couldn't resist a little fun!

From there we got an excellent view of the gardens.

Then, we hit the trails and headed to Cudzow Castle, now a set of ruins,

then we walked the trail to the Cudzow Oak trees which are over 800 years old!

This photo shows Marty standing next to one so that you can get an idea of just how large these old trees are.

Isn't it great that I have Marty to help put things into perspective?

One of the unusual residents of this hunting lodge is the White Cow. The reserve is attempting to establish another herd that was depleted on these grounds. This was the closest that I could get to the female.

But, the views from that spot were pretty spectacular.

There was also a World War II memorial on the grounds:

We could have stayed longer, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity of visiting the David Livingstone Center just a few more miles up the road.

So, we made the drive and I, for one, am certainly glad that we did.

The story of this man was fascinating!

He was born in the village of Blantyre which was known in the early 1800's for its cotton mill. The similarities to New Lanark were amazing.

His father changed trades from working in the mill to becoming a tea salesman. At the same time, he preached his Christian beliefs.

David grew up with a strong Christian faith, and he was determined, after studying at the University, to go to Africa to spread his religious faith.

The center went into great depth explaining his life and exploration and there was a remarkable amount of his personal letters, writings and equipment on display.

We had a lovely guide who gave us the complete run down on his life.

After touring the center, we walked through the gardens,

and strolled down to the river Avon where we actually did manage to see a salmon attempting to jump over the waterfall.

Unfortunately, I could not capture the moment on film.

We then headed to Aberdour to our B&B. This is a lovely little town, and after a delightful dinner at the Woodside Hotel, where we ate in a room that is actually the dining room of a restored Ocean liner,