We all got up early, packed and took showers. Daniel and I shared the left over lasagne for breakfast and we loaded our suitcases and our selves into the car. As a joke I hopped into the driver’s seat and when Jeremy got to the car he went along with it and got in the backseat behind me. It made me laugh. I would have been happy to drive, but I wasn’t on the car rental insurance.
Our first stop was Huntingtower Castle just north west of Perth. The eastern tower was built mainly as a three story gatehouse. Late in the 15th century the western tower was constructed just three metres away. They linked the towers with a bridge. The thinking behind it was when one tower was attacked the residents could run and safely hide in the other side, drawing up the bridge between the two castles. In the 17th century walls were put up around the space and bridge making it one castle with a small indoor courtyard between the sides. There are still 16th century paintings in both sides of the castle. On the east side there is an entire ceiling still visibly painted with a design that is thought to be the earliest of its kind surviving in Scotland.
When we first arrived, the happy volunteer warned us of the cold. He told Heather she would be good in her coat, however when he looked at me he said I might freeze. He also told me I might blow off the roof when the wind blew. He opened a closet door and pulled out a cape for me to wear. I was more than happy to play dress up in the castle! He offered the men some hats to wear and I was pleased that Daniel took one and wore it. Since it was originally two castles we decided that the four of us could split it again with each couple living in a side. I told Heather she got first pick of which side she wanted since they gave us the big bedroom at the cottage. She and Jeremy both wanted the eastern side. It is the older side, a bit smaller, but with more of the neat original paintings. I am satisfied taking the west side. I love a good sunset. Heather pointed out that our side needed more work, however I told her I would probably only replace one floor giving us nice tall ceilings and saving some money. It was fun to imagine all of it.
My favourite historical account about this castle was a love story that took place there. The young lady of the castle fell in love with one of the servants and had secret rendezvous’ with him at night. When her mother caught wind of their secret she went to discover them for herself one evening. The young woman heard her mother coming across the bridge and knew there was no other option for escape outside of jumping from one castle to the other. And that is exactly what she did. She jumped over nine feet at a slightly downward angle and made it to her bed safely. The following morning she ran off with the servant and supposedly they lived happily ever after.
When I returned my cape the man looking after the castle told Heather and I that we should see a different nearby castle that his wife was working at. I’m thankful we took his advice. Elcho Castle is huge! In the mid 16th century it was built to offer more comfort than battle fortress. It had an extremely different feel than any of the other castles we’d been to so far. The four of us split up right at the beginning and I really felt lost after ten minutes of wondering through all the stairs, rooms, and wall walks. I even hollered Daniel’s name a few times and never heard a reply. There were even parts of the castle I failed to see because it was so grand in size. I know because later Jeremy told me about rooms and signs I had missed. The same family that built Elcho Castle still own the property although no one has lived in it for 200 years. It also has a 16th century dovecot nearby.
From there we drove straight into Edinburgh and made a long walk up to the gigantic castle that rests atop an extinct volcano. The royal castle has been there since at least the early 12th century and through the years more buildings were erected around it. Since the grounds are so large we decided to do our best to stick together; no running off, Jeremy! The size is almost overwhelming; they give you a map when you enter. There were also a very many people present. We didn’t stay more than two hours, even though you could easily stay six hours and probably not see everything. We chose the few places we wanted to visit and stuck to those areas. Seeing the crown jewels of Scotland was a real treat. Also we saw, behind glass and guards, the Stone of Destiny where monarchs of Scotland and England still sit during their coronation. The history of this stone is fascinating. Going back and forth between these two countries has been a bit of a war all on its own. Most recently in 1950, on Christmas day four students from Scotland stole it from Westminster Abbey to restore it back to Scotland. It’s remarkable that they were successful being that the stone weighs over 330 pounds. Once the London police discovered its whereabouts it was again brought back to England. Finally, and in my opinion rightfully, it was returned to Scotland in 1996.
We briefly walked down the crowded streets of The Royal Mile before making our way to the retrieve the car. The plan was to stay a night in Hawick at the Scottish border. It is popular with the Picketts for the woollen mills that they like to shop in. Unfortunately since it was a Sunday evening when we arrived just about everything was closed. We checked into our B&B and went on a walk to find food. Finally after searching through the empty streets we ended up at an Indian restaurant. The food was fantastic and we had a really nice evening talking about our adventures over the biggest garlic naan any of us had ever seen. We -not knowingly- ordered two of the delicious monstrosities! I remember that I ordered Aloo Sag because I have not seen that dish since living in San Diego. I was even full the next morning there was so much good food.
We called it an early night after going on a post dinner walk, in hopes of relieving some of the pressure from food pressing against our bellies. Daniel and I took showers and decided to watch television since we didn’t have internet access. No matter which channel we seemed to choose something American and violent was on. We would watch for ten minutes before being disturbed and changing to something else. We ended on a film called, “The Orphan” [I think] and watched that for about twenty five minutes before we decided no t.v. was better than a creepy little killer child. I really do not enjoy scary movies. And that goll darn kid was in my dreams for two days afterwards, yuck.
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