Scotland: Stirling

Later Friday, I picked up a friend in Edinburgh and we drove on to Stirling. The weekend was spent showing him around my favorite places in the area. We started out Saturday with a visit to Doune Castle, but since I'd been there many times before I didn't take a single photo. This is my TripAdvisor review of Doune:
"Doune Castle is where Monty Pyhton shot most of the castle scenes from The Holy Grail, and it has also been featured in Game of Thrones and Outlander. In addition to the movie magic, this castle also manages to be much bigger on the inside than on the outside. From the grand kitchen where you can close your eyes and imagine the smell of a pig on the spit roast, to the grand hall where you would consume said pig, to the incredible amount of nooks and crannies in the tower, this wonderful structure will keep you enchanted throughout. Do not miss the audioguide, read by Sir Terry Jones, which is a masterpiece in itself."

We then drove on to Stirling Castle, where I did take both pics and video. They were having a renaissance fair up at the castle, with several forms of entertainment. My TripAdvisor entry on Stirling Castle:
"This castle has become my favorite destination in all of Scotland, beating Edinburgh castle hands down. The views, the history, the buildings and their decor are all unmatched. The piece de la resistance is the palace of James V, with the wonderful Stirling Heads and lavishly decorated rooms. On my weekend there, they had several actors walking around in role and there were concerts and presentations in the Great Hall, which is another wonderful building. In the small garden just to the left of the entrance, you could see presentations on archery and falconry. Good fun all round for adults, kids, basically anyone with a pulse. Also, don't forget to stuff face in the castle cafe and do indulge with a slice of carrot cake!"

Costumed people were showing off various crafts everywhere you went.


The Royal Chapel.


Costumed.


This guy was showing off his birds.


Including this big eagle owl.


This archer was demonstrating how to kill & maim with various types of arrows.


One of the most interesting things they had, was a concert with music from the 1500s or thereabouts.


I have several videos of the concert:










There followed a short historical play.


Tiny festive cannon that actually went off with a small "pop".


I wanted to take a skelfie at Stirling Castle, but I couldn't manage the frown. I love that place too much.

Scotland: Dundee

In late September I started my fall break a day early and flew off to wonderful Scotland for ten days of sheer bliss. I landed in Aberdeen in the morning and first drove down to Dundee to see two new properties. Dundee, sadly, turned out to be a something of a bust.

The first place I went to was Claypotts Castle. This is what I wrote on TripAdvisor:
"Went there in late September. Difficult to find, difficult to find parking. I will admit that the place might be a lot better if you call in advance and arrange to see the interior, but the exterior is nothing special and the structure does not have a particularly riveting history."




I then went to see Broughty Castle. Again, TripAdvisor: "Not very interesting material presented in a less than interesting way. Visit only if you've nothing much else to do."