Scotland: Craigmillar Castle & Hailes Castle

Monday, I dropped my traveling pardner off at the airport in Edinburgh and immediately set course for Craigmillar Castle. I'd never been before, but it was a very nice new acquaintance. From my TripAdvisor review:
"Craigmillar is a very handsome pile of stone, and it has the magical property of being larger on the inside than on the outside (it shares this with Doune Caste). There are so many nooks and crannies in this place that it feels almost endless and you can happily spend hours here. There's also several nice green spots around the grounds. Highly recommended!"

View from the approach to the castle. The Preston family started building it in the late 1300s and it later fell into the hands of the Gilmour family. In 1566, a pact was made, known as the Craigmillar Bond, to dispose of Lord Darnley, the husband of Queen Mary.


The castle from the opposite side.


Video from the inner courtyard. It was a windy day.


Outer courtyard.


The ruins of a chapel. As previously mentioned, this is the correct state for any religious building. The Gilmour family still uses it for burials.


Over Edinburgh, to the northwest, was a rainbow.


To the south lies a hospital (Royal Infirmary in britspeak). This area is known as Little France, because Mary's French troops were quartered here.


Old dungeon.


A shitter.


From one of the main rooms.


A nice field.


This is why I love the British so very, very much:


After Craigmillar I drove on to Hailes Castle, further east. The place had virtually no space for parking and was situated way the fuck out in the boondocks along a very narrow road, so I only took two pics and fucked off outta there.


I may have to come back and explore better some other time.

Scotland: Castle Campbell

The last touristy thing we did Sunday, was a trip up to Castle Campbell. Since I'd been here before, I only took three photos this time. My TripAdvisor review:
"Since first visiting Castle Campbell two years ago, this has rapidly become one of my favorite destinations in Scotland. It is beautifully situated just below the wild and wonderful Dollar Glen, with a stream on either side and with stunning views over the Scottish countryside to the south. The castle keep is quite interesting, and the views are the most spectacular from the roof. The rest of the building(s) is perhaps best viewed through squinted eyes and a tilt of the head so that you can only just begin to imagine the glories of yesteryear instead of the mostly ruinous structure you see today. If it's a nice day out, bring a picnic basket and stuff face in the garden, it is the most tranquil and calming experience to sit on one of the benches, with the castle at your back and the glories of central Scotland in front."

The keep. We climbed all the way to the top, but it was dense fog up there, so we couldn't really see anything.


The remains of the Great Hall.


The big tree just outside the entrance.

Scotland: Bannockburn

After the Wallace experience, we drove to Bannockburn to take in the visitor center's exhibition of what happened in 1314. My TripAdvisor review sums it up nicely:
"I've been to the Visitor Center four times now; two times before they built the shiny, new place and two times after. Although the 3D stuff and the "war room" where you can see troop movements live on a topographic presentation of the Stirling area are impressive, I personally find it to be too much, too over the top. I don't like being rushed around and not being able to take my sweet time in looking at stuff, so that part is quite frankly tedious. On the plus side, everybody I've met there, from the girls behind the counter to the guides inside the exhibit to the volunteers in the room where you can dress up in costumes and play with swords and shtuff, have been absolutely great. Top grade people who clearly love the place and take pride in their work. So my advice is, less fancy, schmancy gadgetry and more of the hands on experience. Like in the costume room, which was an absolute highlight of my trip there. Special shoutout to the lady on duty Sunday Oct 1, 2017 who took time out to dress up myself and a friend in chainmail & broadsword and even laughed at our lame Monty Python references. You made our day!"

Me clowning around.






Per Magnus clowning around.

Scotland: The Wallace Monument

Sunday started off with a trip to the Wallace Monument. I climbed up to the top for the 4th or 5th time. My TripAdvisor review:
"Been here 4-5 times now, the last time was in October 2017 with a friend. We dutifully climbed the 246 steps up to the top, where we nearly got blown off the roof, then walked the 246 steps doon again. The views are stunning from up there, but not on a stormy, foggy day with sideways rain... Anyway, interesting presentations on the three levels before you reach the top and a well stocked little souvenir shop. An hour well spent in one of Scotlands must-see destinations."

The Wallace monument in fog.


The Wallace sword. According to the people out at the Bannocburn Center, it has been been extended to its present length; the original sword was much shorter.


Views from the top.


Per Magnus posing.

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."

Norway

In late August I took a drive over to the West Coast of Norway. The scenery was magnificent, but since I'm a lazy slob I didn't really stop to take pictures in a lot of places.

These are from the Bøya glacier, as are the videos.














Cows walking in the middle of the road, a few miles to the south.

Celtic tour day IV: Tara

Our last touristy thing of the trip was a quick visit to the Hill of Tara, one of the most important crowning sites for the ancient kings of Ireland. For the last time, TripAdvisor:
"You can truly feel history in the earth at Tara; this is where the kings of Ireland were crowned for centuries. The site contains several burial mounds and large fields perfect for assembly, even some Christian sites. Also, some very good views of the surrounding countryside."

Old burial chamber.


Some heathen, or possibly papist mumbo-jumbo. It looks like one of those clootie wells I've seen in Scotland.


This sloping field was reportedly the actual place of crowning.


Naturally, I was skeptical of Tara (my buddy & travel companion Massimo in the back).

Celtic tour day IV: Battle of the Boyne visitor center

After the ancient history, we drove off to see some more recent stuff. The Battle of the Boyne was a decisive Protestant & English victory over the Catholic & Irish and this and some other skirmishes of that era is what the Orangemen of Northern Ireland are still marching for today. TripAdvisor:
"Visited here with a friend to see where the papists were decisively beaten and the foundations were laid for a modern, democratic Britain (and Ireland). We both learned something new from the exhibition in the visitor center, and there's a good audiovisual presentation, both at the center and in a building outside. Also, friendly staff and nice surroundings. What I did not get was a proper sense of the battle in the context of where I was. As far as I could ascertain, there was no audioguide, no map you could take with you to stroll the grounds and imagine troop movements and such, which I am used to from especially American battlefields."

The battle was fought on this field (among other places).


Outside the museum building was a cannon.


In the backyard were several more.

Celtic tour day IV: Newgrange

We then went back to the bus stop and got on another drive, to famous Newgrange. Again, my TripAdvisor review comes in handy:
"Newgrange was built more than 5,000 years ago and is one of the largest neolithic structures in the world. There are several theories about why it was built and interpretations of the surrounding artwork; most likely it served a religious purpose at least partially to do with burials. You're allowed inside the burial chamber itself, but only in the presence of a guide and once inside, photos are "verboten". A fascinating moment is when you're standing in the burial chamber and the lights are turned off and you witness the recreation of the sunlight hitting the chamber during winter solstice."

The mound in all its glory.


This big stone was placed in front of the entrance and originally you'd have to climb over it. The ritual probably served some religious purpose. Putting artificial, pointless hindrances in the way of human progress seems to embody all types of religions, anytime, anywhere.


The reconstructed wall around the tomb.


There were several structures around the mound, whose purpose one can only guess at.


More artwork.