Glamis Castle

Glamis Castle

Glamis Castle is famous for being the ancestral home of the former Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. It has been in the Lyon family since 1372. Princess Margaret was also born in the castle. Perhaps an even bigger claim to fame is as the setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth and also as a film location for some… Continue reading Glamis Castle

Seven Bridges Walk and Knock Castle

We went on a lovely, long walk in Ballater today called the Seven Bridges. We extended it slightly to Knock Castle and all up we think it was around 6.5 miles. The walk starts at the old train station and follows the main road out of town towards Braemar initially, before turning left onto Invercauld… Continue reading Seven Bridges Walk and Knock Castle

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries

Photo of Ben, Daniel, and Elizabeth

We've come to Dunblane for the weekend, a picturesque Scottish village in Perthshire, about 110 miles southwest of Aberdeen. The village is beautiful with lots of quirky shops and an attractive river running through the middle called Allan Water. There's also a cathedral that dates from the 12th century. There's a fake Banksy outside one… Continue reading Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries

The Highland road trip past Corgaff Castle

We're back in Aberdeen and fast wifi again - yay! We loved our weekend away in Aviemore; our first trip away since Christmas last year when the whole of Scotland was put in lockdown that eventually lasted more than 4 months. I think lots of people had the same idea as we did because Aviemore… Continue reading The Highland road trip past Corgaff Castle

Oban, Stalker Castle, and Glencoe

We visited the Oban Distillery in Oban today and did the tour. Kids are allowed on this tour which is great because Daniel and Elizabeth find it very interesting and distilleries are fascinating places. As is often the case with these things the process is much more complicated than you think and I'm always left… Continue reading Oban, Stalker Castle, and Glencoe

Aberdeenshire in the Autumn

A photographer friend of ours visited for a few days this week and took off before dawn each morning to capture the sunrise. One morning he got this shot of Dunnottar Castle which then made The Times the next day: Isn't is marvellous? You can see the full version on his site at https://www.bigladder.co.uk/ We decided… Continue reading Aberdeenshire in the Autumn

Lochcarron Weavers and Strome Castle

Yesterday was rainy and so we had a lazy day and pottered around Loch Carron. We spent an hour in the Lochcarron Weavers Shop. They have over 500 tartans and lots of knitted garments. This is my kind of shop! Daniel spoke to one of the shop assistants at length about Martin tartan. They don't… Continue reading Lochcarron Weavers and Strome Castle

The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye

We visited the The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye today, as well as a couple of other places. I'll let my photos tell the story. Loch Carron: Balmacara, heading towards Kyle of Lochalsh and the bridge to the Isle of Skye. The last time I visited the Isle of Skye was a little… Continue reading The Fairy Pools, Isle of Skye

Snow, castles, and a squirrel mug

Snow or castle? That was the question we asked ourselves yesterday when deciding what to do today. Fortuitously, we got both at Castle Fraser. The snow we had this week hasn't completely melted at Castle Fraser and we got a taste of it on our walk around the estate. Here's the family portrait. And the… Continue reading Snow, castles, and a squirrel mug

Kildrummy Castle

There are so many castles in Aberdeenshire and I'm still discovering ones we've never seen, like Kildrummy Castle, which is where we went today. It's a ruin but in its hey-day it was known as the "noblest of northern castles". I'm not exactly sure what is meant by that but one thing is certain, Kildrummy… Continue reading Kildrummy Castle

The ultimate doer-upper

I tried to convince Ben last week that we should buy this doer-upper: http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-63319526.html It was built by Lord Sinclair in 1565 and Ben's mother's maiden name is Sinclair. Maybe it could be our bach (bach is the New Zealand word for a modest holiday home near the beach). It's true that we're the most… Continue reading The ultimate doer-upper