Tag: castle
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Born to ride a Pashley
Penelope – that’s her name. My new Pashley is called Penelope. I think I emerged from the womb riding a Pashley because it feels so natural. When we’re cycling I’m not sure where the bike ends and my body begins. The men in the bike shop laughed at me when I said I got her…
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Downward dog on the dragon’s head
We went castling again today. I’ll see whether you can guess which castle we visited. It was drizzly but this didn’t spoil the fun. The carved dragon’s head is new. Downward dog … sort of. The Laird. The brave sentry is protecting the castle from Vikings.
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Power dressing, old friends, Drum Castle, and new toilets
I have a new look. Just call me Bond, James Bond. I even have my own trusty Aston Martin, a.k.a. Busby. Daniel is very lucky to have a friend from New Zealand visiting him right now. They haven’t seen each other in almost three years and a lot changes in that time when you’re a…
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Gardens and woodland walks at Crathes Castle
Most weekends I find myself craving for some fresh country air and a walk through the woods or up a hill. Today we satisfied my craving with a trip to Crathes Castle and a walk on one of the woodland trails there. I keep telling Ben we need a country house where we can spend…
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Exclusively Highlands Craft Fair at Drum Castle
We’ve been to Drum Castle more than any other castle now, mostly because it’s so close, but it’s terrific and one of the best in Aberdeenshire. It’s also open all year round although only on weekends over the winter. Most other castles close for the winter. Every weekend I check for events at Drum and other nearby…
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Castle Fraser
My aunt and uncle have left now – I thoroughly enjoyed having them here. We went to Castle Fraser on Thursday and I’m only just getting around to posting the pics. I haven’t been there for over a year and it was wonderful. The walled garden is one of the best I’ve seen with a very…
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Go Ape at Crathes Castle
We took Susie to Crathes Castle today and I forgot how terrific it is. I love Crathes Castle! The castle is awesome, the gardens are probably the best castle gardens I’ve seen, the cafe is excellent and has an adjoining children’s playground, and Go Ape have a presence there. We have never played at Go…
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
We took the kids to open air theatre at Drum castle last night. We saw A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and performed by Illyria. It was wonderful and Illyria are fantastic! We thought the kids might get bored and find it hard to stay up so late but that was not the case at all. It was very…
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Balmoral Castle
We left Mar Lodge today but extended our holiday somewhat by visiting Balmoral Castle on the way home. Balmoral Castle is owned by the Royal Family. The estate and original castle were bought by Prince Albert in 1852 but a new and bigger castle was built in 1856 to the designs of Aberdeen architect William Smith. Queen…
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Castle playgrounds and central heating
Yesterday I booked a car and took the kids for lunch and a play at Drum Castle. Drum Castle is displaying some of the art from Aberdeen Art Gallery while renovations are underway at the gallery and so the castle is now open all through the winter. It’s so nice to be able to go to a castle for lunch…
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William Wallace Monument
We’re in the train on our way back to Aberdeen. Here’s what we can see out the window: Before leaving Stirling we walked to the William Wallace Monument. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard of William Wallace? Think Mel Gibson, Braveheart. Some famous battles were fought in Stirling because at one time it was thought…
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Stirling
9 years ago today I became a mother. Daniel’s birth was very quick and hideously painful. I did not get any pain relief for his birth because although I asked for an epidural, there was no anaesthetist available at the hospital in Christchurch to administer one. It was ghastly. But now he has grown into a…
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Urquhart Castle and Glen Affric
Today we went for a very scenic drive alongside Loch Ness, home of the infamous Loch Ness monster. We didn’t see any monsters but we did see Urquhart Castle, a ruin in a picturesque promontory in the middle of Loch Ness. The castle has seen more battles than most and was eventually abandoned in the 17th century. The…
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Strathisla Distillery and Huntly Castle
We had a really full day today with lots of walking and train-travel. We took the train to Keith which is a very small village about an hour north-west from Aberdeen. I thought Doug would like to visit a whisky distillery and Keith is home to the Strathisla distillery. Question: Does anyone know which whisky is…
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Slains Castle
We took my sister to Slains Castle today. It’s a castle ruin about 25 miles north along the coast from Aberdeen. It was a scenic drive along the coast through undulating fields of farmland overlooking the vast expanse of the North Sea. Slains Castle’s claim to fame is that it supposedly inspired Bram Stoker to…
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Fyvie Castle
My sister rang first thing this morning sounding very upset because she had slept in and missed her flight and was consequently unable to come and visit us this weekend. We were all very disappointed and so we took off for Fyvie Castle to lift our spirits. Fyvie Castle is an enormous 13th century castle about…
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Castle Fraser
We went to another castle yesterday, Castle Fraser, which is about 16 miles west of Aberdeen. It’s a Scottish baronial castle built in the 15th century. Like all of the castles we’ve visited so far it is surrounded by gardens and woods with lots of lovely walks. There was also a wonderful children’s playground which was…
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To Aberdeen by bicycle via Drum Castle
We cycled back from Banchory to Aberdeen yesterday and it was rather hellish. I thought I was going to die. We arrived home and I collapsed in a heap with a very sore butt and feeling sorry for myself. I’ve decided to give up cycling for good. Just kidding 🙂 We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at…
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Crathes Castle
It has been a few weeks since we last went to a castle and I’m suffering from castle withdrawal symptoms so we took off for Crathes Castle which is about 15 miles south-west of Aberdeen. I’ve just recently discovered that Aberdeenshire has more castles per acre than anywhere else in Britain. They’re everywhere! We booked…
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Craigievar Castle
We booked another Co-Wheels car today. I think I’ve got the system all figured out and have tried a few different cars now including electric, petrol, and hybrid. Most of the problems I had in the beginning were down to user error, I’m embarrassed to say. We drove out to Craigievar Castle, about 30 miles…
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