Tag: photos

  • Mediaeval battles at Drum Castle

    Mediaeval battles at Drum Castle

    We went to Drum Castle today. I have been itching to visit this castle again ever since our cycle ride from Banchory to Aberdeen via Drum Castle. It was so hot that day and we were so exhausted by the time we arrived at Drum Castle that I took one look at the tower with all its…

  • Cycle ride to Torry Battery

    On Sunday afternoon we cycled from Duthie Park to Torry Battery. The city side of the River Dee was almost entirely off-road cycle paths which is fantastic. After crossing the river at the Wellington Suspension Bridge – which is exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists – it’s all on-road unfortunately. The first part is also particularly…

  • Pedal boats at Duthie Park

    The kids have been nagging me to take them on the pedal boats at Duthie Park for some time now. We finally did it this afternoon and it was really nice. The tiny bit of walking we did to get there and back was fraught with difficulty for Daniel who is engaged in an ongoing…

  • Hair cut just outside the red zone

    Originally posted on rachel.blog: We ventured into South City yesterday so that I could have a hair cut. South City is in the CBD just outside the cordoned off area, otherwise known as the red zone. I’ve never seen this part of town so quiet. My hair-dresser has been busy she says but one thing…

  • An old photo

    I came across this old photo of Elizabeth and Ben, taken by Ben’s mum just after Elizabeth had turned 2. It’s such a great photo that I wanted to share it again. Elizabeth is wearing a washable nappy. I thought she was fully toilet trained by the time she was 2 but my memory must…

  • Stromness to Aberdeen by ferry + train

    My post yesterday about Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar was rather rushed because we had to dash for a long day of traveling. But both places were absolutely fascinating. Skara Brae was particularly good. How often do you get to see the house, including furniture, of a Neolithic human? All the walls were…

  • Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae

    We visited some more neolithic sites yesterday. First stop was The Standing Stones o’ Stenness and the nearby and well-known Ring of Brodgar. Both are stone circles about 5000 years old. The stones are huge and heavy and would have been quite difficult to move and stand upright in their positions. Why did humans build…

  • Orkney and the Tomb of the Eagles with puking and ticks

    We’re in Orkney. We caught the ferry from Aberdeen yesterday afternoon and arrived here just before midnight last night. The ferry stops in Kirkwall, Orkney a few times each week on its way to Shetland. Here’s a map showing the route we took on the ferry and also the route we plan to take back.…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • To Banchory on the Deeside cycleway

    We stayed in Banchory last night and I’m typing this from a very comfortable hotel bedroom. For a little while now we’ve been wanting to extend our cycle ride on the Deeside cycleway but felt that Aberdeen to Crathes and back was about our limit given we’ve got small kids and the Bakfiets. If wanted…

  • Duthie Park and buying a house

    I took this photo of Duthie Park back in April this year just before all the buds on the trees opened up for spring: Today I went for a run through the park and took some more photos. Here’s how it looks now: I love watching the plants and trees change with the seasons. Duthie…

  • How dangerous is cycling?

    One of the biggest barriers to cycling is the perception that it’s dangerous. But is it dangerous? Public perception of risk is often quite different to real risk but it’s also difficult to change. I’m speaking from personal experience here too: I know that flying is one of the safest modes of transport but knowing this doesn’t make…

  • From Aberdeen to Crathes on Deeside Way

    This is my last day of the five-day blogging challenge and because I’ve had quite an eventful day I’m going to post a number of photos. I am absolutely knackered. We went out for a cycle ride on Deeside Way today all the way out to Crathes. According to Map My Ride it was 22km…

  • Cargo bike seen in Aberdeen!

    I’ve been nominated by Geoff Le Pard – a quick-witted author and blogger at TanGental – to participate in a five-day blogging challenge and I’ve accepted! The challenge is to publish a photograph on five consecutive days with an accompanying story or paragraph – fiction or non-fiction – to go with it. Here’s day one! I took…

  • 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…

  • Cycling the Deeside cycleway in the rain

    We went for another ride this afternoon along the Deeside cycleway. It was raining all morning and so I had to force a somewhat reluctant husband to join me. The kids were warm and dry in Busby so they didn’t mind. It didn’t rain very much in the end and the sun even came out…

  • Deeside Way

    We’ve just been out for a cycle ride on Deeside Way. This is the old train line which used to ferry Queen Victoria and entourage out to Balmoral Castle every summer. It was closed in the 60s and has recently been converted into a cycling/walking path. The pathway goes all the way out to Ballater,…

  • 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…

  • Glen Garioch and Tolquhon Castle

    We have had another terrific day today. I almost feel a bit bad that I have so many terrific days and I hope that I’m not rubbing it in too much by writing about them on my blog all the time. There’s something so fun about writing about my experiences. It’s kind of a way…