The most amazing thing happened today. The rain stopped and the sun came out. There was a moment that I thought the forecasters got it wrong again but then it happened, briefly, but I did feel the sun on my cheeks. Enough sarcasm about the Scottish summer weather. Today we did intensive castle viewing. We started off at Blackness Castle which is about 3 miles from our cottage and in an amazing location right on the Firth of Forth. It was quite a dreary looking castle as it spent most of its past as a prison, but it was really interesting and had lots of character. After exploring every inch of the castle, with several opportunities for the kids to sing "I'm the king of the castle", we headed off to meet Neil's parents and the kids' cousins and headed across the Firth of Forth to Aberdour Castle. More like a stately
home as it wasn't used in battle, it had a huge chunk of wall that had fallen that showed us just how thick the walls were. The chimneys in the kitchens were all massive with several bread ovens and an ancient mortar and pestle in the corner. The gardens were extensive and grand, and at the bottom of the garden was a dovecote where doves would come to roost and nest and the chef would come and choose one for dinner at times. After a quick bite to eat to keep energy levels up we then explored Dunfermline Abbey and Palace. It was a interesting ruin sort of clinging to the edge of a cliff but by this time the kids patience had been truly tested so it was time to treat them to a playground. Whilst walking through the city park on the way to the playground we kept coming across squirrels, very cool. The day finished with dinner at the small hotel next to the cottage watching highlights to today's stage of the Tour de France which saw Cadel Evans fall further behind the leaders. Tomorrow it is Stirling Castle, which apparently is one of the biggest and most impressive to see. Should be fun.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad