We decided to put a personal twist to the Easter chicks, by adding a row of teeth in their beaks, transforming the cute little chicks into MONSTER CHICKS!
I'm sure I had just as much fun as the boys, supporting and cutting out the little teeth.
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Easter fun: Monster chicks
It's been years since we've made Easter decorations, but this year the boys didn't make any at school so I decided it would be a nice family activity. I found lots of old wool and got the boys busy making Easter chicks.
We decided to put a personal twist to the Easter chicks, by adding a row of teeth in their beaks, transforming the cute little chicks into MONSTER CHICKS!
I'm sure I had just as much fun as the boys, supporting and cutting out the little teeth.
We decided to put a personal twist to the Easter chicks, by adding a row of teeth in their beaks, transforming the cute little chicks into MONSTER CHICKS!
I'm sure I had just as much fun as the boys, supporting and cutting out the little teeth.
2 April: Dumfries House and Culzean Castle
After a lovely night in Ayr, we drove to Dumfries House to catch the first guided tour of the day at 11:00, enabling us to do both Dumfries House and Culzean Castle on the same day.
Dumfries House contains a unique collection of Chippendale furniture, and has been described as an 18th century time-capsule since the principal rooms and their contents have remained virtually unchanged for 250 years. The large blue silk-covered Chippendale bed was one of the most beautiful and impressive pieces of furniture I have seen. The blue silk was perfectly stretched over every little piece of carving; it must have taken ages to make.
The same beautiful blue silk was also used on the Chippendale furniture in The Blue Drawing Room. Even though the silk is not the original silk, it still gives an impression of the way the furniture must have looked when it was new.
Another interesting part of the guided tour was the Pewter Corridor. The corridor has been restored to its former magnificent colours, but a small part of the corridor has been left as it was when the outer layers of grey paint had been removed. The colours are the same as the rest of the corridor, only less vibrant and shiny.
In June 2007, HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, headed a consortium of charities and heritage bodies to purchase this unique house, its contents and adjoining land, in order to keep this historical jewel intact and accessible to the public. He has later also been involved in other ongoing projects connected with the house.
During our guided tour of the house, I noticed some beautiful watercolour paintings. When I took a closer look, I noticed they were signed C. Our guide confirmed my suspicions; the paintings were by HRH Prince Charles.
As usual we were not allowed to take photos inside the house, so I recommend that you click on one of the links I have added above to the home page of Dumfries House. On these pages you can get an impression of the beauty of the house. The only picture I could take inside was of the ladies toilets. The style was much simpler than elsewhere in the house, but you still got an impression of past grandeur.
In the 1770s, the 10th Earl commissioned the famous architect, Robert Adam, to create a house worthy of his political status. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792, transforming a medieval tower house, built to protect its inhabitants during dangerous times, into one of the grandest country houses in Ayrshire, Scotland.
In 1877, the 3rd Marquess employed Edinburgh architects Wardrop and Reid to make further improvements to the castle. The work was sensitively done and respected the Adam style of the castle.
Large collection of armoury
The armoury display in the entrance hall is the largest collection of its type in existence, apart from Her Majesty the Queen’s at Windsor Castle. In 1812, the flamboyant and ambitious 12th Earl bought the pistols and swords from the Office of Ordnance at the Tower of London. The arms were dispatched from London in twelve chests along with ‘one of the men from the tower with the Arms, who will fix them up in a proper manner’.
I've added a video (part 1 of 2) to give you an impression of the castle, its interior and the surroundings. Part 2 of the tour is available once you've seen part 1. The videos are only a few minutes each.
Dumfries House
Dumfries House was built between 1754 and 1759 for the 5th Earl of Dumfries. Just a year after the building of the house had begun, the earl lost his wife, Countess Anne. Although the Earl mourned her death deeply, he did not abandon the building project and his loss appears to have played a major role in shaping the interiors of Dumfries House. Lavishly decorated and furnished in the latest fashion, the widower set about creating a ‘honey trap’ to attract a new lady who would join him in his quest for an heir.Dumfries House contains a unique collection of Chippendale furniture, and has been described as an 18th century time-capsule since the principal rooms and their contents have remained virtually unchanged for 250 years. The large blue silk-covered Chippendale bed was one of the most beautiful and impressive pieces of furniture I have seen. The blue silk was perfectly stretched over every little piece of carving; it must have taken ages to make.
The same beautiful blue silk was also used on the Chippendale furniture in The Blue Drawing Room. Even though the silk is not the original silk, it still gives an impression of the way the furniture must have looked when it was new.
Another interesting part of the guided tour was the Pewter Corridor. The corridor has been restored to its former magnificent colours, but a small part of the corridor has been left as it was when the outer layers of grey paint had been removed. The colours are the same as the rest of the corridor, only less vibrant and shiny.
In June 2007, HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, headed a consortium of charities and heritage bodies to purchase this unique house, its contents and adjoining land, in order to keep this historical jewel intact and accessible to the public. He has later also been involved in other ongoing projects connected with the house.
During our guided tour of the house, I noticed some beautiful watercolour paintings. When I took a closer look, I noticed they were signed C. Our guide confirmed my suspicions; the paintings were by HRH Prince Charles.
As usual we were not allowed to take photos inside the house, so I recommend that you click on one of the links I have added above to the home page of Dumfries House. On these pages you can get an impression of the beauty of the house. The only picture I could take inside was of the ladies toilets. The style was much simpler than elsewhere in the house, but you still got an impression of past grandeur.Culzean Castle
After our guided tour of the magnificent Dumfries House, we drove to Culzean Castle (pronounced 
kəˈleɪn). The castle has been associated with the Kennedy family since the 14-th century and was the principal seat of the family from 1759. The Kennedy family is one of Scotland’s oldest families and trace ancestry to Robert the Bruce.
kəˈleɪn). The castle has been associated with the Kennedy family since the 14-th century and was the principal seat of the family from 1759. The Kennedy family is one of Scotland’s oldest families and trace ancestry to Robert the Bruce. In the 1770s, the 10th Earl commissioned the famous architect, Robert Adam, to create a house worthy of his political status. The castle was built in stages between 1777 and 1792, transforming a medieval tower house, built to protect its inhabitants during dangerous times, into one of the grandest country houses in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Symmetrical design
What fascinated me about the design, was the extreme focus on symmetry, both inside and outside. Every single room is beautiful in its own right and the symmetry of the rooms also includes the doors. The consequence is that there are a number of false doors throughout the castle.
Large collection of armoury
The armoury display in the entrance hall is the largest collection of its type in existence, apart from Her Majesty the Queen’s at Windsor Castle. In 1812, the flamboyant and ambitious 12th Earl bought the pistols and swords from the Office of Ordnance at the Tower of London. The arms were dispatched from London in twelve chests along with ‘one of the men from the tower with the Arms, who will fix them up in a proper manner’.The Oval Staircase
The Oval Staircase is an Adam masterpiece, reflecting his logical and imaginative approach to architecture. With little space available, he created a dramatic focal point which united all the different phases of the castle. The entire house seems to have been built around it when, in fact, it was the last phase of Adam’s work at Culzean.I've added a video (part 1 of 2) to give you an impression of the castle, its interior and the surroundings. Part 2 of the tour is available once you've seen part 1. The videos are only a few minutes each.
Large property
The property is set in nearly 600 acres of stunning countryside and
miles of waymarked paths lead visitors through majestic woodland and
past secluded ponds. There are numerous interesting things to see on the estate, including a swan pond and old estate buildings like Camellia House, the Water House, the Ice House and the Pagoda.
Unfortunately time did not allow us to explore the grounds as thoroughly as we would have liked, we only saw a fraction of the gardens, the area closest to the castle. Our boys were a bit disappointed that we did not go to the adventure playground, but if I remember correctly it would take us at least an hour return just walking there. And this was the last day of our trip. Needless to say we still ended up getting home much later than originally planned. But it was certainly well worth spending some extra time at the beautiful estate.
Friday, 14 June 2013
1 April: Caerlaverock Castle and Drumlanrig Castle
From Hadrian's Wall we headed back into Scotland and our first destination was the medieval castle of Caerlaverock.
Caerlaverock Castle (pronounced "calaverock") is a moated triangular castle, with a twin towered gatehouse and imposing battlements. Caerlaverock’s triangular shape is unique among British castles. It is not known why it
was built this way.
The first castle, built around 1220, was square in shape and one of the earliest stone castles to be built in Scotland. Within 50 years a new castle had been built just 200m away to the north.The second Caerlaverock Castle remained a stronghold of the Maxwell family from the 13th century until the 17th century.
The castle’s turbulent history owes much to its proximity to England which brought it into border conflicts, where it played an important role in the defence of the realm. It was besieged by the English during the Scottish Wars of Independence, and underwent several partial demolitions and reconstructions over the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1640 the castle was besieged for the last time and was subsequently abandoned. Although
demolished and rebuilt several times, the castle retains the
distinctive triangular plan first laid out in the 13th century.
During our visit we saw the remains of both the old and the new castle. The old castle was more or less gone, only the moat and and indication of the floor plan remained. This original castle was in a marshy area, ideal for mosquitos, midges and the likes. We also saw a large group of frogs (the name escapes me) cramped together in the moat. They were quite fascinating to watch, as they crawled across each other in the nearly overgrown moat.
The boys had a great time at the castle. They made their own coat of arms, solved the tasks given in the leaflet they were given when we bought our tickets, and played at the playground. Our oldest son got dressed up in a costume supplied by Historic Scotland, but our youngest son was too shy to do the same.
For those who may be interested, I found a YouTube video from the castle which gives you an idea of what the castle now looks like. The video is over 7 minutes long, but the beginning and end of the video shows the castle from the outside and gives a fairly good impression of what the castle looks like. And in the video you can also see the ever-present moss...
From Caerlaverock Castle it was only a short drive to Drumlanrig Castle, so after lunch we went to see the 'Pink Palace' of Drumlanrig. This castle is one of the finest examples of late 17th century Renaissance architecture in Scotland, and very different from the the medieval castle of Caerlaverock, whose primary function was defense.
Drumlanrig was built on the site of a 14th century castle of the 'Black' Douglas family. It was constructed from pink sandstone and built between 1679 and 1691 by William Douglas, the first Duke of Queensberry.
Today, Drumlanrig Castle is the majestic Dumfriesshire family home to
the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. It is also home to
part of the internationally renowned Buccleuch Art Collection featuring
such treasures as Rembrandt’s The Old Woman Reading as well as many
other fine paintings, tapestries and objects d’art. Like in most of the castles we visit, photography is forbidden inside the castle.
We were allowed to take pictures in the inner courtyard, where we could see portrayals of a heart borne on wings. Later on our guided tour we discovered the winged heart throughout the building, on stonework, carpets, and walls. You can read about the story behind the symbol on the Drumlanrig Castle's website. The story is a bit too long to be included here but it includes taking Robert the Bruce's heart on a crusade and the heart being thrust into enemy lines before the bearer himself died too. Quite a fascinating story and well worth reading.
We had booked tickets for a guided tour at Dumfries House the next morning and wanted to stay somewhere close. After dinner in a small, sad town totally without charm, we could not bear the thought of staying the night there too. We quickly decided it was worth the extra half hour or so to go to Ayr and hopefully find decent accommodation there.
Going to Ayr turned out to be a very good idea. This was a charming place and we found a really nice Bed & Breakfast with a very lovely owner. The family room was a little small for the four of us, so we ended up with separate rooms, much to the delight of the boys who got their own room, out of reach of nosy parents.
Apart from the family room, the other rooms were quite compact. It seemed like ordinary bedrooms had been transformed into bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, more or less without knocking down any walls or putting up new ones.
For our room it seemed that what had previously been a small closet had been turned into a bathroom, where the original door was blocked and a new door led to our bedroom. For the boys' room the solution was even simpler. It seemed that the former small walk-in-closet had been turned into a bathroom, complete with shower, sink and toilet. Access to the bathroom was through the original thin, sliding doors. Very space efficient indeed.
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerlaverock Castle (pronounced "calaverock") is a moated triangular castle, with a twin towered gatehouse and imposing battlements. Caerlaverock’s triangular shape is unique among British castles. It is not known why it
was built this way. The first castle, built around 1220, was square in shape and one of the earliest stone castles to be built in Scotland. Within 50 years a new castle had been built just 200m away to the north.The second Caerlaverock Castle remained a stronghold of the Maxwell family from the 13th century until the 17th century.
The castle’s turbulent history owes much to its proximity to England which brought it into border conflicts, where it played an important role in the defence of the realm. It was besieged by the English during the Scottish Wars of Independence, and underwent several partial demolitions and reconstructions over the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1640 the castle was besieged for the last time and was subsequently abandoned. Although
demolished and rebuilt several times, the castle retains the
distinctive triangular plan first laid out in the 13th century.The boys had a great time at the castle. They made their own coat of arms, solved the tasks given in the leaflet they were given when we bought our tickets, and played at the playground. Our oldest son got dressed up in a costume supplied by Historic Scotland, but our youngest son was too shy to do the same.
For those who may be interested, I found a YouTube video from the castle which gives you an idea of what the castle now looks like. The video is over 7 minutes long, but the beginning and end of the video shows the castle from the outside and gives a fairly good impression of what the castle looks like. And in the video you can also see the ever-present moss...
Drumlanrig Castle
Drumlanrig was built on the site of a 14th century castle of the 'Black' Douglas family. It was constructed from pink sandstone and built between 1679 and 1691 by William Douglas, the first Duke of Queensberry.
Today, Drumlanrig Castle is the majestic Dumfriesshire family home to
the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. It is also home to
part of the internationally renowned Buccleuch Art Collection featuring
such treasures as Rembrandt’s The Old Woman Reading as well as many
other fine paintings, tapestries and objects d’art. Like in most of the castles we visit, photography is forbidden inside the castle.We were allowed to take pictures in the inner courtyard, where we could see portrayals of a heart borne on wings. Later on our guided tour we discovered the winged heart throughout the building, on stonework, carpets, and walls. You can read about the story behind the symbol on the Drumlanrig Castle's website. The story is a bit too long to be included here but it includes taking Robert the Bruce's heart on a crusade and the heart being thrust into enemy lines before the bearer himself died too. Quite a fascinating story and well worth reading.Compact living in Ayr
We had booked tickets for a guided tour at Dumfries House the next morning and wanted to stay somewhere close. After dinner in a small, sad town totally without charm, we could not bear the thought of staying the night there too. We quickly decided it was worth the extra half hour or so to go to Ayr and hopefully find decent accommodation there.Going to Ayr turned out to be a very good idea. This was a charming place and we found a really nice Bed & Breakfast with a very lovely owner. The family room was a little small for the four of us, so we ended up with separate rooms, much to the delight of the boys who got their own room, out of reach of nosy parents.For our room it seemed that what had previously been a small closet had been turned into a bathroom, where the original door was blocked and a new door led to our bedroom. For the boys' room the solution was even simpler. It seemed that the former small walk-in-closet had been turned into a bathroom, complete with shower, sink and toilet. Access to the bathroom was through the original thin, sliding doors. Very space efficient indeed.
Friday, 7 June 2013
31 March: Abbotsford House and Hadrians Wall
After our glimpse of Melrose Abbey and a good night's sleep in Melrose, we were ready for Abbotsford House.
Abbotsford House
Abbotsford House was the home of the 19th century Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott. He is the author of timeless classics such as 'Waverley', 'Rob Roy', 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Lady of the Lake'. In 1811 Sir Walter bought the property which was to become Abbotsford, on the banks of the River Tweed. The building of Abbotsford took six years, and was completed in 1824.
Abbotsford House was opened to the public in 1833, five months after Sir Walter's death. The house contains an impressive collection of historic relics, weapons and armour, including Rob Roy's Gun and Montrose's Sword. In addition the library contains over 9,000 rare volumes.
Unfortunately Abbotsford House was closed for renovation when we went to visit the house (due to re-open 4 July 2013), which was rather disappointing. However, the visitor centre contained a very interesting exhibition, giving us an insight into Abbortsford House and the life of Sir Walter Scott. Outside the visitor centre there was a woodland playground, which was great for the boys.
In the thirteenth century Corbridge was second only to Newcastle in wealth and its citizens were heavily taxed to help pay for Edward 1's Scottish wars. The town's mediaeval street plan is much the same today as it was in the thirteenth century, making it a very quaint and picturesque town.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at one of the local tea rooms in Corbridge, where I had the most fantastic sandwich, while the boys were thrilled with their 'luxury hot chocolates".
Abbotsford House
Abbotsford House was the home of the 19th century Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott. He is the author of timeless classics such as 'Waverley', 'Rob Roy', 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Lady of the Lake'. In 1811 Sir Walter bought the property which was to become Abbotsford, on the banks of the River Tweed. The building of Abbotsford took six years, and was completed in 1824. Abbotsford House was opened to the public in 1833, five months after Sir Walter's death. The house contains an impressive collection of historic relics, weapons and armour, including Rob Roy's Gun and Montrose's Sword. In addition the library contains over 9,000 rare volumes. Unfortunately Abbotsford House was closed for renovation when we went to visit the house (due to re-open 4 July 2013), which was rather disappointing. However, the visitor centre contained a very interesting exhibition, giving us an insight into Abbortsford House and the life of Sir Walter Scott. Outside the visitor centre there was a woodland playground, which was great for the boys.
Lunch at Corbridge
From Abbotsford house we made our way across the English border, to the charming village of Corbridge, close to Hadrians wall. Corbridge grew from the Roman town of Corstopitum, a supply town for the troops on Hadrian's Wall.
In the thirteenth century Corbridge was second only to Newcastle in wealth and its citizens were heavily taxed to help pay for Edward 1's Scottish wars. The town's mediaeval street plan is much the same today as it was in the thirteenth century, making it a very quaint and picturesque town.
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at one of the local tea rooms in Corbridge, where I had the most fantastic sandwich, while the boys were thrilled with their 'luxury hot chocolates".29 - 30 March: Dunfermline, Rosslyn Chapel and Melrose Abbey
29 March was the first day of the boy's two weeks Easter break, where we did two long weekend trips. The first one was a four day trip around Southern Scotland and just across the border to Hadrians Wall in England.
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (pronounced 
i/dʌnˈfɛrmlɨn) was Scotland's capital until 1603 and is domintaed by the ruins of the 12th century abbey and palace. The town first came to prominence in the 11th century as the seat of King Malcolm III, who founded a priory on the present site of the Abbey Church.The original abbey was built between 1128 and 1150, but was largely destroyed in 1303 by the troops of King Edward I of England (also known as 'Hammer of the Scots' due to his rough treatment of the Scots).
There are still substantial remains of the old abbey, with the lower stories of the
dormitory and latrine blocks on the east side of the cloister being the
earliest surviving parts. These parts of the abbey date back to the early 13th century.Following the collapse of the great tower, work to clear the site prior to rebuilding the church began in 1818. The Abbey parish church was built between 1818 and 1821 on the site of the medieval choir and transepts which had been the eastern part of the abbey. The church contains the tombs of 22 scottish kings and queens, including King Robert the Bruce. On top of the church tower his name is carved and beautifully contrasts the sky behind.
While we were in the church, the boys were given a sheet with tasks to solve. Off they went looking for angels, spiders and other items in the church interior decorations. The lovely lady who gave them the tasks was helpful if they got stuck and the boys had a great time.
After our visit to the church, we proceeded to the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum. The philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835 - 1919) was born in Dunfermline, and grew up in the small handloom weaver cottage shown in the picture to the right. His family emigrated to Pennsylvania when Andrew was 13 years old.
Andrew Carnegie began his career as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory, but later came to lead the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century. Through iron and steel, Andrew became one of the wealthiest men in the world. Carnegie's wealth helped to establish numerous colleges, schools, nonprofit organizations and associations throughout the English-speaking world. He is best known for his gifts of free public library buildings. His first such gift was to his native Dunfermline in 1881, and it was followed by similar gifts to 2,509 communities in the English-speaking world. Andrew had little formal education, but grew up in a family that believed in the importance of books and learning.
Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic career began around 1870. By the time of his death in 1919, Andrew Carnegie had given away about $350 million 'for the improvement of mankind'. The Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum was not very big, but very interesting. With such a fascinating man you just have to be intrigued. And what was more natural than to go to the beautiful Pittencrieff Park after our visit to the museum?
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
9 March: Ballater and a very closed Balmoral Castle
When mum left on 7 March, our Norwegian friends Unni and Eivind came over for a long weekend. After visiting Aberdeen and giving them a tour of Westhill, we decided to visit Ballater and Balmoral Castle on Saturday 9 March.
The railway station, containing Queen Victoria's waiting room, is now a visitor centre with a replica of the royal carriage. The station also houses a café, where we had a lovely lunch. Sometimes the boys can take quite a while to finish their meals, and this time it was my youngest son who was taking his time. In the end, our friends and my oldest son went to see the royal carriage, while I waited for my youngest son to finish his lunch.
When the others had left, an elderly couple at the table next to ours asked us where we were from. It turned out they were locals and we had a nice, long chat about Ballater until my youngest son finally finished his lunch.
From Ballater it's just a 10 minute drive to Balmoral Castle, so after we had looked around the charming town of Ballater, we headed off for Balmoral. We chose the long and winding road through the woods, it was very picturesque. Close to Balmoral there was a beautiful stone bridge, which blended very nicely with the rather grey surroundings in March.
We knew in advance that Balmoral Castle was not open to the public until 29 March, but as all the castles we had visited so far had nice gardens and grounds that were open all year, I expected the same to be true for Balmoral. I was so wrong!
It turned out there were high fences all around the estate and you couldn't see the castle nor the gardens. The closest we came to seeing the estate was admiring the beautiful gates.
To make up for this we took our friends to Crathes castle, so they at least could see the beautiful castle and the nice gardens there.
Ballater
Ballater is a 'Victorian' town, originally founded at the start of the 19th century to accommodate visitors to the nearby Pannanich Wells spa. It later became the site for the railway station that serviced nearby Balmoral Castle and Upper Deeside. For about 100 years this station was used by the Royal Family and their guests and by thousands of holiday makers coming to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The town grew steadily during the Victorian era and contains many fine stone-built buildings.The railway station, containing Queen Victoria's waiting room, is now a visitor centre with a replica of the royal carriage. The station also houses a café, where we had a lovely lunch. Sometimes the boys can take quite a while to finish their meals, and this time it was my youngest son who was taking his time. In the end, our friends and my oldest son went to see the royal carriage, while I waited for my youngest son to finish his lunch.When the others had left, an elderly couple at the table next to ours asked us where we were from. It turned out they were locals and we had a nice, long chat about Ballater until my youngest son finally finished his lunch.
Balmoral Castle
It turned out there were high fences all around the estate and you couldn't see the castle nor the gardens. The closest we came to seeing the estate was admiring the beautiful gates.
To make up for this we took our friends to Crathes castle, so they at least could see the beautiful castle and the nice gardens there.
2 - 3 March: Crathes Castle and Tyrebagger
My mum is now a pensioner, which makes it possible for her to visit us outside of holidays too. Like most pensioners she still has a very busy schedule, but she took the time to visit us 1 - 7 March. We enjoyed her week long visit very much.
During the weekdays I showed mum around Westhill and Aberdeen while the boys were at school. On the weekend we went to Crathes Castle on Saturday and on Sunday we went for a nice walk through Tyrebagger Wood and up to Elrick Hill. (Crathes is pronounced "Krathes", listen at http://www.pronouncehow.com/english/crathes_pronunciation).
Crathes castle
King Robert the Bruce granted the lands of Leys to the Burnett family in 1323. Crathes Castle was built by the Burnetts of Leys in the second half of the 16th century and was completed in 1596. It was held in that family for almost 400 years, but has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1951. Unlike most other castles, Crathes Castle and its grounds are open to the public throughout the year. We enjoyed a very interesting guided tour with only a small group, as we were still outside of season.
Of all the interesting things our guide could tell us, I was most fascinated by what she told us about how cleverly the original castle was built. The main purpose of the castle was protection, as there was a lot of fighting going on at that time. The original entrance to the castle was, as we could see for ourselves, a rather small and low door with an iron gate. In order to get inside you had to stoop slightly, making it harder for the enemy to barge in. If the enemy managed to get inside, the entrance hall was very small, which meant that very few men could come in at one time.The hall quickly came to a bend on your right hand side, so the intruders wouldn't know what to expect around the bend. To the left there was a steep and narrow staircase, which also meant that you wouldn't know what to expect in that direction either. Should the enemy decide to charge up the stairs, they would risk tripping, as the 13th step is slightly higher than the other steps and only the castle's inhabitants knew about this. Once inside, the most important rooms were placed so that its inhabitants could easily hear any attackers barging in and could then escape through the back stairs. Quite clever, I would say.
As the need for protection diminished, larger windows replaced the original narrow slits. An additional wing was added in 18th century, adding to the comfort of its inhabitants, as the old castle was quite cold.
Some of the rooms still retain their original painted ceilings and collections of family portraits and furniture. The ancient Horn of Leys hangs above the fireplace in the great Hall. It was a gift from King Robert the Bruce, given to the Burnett family in 1323, when they were also granted the land of Leys . The horn was an important symbol for the family and is therefore part of the family coat of arms.
After our visit to the castle, we took a look inside the 1.5 hectares walled garden. It was still to early to see it at its peak, but there were already quite a few beautiful flowers in bloom. The great topiary yew hedges date from as early as 1702. And once again we saw how eagerly moss grows on "everything" here in Scotland, even on the hedges!
Tyrebagger Wood and Elrick Hill
Tyrebagger Wood is less than 15 minutes by car from our house and a great place to go for a walk. The wood has two circular walks, and links to longer walks on Elrick and Brimmond Hills.In the wood there are a number of sculptures, and information boards in the car parks show you where the sculptures are. The sculptures were designed by sculptors who have been inspired by the environment of the wood and the hill. There are some quite fascinating sculptures, including something that looks like a tree that has been cut down, except when you get closer you realise it's made from concrete.
After looking at the sculptures we walked on for a bit and ended up at the local golf course, before turning back and crossing over to Elrick Hill. At the top there are tables where you can eat your packed lunch. Our boys enjoyed playing in the woods with its large, twisted trees.
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