personal experience travel – Page 7

October 25, 2020

Scottish Castles Experience Day 4 – Ruthven Barracks, Dalwhinnie Distillery, Pitlochary, Loch Leven Castle, and Back to Edinburgh

In the area of Badenoch, Scotland, sits the remains of Ruthven Barracks. The British Government forces built Ruthven on a former castle mount in 1721 after the Jacobite rising of 1715. The barracks could accommodate 120 troops and 18 horses. The walls had loopholes for musket firing and bastion towers built at opposite corners.

In 1746 prior to the Battle of Culloden, the commander of Ruthven surrendered to a fairly sizeable force of Jacobites after a short siege and battle. The day after Culloden, roughly 3,000 Jacobites retreated to Ruthven but were sent home by Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) as their cause was determined to be hopeless. As they departed, the Jacobites blew up the barracks so the government forces wouldn’t be able to use it.

It had a fairly steep gravel path leading up to it, but was very interesting to explore. Most of the other military barracks I have seen in the UK have still been in use, so it wasn’t possible to go inside. Of course this one was missing floors and roofs, but many of the stone walls were in pretty decent shape to get an idea of what it might have been like when it was used as a military base.

Our next stop was the Dalwhinnie Distillery, which produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery straddles the regions of the Highlands and Speyside in the Cairngorm Mountains. They refer to themselves as a Highland Scotch. The location was chosen because of the availability of clear spring water and the abundance of peat.

Peat is a brown deposit that looks like dirt bricks which is created through decomposition of vegetable matter in places like bogs and fens. It is often used for fuel. Some of the whisky distilleries in Scotland use peat fires to dry out their malted barley. This gives the Scotch a distinct smoky flavor.

The name Dalwhinnie comes from the Scottish Gaelic Dail Chuinnidh, which means “meeting place”. It was a meeting point of cattle drover’s routes through the mountains.

Immediately upon arrival at the distillery, I headed for the restroom. That was where I was when the fire alarm sounded. As I left the room, I found myself alone in the tasting and shop area as the alarm continued to sound. There was a woman outside of the front door who was quite startled to see me. I explained where I had been and asked where my tour group might be so I could join them. With a chuckle, she pointed me to the Rabbies group just as George was heading towards us.

He was very glad to see me, but was missing one more. This was the woman I mentioned back in my first post about this particular tour — the one who was constantly asking questions, didn’t seem to be terribly bright, and never listened to what anybody else said. The woman at the door sent one of the men outside with us back inside to call out the missing woman’s name. In the meantime, I headed for the rest of our group while the fire department arrived.

It turned out that it was a false alarm. We were able to enter the building once the fire department vacated it. Our missing colleague had been completely oblivious as to what had been going on. She said she heard the alarm but didn’t know what it was for. I thought it was a very good thing that it turned out to be a false alarm as she could have ended up being in real trouble since she never caught on that she needed to get out of the building.

Photos weren’t allowed inside, so nothing to share of the tour other than that they walked us through the entire process they use to create their Scotch. After the tour, we were able to taste, not only the varieties of Dalwhinnie Single Malt Scotch, but also several of the single malt Scotch whiskies produced by Diageo (the company that owns Dalwhinnie and several other distilleries). This was helpful to discover the preferred level of “peatiness”.

I found that I liked more smokiness than the Scotch I was drinking at that time, but not nearly as much as the Scotches one of my brothers prefers. Dalwhinnie actually was in the “sweet spot” as far as I was concerned, especially when accompanied by some of the luxurious Scottish chocolate truffles they also had on hand.

Michelle, Searan, and I had lunch together again in Pitlochry, which was a mostly Victorian town that sprang up as a tourist resort back when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited and bought Balmoral Castle not too far away. We ended up at an Italian Restaurant as we wanted a leisurely lunch outside and they had tables in a courtyard at in the back of the restaurant.

After lunch, we went to a nearby crafts shop. I found a table runner with thistles embroidered on it that I bought.

Down on the other end of the block, we visited a sweet shop called Scotch Corner. They had loads of fudge and other sweets in addition to ice cream and cotton candy. We each bought a variety of fudge and other Scottish sweets. Then we decided to have a little dessert for the road and bought ice cream cones.

Our last castle on the tour was Loch Leven Castle. This was a 13^th century castle that is best well known for being a prison for Mary Queen of Scots from June 17, 1567 until her escape on May 2, 1568. The castle originally took up most of the island, but when the river that feeds the loch was canalized in the 19^th century, the water level lowered.

There still is a tower house (keep) at one corner and the remains of a round tower called the Glassin Tower at the diagonally opposite corner with most of the inner wall somewhat intact. But only outlines of some of the other buildings remain and the outer walls are gone completely.

The only way to get to the island was on a 12-person ferry from the visitor center in Kinross. It travels back and forth at specific times. We were a tad early for the next crossing, so we visited the gift shop while waiting.

I saw a woman looking at a rubber duck that was dressed as Mary Queen of Scots. She apparently decided not to buy it and set it down. It was the only one, so I quickly picked it up and bought it. Later, she went back to try to find it, but it was too late. The rubber ducky was safely inside my camera bag.

During the time when Mary was a prisoner there, she was mainly held in the round Glassin Tower. The Towerhouse was used to accommodate her jailer, Sir William Douglas of Lochleven, and the staff to look after the Scottish Queen.

Not long after her arrival, Mary miscarried twins that she had conceived with her second husband, the Earl of Bothwell. They were quickly buried somewhere on the grounds of the castle. Just a few days later she was forced to abdicate in favor of her infant son James who was being looked after at Stirling Castle.

She made several attempts to escape which failed until her jailer’s family (the men seeming to have fallen in love with her) helped her to a boat and some awaiting horsemen. She fled to another castle from which she contacted her cousin, Elizabeth I of England, and asked for her help.

Loch Leven Castle is one of many castles throughout Scotland where the ghost of Mary is supposed to roam. It is said that she looks for her lost twins.

The Highlands of Scotland has insects known as midges that swarm in large numbers, biting and getting into eyes, mouths ears and noses. In all of the trips I have made to Scotland, I had never experienced the swarms in such enormous numbers before. But on that little island where the remains of Loch Leven Castle stand, I had the full Highland Midge experience. I don’t recommend it. It was much worse than the mosquitos in Minnesota, which we jokingly call our state bird.

That evening, we were dropped off at the Edinburgh bus station. From there, I took a taxi to the hotel where I would be staying for two nights.

The Scotsman Hotel was originally the offices of The Scotsman newspaper. They were housed in the Scottish baronial style building from 1904 until 2001. That was when they moved to new offices and the building was renovated into a hotel. It was just the other side of the North Bridge from the Balmoral Hotel on the Old Town side.

It seemed like it would be such a cool place to stay, but I ended up being creeped out. I found out after my stay that my room was on the same floor and only a short distance away from a room where a couple had committed suicide a few years earlier. Despite not knowing about this, I found it to be really spooky when I turned out the lights, so I left them on all night both nights.

Next time – a day trip from Edinburgh to Anstruther, St Andrews, with a stop at Falkland Palace.

October 18, 2020

Scottish Castles Experience Day 3 – Part 2: Brodie Castle, Culloden Battlefield & Clava Cairns

Located in Moray, Scotland, Brodie Castle was built in 1567 by the Brodie family. They had been in the area from the 12^th century, so likely had an earlier castle on the site that may have been swallowed up by this castle.

The Entrance Hall to the current castle is in the 16^th century part of the castle, flanked by a Guard Chamber (rather disturbingly containing the skeleton of a child in a glass case) on one side and the Library on the other. From this part of the house, a staircase leads up to the Dining Room.

The Dining Room has a very ornate and heavy ceiling. It also has a portrait of a lady who is pointing to the ceiling. Is she trying to say, “Look up?” And is she indicating the ceiling or the room above?

The lady in question is Lady Margaret Duff, who was the wife of Lord James Brodie back in 1786. In the room directly above the Dining Room, known as the Best Bedchamber, Lady Margaret fell asleep by the fireplace where her clothes were set on fire and she died. She is said to haunt the castle.

In the Blue Drawing Room, which is just off of the Dining Room, a ghostly soldier often sits in contemplation. The Red Drawing Room leads to the very large and airy Victorian Drawing Room. This was my favorite room in the castle, other than the suite of Nursery Rooms. Brodie was the only castle on this tour where we could see a Victorian Nursery with all of its furnishings and even the toys. It covered the entire top floor and looked as though the children would be returning any minute. A little ghostly dog probably would agree as it is often seen heading for the Nursery.

The child’s skeleton was found when some renovations were being carried out on a set of turnpike stairs in the castle. Surprisingly enough, there doesn’t seem to be a ghost associated with the bones. Maybe that, and the fact that nobody seems to know who it is, are why they haven’t been buried anywhere and are on display in the Guard Chamber instead.

I have been to Culloden Battlefield four times. Each time has been completely different. The first time was on the second anniversary of 9/11 in 2002. It was a gloomy, rainy day. Not much was there at the time. It was mainly a rather overgrown field with a path leading to the monument. Said path was dirt, so quite muddy on that occasion. We all tromped out to the monument and had a minute of silence for 9/11 in the rain and mud.

Other than the path and monument, was the little, thatched cottage. We could go inside back then. It was decorated to look as it had after the massacre of the battle when those would took refuge there were all slain.

The second time I was there, they were starting to clean up the area – mowing the grass and uncovering the various small, stone markers to indicate the mass graves of those who had fallen. They were also raising money for a visitor center. I contributed. That was in 2005.

By my next visit in 2009, the visitor center was up and running. They had artifacts from the battle, a timeline, a display of the history behind it all, and a very moving film. To see the film, just stand in the middle of the room and watch the battle unfold all around you. I have seen it twice now and it moved me to tears both times.

The battlefield had flags indicating where each side was, the ground had been cleared, paths were created, the clan grave markers could be seen and other signs had been added. There were also benches to sit on if needed or desired.

The best part was that there were GPS devices with recorded commentary. These would beep when you entered a space where something notable happened. Then they would tell you all about it when you pushed the button in response.

I had looked for my name on the ceiling of the main room of the visitor center, but couldn’t find it. All contributors towards its building were supposed to be represented. But it was in order of contribution which made it difficult to find. There were a lot of names there.

During the 2017 visit, I watched the film for the second time, went out and explored the battlefield again, and then came back to the cafeteria for some lunch. I have included with this post, photos of some of the mass grave markers for some of the clans.

The nearby Clava Cairns were built about 4,000 years ago and constitute a Bronze Age cemetery. After many years of suffering from a lack of interest, the site has become famous as the inspiration for Craigh na Dun in the “Outlander” books and series.

We visited the main site, known as Balnauran of Clava. It has three large burial cairns, each with its own stone circle. Two of the cairns are called “passage cairns” where you enter through a narrow corridor. The third cairn (in the middle of the other two) is completely enclosed. All three have lost their roofs as well as their contents.

Of the four photos I selected to include here, the first shows two of the cairns with several of the standing stones. The second is my viewpoint from inside of one of the passage cairns. The third is a lovely tall stone. The fourth is the infamous split stone which, if you are an Outlander fan, you should recognize immediately as Claire’s means of time travel.

That night we spent the night at Knockomie House Hotel, a stone house built in 1812. The owners have it set up as a 15 room inn. Each room is different. Mine was dark purple and had a Victorian iron bed and plaid drapes. The reception area where we checked in was very quaint. Next to that was a small pub where they also pushed together a few tables and served us a delicious dinner.

We were served a Chicken and Ham Terrine (kind of a pate) with Chutney; Haddock with a nice variation on a Hollandaise Sauce and some Lemon Dill Mashed Potatoes; and a Sticky Toffee Pudding with a Butterscotch Sauce and some Ice Cream. I remember sleeping quite peacefully after that meal.

Next time – our last day on the Scottish Castles Experience tour with Ruthven Barracks, Dalwhinnie Scotch Distillery, lunch at Pitlochary, and Loch Leven Castle.

October 11, 2020

Scottish Castles Experience Day 3 – Part1: Fyvie Castle

I was really excited to be able to visit Fyvie Castle. From what I had read about it and had seen in various programs that talked about the castle, it was quite a place.

The oldest of the castles we were visiting on the tour, Fyvie was said to have been built originally in about 1211 by King William the Lion of Scotland. It remained in royal hands until about 1390 when it became the property of the Preston family in order to pay off a ransom. The Prestons celebrated by building a tower.

Early on in its history, however, it gained a curse. A prophet called Thomas the Rhymer turned up at the castle in the 13^th century (same century in which it had been built). Due to some freak gust of wind that came up just as he reached the gate, Thomas was incensed that the gate had been slammed in his face and put a curse on the castle. This curse involved three stones that were referred to as the “weeping stones”.

The “weeping stones” always appear to be wet no matter what is happening with their environment. The curse says that, until all three stones are found and removed from the property, no eldest son of the owner of the castle will ever inherit. So far, it has appeared to be true as no eldest son of any owner since has ever inherited the castle.

Originally the three stones were said to have been boundary stones marking the parish. But one supposedly found its way into the walls of the oldest part of the castle. Another somehow ended up in the Charter Room. That is the only one to have been found to date and is on display in a bowl inside of a glass box in the Charter Room. The last stone was lost in the River Ythan, which makes it impossible to ever lift the curse.

I have included a photo of the stone on display in the Charter Room. On the day we visited, it seemed to be only slightly moist. Apparently it hasn’t cried quite so much since it has been in the glass case.

While exiting the tour coach before going into the castle, I felt like we were being watched from one of the rooms above. I looked up and took a photo of the window. It was at the corner of where the south range met the west range, just below a little turret and a flag pole with the Scottish flag. I didn’t see anybody at the window, but they could have just stepped out of sight.

We entered the west range into the main hall which contains loads of armor, some taxidermied animals and a few bronze Chinese dogs. It was very interesting room and one of 110 rooms in the entire castle. We went up what was called the Great Wheel Stair to the Dining Room. This was a lovely room (though my photos were a little on the dark side), followed by the Morning Room, which I thought was quite cozy. It seemed like a pleasant room to hang out in. The Charter Room came next and then the large and opulent Library.

In addition to the “weeping stone”, a second curse having to do with the castle involves a secret chamber below the Charter Room. It is said that, should anyone enter the chamber, the Laird of the Castle will die and his wife will go blind. They say that someone did enter the room once upon a time and the curse did happen. So the chamber was completely sealed up to the point that there isn’t even an entrance to it.

After the Prestons, the castle passed to the Meldrums when a Meldrum married a Preston daughter. This was about 1433. The Meldrum family added a tower too. Then the castle was sold to Alexander Seton in 1596 who added the Seton Tower in the middle of the south side of the castle (between the Meldrum and PrestonTowers). He also added the West Range.

Alexander Seton’s wife, Dame Lilias Drummond, kept giving him only daughters, which ticked him off royally. So he imprisoned her in part of the house and starved her to death in order to marry a much younger cousin of Lilias with whom he was enjoying himself. If the room in which she died had been the secret chamber below the Charter Room, it would make sense that the curse would be about killing the Laird and blinding his wife.

Shortly after Lilias died, Alexander married his mistress. On the wedding night, the newlyweds heard some scratching and moaning outside of the window of the bedchamber (four floors up). They thought it was just the wind. In the morning when Alexander opened the shutters and the window, he saw the name of his first wife,” D. Lilias Drummond”, scratched deeply into the stone window sill , outside, upside down, as if done by someone hovering outside of the window.

We were shown the room. It was no longer a bedroom (who would want to sleep there?), but had maps and charts and such scattered around. It seemed to be a storage room. I walked over to the window and took photos of the name carved into the stone. It was the same window from which I had felt we were being watched when we arrived.

A successor of Alexander Seton died in exile in Paris after a Jacobite uprising that had taken place in 1689. At the time of the uprising, the castle had been forfeited to the crown. This would have been the Hanoverians down in London.

It remained a crown property until it was purchased by William Gordon, who was Earl of Aberdeen at the time, in 1733. Forty five years later the Gordon Tower was added to the north end of the west range. Gordon was also the one who moved the main entrance of the castle from the Seton Tower in the middle of the south range to the middle of the west range.

One more family purchased the castle in 1885, adding the final tower. That was the Forbes-Leith family. It was Alexander Leith who built the Leith Tower in 1890.

Another ghostly presence for a short time was Lady Meldrum, who died sometime in the 13^th century. For some strange reason, her dying wish was to be placed in the walls somewhere in the castle. She supposedly loved the castle and didn’t want to leave it. Around 1920 her skeleton was discovered, carefully excavated from the castle and buried in a grave. After that, she haunted the castle as The Grey Lady (Lilias Drummond is called The Green Lady and has been seen here and there too). Once they gave in and put her back in the wall (in one of the bedrooms), she stopped her haunting.

One of the most impressive parts of the castle consists of the enormous Drawing Room in the Gordon Tower and how it opens onto the Gallery in the Leith Tower. The Gallery has several rich tapestries and portraits of King Charles I and his wife Henrietta Maria. It also has a fairly large organ. The Gallery is often used for weddings.

Heading back downstairs towards the entrance again, we entered the Billiard Room. This was a more casual, welcoming room with flowered sofas and a table with a tartan cloth.

Next time – Brodie Castle, Culloden Battlefield, and Clava Cairns.

October 4, 2020

Scottish Castles Experience Day 2: Castle Fraser, the villages of Ballater and Crathie, as well as Crathes Castle

Pretty much every castle that is at least two hundred years old has a ghost. The older the castle, the more spirits there may be roaming the building or grounds or both. Both of the castles in this post and both in the next post were reportedly haunted with very interesting stories associated with them.

The majority of the ghosts in haunted castles seem to be of females who were victims of domestic violence. Either they didn’t want to marry the man to whom their father was trying to unite them or they wanted to marry a man of whom daddy didn’t approve. Or they were someone entirely inappropriate who turned up at the castle with child by one of the males in the castle. Or they were an inconvenient wife of whom their husband wanted to dispose so he could marry someone else.

Built in 1575 by the 6^th Laird, Michael Fraser, Castle Fraser was originally a two-story square keep. Over the centuries the castle was added to and evolved into what is considered to be the most elaborate Z-plan castle in Scotland. A Z-plan castle has a strong, rectangular center tower with smaller towers attached at diagonally opposite corners.

Castle Fraser is now six floors with turnpike stairs at each end and a normal staircase covering some of the lower floors in the center of the main tower. Two additional wings form a courtyard in the rear of the castle. The photo I have included is from the rear as I think that is the most interesting façade.

The rooms were a more human scale than in many castles and more cozy and livable too. The Great Hall was in the oldest part of the castle and very simple in layout and décor. One of the early lairds (Scottish Lords of the Manor are called Lairds) apparently was not too trusting. He had both a spy hole into the Great Hall and a Lairds Lug, which was a tiny secret room above the Great Hall where the Laird could sit and listen to everything that was said below.

In the Great Hall was a chest with a complicated locking mechanism that reminded me of the trunk in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. After exploring some of the other rooms on the ground floor, we headed up a set of turnpike stairs all the way up to the top of the castle, stopping off on various floors to see various rooms on the way up and then again on the way down.

One of the rooms we visited on the way up was the Green Room (a bedroom). While visiting the castle, a woman was murdered when sleeping in the Green Bedroom. Afterwards her body was dragged down the turnpike stairs for disposal. The blood stains could not be removed, so they placed wooden steps over the offending stone steps. The ghost of the murdered lady has been seen throughout the house.

Once we reached the top of the castle, we went out on the roof where we had gorgeous views of the grounds. I included a photo of the view down at the back of the castle from the roof.

On the way down, one of the interesting rooms we visited was the library. One of the Lairds, Charles Mackenzie Fraser (1792 – 1871) lost his leg in the 1812 Peninsular War. His wooden leg was on display in the library. You can see it in the far right of the photo included here of the library. It is peeking out from behind a green baize gaming table.

Apparently the leg’s owner doesn’t need it anymore as he doesn’t seem to be hanging around looking for it. However, children laughing and other unearthly sounds have been heard in the kitchens; piano music has been heard drifting through the castle when nobody has been playing; and disembodied voices are frequently heard in various parts of the castle.

Then there is Lady Blanche Drummond who died from a fever in the 1870s, just a couple years after her marriage. She has been seen wandering the grounds in a long, black gown.

We stopped off in the village of Ballater to have lunch. Once again, Michelle, Searan and I ate together at a pub where we had some good food and a pint of the local ale.

After lunch we paid a visit to the village of Crathie. This is the village just outside of Balmoral Castle where the Royal Family goes to church and where some of the people who work at the castle live.

This was my fourth time in Crathie. The prior three times, we were supposedly going to visit Balmoral Castle, but some member of the Royal Family ended up being there so we could only visit the church.

This time there had been no discussion of any possibility of seeing Balmoral Castle. Since I had seen the tiny little church three times already, I decided to cross the bridge over the River Dee and walk to the gates of the castle. Included here is my photo of the gates – most likely the closest I will ever get to Balmoral Castle.

I did get a great photo of the phone box back across the road from the bridge to the castle. It’s very colorful with yellow daffodils around the bright red phone box.

Our final visit for the day was Crathes Castle. Like Castle Fraser, Crathes Castle was also in Aberdeenshire, near the town of Banchory. The land upon which Crathes was built was given to the Burnetts of Leys by King Robert the Bruce back in 1323. Originally the family built a Crannog (a kind of fortification made with timber on a manmade island in a lake or bog), but by 1553 they started building the castle. It was mainly a tower house with a wing added in the 18^th century.

The first thing I noticed in the Great Hall was what looked like some chainmail armor high up on the wall in a niche. Not far below is an ivory horn that Robert the Bruce also gave to the family. It was called the Horn of Leys.

Again like Castle Fraser, Crathes had six floors. The only stairs were of the turnpike variety. The stairs we were led up, however, did not have any kind of railings or even ropes. So I was holding onto the steps themselves and the walls on the way up.

One of the problems with traveling in the spring is that I have allergies. Beginning in 2016, a certain amount of dizziness accompanies the allergies. So holding onto something as I go up and down twisting, uneven stairs is somewhat of a necessity. Not too interested in falling and possibly ending up as another ghost in the castle.

My favorite bedroom had a 16^th century bed with a bedspread covered in crewel embroidery from the 17^th century. At the top of the castle was a long gallery with a wooden barrel vaulted ceiling. There was a bedroom up there too. I didn’t think I would want to have to haul myself up all of those stairs every night. However, I had once lived in a fifth floor walkup in NYC and had to go up and down those stairs constantly. I was in my early twenties at the time and quickly became used to it.

The turnpike stairs on which we came back down had railings. I was so relieved.

This castle had several rooms with very colorful painted ceilings. One of the rooms was where the ghost of this particular castle comes in. It is called the Green Lady’s room. This is where several people have seen a woman carrying a baby walk through the room and disappear at the fireplace. Skeletons of a woman and a baby were found behind the hearthstone of the fireplace when some changes were being made to the fireplace a few years back. They received a decent burial but continue to haunt.

The photo I include here of the Green Lady’s Room doesn’t show the fireplace. Unfortunately I learned of the story after having returned home from this trip, or I would have taken a photo of the fireplace.

There was a tiny little room inside of a tiny little turret. It seemed like it might be a fun place to hang out, read a book, and drink some hot chocolate, or ale or mead or mulled wine.

Once back downstairs and outside of the castle, I visited the walled garden. It was very nice. Parts were somewhat wild looking and parts were fairly formal. It had a lovely pond in it with a bench nearby. So I took a seat for a bit. I like to be able to have some time to sit and absorb it all.

During the English Civil War, the Burnetts had friends on both sides and so had letters from both sides stating that they should not be “molested”. The castle hasn’t ever been sacked or taken from the family. What can been seen is pretty much as the family left it.

We returned to Thainstone House Hotel for another night. After all that climbing up and down six floors each in two castles, I felt a relaxing bubble bath followed by a stiff glass of Scotch was the ticket.

Next time – Fyvie Castle

September 27, 2020

Scottish Castles Experience Day 1: Falkland Palace, House of Dun & Dunnotter Castle

As you may remember, I have never met a castle I didn’t like. So I figured a Rabbie’s tour with four days of Scottish Castles would be a good one. I wasn’t wrong.

Shortly before this 2017 trip, I had purchased a new, four-wheeled, hard-sided, smaller suitcase to make life easier with all of the times I would need to lift and carry the darned thing on this trip. The longest I would ever be seen by the same people was five days. So five days of tops were what I brought along. I would wear each of them up to three times. So I wouldn’t need a larger case. I had it all figured out. But, for some reason, the wheels were not all that cooperative on anything but a smooth surface (like the floor inside of the store where I bought it). Even some carpets caused an issue, much less cobblestones, uneven sidewalks and gravel. Obviously I should have test driven it before leaving home.

Because I had fought with it all the way from Waverly Train Station in Edinburgh to the hotel (just two blocks), I was not in the mood to be fighting with it for the four blocks from the hotel to the bus terminal. So I took a taxi instead. At the bus terminal all of the floors were even and tiled. Smooth sailing.

This time we had eight people – one from Malta, four from Canada, two from Germany, and me. Our Tour Director/Driver was named George and he wore a kilt. Many of the male tour directors and drivers on day trips or longer tours like this one up in Scotland wore kilts. Like all of the Rabbie’s personnel before him, George was knowledgeable, helpful, very nice to deal with, patient, and had a good sense of humor.

He would need both the patience and the good sense of humor in abundance. One of our number (not me) continually asked questions at about a five year old level. “Why did they paint the walls blue?” Each time she received an answer, she would respond with, “Oh,” and quickly ask another equally ridiculous question.

She didn’t listen to anything anyone else said, so she frequently asked things that had already been answered. Such as “Where are the people who own this castle?” when it had been said repeatedly that all of the places we were visiting were run by the National Trust of Scotland.

This carried on both while we were on the tour coach and at the site of whatever location we were touring. She drove all of the guides at the places we visited bonkers. She pretty much ignored the rest of us who were on the tour. So none of us were peppered with constant questions. Whew!

Our first castle on the tour, Falkland Palace, was built by Mary Queen of Scots’ grandfather, King James IV of Scotland. This James’ son (and Mary’s father) died at the Renaissance style palace, leaving Mary as Queen at the ripe old age of six days.

During the English Civil War, while some of Cromwell’s troops were staying there, a fire destroyed part of the palace. For a couple hundred years, the palace fell into ruin until it was bought and restored in the late 19^th century. I really liked the interior of the place, but we weren’t allowed to take photos inside. I found it to be rather cozy. It seemed like a nice place to live.

Falkland Palace had the oldest tennis court in the world still in use. Mary Queen of Scots used to play there. It managed to survive even when the palace itself was in ruins.

I really loved Falkland Palace. Even though parts were in ruins, the parts that weren’t in ruins were lovely and cozy. It seemed like a place in which it would be great to live.

We had lunch in St Andrews, in a part of town where I had never been before – along the main street in the town center. Every other time I had been there, I had confined myself to the castle and/or the Old Course. Two ladies from Quebec City (Michelle and Searan) and I had lunch at a pub on the main street. We had a tasty lunch and some of the local ale.

Built in the 1730s, the House of Dun lies in the county of Angus. More of a large country house than a castle, the Georgian house is known for its extravagant plasterwork in the salon. One of its former residents had been very handy with a needle as there was a very large amount of really well executed needlework throughout. They still had a Game Larder just outside of the kitchens. We were able to take photos inside this time.

Our last stop of the day was Dunnotter Castle. Located on a rocky outcrop with steep cliffs jutting out into the North Sea, Dunnotter was a spectacular ruin of a mainly 15^th and 16^th century castle. It was fairly recently (2015) used during parts of the filming of Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender as the title character and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth.

After Charles II was crowned King of Scotland at Scone Palace during the English Civil War, the Honors of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) were hidden at Dunnotter Castle to keep them out of the hands of Oliver Cromwell and his troops. Katherine Drummond had carried them into the castle concealed in sacks of wool.

When Cromwell besieged the castle, the Honors were smuggled out hidden among sacks of goods over the course of three visits to the castle by Christian Fletcher, a minister’s wife. They were then buried under the floor of the church until Charles II returned. In the meantime, another woman, Anne Lindsay, removed the King’s papers from the castle sewn inside of her clothes. Some pretty brave women.

On this tour, instead of booking hotels, B&Bs or hostels, we were all together in country house hotels which were included in the price of the tour. Our first two nights were to be in Thainstone House Hotel, which was near Aberdeen and built in the 18^th century. The house was set in 44 acres of woodlands. So once you were there, you were there (unless you had a car). It had a restaurant that had the reputation of the best steaks in Aberdeen. Breakfast was mighty tasty with a buffet plus a cooked breakfast to order. Our last morning there I was in the restaurant early and our driver/tour director, George, joined me.

Next time – Day 2 of the Scottish Castles Experience with Castle Fraser, the villages of Ballater and Crathie as well as Crathes Castle.

September 20, 2020

Best of Scotland in a Day

Arrived at King’s Cross Train Station to catch my train to Edinburgh. This time the First Class ticket was more than double the Standard (as opposed to the only $20 US difference that it was for my train trip the prior year). So I had a Standard Round Trip ticket. This meant that, instead of checking my large bag and having a small table to myself in the car, I needed to find someplace to stow my large bag fairly close to where I was sitting and share a four seat table with strangers. Back when Mom and I used to fly into Gatwick Airport in London, we took the train to Victoria Station with a Standard Round Trip ticket. But that was a 40 minute ride. London to Edinburgh was four hours.

The seats were assigned in advance and I managed to have a table to myself all the way to York (halfway). But then I gained a couple who sat across from me, did not speak English, and smooched and snuggled the entire two hours from York to Edinburgh. Good thing I had a good book.

Since the Balmoral was charging its usual high prices this time, I tried the Apex Waterloo Place. This Georgian hotel wasn’t far from the Balmoral (or the train station or the grocery store) and was right across the street from where most of the day trips picked up and dropped off. A convenient location. They also had fridges in the rooms, so I picked up a few things from the grocers.

Once I was settled in the room (which was at the back of the hotel, one floor down from the entrance floor – still about three floors up from the street on that side of the hotel), I walked around in the area before it was time for the Champagne Tea reservation I had booked online when I was still in Minneapolis.

Calton Hill was an interesting place, full of monuments and giving great views of the city. The steps up the hill were right next to the hotel. The monuments included The National Monument of Scotland, which was dedicated to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died during the Napoleonic Wars. It looked like an unfinished Greek temple. Then there was the monument to Admiral Nelson, which looked like a giant inverted telescope. There was a Robert Burns Monument, a Political Martyrs Monument and a City Observatory.

The round, Grecian-looking monument shown in the photo I have included with this post is the Dugald Stewart Monument and is a memorial to the Scottish philosopher who was a professor at the University of Edinburgh. To the left of that monument in the photo, can be seen the Gothic-looking spire of the Waverly Monument (dedicated to Sir Walter Scott), the clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel, and Edinburgh Castle up on top of the hill near the center of the photo.

The next morning I crossed the street and picked up the small group day tour Best of Scotland in a Day. These were all places I had not been to before.

At the tour pickup place, I ran into two of the women who had been on the Heart of England & Wales tour with me. They had also taken the train up to Edinburgh after the other tour ended and were doing a different day trip than I was. It was one I had been on the previous year that I had really enjoyed. It was fun to actually run into someone I knew.

We started at Dunkeld with a visit to Dunkeld Cathedral. Begun in 1260, the Cathedral stood near the River Tay in a very scenic location. The original monastery on the site dated to the 6^th century AD. In 1689, the Battle of Dunkeld took place in the area around the cathedral between the Jacobite Highlanders who supported King James II & VII and those who supported William of Orange. William and his wife, Mary (daughter of James), had recently taken over the monarchy from James, when he was kicked off the throne, in what had been called “The Glorious Revolution”. William’s supporters prevailed.

Inside the cathedral were the banners that had been carried by the Jacobites. Also inside was the sarcophagus of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan, nicknamed the “Wolf of Badenoch”. That nickname intrigued me, so I learned some more about him after taking his photo.

He was the 3^rd surviving son of King Robert II of Scotland and lived from 1343 to 1405. He had a petulant relationship with his uncle King David II of Scotland before his father became king. He was also said to have had a defiant relationship with the church. He was best known for his destruction of Elgin and the cathedral there.

He was also Justiciar of Scotia for a while, but apparently not a good one. He ended up losing a fair amount of the territories he held going into the job. The nickname, Wolf of Badenoch, was given to him due to his notorious cruelty and aggressively greedy streak. Apparently not the type of person with whom you would want to try to be friends. His father’s reputation as king suffered due to the actions of his son (and the fact that he seemed to back his son rather than attempt to curb him). The Wolf of Badenoch’s effigy is one of the very few from the Middle Ages that has survived in Scotland.

The towns of Dunkeld and Birnam have been incorporated together. The area is quite forested although the only tree that dates back to the time of the setting of Shakespeare’s Scottish play that mentioned Birnam Wood (Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him) is a single, massive oak tree. The wooded area is still called Birnam Wood however.

Not too far away was Blair Castle, the seat of the head of Clan Murray, the Duke of Atholl. This was the Scottish Castle that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited back in 1844 when the Queen began a lifelong love of Scotland. They even used the real Blair Castle when they did an episode on the visit in the “Victoria” miniseries. Shortly after her visit, the Queen gave the Duke the permission to create his own private army, the Atholl Highlanders. They remain the only legal private army in Europe.

I had a running joke with my mom that I wanted to introduce her to the 11^th Duke (who was single) so he would fall in love with her and we could all live in the castle. Unfortunately, he died before I could put that plan into motion.

Upon entering the castle, I took a couple photos of the entrance hall before being told that no photography was allowed except in the ballroom. Some of the shields and muskets in the entrance hall saw service at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

I put my camera away until we got to the ballroom. Those of you who may have seen Scotland episode of the “Victoria” miniseries definitely saw the ballroom. It was quite prominently featured as were the castle grounds.

The grounds and gardens of the castle were quite extensive. After lunch at the restaurant within the castle, I set off on a circular hike through the grounds and gardens. My first stop was at the ruins of St Bride’s Kirk. This contained the last resting place of John Graham of Claverhouse, who was nicknamed “Bonnie Dundee”.

“Bonnie Dundee” sounded like a much friendlier nickname than “Wolf of Badenoch”. It turned out that he earned his nickname at the time of his death. He was a leader of the 1689 Jacobite rising and died a hero at the Battle of Killiecrankie, which the Jacobites won just days before losing at the Battle of Dunkeld.

Bonnie Dundee was the commander of the Jacobites, who were in possession of Blair Castle at the time. If they had lost the battle, the castle would have been forfeit to the Crown of England. As it was, it was a pretty rousing victory. His breastplate and helmet were on display inside the castle.

After my hike through the gardens, I returned to the castle with a small amount of time left before we were to depart. So I took a seat on a shaded bench, listened to the sounds of the stream bubbling past and the bagpiper playing next to the castle.

Since Killiecrankie was not far from Blair Castle, that was our next visit for the day. Killiecrankie Gorge was quite a scenic place with the battlefield just beyond.

At Queen’s View, we got some really nice photos of what is considered to be one of the best views in Scotland. When Queen Victoria visited in 1866, she thought that it was named for her. It wasn’t. It was named for Isabella, the first wife of King Robert the Bruce, more than 500 years earlier. The lake is Loch Tummel.

Our last visit of the day involved a roughly 20 minute walk deep into the Caledonian Forest. At the end of the walk was a building. We entered and found a viewing platform for a magnificent waterfall called the Black Spout. It was quite dramatic.

Next time – the first day of the Scottish Castles Experience tour with eight castles in four days.

September 13, 2020

York & Cambridge

Back in 1991, Mom and I had ended up being in the UK during the Gulf War. That trip had included an afternoon stop in York with a visit to York Minster. All of the church bells in York were ringing because the war had ended that day. There were military personnel and vehicles all over York then too.

In 2017, we arrived in York the previous afternoon and, the following day, I had a full day in York to spend as I wished. Since I wasn’t feeling quite 100%, I decided to set out early and return early enough to get some extra rest to try to stave off actually becoming ill.

The B&B in York was a little fancier than the one in Shrewsbury and more like a hotel. The room where we had breakfast was set up like a restaurant with separate tables and menus. It was run by two very nice ladies who had both dogs and cats, but kept the animals in their quarters and didn’t allow them to wander around where the guests would be.

While waiting for my order, one of the dogs managed to escape the kitchen and made a beeline straight for me. As a dog lover who was missing my own little fur ball, I was more than happy to pet the darling Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was snuggling against me. One of his mamas noticed he was missing and came out to get him. He knew he was in for a scolding, but I guess he figured it was worth it. He obediently slinked back into the kitchen.

I was trying to time my arrival at York Minster for roughly opening time, which was 9am. Minster is a designation for a cathedral that dates to Anglo-Saxon times. The Bishop of York was in existence as far back as 314. The first recorded building on the site was a wooden structure in 627. That incarnation burned down and was replaced in the 10^th century. This version was rebuilt by King Edward I in the 1200s. Edward also built the Chapter House.

I headed down Bishopsgate to get to one of the gates in the wall. The B&B was on the opposite end of town from the Minster, but I had decided to start with the farthest point where I wanted to go and work my way back. On my way to the gate, I passed a grocers and a bakery. I planned to stop at both on my way back.

My memory of York Minster had been of a dark and crowded gigantic Gothic building where we had been hurried along and strained to hear our guide over the rest of the noise. When I entered the Minster, I was told of a tour that was coming up shortly that I could join. I thanked the woman who told me and purposely started my own tour in a different part of the building. I wanted to be able to see everything and take photographs of what I wanted. I had purchased a book on the cathedral back in 1991 and read it before I left home, so I was already aware of the history.

Much of the stained glass dated back as far as the 12^th century. The Rose Window (which I did remember from before) was quite beautiful.

The Screen of Kings dates to the 15^th century and portrays all of the kings of England from William the Conqueror to Henry VI. The quire is located behind the screen.

A younger brother of Edward, the Black Prince (son of Edward III and father of Richard II) was buried in the Minster. His name was William of Hatfield and he died as a child.

After a couple of hours exploring every inch of York Minster, I set off down a different street to see another part of York. The city was originally founded by the Romans in 71 AD as Eboracum. When the Vikings took over, it was called Jorvik. The river that flows through the city is the River Ouse.

I made my way through as many medieval streets as possible to get to The Shambles. This is a street where the majority of the buildings date back to between 1350 and 1475. They were originally butcher shops. The unique feature was that each story of the buildings overhung the floor below, so the buildings almost met over the street at the topmost floors.

The street was mentioned in the Doomesday Book of 1086, so it existed at least that far back. Most of the buildings were still shops – fudge, candles, chocolates, gifts and many other items are sold.

One that wasn’t a shop and was open to the public was a shrine to Saint Margaret Clitherow. She was pressed to death in 1586 for refusing to enter a plea regarding whether or not she was sheltering priests. Catholicism and harboring priests were against the law at that time. The front of the building slants in an interesting manner. Some of the timbers used were from a ship and still followed the curve of the ship.

Down near the end of The Shambles, I passed through an arch into an area that had several tables set up under tents and a number of stalls and wagons with various foods. I stopped at a place with kind of an interesting mix of Middle Eastern and French food. The fella who ran it was French and his assistant was Polish. I ordered a crepe with hummus, avocado, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and several grilled vegetables, plus a sauce. The drink was fresh-squeezed lemonade with mint (which had been very common as a drink in both Turkey and Jordan when I had been there).

After I sat down at a table to tackle my lunch (which was served in a paper funnel that I could peal down as I ate), a couple asked if they could join me. I said “certainly”. They were both in their early thirties. She was originally from Florida and he was from York. They had met in York and lived there together.

He was a mechanic and she was a barista. One of the first things I said as they sat down was how much I liked her purple hair. That broke the ice and they were very friendly and talkative. I enjoyed their company.

Full and happy, I headed for the Medieval Guildhall, which had been built in 1357. The undercroft was originally a hospital and almshouse for the poor. It also had a chapel still in use. The upstairs had several rooms, the largest being the Great Hall. The building was pretty much original.

From the Guildhall, I went to Fairfax House, which was a Georgian Townhouse only a quarter of its original size, but still mighty impressive. They didn’t allow photos inside. It was built in the 1740s for a Viscount named Fairfax. He died without any heirs, so the house passed through various hands until it became rundown and parts of it had been demolished. It was acquired by the city in 1970 and, with the additional acquisition of loads of Georgian furniture from one of the leading merchant families of York, the house was restored and the furniture displayed.

I had planned to also visit the Jorvik Viking Center, but was nearing the end of my energy. It was then about 3pm. So I headed home, stopping off at the bakery and grocers as planned. I had an early dinner and went to bed early.

The next morning we left for Stamford on our way to Cambridge. It took a long time to get to Stamford because of a car crash that narrowed southbound traffic to one lane.

An old Anglo-Saxon town, Stamford’s current buildings dated mainly to the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries. It had lots of churches. One of my favorite buildings was the London Inn, which used to be a coaching inn.

By the time we arrived in Cambridge, we were still behind schedule. Several of the places that offered lunch were no longer offering it. So it took some time to find a place, which I did, a bit off the beaten trail. The food was Middle Eastern and the people who ran it didn’t speak much English. But they were friendly and the food was good.

My main goals for the day had been to tour King’s College and Queen’s College and perhaps take a ride in a punt on the River Cam, but I didn’t have the time to do it all. The punt had a very long line to get on one and would have taken up all of my time, so I chose to visit King’s College. I paid for one ticket to get into the college and another to view the chapel. Then I started my tour.

Founded in 1441 by King Henry VI, shortly after he founded Eton College at Windsor, his plans for King’s College were disrupted by the War of the Roses. Henry VII (Henry Tudor) took an interest in the college and worked on it and the chapel (which had also been started by Henry VI). His son, Henry the VIII completed the chapel, adding the quire screen during the time he was married to Anne Boleyn.

The King’s College Chapel is considered to be one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic Architecture in existence. It contains the world’s largest fan vaulted ceiling. I spent a good amount of time wandering around the chapel, its side rooms and the grounds of King’s College before heading back through Queen’s College.

Queens’ College had been founded in 1448 by Henry VI’s wife, Margaret of Anjou and re-founded in 1465 by Elizabeth Woodville, who was Edward IV’s queen. Some of its graduates have included Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Being a fan of all three, I was particularly interested in this college. It straddles both sides of the Cam River with a really picturesque wooden walking bridge connecting the two. Most of the buildings are Medieval on the one side of the river and a mixture of Medieval and modern on the other side.

When we got back to London, we were deposited at the Victoria Bus Station. I took a taxi from there to my hotel for the night. I walked to a nearby sandwich shop to pick up dinner, by which time it was nearly 9pm. I had a train to catch in the morning.

Next time – the Best of Scotland in a Day Tour

September 6, 2020

Conwy Castle & Chatsworth House

When we arrived in Conwy, Jamie gave us a grand tour of the town and then dropped us off at the castle for three hours on our own to spend at the castle, around the town, or any combination thereof. Bet you know what I chose. You know me too well. I went straight to the castle.

Built between 1283 and 1289 by King Edward I of England, Conwy was one of castles meant to subjugate the Welsh. It was a temporary haven for Richard II in 1399 and was used during the English Civil War as a stronghold for Royalist forces, finally surrendering to the Parliamentarians in 1646. The Parliamentary forces damaged the building so it couldn’t be used against them again. It was completely ruined in 1665 and has been a site for artists and tourists ever since.

Mom and I had visited Caernarfon Castle back in 2005. Her maternal grandmother’s family was from Caernarfon. We had explored every inch of that castle and a fair amount of the town as well. Conwy wasn’t that far from Caernarfon. They were both built for the same purpose.

At Conwy, as had been the case at Caernarfon, it was possible to explore pretty much all of the castle that remained. I could go down into the cellars and climb up on the walls. I happily spent two hours there, exploring, climbing, and taking tons of photos.

The Conwy Suspension Bridge was built in 1822-26 by Thomas Telford in a style to blend in with the castle. It is a beautiful bridge. Now it is pedestrian only with a covered rail bridge to the right in the photo and a road bridge to the left.

While up on part of one of the walls, I had noticed that there was a Knight’s Shop across the street from the castle. Dogging traffic, I went across the road and checked to see what they had. I found a dagger that I really liked. It was a replica of one that had been owned by Edward, the Black Prince (Richard II’s father, for whom one of my knight ancestors served).

After purchasing the dagger, I walked around town for a while, sticking to the really old parts. Then I stopped in at a tea, sweets and gift shop, bought some mint chocolate chip ice cream and sat down with it at a table outside. Christine from Australia, who was also exploring everything she could, soon joined me with some tea and a pastry.

We spent a second night in Shrewsbury and I had dinner at the same pub across the road. I think I had the same exact food and cocktail too. The next morning, I checked out of the B&B after breakfast. I really liked the lovely couple who ran the B&B. I had also enjoyed my fellow guests.

One couple was older and was visiting town because of their son being installed as the new pastor for one of the churches. Another couple was in their twenties and backpacking their way through this part of England for their holiday. There was also a couple of women who were spending some time in Shrewsbury to see some friends of theirs. Then there was a woman from Poland who was a student at a university in London and wanted to see more of the country while on a break from school.

Our morning stop was in the Village of Leek, which is the highest village in the Staffordshire Peak District. Where we stopped, there were several houses scattered over the hillside and a small cluster of buildings, including a Bed & Breakfast called The Knight’s Table.

Our next stop was the town of Buxton. It was a spa town in Derbyshire fed by geothermal springs with a large, very beautiful, public park with several lakes and streams. There was also an Opera House which, since the town is 1,000 feet above sea level, has the honor of being the highest Opera House in Britain. After exploring the park, a couple of women from Australia and I explored some of the town.

Our big excursion that day was to Chatsworth House. I was really looking forward to that. Ever since seeing a photo of Chatsworth House when a little girl, I have wanted to visit there. That desire intensified when the house was used as Mister Darcy’s house in the mini-series of “Pride & Prejudice” in which Colin Firth starred as Darcy. For many years, I had been looking for a tour that included Chatsworth.

The house dated back to Bess of Hardwick who tore down the old house and built a new one from 1553 to 1560. Bess of Hardwick was a very interesting Elizabethan character. She married four times, each time to someone with greater wealth and power who then died and left her everything. Her second husband was Sir William Cavendish who sold his estates in southern England and bought the Chatsworth property in Bess’ home area of Derbyshire. They were married for ten years and had eight children (two of whom died in infancy) before the much older husband died.

Bess’ fourth child and second son, also named William, became the 1^st Earl of Devonshire. A few generations later, the 4^th Earl became the 1^st Duke of Devonshire. The Dukes of Devonshire, still named Cavendish, still own Chatsworth.

Bess’ fourth husband was one of Mary Queen of Scots jailers at one point, and kept Mary at Chatsworth. Mary and Bess got to be pretty good friends while Mary was there. They even took trips over to Buxton for the waters.

The 1^st Duke of Devonshire rebuilt much of the house in the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries. In the 19^th century, the 6^th Duke went on a redecorating spree.

Though he didn’t do much to change the house at all, the 5^th Duke married Georgiana Spencer, the great-great-great-great aunt of Princess Diana. Their story was portrayed in the film The Duchess.

I took 76 photos of Chatsworth House that I kept, both inside and outside. After touring the house, I had some lunch and then explored the gardens. Still having some time left, I took a buggy ride around the grounds. I had waited a long time to get there and wanted to make sure I didn’t miss a thing.

From Chatsworth House, we drove to York to spend two nights. I was in another B&B that was just outside of the old walled city.

Next time – York & Cambridge

August 30, 2020

Heart of England & Wales

I had signed up for a five day tour with Rabbie’s to the Heart of England & Wales. Although this tour schedule would take me back to three places I had been before – Stratford-Upon-Avon, Llanglollen (pronounced something like “Clan-glock-glen”) in Wales, and York – for the most part it was all new territory for me.

I needed to meet up with Rabbie’s at the Victoria Bus Terminal, which is across the street from the Victoria Train Station. Since luggage was involved, I took a taxi. We had nine people for the tour on the van that could handle sixteen. I was the only American with people from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Our Tour Director/Driver was named Jamie.

Our first stop on the tour was Stratford-Upon-Avon. Jamie drove us around and showed us some of the sites before he parked the van. Then he led us to Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street, where he set us free for several hours with a time to return to the van.

Since I was already there, I started with the birthplace. I had been to Stratford back in 1983 when I had encountered an articulated lorry (a semi) a little too close for anyone’s comfort. That had been my first ever trip to the UK. I was much better versed regarding where to look for oncoming traffic by 2017. It had become second nature.

I remembered the birthplace as being small and cramped. I also remembered being schmushed into the tiny rooms to listen to a guide tell us about the place. This time, we could walk around on our own and chat with the costumed interpreters who were in the various rooms to answer questions. I could see everything so much better and even take photos.

Downstairs in what would have been Shakespeare’s father’s glove-makers shop, they had a woman who demonstrated what the gloves for men and women would have been like and how they were made. We could feel the gloves and even try some on. John Shakespeare was also a wool dealer.

There were costumed interpreters not only in the house, but tending the garden as well. Some actors were giving mini performances in the garden area. After touring the house and garden, I had some lunch in a patisserie across the street.

There must be something about Stratford. First visit, I had a near death experience with a huge truck. This visit, I turned down the second turn on the right from Henley Street as I had been instructed only to discover much later that, as it was a pedestrian only street, the person giving me directions hadn’t counted it. I turned one street too soon. It took several blocks before I realized I was not heading for the church in which Shakespeare had been buried. What did I learn? Make sure I have my own map – even if it is printed off of the internet or hand drawn.

Coming out to a fairly busy street, I asked someone I saw there where I could find Trinity Church. Because the street I was on had angled away from where I wanted to go, it was a bit of a hike from where I was. When I reached the intersection with Hall’s Croft (the home of Shakespeare’s daughter, Susannah, and her husband, Doctor John Hall), I sighed with relief. If I turned left, I would return to Henley Street eventually and, if I turned right, I would end up at the church. I checked my watch and turned right.

I had lost quite a bit of time with my detour. So, I figured I could spend time at the church, but didn’t have time to visit Hall’s Croft again or the site of New Place or pop on over to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theatre. On my way back up the road towards the birthplace, I found that the school was now open to the public. Pooh! I didn’t have the time to wait in line to go inside. So I vowed to return on another trip when I had more time and a map. I made it back to our rendezvous point on time.

Our next stop was Ironbridge Gorge, which was a deep gorge containing the Severn River in Shropshire, England. It is a World Heritage Site because in 1779 the first ever iron bridge was built there. It is still there – pedestrian only now. Jamie drove us through town and dropped us off at the other end, so we could walk out onto the bridge and then back through town. Actually it was a village and a small one at that.

There was some time to stop off and get an afternoon snack or tea or a pint or something. I joined some of the others in the group who had gathered in a tea house and had some tea with a pastry. Then we headed down to the rendezvous point at the bottom of the village.

For accommodations, Rabbie’s gives choices regarding whether you want to stay in a hostel, a B&B, or a hotel. They book whatever you choose and drop you off and pick you up there. But you are on your own to pay for it. I chose B&Bs for this trip. Rabbie’s informed me when I made the reservations that most B&Bs take only cash. They gave me an approximate amount per night with the idea that I would make certain I had enough cash on me (in British pounds, of course) to cover the cost of the rooms. I would be two nights in Shrewsbury and two in York.

The rest of the group had chosen hotels. They were all dropped off in Shrewsbury, mostly along the main road. I was dropped off last at a big Victorian house on a more residential street. Jamie was staying at another B&B next door to the one I was in. So he parked the van for the night, helped me into my B&B with my luggage and introduced me to the couple who owned it. They were friends. The couple apologized for having run out of rooms and putting him up with their neighbor. But he was an easy-going type and was fine with that.

After hauling my cases up the stairs for me (which was really kind of him) and letting me know what time we would be leaving in the morning, he was off. The couple showed me what was what, gave me the key to my room (and the house) and left me to settle in. I decided to head for the nice looking pub across the road. The food and the cocktail I had with it tasted great. There were some local women on a “girl’s night out” at the next table who invited me to join them. After spending an enjoyable time with them, I headed back “home” to the B&B to turn in.

There was a shower, sink and toilet in a little room in a corner of my room. I had specifically asked for an en suite room when I booked since I didn’t really want to go down the hall in the middle of the night. However, I couldn’t get the toilet to flush. The man of the house showed me how he did it and it worked for him. However, he exerted quite a bit of force on the downward movement of the handle. It took me two hands and a little bit of a jump to give it as much force as he had. But then it worked for me too.

In the morning, all of the guests had breakfast together at a large table in the dining room. We could have whatever we wanted. It would be cooked for us. I went for an almost full English breakfast with eggs, sausage, beans, and toast with orange juice and tea. Good thing as it would be a while before lunch. I met Jamie out at the van and we set off to pick up everybody else.

We had just entered Wales when we were diverted by the police from the route we were on. Because Wales is so mountainous, it can be quite an adventure to get from one place to another in the best of times. But a diversion (detour) can complicate matters – especially when there are no signs to direct anybody to the alternate route. The GPS kept trying to get us to go back to the route from which we had been diverted.

We ended up a tad lost for a bit. We were in an area that was sparsely populated, which made asking for directions difficult as well. I was the only person on the tour who spoke any Welsh. But my two phrases (that I had learned from my Welsh grandmother): “Siarad Cumraeg?” (meaning “Speak Welsh?”) and “Cau eich ceg” (meaning “shut your mouth”) just weren’t going to cut it. Yes, I am kidding. Pretty much all Welsh people speak English.

He had a compass, so Jamie just continued to head north and west as best as he could until he finally found a fella working on repairs to his barn. We had just come up a steep road that a full-sized tour bus would never have been able to manage. The fellow directed us around a tight bend and another narrow, steep road and said we would find a village when we came down on the other side.

We did find the village and it was one with which Jamie was familiar. We took a rest stop, a group photo, and piled back onto our intrepid van. Jamie had found out that we were only four miles from Llanglollen and had just one more mountain to climb before we got there.

Since we were behind time, we ended up zipping through Llanglollen, giving it a little wave as we went. We headed straight for Betws-y-Coed – a much smaller place that seems to be good for tours to stop for lunch. When Mom and I had been on the tour that took us to Caernarfon, we had stopped for lunch in Betwys-y-Coed (which is in Caernarfonshire and means “Prayer House in the Woods”). So this ended up being another place I had been to before.

As we were running a little late, some places had stopped serving. Despite the later time, I wasn’t overly hungry, so I stopped off at a place that had homemade food at the counter. I got some cauliflower cheese soup with Welsh cakes and hot chocolate. Welsh Cakes are a cross between a pancake and a scone. They are made on a griddle, not baked. These particular Welsh Cakes had red currants in them and were sprinkled with sugar.

After lunch I visited the village church. It was not long after Easter, so they had banners up by the altar. The English one said, “Christ is Risen”. The Welsh banner said, “Atgyfododd Crist”. “Atgyfododd” means “He Rose Again”, the banner literally said, “He Rose Again Christ”.

We had a shorter time at Betwys-y-Coed to try to make up some of the time and still have plenty of time at Conwy Castle, our main excursion of the day. To reach Conwy, we needed to travel through Snowdonia National Park – a beautiful, very mountainous area. Fortunately we had no detours or anything else to slow us down and arrived at Conwy with plenty of time to spend at the castle.

Next time – Conwy Castle, the Peak District and Chatsworth House.

August 23, 2020

The Tower of London & Scotland Yard

Since my hotel was next to the Thames, it was a short walk along the river to Westminster Pier. I set out right after breakfast and was surprised to see several police officers in front of my hotel and all along the way to the pier. They smiled at me, so I wasn’t too concerned. I didn’t seem to concern them either. Maybe there was someone famous or royal in the area. From what I learned later, it might have been different if I had headed towards Whitehall instead of staying along the Embankment.

At Westminster Pier, I bought a round-trip boat trip ticket to the Tower of London along with the admission ticket to the Tower. It was a savings to get the package. Also, I wouldn’t have to stand in line to buy a ticket once I got to the Tower. I just needed to exchange the voucher I was given, which was a much shorter line.

Along the way, I took a few photos – especially of the places I couldn’t take photos of the previous year due to the heavy rain when I was on the river. The Globe Theatre was one of them. This time I sat on the open upper deck of the boat where I could see both sides of the river quite well.

There were really large crowds at the Tower when I arrived, including all of us that had been on the super crowded boat. I guess I picked the same day to go to the Tower as everybody else in London. This was my first time back to the Tower since 2003 – fourteen years.

The White Tower was built in 1078 and the general layout of the entire complex has been in existence since the 13^th century, renovated during the reign of Henry III (the same guy who rebuilt so much of Westminster Abbey). In the years that I have visited the Tower, there have been different towers open and different exhibits and changes in location of some of the items they keep there. I was given a map to the Tower complex along with my ticket and noticed that there were several more changes from when I was last there.

To enter the Tower, it was necessary to open my nylon bag in which I carried my camera, map and other items for inspection by one of the Yeoman Warders (aka Beefeaters). Since being a Yeoman Warder is a reward for retired service members who had excellent records and some retired service people are now women, I experienced some female Yeoman Warders on this trip for the first time. The one who looked through my bag, jokingly tried to pocket the Cadbury hazlenut chocolate bar I had in there (along with a granola bar).

I think I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of large crowds and tend to do whatever I can to avoid them when possible. So, when I saw the masses grouped around a Yeoman Warder who had his back to Traitor’s Gate, I decided to forego the Yeoman Warder tour this time (as wonderfully entertaining as it is) and went up the stairs to the St Thomas Tower. The photo I have of the crowd was taken from the top of the stairs just before I entered that tower.

St Thomas Tower, which is the half-timbered structure over the Traitor’s Gate, had never been open any of the other times I had been there from 1983 to 2003. By 2017, the bedchamber had been restored to what they believed it looked like under Edward I (who built that tower). There was also a display showing how the walls were constructed in the Hall (a large room where the King could dine and entertain).

I crossed a small arch connecting the St Thomas Tower with the Wakefield Tower (built by Henry III) while allowing people to pass underneath down on the pavement between the outer wall and inner wall. An audience chamber from the time of Edward I had been recreated in the Wakefield Tower. This too was new. The throne was based on the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey and was painted to look like it might have looked in the 13^th century. In the private chapel just off of the audience chamber, King Henry VI was murdered in 1471. When the Wakefield Tower had been open on prior visits, it had been stark and empty.

The St Thomas, Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers are all that is left of the Royal Apartments. From the Wakefield Tower I came out onto the walls between the outer ward and inner ward for the wall walk. Some of the remaining ruins of the rest of the Royal Apartments could be seen on the grounds of the innermost ward.

On the wall walk, I passed through the Lanthorn, Salt, Broad Arrow, Constable, Martin, Brick, Bowyer, and Flint Towers. The walk ended at the Devereux Tower near the Chapel. When I was there before, it had ended at the Martin Tower. Back in 1983, the wall walk had consisted of coming out of the Bloody Tower and down the stairs.

As I walked along the walls, down below, I could see medieval tents, costumed interpreters from several eras, and sculptures of some of the animals that had lived there when the Tower had a zoo. They didn’t have all that when I was last there. They also didn’t have any place to eat or any gift shops within the Tower precincts before.

Between the Martin Tower and the Brick Tower, I could look down at the fronts of some of the Yeoman Warder houses built against the outer wall in the outer ward. One thing about living at the Tower, they are there at night when all of the tourists are gone and the ghosts remain. Some of them have related some pretty scary stories over the years.

When I came down from the wall at the Devereux Tower, I walked out to the Tower Green. This was where the executions of people who they wanted to keep out of public view took place. They were beheadings. More public executions of prisoners at the Tower (beheadings or hangings) took place outside of the walls on Tower Hill. These were still royal or noble persons, not regular people.

Beauchamp Tower had much more of it open and contained displays. It is known for its graffiti by the many prisoners it had housed over the centuries, especially the 15^th and 16^th centuries. The one that I have always found poignant was Lady Jane Grey’s name scratched into the wall by her husband, Lord Guilford Dudley, shortly before they were both executed. She was only 17 and he was not that much older. The Beauchamp Tower was also where Lady Rochford, Henry VIII’s 5^th wife Catherine Howard’s Lady in Waiting, was imprisoned. Lady Jane Grey and Lady Rochford were both buried in the Chapel.

After visiting the Beauchamp Tower, I went for some lunch at a spot between the Wakefield and Lanthorn Towers facing the innermost ward and the White Tower. I had an enormous smoked bratwurst with mustard and onions. There were a couple other lunch spots to sit down indoors and have more of a sit down meal. But it was a lovely day and I thought sitting outside would be preferable.

After lunch, I visited a display of torture devices in the lower part of Wakefield Tower. Other times when I had been there, they had exhibited the rack in the lower part of the Martin Tower. The lower portion of Wakefield Tower had not been open to the public then. Afterwards, I climbed the steps to the Bloody Tower.

Before entering the Bloody Tower, I took a photo of Traitor’s Gate with the St Thomas Tower above it through the arch of the Bloody Tower. The portcullis of the Bloody Tower can also be seen in the photo. Once inside, I took a shot of the rest of the portcullis.

The Bloody Tower is famous partly for housing Sir Walter Raleigh for several years (1603 – 1616). His room was still furnished as it had been every other time I had been there.

The Bloody Tower’s other claim to fame is the mystery of the Princes in the Tower. The room where the two children had supposedly been imprisoned was no longer furnished. It was just bare this time. I think it is because they really don’t know for certain where the princes were kept.

The bones of two children were discovered beneath the stairs leading to the White Tower back in 1647 and were reburied at Westminster Abbey in the chapel where Elizabeth I was also buried. They had gone missing, while under their Uncle Richard III’s care, in 1483.

On my way to climb the stairs to the White Tower, I encountered a female Yeoman Warder chatting with a knight in chainmail. The Yeoman Warders have been in existence since the time of Henry VIII, but the knight was definitely from a much earlier era.

The White Tower was chock full of stuff. Before, much of it had been sparsely decorated with a few suits of armor – notably one owned by Henry VIII – and a few scattered others. The Line of Kings (dating from the 17^th century) had been refurbished. This consists of carved wooden horses accompanied by the armors of numerous kings. I had never seen them all before.

The Chapel of St John, which had always been bare, was decorated and furnished, but no photos were allowed. Every floor had loads of items, including an amazing amount of armor, and weapons (swords, daggers, bows, guns, spears, axes, mace, cannons).

After a parting photo of Traitor’s Gate, I headed for the boat to return to Westminster Pier. At the boat I was told that Westminster Pier was closed due to high tide and rough waves. They suggested that I go to Greenwich instead. The boat would be there for about a half hour, by which time it would be okay to go to Westminster Pier. By the time we got to Greenwich, it was raining heavily, so I just stayed on the boat and went through the photos I had taken that day on both my camera and my phone.

Roughly a block from my hotel, along the river, is Scotland Yard. As I went by to return to my hotel, I could see loads of police officers with automatic weapons drawn. There were also loads of television cameras. I didn’t think it would be a good idea to whip out my camera or phone, so I just walked on by as unobtrusively as possible.

It turned out that the real reason the boats weren’t going to Westminster Pier earlier was because Scotland Yard was involved in the take down of a terror suspect on Whitehall close to 10 Downing (the Prime Minister’s residence and offices). He was then taken to that particular building where he was being held. Both Whitehall and the Embankment had been shut down and were just reopened shortly before they let the boats return to the pier. It was all on the BBC that night.

Next time – first part of a Heart of England & Wales tour with Rabbie’s