Winter Wanderings

Ma and Pa came for their second visit in deepest, darkest November for an early Christmas adventure and it turns out we had more snow then (in the form of frost) than we had for the majority of the winter!  My dad was none too keen to come for what he imagined would be a dark, wet visit, but I promised him that winter is actually the dry season and although the sun does set at about half 4, we had some nice, sunny days. I wanted them to come in December so that they could experience the magic of the German Christmas Market and the fun of the rides! That's right, outdoor fair in December! Matthew, Mom and I went skating (my first time since moving here) during the day with Dad acting as official-photographer-in-chief, and that evening the Christmas Market was magical, as always.  :)  For the first time since we've been here we layered up and stood in the cold night air to watch the official city lighting festival when all the Christmas lights are turned on for the first time. Then it was off to the rides and sampling of German food.

Another highlight of our time together was that Mom and Dad wanted to take us out of town somewhere. We hummed and hawed a bit about where we could get to within the restraints of Matthew's tutoring schedule.  We finally landed on taking the train over the Forth Bridge to Stonehaven so we could visit Dunnottar Castle.  I'd been wanting to go to the Castle forever, and Mom really wanted to see the Forth Bridge up close.  Plus when I showed Dad a picture of Dunnottar, he exclaimed that it was his desktop picture.  That really sealed the deal.  :)  I got to choose the B&B, so we (of course) stayed somewhere quite old-fashined feeling, and as we were the only guests, our hostess spoiled us.  :) I would highly recommend the Orcharhill B&B to anyone travelling in the area.

Orchardhill B&B in Stonehaven.

We walked the coastal path out to Dunnottar Castle. The bleak, November beaches had a charm all their own.

Evidence of such charm.

My mom was really impressed with the abundance of plants still flourishing in November.  I had forgotten that this impressed me my first winter in Britain.

Captivating signage on our way.

Our first view of the castle.  Quite a deceiving angle, as we actually had to hike down and back up the coastline to actually enter Dunnottar.

Down we have to go!

Dunnottar sits on ancient volcanic matter.  The entire mound looks like bubbled, Aero chocolate.

My travelling companions.

Time to play 'Spot the Father'.

The coast below.

The castle did not disappoint and had a massive bake oven for me to find and pose in. :)

Matthew found himself a stone beer vat.

Matthew enjoys a bit of a chance to read under shelter, since the dining hall was the only building with an intact roof.

Time to play, 'Spot the Matthew'.

At sunset, the buildings are transformed with a fiery glow.

Nothing brings a family together quite like a fireplace.  ;)

Thankfully, the setting sun did not give Matthew a fiery glow!

Why is it that ruins are so evocative?

Sunset of course meant that we had to start heading home.  Ambling along the coast in the dark was not high on our list of 'fun things to do'.

View from back on the mainland.

Matthew & I were super-jazzed about our visit!

The sunset was a beautiful backdrop for our view of the War Memorial on our walk back into town.

As you can see for yourself, Stonehaven proved itself to be a delightful little town full of whimsey and charm.  I would imagine that equally striking as viewing Dunnottar Castle bathed in the light of a winter sunset, would be viewing it on a sunny summer's day.  If you managed to go on such a day, do send me a snapshot or two!

Road Trip!

Although Matthew and I have still not braved driving on the opposite side of the road, we have more daring friends than us, and so on a crisp, Autumn day we set off for a road trip through Dumfries to take in the scenery and the sites.

Our first stop was Sweetheart Abbey, a former Cistercian Monastery. It gets its poetic name from a love story -  Dervorguilla of Galloway funded it in memory of her husband, John de Balliol (father of the future  John Balliol, King of Scotland, puppet king to Edward I of England) and had his heart buried on the grounds.  At her death she was buried beside her husband's heart.

Sweetheart Abbey

The many arches in the nave.

Long view of the nave.

The wooden doors mystified me - a modern security precaution?

The ruined rose window.

The Abbey grounds.  I liked that the stonework around the doorway still exists.

The abbey has a really interesting graveyard just beyond it.

A small glimpse of the autumnal foliage in the background.

After poking around Sweetheart Abbey, we were off to Caerlaverock Castle - my new favourite Historic Scotland site (along with Linlithgow Palace, Dirleton Castle, and Inchcolm Abbey which I have also blogged about!). Why is it my new favourite site, you ask? BECAUSE IT HAS A MOAT!!!!!!  I don't know why we are fed the image of moated castles so much as children because for the most part if castles have moats, they are dry.  So to encounter a ruined castle with its moat still intact was enchanting.  It made me very aware that I am living in a very ancient country filled with the stuff of magical, fantastical, storybook goings-on.

Our first view of Caerlaverock Castle. Note that you cannot yet distinguish the moat.

Matthew in his tour guide mode as we prepare to cross over the moat.

Matthew highlights key features in the stonework of the aristocracy's apartments.

The back of the castle is largely in ruin.

Living quarters of the nobility (the Maxwells), stables to the left.

The pictures of the moat begin.  Brace yourself, I went a little crazy.

The moat being moaty.

Did I mention that the castle is a triangle?  Another reason this site is so fantabulous.

Matthew with the moat.

A good shot of the ruinous nature of the castle.

The ruins (and the moat!) from a different angle.

Yet another view of the moat and the ruins.

The adventuring did not stop there.  After this it was a race against the sun to get to the Ruthwell parish church to see their early medieval standing cross.  It is carved with images of Christ and the apostles with a poem written in runes.  Runes, people. Like in Lord of the Rings only real and old. If that wasn't cool enough, to gain entry to the church, you walk a few yards to the manse to obtain the church key which is kept in a mounted briefcase-type box.  I think I love small towns.  :)

Ruthwell Parish Church

The honour system is in place for visitors to let themselves in.

Matthew does the honours. (Ha!)

Matthew, Nathan with Hattie, and Bethany admiring the Ruthwell Cross.  It sits in a pit, so it is about 3 feet taller than it looks here.

With daylight fading fast, we made one more stop at Banks East Turret on Hadrian's Wall before driving home.

Matthew and Nathan walk the wall.

A view across Northumberland with the requisite sheep.

Me atop the ruins of Banks East Turret.

All in all, a very excellent day of adventuring through the monument-dotted landscape of the south of Scotland and the North of England.