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Britain 1998: A three-week trip to Britain but only a couple of days in Wales. On this trip we experienced different parts of Britain. Adventures in the Lake District, Northumberland, and Scotland, with a final few days in London. New castles in Wales, beautiful hikes in the Lake District, Roman sites in Northumbria, two real castle hotels, and lots and lots of castles in Scotland. Instead of writing a full-blown essay, I've decided to create a photo-essay using more photographs accompanied by just a few comments regarding each site or activity. In other words, this is more like a photo album with comments.
Places Visited:
Part I: South Wales → Caerleon: Roman Fortress & Ampitheatre → Penyclawdd Court & Castle → Llanthony Priory → Hay Castle → Bronllys Castle
Crickhowell Castle → Abergavenny Castle → Skenfrith & White Castles w/historian Richard Williams → Brecon Castle → Longtown Castle
Cilmeri: Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Memorial → Goodrich Castle → Pembridge Castle → Monmouth Castle → Usk Castle → Hereford Cathedral
Part II: The Lake District → Grasmere → Oak Bank Hotel → Hike to Alcock Tarn → Hike to Easedale Tarn → Keswick: Castlerigg Stone Circle
Part III: Northumberland → Raby Castle → Langley Castle Hotel → Hexham Abbey → Durham Cathedral → Hadrian's Wall Hike: Wallstown Crags
Hadrian's Wall Hike: Cawfields section → Vindolanda Roma Fort → Part IV: Scotland, The Highlands → Polmaily House Hotel → Loch Ness
Urquhart Castle → Stuart Castle → Corgarff Castle → Caledonian Canal, Dochgarroch Locks → Cawdor Castle → Brodie Castle → Balvenie Castle
Kildrummy Castle → Auchindoun Tower House → Glenbuchat Castle → Eilean Donon Castle → Isle of Skye → Dunvegan Castle → Huntley Castle
Fyvie Castle → Blair Castle → Glamis Castle → Part V: Scotland, Stirling → Culcreuch Castle Hotel → Stirling Castle → Castle Campbell
Doune Castle → Edinburgh Castle → The Royal Mile → Palace of Holyrood House → Holyrood Abbey → Village of Balquhidder (Rob Roy)
Kilchurn Castle → Oban → Dunstaffnage Castle → Part IV: London → The Goring Hotel → Buckingham Palace → St James Park
Kensington Palace → Picadilly → Plays: Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty's) → Complete Works of Shakespeare (Criterion) → Hyde Park
Part IV: Scotland
Scotland, Loch Ness
Polmaily House Hotel, Drumnadrochit, Scotland
| We had a nice long 10 days to enjoy Scotland. Our first accommodations were in the Highlands; the Polmaily House Hotel in Drumnadrochit, close to Loch Ness. It was a very nice hotel with friendly owners, lovely gardens overlooking Glen Urquhart, and a swimming pool. The hotel served breakfast, lunch, and dinner and this is where I tried Haggis for the first time. (I actually thought it was pretty good.) The hotel was less than two miles from Urquhart Castle and close to the Loch Ness Visitor's Center. The latter was important because this was rural Scotland and the Visitor's Center had a small shop and (more importantly) an ATM, which was something of a rarity in 1998. We took long walks in the morning before breakfast to jump start our day. I had a lot of driving to do on this leg of our holiday and I quickly learned that it took some skill to successfully navigate the small and windy roads of the Highlands; distances took much longer to travel compared to Wales and England. I had a bunch of castles on our list to visit and I was very much looking forward to exploring the castles of Scotland; very different from what you find in Wales and England. |
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Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness
| The next morning we had breakfast at our hotel before heading out for our first day of Scottish castle-hunting. Our first stop was Urquhart Castle. Urquhart sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands and is one of the most-visited castles in Scotland. Situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness, it is one of the largest castles in Scotland by area. The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. The northern enclosure or Nether Bailey includes most of the more intact structures, including the gatehouse, and the five-story Grant Tower at the north end of the castle. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed. We visited the castle, which was only a couple of miles from our accommodations, the morning after our arrival on a bright sunny day. There were already visitors there along with the requisite bagpipe player, which added to the atmosphere. The views from the ruined towers were stunning, our first true glimpse of the beauty of Loch Ness and the surrounding countryside. |
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Castle Stuart, Corgarff Castle
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Castle Stuart is a restored tower house on the banks of the Moray Firth, about 6.5 miles northeast of Inverness.
The land the castle was built on was granted to James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray by his half-sister, Mary, Queen of Scots. The castle features two circular towers linked by a central block. The castle fell into ruin, was restored, and is now privately owned.
Corgarff Castle is located slightly west of the village of Corgarff, in Aberdeenshire. It was a typical Scottish tower house consisting of a first-floor hall with a vaulted ceiling, storage rooms on the ground floor, and private chambers above the hall. The tower house was surrounded by a courtyard wall with other buildings within the courtyard, including a stable, bakehouse, and brewhouse. The castle was built around 1530 by the Elphinstone family and leased to the Forbes of Towie. In 1645, the Marquis of Montrose occupied the castle, which was recorded as derelict at the time.
We did not visit either castle but photographed both from a distance.
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Below: Castle Stuart (left) and Corgarff Castle (right)
Dochgarroch Locks
| Next we drove north along Lock Ness and the A82. We saw no signs of the monster although we stopped a couple of times to look. Our first stop was the Dochgarroch Locks, part of the Caledonian Canal, just south of Inverness. The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William, and was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. The Lock is a very popular, picturesque spot where boats and narrowboats dock while navigating this section of the canal. We got out and explored for a while, wondering what it would be like to spend a holiday on a canal narrowboat. |
Cawdor Castle
| After visiting the Lock we drove through, but did not stop in the town of Inverness. Instead we drove to our next destination just north of the town. Cawdor Castle was built around a 15th-century as a Scottish tower house, with substantial additions in later centuries. Originally a property of the Calder family, it passed to the Campbells in the 16th century. It remains a Campbell-owned today. The castle is best known for its (fictionalized) literary connection to William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, in which the title character is made "Thane of Cawdor". The castle is a listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. The Battle of Auldearn and The Battle of Culloden were both fought nearby. We arrived at the castle just before it opened and were in the first tour group. Inside we found all of the period luxury one would expect, framed by substantial bits of the original the original castle. The walls, staircases and dungeon all looked quite medieval. We saw the Macbeth room, and the remains of "The Holy Tree," or "thorn tree" which legend claims has symbolic connections with Christ’s crown. After touring the castle we explored the impressive gardens. The gardens were formal, substantial and neatly trimmed. Next to the gardens we found a field of Highland Cattle, including several newborn calves, who seemed to be pretty used to visitors. Cute and very photogenic! |
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Brodie Castle, near Forres, Moray
| Brodie Castle is a well-preserved Z-plan tower house located about 3.5 miles west of Forres, in Moray, Scotland. The castle is a Category A listed building, and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. The castle and estate are managed by The National Trust for Scotland. We only viewed the exterior of the castle because it was closed on the day that we visited. |
Balvenie Castle, Dufftown, Keith
| Balvenie Castle was built in the 12th century by a branch of the powerful Comyn family (the Black Comyns) and was extended and altered in the 15th and 16th centuries. Balvenie is an enclosure castle with an impressive curtain wall, a rare example of 13th-century military architecture in Scotland. The castle was added to in the 15th and 16th centuries, and hosted Mary Queen of Scots in 1562 and other notable guests include King Edward I of England. The Balvenie Distillery is located just off the road and next to the castle, and we reached the castle by going down a small read between the two. Although ruined, Balvenie seemed like a large castle with much of its curtain wall and towers intact. Also, this is not a typical Scottish Tower House castle, but rather very much has the form of a classic Norman-built castle you would typically find in Wales or England. We spend a decent amount of time here exploring the impressive towers and admiring some of the castle's finer detail. Afterwards we visited the distillery. Although we are not fans of Scotch Whisky...when in Rome. Actually it was interesting because at several points during the week the Scottish castle trail and Scottish whiskey trails were one and the same. |
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Kildrummy Castle, Aberdeenshire
| Kildrummy is a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire. It is one of the most extensive castles dating from the 13th century to survive in eastern Scotland, and was the seat of the Earls of Mar. The castle was probably built in the mid-13th century under Gilbert de Moravia. Kildrummy is "shield-shaped" in plan with a number of independent towers. The flat side of the castle overlooks a steep ravine; moreover, on the opposite side of the castle the walls come to a point, which was once defended by a massive twin-towered gatehouse. The castle also had a keep, called the Snow Tower. Most of the castle foundations are visible, along with most of its lower walls. |
Auchindoun Castle, near Dufftown, Moray
| While there is evidence of prehistoric or Pictish earthworks in the grounds of the castle, the remains most visible today are of the castle constructed in the mid-15th century. This building is sometimes said to be the work of Robert Cochrane, a favorite of James III. Much of the curtain wall and some of the outbuildings remain, but the central tower itself is very dilapidated. We did not visit the castle but I managed to snap the photo below from a distance. Looks like a nicely-situated ruin. |
Thunderton House, Elgin
| This historic townhouse can be traced back to the 11th century, but most of the building dates back to the 17th century. Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed here in 1746 before the Battle of Culloden and his ghost is still said to haunt the house. As a bonus the house is now a CAMRA-approved pub (campaign for real ale), and we enjoyed a pint of real Scottish ale before moving onto our next castle. Didn't see any sign of Bonnie Prince Charlie. |
Glenbuchat Castle
| Glenbuchat Castle is a historic Z plan Scottish castle built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnbarrow located above the River Don, near Kildrummy, Aberdeenshire. Glenbuchat takes a Z-plan form, comprising a main block with square wings projecting from the north-east and south-west. The roof line is elaborated by a number of round and square corbeled turrets. Its entrance retains a much-repaired old oak door. The castle was taken and garrisoned after the battle of Glenlivet in 1594 by the king's forces. The building is roofless, but still an impressive ruin. Definitely an interesting ruin, but we didn't stay here long. It had taken much longer to complete our castle tour than I had anticipated. Rather than getting back to our hotel in the late afternoon, it was almost 8pm before we returned. It was difficult to make good time driving those narrow, winding Highland roads. |
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| We had a healthy agenda planned for the following day, the highlight of which was a visit to the Isle of Skye and Dunvegan Castle. It would take us all day to complete the trip; about 4 hours of driving each way. Unfortunately this was our worst day of weather we experienced while in Scotland, and, as a result, we saw the Isle of Skye, but we didn't see the Isle of Skye. Making our way down the A87 our route took us past several lochs, including Loch Cluanie, Loch Duich, and Loch Alsh. We also drove past the Five Sisters of Kintail, a scenic mountainous area sitting at the head of Loch Duich. The five distinctly pointed summits are a well-known landmark and the trails here are popular with hikers. At the far end of Loch Duich we arrived at our first stop, Eilean Donan Castle. |
Below: the Five Sisters of Kintail barely visible in the background
Eilean Donan Castle
| Eilean Donan Castle is found in the small village of Dornie, sandwiched between Loch Duich and Loch Alsh. It is one of Scotland's most famous, most iconic, and most photographed castles. (A short history of the castle is found below.) We paused first to snap a few photos of the castle before heading over the stone causeway that joins Eilean Donan to the mainland. We took a tour of the castle and its luxurious interiors before exploring outside. To me, the castle's interior detail seemed very authentic and it was hard for me to believe this was a 1930s rebuild. It was easy to see what so many are enchanted by Eilean Donan. The beauty of the site overlooking the lochs, the history of the castle, and the painstaking attention to restoration detail, combine to make this a truly memorable Scottish castle experience. We finished our tour, got back in the car and continued towards Skye. As we did, the weather changed for the worse. |
Isle of Skye
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The day so far had been overcast and rainy, but as we made our way over the bridge linking the Isle of Skye with the mainland, we saw that the island was obscured by a dense fog that seemed to envelop everything. Not only were we unable to enjoy the beautiful views of the island and its dramatic coastline, the thick fog also made driving challenging. It was about 45 miles to Loch Dunvegan and Dunvegan Castle, and we only stopped at a couple of places along the way.
Our first stop was Cill Chriosd Church. Cill Chriosd is a ruined former parish church of Strath. The location is thought to have a heritage of Christian worship dating back to the 7th century. The church itself dates the from the 16th century and replaced an earlier medieval church. The ruins lie at the top of a small mound and is surrounded by the graveyard. We found the church and explored here for just a bit. (I rarely pass up an opportunity to visit a cemetery that includes the ruins of a church.) The fog made the cemetery and the ruins even more atmospheric, and I snapped a couple of photos before getting back int the car. We had packed a picnic lunch to enjoy somewhere along the coast, but that wasn't going to happen. Instead we drove to the picturesque coastal town of Portree. We parked in the lot in the town square and had our lunch there. We did manage to get out and visit a couple of the shops.
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Below: (top row) two (of very few) pics of the Isle of Skye, (bottom row) Cill Chriosd Church
Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye
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Dunvegan Castle is the seat of Clan MacLeod. Probably a fortified site from the earliest times, the castle was first built in the 13th century and developed piecemeal over the centuries. The promontory was enclosed by a curtain wall in the 13th century, and a four-storey tower house was built in the late 14th century. The castle collection contains many paintings and important heirlooms such as the mystical Fairy Flag. Clan legend claims that when the Fairy Flag is unfurled in battle, the clan is assured of a victory. We parked in the visitor's lot and walked towards the entrance to the castle. The castle is quite big and very impressive. Dunvegan is another medieval Scottish castle that over the centuries has been transformed into a stately home with rich, luxurious period fixtures and furnishings. I believe our tour guide was a member of the family (clan). We toured several rooms and there was indeed an impressive collection of paintings hanging on the walls. We saw the Fairy Flag and were told of its legend. The flag wasn't in very good condition, as a number of pieces seem to have been clipped from the flag as souvenirs, or perhaps good luck charms. We also saw Sir Rory Mor’s (the 15th Clan Chief) ceremonial drinking horn and gourd, the clan's other historic treasure. We didn't spend a lot of time outside the castle as the weather was still not cooperating.
On our way back from the castle we found a very narrow track road winding down to the coast for one last attempt at some nice views, but we were again disappointed. The weather was still not cooperating and I didn't even bother taking any photos. After leaving Skye we decided we needed a break so we stopped for dinner at The Clachan Pub in Dornie, just across the road from Eilean Donan Castle. Fortunately it was a fairly easy drive back. I had again underestimated the time it would take for the day's activities. We arrived back at the hotel pretty tired, and we both slept well that night.
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Huntly Castle, Grampian
| The following day we continued exploring the castles of the Highlands. We began by visiting Huntly Castle in Grampian, about a two hour drive from or hotel. This was a pretty impressive pile that seemed more like a stately fortified residence rather than a castle. Huntly was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. The castle was originally built by Duncan II, Earl of Fife, on the Strathbogie estate sometime around 1180 and 1190. There were as many as four castles built on the site, the last phase of building taking place in the late 16th century. In its final incarnation Huntly Castle featured a splendid heraldic ‘frontispiece’ over the main door, double height oriel windows, a great round tower, and fine heraldic sculpture and inscribed stone friezes. |
Five Castle, Grampian
Blair Castle, Perthshire
| Blair Castle stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire. Blair Castle is said to have been started in 1269 by John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch. The castle commands a strategic position on the main route through the central Scottish Highlands. Blair was occupied twice by Prince Charles Edward Stuart and his Jacobite army. The oldest part of the castle is the six-storey Cummings or Comyn's Tower which was largely built in the 15th century. The apartments to the south were added in the mid-18th century. The grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. The castle was closed on the day we visited so we were only able to snap a few photos of the exterior. |
Glamis Castle, Angus
| For our final stop of the day we visited Glamis Castle located in the village of Glamis. The castle has been the home of the Lyon family since the 14th century, though the present building dates largely from the 17th century. It was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. By 1372 a castle had been built at Glamis, since in that year it was granted by Robert II to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, husband of the king's daughter. The castle was rebuilt as an L-plan tower house in the early 15th century. We arrived before the castle opened so we decided to do some looking around outside, taking photos of the castle and gardens. This was certainly the largest and most impressive castle we had visited in Scotland. We waited outside a round tower with the family coat-of-arms carved over the wooden doorway, the modern entrance to the castle. After entering, we climbed a short set of stairs leading to the Crypt where we waited for our tour guide. The Crypt is an impressive, vaulted room featuring suits of armor and other medieval-looking weapons. We saw several different parts of the castle, but what stood out was the wide spiral staircase seemingly floating in the middle of the castle, The Drawing Room, The Billiard Room, and Duncan's Hall, one of the oldest parts of the castle that commemorates the murder of King Duncan by Macbeth. After the tour we went outside to the back of the castle where there were picnic tables set up. We ordered some sandwiches from the cafe and enjoy lunch which admiring the castle and surrounding countryside. Afterwards we toured some of the magnificent formal gardens. Glaims is a very interesting and impressive castle and gardens and is well worth a visit. |
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| We returned to the hotel for our final night in the Highlands. Although we didn't do much hiking while we were here, we had our first experiences with Scottish culture, history, and castles. There was more to come. On the next leg of our trip we would continuing exploring the history and castles of Scotland, and stay in another authentic medieval castle. |
Part I: South Wales
Part II: The Lake District
Part III: Northumberland
Part V: Scotland, Stirling (Next)
Part VI: London
 Return to the main Travelogue page
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