Remembering our last trip to Scotland, Part II

Sorry for the delay in the continuation of the trip. Time got by me...

On our fourth day in the Borderlands of Scotland, we got up early had breakfast and from Haddington headed west to Dalkeith, where we caught the A7 south through the Borders. This is a wonderful valley that runs between two mountain ranges. This is the stomping grounds of the "Armstrong Family" (another branch of our tree, on my father's side.).

Our first major stop for the day was in Melrose, where you find the Melrose Abby. We spent a couple hours walking the grounds of what is left of the Abby. We even climbed to the very top tower and took pictures of the whole surrounding valley. It was a beautiful village.

Back on the road south and west to the small village of "Castle Douglas" where you find the famous castle "Threave" once a stronghold of the Black Douglas. Threave sits on a small island surrounded by the River Dee. Getting to the castle is an adventure in itself. You drive outside of town about 5 miles. Park in a dirt lot sitting near a working sheep ranch. Then you walk a path about a mile down to the river, passing through gates that are part of the sheep pastures. Once you get down to the river, you come to a dock and wait for the small boat that will take you across to the island. Oh, yes, make sure you have made your visit to the privies before you begin your walk....there are none down at the river, or on the island....

So we payed our fee and got a map of the castle, and began our self tour. I, being a Douglass, stood at the front of the castle and re-claimed the property in the name of "Douglas".....(which I am sure many a tourist, and local Scots have most likely done in the past...to no avail.) So, on with the tour of the castle. You have to pretty much use your imagination and picture the floors that formed each level of the castle. The door takes you into the lowest area in the castle. The kitchen. (Below that level was what we would call a dungeon, but it was a whole dug out in the rock, and the only way in was a whole at the top, and a ladder or rope would be dropped down to make your descent.)

From the kitchen (cellar), you climb up the stairs to the next level, and then more spiral stairs (built in the corner walls of the castle), that take you up to the next two floors. Each sleeping area had windows with built in stone seats where you could sit and read or write your correspondences. You also had your own privy within your quarters....BUT....this is not a privy that you and I know. I hope I can describe it to detail...Picture a stone enclosure with a stone seat that has a hole one foot in circumference in the center, and all this hole has is two steel bars running across to allow waste to fall to the ground. (remember this could be on the second or third level of the castle.) Deems to be very drafty, and damp...no reading would be going on during these privy visits! Overall, this was a great visit to the castle of our ancestors...

After a couple hours of touring, we headed back to the village of Castle Douglas where we had dinner at the Douglas Hotel. Arriving just before opening hour, we sat in the pub and ordered a drink. We tried to order our usual Jamison's Irish whiskey, and seven up, but to our surprise, we got a strange side look, and "we don't serve Irish whiskey here"..sooooo, we has scotch whiskey and coke instead....(Reminder to self: don't order Irish whiskey in the smaller villages of Scotland...).

So, after a wonderful dinner of "Steak and Ale Pie", and a nice walk around the village street, we then got back in the car and headed back to the home base B&B for the night. Stopped off at the Haddington Pub, to get on that wonderful modern communication of a laptop with webcam, and was able to get my "baby fix", conversing with baby "Sophia" and her mom & dad.

Day five, up early for breakfast, and then on the road south for a day of visiting more castles. First stop was a trip to the coast south of Berwick upon Tweed. We are in Northumberland now. Stopped at Bamburgh Castle which is another Armstrong Castle. Didn't have cash to pay for the entry fee, so back on the road to head down to Alnwick Castle (the famous castle that you see many courtyard scenes in "Harry Potter". Alnwick is a "working" castle. They have a "college" within the castle. It is a great castle to tour also. Many rooms filled with old artifacts from the medieval times. Their armory is quite impressive. Weapons galour, and suits of armor you would not believe. And let us not forget the canons that line the back wall of the castle...

Alnwick is definitely a must see castle, for those wanting to see the massive size of many castles in the UK. But remember, if you are a Douglass, this castle is a fortress of our enemy, Percy...alot of his history will be found in this castle.
Give yourself the whole day to be able to explore the whole area. Castle, village, and massive gardens. We didn't have time to see it all. We got back on the road and headed north back to the Bamburgh Castle to explore it in the afternoon hours. This was a museum of history also. Inside the castle there were paintings of the ancestors who lived in the castle through the centuries, and the furniture that had been there for centuries, tools, books, china that you would not believe....then in one of the outside areas that was once the stable area, we found an museum for William Armstrong, 1st Baron of Armstrong, he was an engineer who invented several turn of the century mechanical items.

Back on the road in the late afternoon, we travel back up the coast, visiting the small and larger villages on the way. We stop in Berwick upon Tweed to grab a bite, and try out luck at contacting the webcam for "the baby fix." We stopped at McDonald's and had a burger......(way overpriced...) but they have free wifi...
No luck in the connection with home, so off we go to wander the ancestry locations of the area...finishing up with another drive through Coldingham, and a visit to the cemetery and Priory. (which still wasn't open). But we did find several headstones belonging to the ancestors....quite an adventure...walking the lands of your great-great-great-great grandparents and their families...
It really helps me feel like I know where I came from now...there is no better feeling of completeness.

So, back to the B&B for the night, and preparation for moving on to the highlands area of Scotland for another week at a resort at Taymouth. This will be Part three of the Travels to Scotland....until next time...