Stonehaven & Dunnottar Castle

Sunday, 25 October we decided to visit the small fishing village of Stonehaven.

Mase had been there before and wanted us to see Dunnottar Castle (pronounced Dunutu - short vowel sounds) and at the same time try the Scottish style fish & chips (haddock and chips). So after the memorial meeting we headed to the village (about 13 miles from Aberdeen).

Stonehaven itself is very small, not much to say about it except that it's nestled in a protected bay which was often used by larger ships in days gone by to shelter from stormy weather. The coastline along this part of Scotland is quite high above the sea (I suppose you could call them cliffs - but they didn't seem quite so scary as cliffs I've walked along before) and you can see this in the photos.

Well we found a nice hotel/pub facing the small harbour at Stonehaven and went in there for lunch. As I've said before the hotels/pubs are different to Perth and are a pleasant, cosy, family friendly atmosphere - this one had lots of fishing exhibits around the walls which kept us busy while we waited for our order of haddock and chips...

The servings were large and the fish itself was lovely - however by about 2/3 of the way through I'd really had enough - not sure if it was the fat or the batter on the fish...but I must say I felt quite nauseous at the thought of eating any more. Jo said she had a funny tummy too but everyone else seemed fine and enjoyed theirs. I'd summarise my personal experience of Scottish haddock and chips as not worth trying (maybe it would be different somewhere else?)...

Anyway after lunch we were going to walk to Dunnottar Castle - about 1.25 miles from Stonehaven - so that helped the unsettled stomachs settle down.

Initially it was a steep climb to get to the cliffs from the harbour village and once at the top we had a nice view of some bays ahead, fields and the North Sea. We saw some rabbits on the way, much to the kids delight, but we made too much noise and frightened most of them away. We saw plenty of rabbit holes along the pathway and presumably there were many warrens beneath our feet!

Probably took us about half an hour to walk there - it was pretty cold and windy (with a hint of rain coming) but we had our rain jackets.

The approach to the castle is quite impressive - it looks like it's separated from the mainland and the old entry to the castle is actually through the mountain itself. It's surrounded on three sides by the North Sea and you can see why it had such fantastic natural fortress advantages. It's probably for this reason that the Castle site has a history dating back to the 5th Century but presumably many changes occurred during that time period. (Make sure you double click on the landscape photo of the Castle.)

The Castle grounds were extensive but in various stages of ruin - including two wings for rooms, large vegetable garden area, a large fresh water well, stables, prison, and many other features. The staircases we climbed were very narrow, winding and unevenly stepped.

The children really enjoyed looking through this Castle and there was some interesting history that goes with it. In brief....when we were at Edinburgh Castle we saw the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish royal crown, sceptre, sword and sheath). These had been sent to Dunnottar Castle when Oliver Cromwell (enemy of the monarchy), who had already destroyed the English crown jewels, wanted to destroy this last Scottish icon of the monarchy.

Anyway (after that little foray into the past), the Honours of Scotland were taken to Dunnottar Castle and held there. But it was not long before the Castle was under siege by Cromwell's army and seventy older men inside withstood the seige for eight months. However, when large cannons arrived and heavy fire began on the Castle, they surrendered - but not with the Honours of Scotland.

Somehow during the seige the Honours were smuggled out (apparently by the Minister's Wife) and hidden in a church. After many years they were returned to Edinburgh Castle, where we saw them on our recent trip....

The other interest bit of history is about a group of 167 men and women (Whigs) who refused to acknowledge the King's supremacy in spiritual things and were consequently imprisoned in Dunnottar Castle. We went into the vault where they were put - a gloomy, dank cellar. They were held there for about 9 weeks with no sanitation and food had to be 'bought' from the guards.

Some who tried to escape, but were caught, were tortured, others fell from the cliffs to their death, others died of 'natural' causes - due to the awful conditions.

After we'd had a look around the Castle, we went down to the small bay beside it. It was the usual smooth pebbled beach and the kids had fun walking over some of the larger rocks. We then walked around the bay to the other side, climbed up the hill and resumed our return walk along the pathway back to Stonehaven. This was about 4.30pm - reason we set back so 'early' is that daylight saving has ended over here and so now it's getting dark at 5pm (which also means we are now 8 hours behind Perth).

Anyway, we had a lovely walk and then drove back to Aberdeen.

The other thing I've also included in this blog is a photo of a typical Noddy story toadstool - you know the red roofed toadstool with white lumps on it - well we saw them!

Grampian Transport Museum (Alford)

This is a really quick blog (more for the sake of our diary than for readers)...so don't feel obliged to read on....

On Wednesday, 21 October the children and I went to the Transport Museum as it had special school activities on including jeep/4wd rides for children in old cars...Well it was one of the few days it rained all day (in fact after two days of this rain Aberdeenshire is having some flooding issues - roads breaking up, tractor and driver swept off a bridge near River Don - all places within 1/2 hr of us). It was about a half hour drive to Alford and we got there about 10am.

On entering the kids were given different quiz/competition sheets to complete that would take them to various displays at the museum. The first thing we saw was a stagecoach - beautifully restored...the information regarding this coach said that the 8 passenger seats on the roof of the coach were half the price of inside seats. In the winter months it was most uncomfortable and it was not uncommon to find passengers on the roof frozen to death upon arrival at their destination. They had some models dressed in period costume along with trunks, baby cars (prams) and other odds and ends.

We also saw motorbikes, vintage cars (some very souped up ones - particularly a green Jag used in a James Bond movie with weaponry/armour on board), wagons, one seater sedans, a rickshaw, vans, snow plough, tractor engine, trams, bus, mail coaches, different bicycles (including a pentacycle - yes, a 5 wheeler).

This information stand details what weaponry was installed into the green Jaguar XXR above.

Many of the displayed vehicles allowed the children to climb onboard and have a seat or pretend drive. Matt and Sam sat on a pennyfarthing.

We saw an Italian made three wheeler Bubble Car and a couple of other three wheeled cars - we've even seen one on the road in Wales.

One unexpected item was a Mortier Organ made in Belgium in 1923. The carving and painting on the organ facade had been exquisitely formed (and restored) and the organ was huge and impressive to see. Even better the staff would make it perform on request. So of course we asked and the sound was fantastic. The organ uses perforated music (can see it in the photo below) and controls 92 keys (15 are stops and 10 operate percussion instruments). There were drums, tappers, saxaphone, piano accordion and other instruments including more than 400 pipes...

Some very old bikes - they looked very uncomfortable compared to what we have today.

There was a horse drawn open sleigh - now we understand the Jingle Bells line that goes 'on a one horse open sleigh'...



An old fire engine - looking very shiny and newly painted.

I took the photo of the black two seater car (the one that's out of focus) as it was called the Joanna II.

The children had a great time finding the answers to the puzzle sheets and exploring the old vehicles - I had to drag them away at 2.30 to get home in time for gym...

We didn't get to see the 4wd and jeeps driving on the track outside because the weather was so bad but the day was worthwhile nevertheless.

Actually, we also saw the old fashioned blue Police Call Box - a phone box that enabled calls to be put thru to police, ambulance or fire brigade. The information next to the box said that the Call Box were also used as holding cells for 'alleged criminals' until the police arrived (and no, it was not bigger on the inside - ML).

There was also a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang look alike.

Inveraray & Isle of Skye (West)

Another week has flown by since we last blogged and we had another interesting weekend - this time slightly south of Aberdeen at Portsonachan and Inveraray and then north to Plockton and Isle of Skye. (By the way, make sure you double click on the scenery photos to get a better appreciation of the views.) Anyway, we left early Friday evening, drove south thru Dundee and north to Portsonachan. I had googled for accommodation in the area of Oban and come up with this lovely place nestled on the edge of Loch Awe but hadn't realised it was actually 20 miles south of Oban...fortunately Mason checked and we didn't end up going to the wrong place. The drive was fine until we got to the usual narrow, windy, 70 mile an hour (112km/hr) limit less or roads...driving at night, with hedges and barriers right next to the road lane round blind corners, with no street lights is not fun!
By the way, their road reflectors (if there are any) are not the usual 1/2m high posts we have in Oz, they are 1.5m poles. Mase worked out why (as he logically would!). It's to ensure the reflectors are visible even after heavy snowfall and road clearing.
Anyway, back to our trip. Our drive to Portsonachan was interesting as we watched the temperature outside rise and fall as we drove down into valleys and then climbed the hills. The range was between 12' and 2'.
We checked in and walked into our 'cottage' where we were blasted with heat from the air conditioner - we turned everything off or down and got the kids into bed...Our room was upstairs and had a skylight style window which we opened and breathed in the beautiful cold air - we drank in the fresh air and wished we could go out for a walk (but the kids weren't asleep).
Our bed was smaller than the small double bed (which the lessor assures us is a king bed) that we have in Aberdeen - it didn't make for a good night's sleep and the kids were up at 6am. So at 7am we went for a walk and saw the sunrise. The morning was thick with cloud and mist. We'd hoped to be able to see the Loch but it was completely misted over. Visibility was very low as we walked along and we were all glad to have gloves and rain jackets and for the first time Mase made the concession of wearing his beanie (and a jumper) - it was cold! Jo's jacket has reflective white edging.
Breakfast was at 8am - we were seated near a table that had a hippo for it's base/legs (photo above) and there was another similar, smaller coffee table with otters for a base....
As the mist hadn't cleared, we headed off to our next stop but as we drove out of the valley Mase noticed frost on the grass and bushes so we stopped and got out to have a look. Neither the children nor I had seen this before - we could wipe our fingers along the grass and get a small pile of frozen dew in our hands - which we ate of course...another experience at 2 degrees in the morning.

Then on to Inveraray, to visit a Live Jail Museum but when we arrived and looked around the town we decided we'd rather do a walk. I wandered over to the Tourist Information Centre and asked if they had any walk trails. The woman replied that we could climb the mountain directly outside the centre (with a tower at the top) which we'd been looking at and photographing - so that was great. Here's two photos of the mountain taken before we climbed - you should just be able to see the stone tower at the top. It was a 1.5hr walk up and back. We had to drive to Inverarary Castle to commence the walk and headed up into the woodland - we saw a deer for a few fleeting seconds. The trail was steep in parts but there were dozens of little creeks running down the side of the mountain to the trail where we could drink and just enjoy the beauty of the whole scene...However when we reached the top the view was absolutely gorgeous - the morning was clear and calm and the panorama was stunning.. these photos don't do it justice. You may be able to see Inveraray Castle in the foreground of the photo. We had the whole view to ourselves. The picture of Jo & Matt shows them sitting in the tower at the top of the hill. The walk back down was hilarious with the children pretending they were dirt bikes and revving their engines and going full pelt down the trail...
Then we drove to Oban - a little fishing village - well known as the Seafood Capital of Scotland...we considered a fish lunch but opted for something a little less formal. We ate our toasted paninis as we drove to Craig's Tower - looks like the Colosseum but isn't and it gave a nice view over Oban.

The drive from Oban to Fort William was absolutely stunning. The roads meandered through valleys (glens) with pine trees and fields and mountains that domineered the wider view. Then the scene changed as the roads took us alongside the Lochs, with huge mountains on either side - just beautiful.

We arrived at Fort William to see Neptune's Staircase - a series of 8 gates that enable boats to travel uphill from the Atlantic Ocean thru to the North Sea. Getting to Neptune's Staircase revealed the totally opposite methods Mase and I employ when it comes to finding new places. Mase drove around for a while following his nose (I thought it was aimless and was wishing he'd let me go and ask at the Information Centre for directions)....we had a lovely 'discussion' about this topic and the validity of both methods and so I 'graciously' caved in. Shortly thereafter Mase arrived at the spot! The lock gate system was really interesting and we (Mase) explained how it worked to the children and then we got to see it in action as a sailboat entered the gates and began to work it's way up the staircase. The total height difference is 20m. In brief the boat enters the first lock where the water is let thru from the upper lock to let the water level rise (by about 3m). To do this the bottom section of the higher gate is raised (below water level obviously) and you can see the water become a turbulent whirlpool as the water rushes in and the two lock areas become level. Then the massive metal gates open and the boat moves into the next lock. Then the process is repeated until it reaches the next Loch. The children were fascinated and had all sorts of questions and things to point out...well worth the visit (thanks for the tip, Mum).

I should also say that Fort William is overshadowed by Ben Nevis (the largest mountain in the UK) and it was impressive. It's part of the Nevis range which is quite long.

Then we had a 1.5hr drive to Plockton (as place one of the brethren at Aberdeen said we should visit). Again, the drive was magnificent through the mountains - the sun was setting on the mountains and cast a warm glow over them. We could see the narrow valleys that rushing water had cut into the sides of the mountains and the waterfalls and streams that had formed...we saw water coming out of rocks halfway up mountains and right next to the road. At one point we stopped to fill up our water bottles from the waterfall right next to the road.

We arrived in Plockton at about 6.30pm (dark). It's a tiny fishing village nestled in a small bay and apparently very pretty. We had dinner in a small pub/hotel...these places are very family friendly and have an area/s that are separate from the bar. We had an early night (due to the usual early mornings) and were up and off for a walk early the next morning. It was raining (lightly) and very windy and these conditions didn't give us the best opportunity to see the village and its surrounding mountains (photo of boats in foreground and mountain behind). However we walked down the main street and along the bay front - the houses had front gardens but they were separated by the road - quite different.

We headed back for brekkie after taking a few photos and then drove to the Isle of Skye (about 15 mins away). The bridge between the mainland Scotland and the Isle was built in 1995 and has been the cause of controversy for many a Scot as they feel the Isle is no longer a true island...but we found it quite convenient - better than going by ferry. The day was clearing now and by the time we got the Isle of Skye things were looking blue and clear. We drove around a very small part of the Isle and again were amazed at the huge, seemingly barren mountains that surrounded us.

Our drive followed a river which at times was narrow and fast, other times wide and slower and at one point we stopped where there was a pebbled beach (in winter it would be covered by water) and made our way down to the water. Kids threw in stones and drank the cold, clear water. It was here that we decided to climb one of the mountains we could see (photo attached). The kids were very keen and so we set off. Rain jackets, water, muesli bars...who knew how long we'd take. We began this mountain climb from the road where we parked (which was 200m up the mountain). The mountain (Sgurr na Coinnich) is 739m high and we probably climbed about 360m to one of the lower peaks (at 560m or so). The photo with Sam in front is only part of the way up our climb - you can see the car below. We began the ascent picking our way up the mountain face. From a distance the mountains look barren but they are actually covered in small red leafed plants and heather (orange/brown fernlike plants). Mase was in the lead, keeping us on the higher ground. We had quickly found out how wet the ground was, with hidden streams under the heather and boggy areas in the lower ground. The kids didn't seem bothered when they stepped in these patches and by the time we got to 'our top' their shoes were pretty well soaked. We had a few stops along the way to catch our breath and rest our legs - Matt did really well considering his little legs and was very keen. As we got closer to the top of the mountain the clouds started coming in lower and the sky became more overcast...Mase didn't think we'd get caught in rain but we felt it was safer to head back.. Here's some photos of the view from where we got to. The trip back down is the part I dislike most. However the kids think that's the best bit. With Matt in the lead they began running down the mountain - careless of where they were heading (into wet, boggy valleys). Within a few minutes they were out of my sight and Mase was way ahead of me too but within sight of the kids who were having a ball. By the time they reached the car they were wet to the waist. When I finally arrived at the car they excitedly told me how they'd run down the mountain, fallen over heaps and face planted into the heather and plants as they went. Needless to say they were wet to the waist when they arrived at the car but they were happy and said it was the best climb we'd done.

Then we drove on to Kyle a small town where we saw an Otter's Hide signposted. We walked the trail to the Hide and entered. It was well appointed - overlooking the water and had binoculars and charts to help us identify what we saw. We saw some seals and an otter at a great distance but Matt and Jo were hungry and not in the mood to sit quietly and look out of binoculars, so we left after about 1/2 hour. We had lunch and then drove back to the bridge to return to the mainland and start heading home (about 2.30pm).




Again the drive was stunning - this time the sun was behind us and we were able to get some lovely pics of the countryside. We arrived home about 9.30pm. (Photo of one of the Lochs next to the road as we drove back, castle on the opposite side of the Loch)

Loch Ness & North Scotland

Well, it's now Thursday, 15 October and we're nearly 1/2 way through our time away....in some ways the time has flown and in other ways it's still seems a long time before we'll see you all again, God willing. Last weekend we toured Loch Ness and local vicinity and then drove up North a little. We left Aberdeen on Friday afternoon around 5.30pm and arrived at Drumnadrochit (town on the Loch Ness banks) about 9pm.
Anyway...having arrived in Drumnadrochit (small town on Loch Ness) where we'd booked a family room (sleeping all five of us together - groooaan) at the Loch Ness Lodge Hotel. When we checked in they had mixed up our request and asked if we wouldn't mind sleeping in two separate rooms.... (would I mind? you've got to be kidding - I'd be delighted). With these thoughts racing thru my mind I said that would be fine!

Saturday morning was a fine and clear and after taking a photo of the kids with Nessie we headed off on our walk. We'd planned to do a 2.5hr walk - including climbing Craigmonie Hill - in the local area of Drumnadrochit. The kids were all kitted out in their rain jackets, jumpers and normal layer of clothing - despite Mase and I telling them they'd soon be hot...not surprisingly within 15 mins of leaving they were stripping off and we ended up leaving the jackets hidden in the undergrowth to pick up on our return. Here's a photo of the hill we were to climb in the background.

The walk began in the wooded forest at the base of Craigmonie Hill (only 150m) and took us around half the hill on the way up - the kids enjoyed running ahead on the track, jumping rocks, picking up sticks etc and warning us of muddy areas - it was surprising how dark it was in the woods - the trees obviously provide a thick canopy to block light.
We reached the top in good time and stood on a rocky crag to view the Great Glen and Loch Ness - it's amazing what you can see from only that high....the lesson in spiritual perspective was worth thinking about - we couldn't see the people around, the boat on the Loch was miniscule (as pictured) - but the larger 'picture' was there and that's how things are from God's perspective. We often see only see the little things right in front of our nose and forget to step back and see the larger picture and focus on what really matters - the world is a lot bigger than our own backyard -as we are finding out literally!
We made our way down the hill at various extremes of speed - Mase and I carefully picking our way thru mud, rocks and uneven ground while the kids ran at full speed!! I don't know how they didn't slide in the mud or fall over but they had a wonderful time and begged to be able to do it all over again...but we knew what was ahead :).

We then made our way to Divach Falls - a lovely woodland walk to a very secluded viewing platform at the top of the falls - totally surrounded by trees and the layers of forest from the bottom of the falls to the top of the hill. The autumn colours made the layers of trees even prettier. It was a long uphill walk which Mase and I enjoyed but the kids had a few grumbles along the way - but as always the walk/work was worth the view. On our way back down we left the path and went down to the river - there really is nothing that kids (and some adults) like better than running water and rocks. We stayed awhile trying trying to smash the granite rocks against the larger rocks in the river - with little success. By the time we reached the car again it was 12.30.
We wanted to see Urquhart Castle (built sometime in the 1200's - the date is unknown) which is only 2 miles from Drumnadrochit. The strategic advantage in the castle's location is obvious - built on the banks of Loch Ness - as well as having a beautiful outlook over the Loch (most of the Nessie sightings were from this area), the hills on either side and to the North of the Castle. The Castle is no longer intact, but with signage and the walls and towers that remain, you can get a good feel for what was a large castle and stronghold.
They also have a replica (built in the 1800's) of a Trebuchet (siege machinery for catapulting large stones as Mase reliably informed me when he saw it - he even knew the name of it - you can see why I married this knowledgeable, dependable man). Mase patiently explained the way it worked to his non-engineering wired wife who found it quite fascinating. The sling is capable of catapulting an 11kg stone about 400m - not bad!

We then drove back up to Inverness and headed north to the highlands for the afternoon and they are truly Highlands! The mountains are massive formations that fill the horizon - some unusually shaped peaks - but majestic. I was searching the Psalms for quotes that captured my feelings about the mountains, one was Ps 36 which says "Thy righteousness is like the great mountains" - God's justice is as immoveable/stable as those mountains....He is dependable - He is our Rock and Refuge.

We also went to Lairg, to see the Falls of Shin (only 1.5 -2m high). We were hoping that we'd see the salmon leaping up the falls - season ends late September - and amazingly we did!! We all yelled at the same time when we saw one leap and after that we had our eyes fixed to spot more - we probably saw about 20 attempts by varying sizes of salmon. It was a fantastic opportunity for the children to see and understand the life cycle of salmon and why they return to their birthplace - against such great odds. Once the salmon leave the ocean to swim back upriver they don't eat again - they use all the bodyfat they've accumulated in their 'ocean grazing' and by the time they reach their birthplace they're exhausted and physically 'wrecked' - they lay/fertilise eggs and die (apparently Atlantic salmon do not die after spawning but the Pacific salmon do). We had many attempts to capture the salmon in mid flight and finally got one - can you spot it?

Our drive through the Highlands took us along more of the windy, narrow roads that I hate and we had the usual 'slow down, Mase/go faster, Daddy' conversation.

However as we rounded one corner we saw a van which had taken the corner too fast and collided with a small car...it seems no one was fatally injured but within minutes of passing them we saw fire engines, police and ambulance heading to the scene. This made quite an impression on the children as we discussed how accidents happen, affects of speed downhill etc and we had no further requests to 'go faster, Daddy'...

We stopped at a beach on the north west of Scotland near Ullapool and raced down to see who could touch the Atlantic Ocean first. We've seen beaches with smooth 'river' stones but this beach had small, shiny, round, smooth pebbles (some granite) and some larger stones too...it was quite an experience to pick up handfuls of these and throw them into the ocean...
We filled up at Ullapool around 5.30pm and

began the journey back to Aberdeen (about 4 hours away)...

I don't usually bother detailing our meals but this is an exception....We started looking for a place to eat about 6pm - pulled into a small town hotel car park and looked at the dining room and decided it was too posh for us and moved on...kept an eye out as we drove towards Inverness but nothing came up. Arrived in Inverness about 7pm and went along the main road into town with no success. So we tried the local shopping centre cafe - no takeaway meals there either...ever noticed that if you're looking for fastfood you can never find it and when you don't need it, it's everywhere?...So we thought we'd have to 'sit down' for a meal - we tried a PremierInn cafe - no tables free until 8pm. In desperation we thought we'd quickly stop at the small Indian Takeaway place we'd seen (and disregarded) earlier and pick up some curry and rice. As we walked in a dark skinned waiter glided up to us in waist coat and bow tie to welcome us - feeling a little daunted we said we just wanted takeaway to eat in the car (it was also a restaurant). The waiter smiled and handed us the menu. We read thru it and made our selection - pilau rice and curry for 2 kids to share, chicken/rice dish for Sam, curry and rice each for Mase and I - seemed simple....Well 1/2hr later we were presented with a cardboard box (36 pack of cans size) with packages bulging out the top...halfway out the door Mase remembered to ask for cutlery. We got to the car and started pulling out the meals - a 1/2 cup foam container of mango yoghurt, then another of chilli sauce, another container of lemony yoghurt, a side salad, a container of raw red onions, a container of dipping sauce, a container of vegies in curry sauce, Naan bread, poppodoms and then our individual meals.....in the confines of our car this meal was an absolute nightmare...we quickly worked out that we weren't eating as we drove but that this was going to be a gourmet juggling act with limited cutlery and space! We now realised why the waiter smiled.
The car windows soon fogged up and we ate in our dim-light 'restaurant setting' with profound difficulty...Part way thru the meal Matt informed us he needed the lavatory (groan....who holds what, where can everything go?) - as we were parked on a quiet street we told him to hop out and go on the side of the road...5 mins later he informs us he needs the lavatory again and he can't use the side of the road and it can't wait....(we jiggled and juggled everything around and eventually Mase/Matt extracted themselves and walked to the nearby shopping centre toilets)...by the time they returned we'd nearly finished and began clearing the car of lids, containers, rice and poppadom crumbs....Despite all the above, the meal was delicious and given the opportunity I'd revisit the Indian Takeaway place and enjoy the food properly in the restaurant setting. By the way, we had Indian leftovers for Sunday lunch and two days later the car still smelt like Indian Takeaway!!