Linlithgow Palace

Roofless and ruined the wonder that is Linlithgow Palace still shines through.

David I was the first monarch to build a residence on this spot overlooking a small inland loch in 1124. Linlithgow even means the "loch in the damp hollow", but Linlithgow Palace is most famous for being the residence of the Stewart family. James V, Mary Queen of Scots and Princess Elizabeth all being born here. Although ravaged by fire in 1424 the palace rose like a phoenix from the ashes through James I who started to build a new palace. Over the next centuries his heirs built on and the palace grew to be the impressive quadrangular abode that captured the hearts of the Stewart Queens. Sadly when James VI moved his court to London when he was named James I of England, Linlithgow Palace fell quickly into decline. 

What do castles, whiskey and dolphins have in common?

Well for starters they were all involved in my epic birthday weekend roadtrip! And yes you guessed it they can all be found in Scotland. 

My sister and I were told by her boyfriend Luke, that we were to keep the Sunday before my birthday open for a surprise roadtrip. Intrigued and always up for a surprise, especially when it involves a roadtrip, I was instantly game to give up my Sunday for whatever he had planned. My sister on the other hand is not too fond of not knowing what the surprise is so she promptly begun quizzing and trying to figure out where we were going to be heading. She was not very successful and against the odds Luke managed to hold out. The only thing he did tell us was that it was a three hour drive from Aberdeen and that we should dress really warm, wear our wellingtons and pack a change of clothes in case.....

And so we piled into the car at 7:30am (a timely rarely seen by me on a Sunday unless I have plans to photograph) and sipping condense milk coffee we zoomed off into the Aberdeenshire countryside with the Cairngorm Mountains greeting us with glimpses of its snow covered peaks.  

Like all good roadtrips music was played, lyrics were sung and car games were played. Our favourite two being 'Spot the hairy coo' and 'That town is named what?!'. To explain my sister and I have grown up with a mother who adores cows - I have literally lost count of number of black and white cow decorated items in our kitchen (Love you Mom) - hence we think that the hairy coo or Highland cattle are so cute with their wavy sometimes even dreadlocked hair. But since arriving in Scotland four months ago I had yet to see one besides on every Scotland postcard I have ever seen....hmm a touch of false advertising perhaps, but I digress. Where was I, oh yes the second game involved reading all the road signs and trying to pronounce the names of towns. Easy yes? No. I was probably the worst at this game. Some of the funniest names for towns that we encountered were Tomintoul (Tom-n-tool), Dufftown and Boghead. 

Finally on driving by Inverness, we saw a Moray Firth sign and it hit must sister well like a sign. We were on our way to Cromarty to see the dolphins with Ecoventures. And so it was a race to the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) and off out to sea that we went, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most northerly colony of Bottlenosed Dolphins in the world. 

The view looking back at the town of Cromarty as we headed out on our dolphin adventure. 

On our way out to the open water we pass the base of an old oil rig that is waiting to be sold. It has basically been sitting there for years and has become a nesting place for local birds and sea life. 

Pulling up alongside the huge pillars Sarah, our skipper, explains the history of how they got here. 

Sarah shares more local sea tales from the area. 

The HMS Natal was a Duke of Edinburgh-classed armoured cruiser that was built for the Royal Navy. A series of internal explosion rocked the ship on the 30 December 1915 causing it to sink within minutes killing between 390 and 421 people on board.  The remainder of the ship was blown up in 1970 to prevent it being a hazard to navigation. This is all that remains now to mark the resting place of this once great ship. 

The cliffs and rocks provide homes for a wide variety of bird life.  

Coastal batteries can be found on the north and south headlands. 

They were built to protect the port of Invergordon and Cromarty Firth during the 1st and 2nd World Wars. 

Our waiting is rewarded with a sighting not far from the boat. 

And with no more dolphins frolicking in the ocean for us to see we headed back to Cromarty's little harbour...

To get back into the car and go to the next stop on our adventure!

Dunnottar Castle - A fortress of memories

As you take the turn off the main A92 and begin to meander along a country road, large stone walls begin to materialize on the horizon. You catch glimpses of a castle tower, and then walls, anchored to the land but at the same time seemingly floating in the ocean. Against all grown up logic my imagination starts galloping ahead and I am sure that with every winding step towards the castle the mystery, adventure and magic of my first Scottish castle is coming alive. It's in the waves crashing on the cliffs below, the eerily coldness of the rooms and the feeling of for a split second knowing how it was to live when Kings and Queens ruled and fortresses like Dunnottar Castle were home to powerful Earls.  

Dunnottar Castle 

Dunnottar Castle from the steps, which may not seem it on the way down but are pretty darn steep.

Long gone are the days when Dunnottar stood magnificently on the cliff top daring any enemy brave enough to  tackle its fortress walls to come charging. But its sense of determination is still there in the Keep that refuses to fall and the Chapel that remembers all the years of prayers. Not surprising then that the name Dunnottar stems from the Pictish word 'Dun' which means hill fort or place of strength. And although the giant stone walls that once were pillars of strength and resistance have crumbled and the grass has laid claim to them, some parts of this place refuses to give up its fight. 

One of the most powerful families in Scotland, the Earls Marischal, from the 14th Century lived in Dunnottar Castle and built the Tower House, also known as the Keep, which still stands today. Yet this is not the thing most talked about or remembered about Dunnottar. Instead what is spoken about in battle stories far and wide is that it was here at the place of strength upon a hilltop that a small garrison held out against the might of Cromwell's army and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels (the Honours of Scotland). The remarkable part of this story is that they did not just fight off Cromwell's men once but held them off for eight months. Can you imagine the isolation, fear but sheer determination the people inside the castle must have felt to survive and somehow sneak the crown jewels out. The jewels which consisted of the crown, sceptre and sword can now all be found proudly on display in Edinburgh Castle.

The Palace reflected in the fountain. 

The Tower House or Keep 

A dinning room in the Palace. This is the  best preserved room in the castle.

Part of the Palace.

Bending through doorways, following narrow spiral staircases and walking down large stone steps into dark rooms where your breathe turns to vapour as soon as it leaves your mouth is slightly unnerving as you enter rooms like the Whig's Vault that house some of the more sinister chapters of Dunnottar's history. In 1685 a group of 167 Covenanters (122 men and 45 women) were imprisoned in the Whig's Vault, suffering deprivation, hardship and torture for refusing to acknowledge the King's supremacy in spiritual matters.  The room is long and narrow but standing there while white clouds dissipate in front of my face I can't imagine the horrific situation of having 167 people crammed in that one room, with no way out. 

The Chapel also has a darker chapter to its history. In the 12th Century it became a Catholic settlement with a stone chapel being built in 1276. Yet according to sources William Wallace set fire to this chapel with a garrison of English soldiers taking refugee inside. The chapel that we see now at Dunnottar was built in the 16th Century.  

The Chapel 

Dunnottar Castle has a history that goes back centuries and it has over time become part of the landscape. Deserted by its residents it has become a playground for the wind and rain, a safe haven for the birds, a graveyard of memories of past inhabitants and a exploration for all those that visit it.