July 16, 2016
I figure I better finish off these last two Scotland posts before our next adventure....which is approaching soon. I have been busy teaching university courses and have to plan a new course for the summer. Most of my grading is done for now, so no better time than the present.
We were nearing the end of the North Coast 500 route with only one overnight stop left in the Highlands. After a lovely breakfast at our B & B, we left Wick and ventured out to explore a few castles. Our first stop was Castle Sinclair Girnigoe. This castle was completed in 1496 and was was in ruins by the 1700s. We had some difficulty finding it. We needed to walk a bit from the parking lot. I imagine that the location and the ruins were the reasons we were the only visitors at that time.
Castle Sinclair Girnigoe
The weather here was similar to Newfoundland for this time of year. I could not imagine living here right off the ocean in the 1500s, even if it was a castle. The sun popped out occasionally, but the wind could cut you...and this was summer. The views, however, were beautiful.
How Castle Sinclair Girnigoe would have looked like in 1585
The drawbridge was added in 1600s then partially destroyed by a cannon in 1680.
Brilliant view
We explored for a bit, but were eager to head back to the car for shelter from the wind.
Our next castle enroute was Dunrobin Castle. This castle has origins dating back to the Middle Ages, but the gardens and main building were added between 1835 and 1850. Some of the original building was visible from inside the courtyard. After being used as a residence, a private train station, and a naval hospital, it became a boarding school for boys from 1965-1972.
Dunrobin Castle was location-friendly just off the main road so it attracted quite a few tourists. There was a cafeteria inside, so we had lunch there and then went outside to catch part of the falcon show. There were also a few guides inside the castle that provide information about the grounds and the building. They told us several interesting stories about particular rooms and how they were used.
Dunrobin Castle
Our final destination for the day was a town called Dornoch. This was my favorite town in Scotland. It was quaint and oozing with charm. To top it off, we were booked to stay in an actual castle for the night. Well, that part was a bit underwhelming. It looked like a castle from the outside, but from inside, it looked like the average, dated European hotel.
Our family room in Dornoch Castle
In true Collins fashion, everyone scattered once we arrived. No one was interested in exploring the town with me. The kids were more interested in charging electronics and vegging after the road trip and castle tours.
So off I went. Our castle (hotel) was situated in the center of the small town. Each street corner nearby had a sign with an arrow and the number of blocks to travel to find points of interest. I followed the signs to the golf course. My father is a big-time golfer (a serious understatement) and I decided to collect a few score cards from a few courses in Scotland.
The Royal Dornoch Golf Club is ranked #9 of the top 100 golf courses in Britain and Ireland. My timing for this visit was perfect. I am sure if Maeve was with me, she would have captured these images better.
Dornoch, approaching the golf course
Double rainbow
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Royal Dornoch Golf Clubhouse
After the golf course, I wandered around town. There were some signs here and there that provided information about the history of the area. While we've come a long way in some practices, others seem to have not changed much. I saw a large stone from 1727 situated in someone's yard that honored the place where a woman was tarred, placed in a barrel and burned alive. The story was on one of the signs.
I wandered more and ended up circling back to the center of town. The church in town was gorgeous. We later found out that Michael's uncle had relatives that were buried here.
The church cemetery where some of Michael's uncle's relatives are resting.
When I arrived back at the hotel, I checked on the kids. All was well, but then I heard something interesting. I peeked out the window to see a small crowd gathering in front of the castle. Then I heard bagpipes. It seemed too good to be true. Failing again at an attempt to get the kids to join me, I ran off to capture the quintessential Scottish moment.
What do you do after witnessing local bagpipers playing in Scotland? You enjoy a lovely single-malt Scotch at a pub in a castle.
The castle's pub featured an extensive, award-winning selection of single malt scotch.