Photos and the City

Tag: roadtrip

  • The Gardeners Cottages

    My winter minibreak in England is over, so let´s head back to last summer. During my days at Loch Lomond, I stayed in the smallest of the Gardeners Cottages near Bellanoch adjoint to a walled garden.

    The Gardeners Cottages

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    Once the home of the gardeners who planted and tended the ground of Arden House, the Gardeners Cottages form a row, their backs against the wall of a Victorian walled garden. And today they are very cosy and comfortable holiday cottages!

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    Arden House must have been a grand estate once, along the driveway to the cottages are many other stunning buildings and cottages, a coach house and I think one sees a little bit of the former big house, now divided into flats and apartments.

    Once called Bannachra Estate until the Glasgow merchant George Buchanan bought it in 1770.

    The Buchanan family sold Arden and Bannachra to the Lumsdens in 1864. The Lumsden family, perhaps best known latterly for their connection with Burmah Oil, continued in residence at Arden House until the 1980’s when it was sold and converted to flats. (The Vale of Leven)

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    I tried to find out a little bit more about the history of the estate and found some stories about big parties around Christmas for all the children from the surrounding areas.

    The Walled Garden

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    My days at Loch Lomond were quite wet but the walled garden must be a beautiful place to relax and slow down during drier days. Such a beautiful place!

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    Loch Lomond

    And there is even more! A little pathway brings you to the shores of Loch Lomond and a little private beach.

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    Disclaimer: I paid my stay at the Gardeners Cottages, as I also paid for every other stay during my time in the UK, but felt so in love with the place that I wanted to share it!

     

  • Stirling Castle

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    Stirling Castle, one of the most important and grandest castles of Scotland. Sitting 80 metres high on an extinct volcano it is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides it became the strategic military key to the kingdom during the 13th and 14th-century Wars of Independence. And Stirling Castle was the favourite residence of many Stuart monarchs.

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    Try to be there as early as possible especially during the busy season! I was actually considering just turning around when I saw the masses of people! But as I had free entry with the “Explorer Pass” and turning around wasn´t possible I just waited for a free parking spot and went inside.

    Stirling Castle was first mentioned around 1110, and many royal dramas unfolded here. Until the Union of the Crowns in 1603, almost every Scottish monarch had either lived in the castle, or been crowned or died here. (Historic Scotland)

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    In 1543 Mary, Queen of Scots was crowned at Stirling Castle, like many Stuarts were.

    Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures of the fourteenth century remain, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century. (Scotlandinfo.eu)

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    Royal Palace on the left and the Great Hall on the right – a bird flying above! The Royal Palace was the first Renaissance palace in the British Isles, built by James V. The Great Hall is the largest medieval banqueting hall ever built in Scotland.

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    It is possible to walk around the walls and the view is breathtaking to all sides.

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    King´s Knot

    The King’s Knot is on the grounds of the ancient King’s Park, Crown property from at least the 1100s, where Scotland’s royalty partook in jousting, hawking and hunting.  (Historic Scotland)

    The King´s and Queen’s knot were part of the formal garden, remodelled in1633 for Charles I coronation and extensively renovated on order of Queen Victoria.

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    I left the car at the car park and walked a little bit around the area looking for Argyll´s Lodging which was closed for renovations. It´s a Renaissance Townhouse which must be pretty amazing inside, the outside isn´t that bad either.

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    Mar´s Wark

    While walking around I also came across Mar´s Wark an impressive townhouse from the 16th century.

    Mar was governor of Edinburgh Castle during the regency of Mary of Guise, from 1554 to 1560. He turned against her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, after the murder of her second husband Lord Darnley in 1567.

    He lost his governorship in Edinburgh, but became hereditary keeper of Stirling Castle – a position his ancestors had occasionally held since the reign of King Robert I. Mar was given custody of Mary’s infant son, James VI, after the assassination of Mary’s brother, Regent Moray, in 1571. (Historic Scotland)

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  • Doune Castle

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    Movies

    Doune Castle looks very familiar to many, it´s been used for movies and tv-shows for many years. From “Ivanhoe” (Liz Taylor 1952 & BBC Adaption 1996) to “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”, “Game of Thrones” and more recently “Outlander”.

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    History

    Doune Castle was built at the end of the 1300s for Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. The exact date of construction is not known and it is believed that the end result is not exactly what was originally planned. But the combination of buildings that emerged met all the military and domestic requirements of a royal castle. (Undiscovered Scotland)

    It was probably (partly) destroyed in the Scottish Wars of Independence and rebuilt in the 14th century and hasn´t changed much since then. In 1425 the castle was passed to the crown and used as a royal hunting lodge (Mary Queen of Scots stayed several times in the suite of rooms above the kitchen) and dower house until it became the property of the Earls of Moray in the late 16th century.

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    Restoration was undertaken in 1883 and further repairs were made in 1970. In 1984, the 20th Earl of Moray placed the castle in the care of the nation. (Undiscovered Scotland)

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    Upper Hall

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    Lord´s Hall

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    The Great Hall

    Fests and banquets were celebrated in this vast room, just have a look at this huge hearth on one side of the room.

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    Even so there many other visitors I wouldn´t have wanted to miss this place, Doune Castle really gives you an impression about life in these castles and you almost can feel the big banquets and parties happening.

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