Monday July 11
At noon today we headed out to visit castles in the area. We headed north to see Dunottar Castle then Crathes Castle.
about 15 miles north of the cottage, the town of Stonehaven
Two miles south of Stonehaven is Dunottar Castle. When we visited this area 9 years ago,
it was too cold and windy to walk down to this castle so we just took pictures from the highway.
Dunottar Castle is one of the most significant historical buildings in Scotland. The tower that you'll see on the cliff edge was built in the late 14th century by the Earl of Marischal of Scotland, once one of the most powerful families in the land. William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and the Marquis of Montrose have all graced the Castle with their presence. Most famously though, it was at Dunnottar Castle that a small garrison held out against the might of Cromwell's army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels, the 'Honours of Scotland', from destruction.
it's a long walk down!
the castle is built on an enormous flat-topped rock with sheer cliffs on three sides
we're close to the bottom now
looking up the cliff
a view of the North Sea
we start our trek up the cliff to the castle
Alec acting goofy!
looking back down the way we just walked up
part of the ruined buildings
more of Dunottar Castle continued next page
Page Four of Week Three
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