Lowther Castle and Gardens 21st April 2018

We have always enjoyed our visits to Lowther Castle but had never actually walked around the gardens before, so on a nice spring day we set off.

There was an exhibition in the courtyard gallery that told the story of Lowther. It has belonged to the Lowther family, latterly the Earls of Lonsdale, since the Middle Ages.
The age of the country house waned in the early years of the 20th century and in 1936 Lowther Castle was closed. The military used it for secret tank testing during WWII before returning it to the family.  They removed the roof and kept it as a monument rather than demolishing it.

However after being left to deteriorate for many years, a charitable trust was established to restore the castle and grounds. The castle opened in 2011 after the initial restoration and the stable courtyard has been converted into a visitor centre, cafe and shop.

The gardens are being restored too. It is a huge garden when you get inside.
We began by looking around the ruins of the tower and the recently planted Parterre.

We wandered towards the Great Yew Walk, past the mosaic floor.

The yew trees are huge ...

We passed the Roman Pillars and the Countess Summerhouse ....

before coming to Matilda's summer house.

What stunning summer houses!
We passed by the new Rose Garden being constructed this year ...

on our way to the viewpoint on the Western Terrace - and what a view!

... and another summerhouse!

We went past the woods where the new wooden adventure playground, known as the Lost Castle, opened in 2016.
Yet another summer house popped up by Jack Croft's Pond.

The Patte d'Oie (a design where 3,4,or 5 roads/paths radiate out from a central point) led to Shap Abbey steps.

Walking back along Emperor's Drive we could see the plants shooting in the Wild Flower Meadows. There were lots of cowslips flowering at the moment but can't wait to see the meadows later in the year.
The banks were full of daffodils as we headed back towards the courtyard and cafe - which we can definitely recommend.

Energy restored we headed back past Yew Avenue to the New Orchard. The trees were not quite in blossom yet but will be a lovely sight soon.
Passing the Roman Bath we found the Rock Garden. This is full of plants and moss-covered stones. A beautiful display of primulas was attracting bees and bee flies.

We have wanted to see a real live Bee Fly and there were several flying in and out of the flowers. They have a long proboscis for drinking nectar and although called a bee fly they are not bees and are completely harmless. They look like bees with their furry body and patterned wings, and buzz as they fly, but are not a bee at all.  The female bee fly flicks her eggs towards the entrance to the underground nests of bees and wasps and once they hatch the larvae make their way into the nests and eat the larvae of the bees and wasps.

This was the nearest we could get to a photo ....below is what it really looks like!

But a fascinating insect to watch in the sunshine and with the real bees was definitely making the rock garden hum! We also saw a small tortoiseshell and a couple of peacock butterflies.
There was a lovely display of trilliums in the rock garden too.

Moving on we passed through what had once been the Japanese garden and the Sweet Scented garden - although they are now both devoid of plants and very neglected.
We found the terrace again and walked towards the squirrel hide - no squirrels in sight today! - but we did see a hare loping along the track below the terrace.
A wonderful garden to explore - even on a busy day there is more than enough room for everyone.
Definitely somewhere to revisit.

April in Aberdeen 13th - 17th April 2018

Although we were aiming for Aberdeen we began with a trip to Hawick to pick up two friends who were going with us. We began with no definite plans for where to go or what to do - so it was definitely an adventure.
Our first stop was only a short way down the road. None of us had been to the National Mining Museum even though we had passed it by before. Although it wasn't raining it was cool enough that coats were needed just in case there were outside exhibits.

Details of how coal is formed, the different types of coal and details of the colliery we were visiting were all presented alongside exhibits and representations of miners' living conditions.

It was then time to look around the colliery .... what a huge place. Everything is on a grand scale and although many of the fixtures and fittings have been removed the scale of the operation is obvious. The noise within certain areas must have been horrendous when all the machinery was in action!

And then it was down to the coal face .....

Once down there we saw some of the machinery that would have dug out the coal - in the very dim lighting that the miners would have been working in.

Back at street level we saw where the coal was washed and the carriages and engine of one of the trains that then transported the coal.

Although we guided ourselves around the museum a properly guide tour by an ex-miner would I'm sure reveal even more information. Next time perhaps?
We then moved on, travelling across the new Queensferry Crossing before following the Fife coastline until we reached Anstruther. Previous experience had enticed us back to the award-winning Fish Bar in Anstruther for their delicious fish and chips. The restaurant was very, very busy and we had to wait for several minutes before being seated. However the wait was worth it!
A final journey back to Glenrothes concluded our first day.
Next day had the sun shining from early in the day. We headed off towards Dundee but again travelling along some of the beautiful coastline. We paused at Tayport and were quite mesmerised by the still water.

Moving on we approached the Tay Bridge and Dundee ...

Passing through Broughty Ferry we paused again to visit Broughty Castle, an ancient building dating back to the 15th century.

The museum in the castle had many interesting artefacts from the area but going outside gave magnificent views over the river. There was also a lovely beach next to the castle but there was no time for a paddle (and the sun had gone in!)

Continuing up the coast we called in at the Wildlife Trust reserve at Montrose Basin.

Not there for long but saw plenty of birds - just from the visitor centre - including a Jack Snipe "bobbing" in the reeds. Understand it does this bouncing motion when feeding.
A lovely meal in a restaurant in Aberdeen concluded our, rather busy, second day.
Day 3 we decided to venture into Aberdeen and explore the city. Parking on Beach Esplanade, next to Aberdeen Bay, it didn't take long to walk into the middle of the city. Although we knew Aberdeen is known as the granite city we weren't prepared for how spectacular the buildings were! Buildings made from granite doesn't sound very exciting but up close they are amazing. The carving on some was very intricate and detailed.

We wandered around the city admiring the different buildings - although it is difficult to walk when half the time you are looking up to the tops of the buildings!

While wandering around we also kept our eyes open for some of the street art that had been completed as part of Nuart Aberdeen 2017 and 2018.

There were also workshops to go to but we had no time for those. We did enjoy watching the bubble blowers though! There were many children having a great time in the sunshine catching and popping the bubbles.

On our wanderings we came upon the Harbour and the Maritime Museum and decided to investigate the latter. It is housed in a range of old buildings including a former church and Provost Ross' House.

The museum tells the story of Aberdeen's relationship with the sea. The displays cover shipbuilding, fishing, port history and the North Sea Oil Industry. There is so much in the museum it would have taken all day to take it all in but definitely worth a visit - or two...

The harbour was located just outside the museum and was well populated on the day.  We know ships are big but when you are stood next to them you realise just how big.

Having walked several kilometres around Aberdeen our legs were feeling the strain so we went back to the car. A short trip along the coast north of the city led us to a sign that just said "Seals." Thinking we might just see a couple in the water or on the rocks we set off along the road - knowing it wouldn't be a long road as we were so close to the water. Reaching the car park we found a recycled boardwalk leading onto the dunes. We gradually climbed upwards until we suddenly saw water in front of us. Then we realised what else we could see .... hundreds and hundreds of seals on the opposite bank!

What a spectacular sight. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. We thought we might see 1 or 2.... how wrong we were. The sound was amazing too as the seals communicated with each other.
We stood mesmerised for several minutes before making our way back to the car - still talking of the amazing sight we had seen. Despite having enjoyed Aberdeen and its facilities this was definitely the highlight of the day.
Day 4 began very foggy ...

... but did improve. We travelled back to Dundee and crossed the Tay Bridge again before heading for Tentsmuir Forest. Although there is a forest here there is also a huge flat beach. We had a wander to the beach but the sky was getting darker and darker so we headed back.

We followed the coastline to St Andrews ...

... and then Crail. What a quaint little fishing village.

Crail Harbour Gallery provided us with afternoon tea. The gallery is in the restored cellars of a 17th century fisherman's cottage. It has original stone walls, flagstones and beams - and delicious cakes! It has a small courtyard outside - where blankets are provided in case of chilly weather and stones hold down the menus! The courtyard also offers stunning views of the Firth of Forth. What a little gem. 

We continued our journey along the coast before aiming for Glenrothes, where we were glad to rest our weary bones for the last night of our trip before heading home the following morning - in the rain! A most enjoyable visit to a stunning part of the country which I am sure we will be revisiting.