Today the weather was supposed to have deteriorated, so we planned activities that are less weather-dependent. But, as it turned out, the weather was better than ever, low seventies (23C), brilliant sunshine yet again.
First we went to Lake of Menteith, the only so-called lake in Scotland (the others are lochs), which has an island in the middle with a medieval priory (Inchmahome Priory) where Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed as a child. To get to the island, there’s a small ferry boat. There’s a sign on the dock that says there’s no schedule: just turn the big white board so that it faces the island, and we will come and get you. Wonderfully low-tech and very effective. The priory is mostly in ruins and recently suffered a lot of weather damage. There are barriers all around it while they are doing restoration work. The island also has some magnificent old trees, some of which are said to have been planted by 4-year-old Mary in 1547, but we are sure that’s an apocryphal story.
Later we went to Doune castle, right here in town. It was originally built in the thirteenth century, before being rebuilt in its present form in the late 14th century by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. It has been the setting for several movies and TV series, among which are Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and more recently Outlander.
For the evening, our hostess, Fiona Graham, provided a wonderful gourmet meal for us. About fifteen minutes before mealtime, her husband, Colin, started playing the bagpipes in the garden to welcome us, a wonderful sound wafting over the quiet countryside.
Photographs © 2016 P.J. Gardner. All rights reserved.