Glamis Castle outing ....
18th
May 2016 (Wednesday)
... 08.00 After some light overnight
rain, the weather looks amenable for the History Society Glamis... the sky is
beginning to ‘break
up’. I’m
‘organised’... just got to have a cuppa.
Better ‘go’ I feel ‘slight flap on’ mode kicking in.
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| Tay Rail Bridge Dundee |
21.30 Today has been exhilarating....the
history Society outing always are ... and it is one tired ‘Boy’ that will be
crawling off to bed soon. The History
Society outing is not a ‘bus trip’, it is an educational tour: thanks to Janet (Bulloch), a Blue Badge Guide,
and member of the History Society.
Janet brings the whole day to ‘life’:
and must spend hours researching the individual trips. When we got to Dundee, in fact before we got
onto the Tay Road Bridge, Janet started to tell us about the places of interest
that could be seen ‘en route’... right up to the top of ‘The Law’ then out of
Dundee, including the history of the Kingsway.... she is one amazing lady.
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| Glamis Walled Garden |
By
the time we got to Glamis Castle Janet had given us an insight into the history
of the Castle. One of the Glamis Castle
Guides, Vicki, took us on a guided tour and told us about the Bowes Lyon
family, and especially “Elizabeth” who went on to marry the Duke of York. After, and because of, the abdication of
his brother, Edward the Eighth, the Duke of York became King George VI, and “”Elizabeth”
became Queen, who, on the death of King George VI, became the much loved, “Queen
Mum”.
It
is always interesting to see how the ‘other half live’... unfortunately t is
considerably less than half, that live(ed) in this style ... but it is because
of those few that we can all visit, and enjoy, places like Glamis, and see the high quality
living spaces, decoration, and period furniture of the “Upper Classes” .... or aristocracy. Strangely enough, I never feel envious of
those folks... they have more to lose than I have, and I am as
happy as any
member of the Royal family... or aristocracy.;
I do like looking at the
beautiful buildings, and things they have amassed with their fortune(s). It’s best not to dig too deeply into how
they made their various fortunes!
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| I've hard of 'getting knotted', but this is ridiculous! |
On
the way home we went round the east side of Dundee and stopped at Claypotts
Castle, a place I have seen plenty of times when passing it on the A92. It is a beautiful, small castle, and has
been in capable care of Historic Scotland since 1926. The castle is empty, and very rarely ‘open’. To see the interior, you have to phone
Historic Scotland, who will arrange a local Member to open the castle, and show
you round. Claypotts Castle stands
on a small piece of well kept ground, surrounded by modern housing; the modern housing spoils the whole ‘castle
effect’ .... it just doesn’t look right, though it is an extremely bonnie wee
castle.
Well,
I have enjoyed today. Our wee village “Elie
and Earlsferry” is one bonnie diamond with many facets, the local History
Society being one of them. Yes we are
lucky living in our corner of the Planet.
Photographs
: Top – the
Tay rail Bridge from ‘Dundee Law’, Next – fountain in the Walled
Garden at Glamis, Next – this tree has got itself in one cracker of a ‘knot’, and
Bottom – Glamis Castle.
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| Glamis Castle |
