Long Weekend in Scotland
We’ve just returned from the little seaside village of Kirkcudbright in southwest Scotland. We spent Labor Day weekend there, enjoyed wonderful weather and had a great time exploring the southwest corner of Scotland.
Saturday
We arrived in Kirkcudbright (pronounced kir-coo-bree) on Saturday around lunchtime after a 3.5 hour drive. After checking into our B&B, Gladstone House, we spent the afternoon prowling around Kirkcudbright, a charming little town with a history going back to the Middle Ages. In more recent history…about a hundred years ago the beautiful scenery and ample light of Kirkcudbright attracted many artists who formed an artist’s colony there. The artistic legacy lives on in the small art galleries peppered through the town. We really enjoyed exploring the town and can easily understand why so many artists chose to call it home. Many of the old stone houses are painted in cheery pastel colors, while others retain the natural stone color but have brightly accented wooden windowframes and doorframes. The surrounding countryside is also quite scenic.
Kirkcudbright has its own castle built in 1582. Maclellan's Castle is technically a "castellated" town house built by Thomas Maclellan, provost of Kirkcudbright. The roof is gone now but the rest of the structure remains intact and for a nominal fee you can wander around the ruin on your own and seek out the Laird’s “lug” – a secret room where the old Thomas used to eavesdrop on conversations in the Great Room. My favorite attraction in Kirkcudbright is the wonderfully eclectic Stewartry Museum. There you will find a widely varied collection representing the social and natural history of the area. The collection includes farm implements, ceramics, coins and medals, games, Neolithic tools, not to mention sketchbooks and paintings by several local artists.
Sunday
After a tasty, though rather skimpy breakfast (Brad ordered the full breakfast which consisted of one fried egg, one slice of bacon, one mushroom, one tiny triangle of haggis and one half of a smallish grilled tomato. I ordered scrambled eggs and mushrooms, so received a more generous portion of three –count 'em- three mushrooms. Oh, and there was plenty of toast!), we headed out for a drive to Galloway Forest Park. First stop was Kirroughtree visitor center, where we hiked along a forest trail that provided some vigorous exercise, though few bird sightings. We continued along a road that runs through the Park stopping along the way at the wild goat park and red deer grange to view the critters behind the safety of a wire fence. Then we stopped at Clatteringshaws Lake for a brief hike to Bruce’s Stone – a boulder upon which Robert the Bruce purportedly rested after defeating the English forces in the 1300s. I did a bit of eavesdropping of my own and listened as two apparently English visitors scoffed at the significance of the battle won by Robert the Bruce. We had a nice lunch at the Clatteringshaws tea room and enjoyed watching the chaffinches that bobbed here and there near the picnic benches.
Monday
At breakfast time I screwed up the courage to try some of Brad’s haggis (a more ample portion this time) and was thoroughly surprised to discover that it wasn’t half bad! After breakfast, we checked out of our B&B, hopped in the car and meandered our way back to Yorkshire. We took the back roads towards Dumfries, making two stops along the way. First stop was at the Loch Arthur Creamery just outside of Beeswing where we picked up some delicious organic cheeses (and oat cakes for me – a new found taste treat). Next stop was Caerlaverock Castle, about 8 miles south of Dumfries. This triangular shaped castle built in the 13th century is still surrounded by a moat filled with water. Much of the structure is still intact and Brad and I had great fun crawling in and about the ruin. We had a tasty lunch at the castle tea room then hit the road again, this time homeward bound.
We thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend in Kirkcudbright, so much so that we hope to stop over there again some time. There are many sights and attractions near Kirkcudbright that we did not have time to visit. Plus, the main art museum, Broughton House, was closed for renovations and I’d really love to see the collection. I’m sure we’ll be back again someday.
We’ve just returned from the little seaside village of Kirkcudbright in southwest Scotland. We spent Labor Day weekend there, enjoyed wonderful weather and had a great time exploring the southwest corner of Scotland.
Saturday
We arrived in Kirkcudbright (pronounced kir-coo-bree) on Saturday around lunchtime after a 3.5 hour drive. After checking into our B&B, Gladstone House, we spent the afternoon prowling around Kirkcudbright, a charming little town with a history going back to the Middle Ages. In more recent history…about a hundred years ago the beautiful scenery and ample light of Kirkcudbright attracted many artists who formed an artist’s colony there. The artistic legacy lives on in the small art galleries peppered through the town. We really enjoyed exploring the town and can easily understand why so many artists chose to call it home. Many of the old stone houses are painted in cheery pastel colors, while others retain the natural stone color but have brightly accented wooden windowframes and doorframes. The surrounding countryside is also quite scenic.
Kirkcudbright has its own castle built in 1582. Maclellan's Castle is technically a "castellated" town house built by Thomas Maclellan, provost of Kirkcudbright. The roof is gone now but the rest of the structure remains intact and for a nominal fee you can wander around the ruin on your own and seek out the Laird’s “lug” – a secret room where the old Thomas used to eavesdrop on conversations in the Great Room. My favorite attraction in Kirkcudbright is the wonderfully eclectic Stewartry Museum. There you will find a widely varied collection representing the social and natural history of the area. The collection includes farm implements, ceramics, coins and medals, games, Neolithic tools, not to mention sketchbooks and paintings by several local artists.
Sunday
After a tasty, though rather skimpy breakfast (Brad ordered the full breakfast which consisted of one fried egg, one slice of bacon, one mushroom, one tiny triangle of haggis and one half of a smallish grilled tomato. I ordered scrambled eggs and mushrooms, so received a more generous portion of three –count 'em- three mushrooms. Oh, and there was plenty of toast!), we headed out for a drive to Galloway Forest Park. First stop was Kirroughtree visitor center, where we hiked along a forest trail that provided some vigorous exercise, though few bird sightings. We continued along a road that runs through the Park stopping along the way at the wild goat park and red deer grange to view the critters behind the safety of a wire fence. Then we stopped at Clatteringshaws Lake for a brief hike to Bruce’s Stone – a boulder upon which Robert the Bruce purportedly rested after defeating the English forces in the 1300s. I did a bit of eavesdropping of my own and listened as two apparently English visitors scoffed at the significance of the battle won by Robert the Bruce. We had a nice lunch at the Clatteringshaws tea room and enjoyed watching the chaffinches that bobbed here and there near the picnic benches.
Monday
At breakfast time I screwed up the courage to try some of Brad’s haggis (a more ample portion this time) and was thoroughly surprised to discover that it wasn’t half bad! After breakfast, we checked out of our B&B, hopped in the car and meandered our way back to Yorkshire. We took the back roads towards Dumfries, making two stops along the way. First stop was at the Loch Arthur Creamery just outside of Beeswing where we picked up some delicious organic cheeses (and oat cakes for me – a new found taste treat). Next stop was Caerlaverock Castle, about 8 miles south of Dumfries. This triangular shaped castle built in the 13th century is still surrounded by a moat filled with water. Much of the structure is still intact and Brad and I had great fun crawling in and about the ruin. We had a tasty lunch at the castle tea room then hit the road again, this time homeward bound.
We thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend in Kirkcudbright, so much so that we hope to stop over there again some time. There are many sights and attractions near Kirkcudbright that we did not have time to visit. Plus, the main art museum, Broughton House, was closed for renovations and I’d really love to see the collection. I’m sure we’ll be back again someday.
posted by lenora at 12:23 PM
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