May 16 Dunnottar Castle

We prepared ourselves for a big day. The plan for the day is to walk to Dunnottar Castle from Stonehaven and all going well back again. It is a 5 km walk each way with a good bit of climbing from Stonehaven up to the cliff tops. Fortunately the sea fog had cleared overnight and it was a lovely day although the breeze was a bit cool.
We made our way along the foreshore as far as the port and had a stop for coffee before tackling the path up to the clifftops. We made it with a couple of short stops and within a short distance the remains of Dunnottar castle came into view in the distance.
The castle was built on a rocky headland surrounded on 3 sides by the North Sea. There is steep path down to the base of the headland and up to the top of the headland making it easily defensible.
The headland has been inhabited since before Christ and the main castle was built in the 15th and 16th centuries although the chapel dates back to the 12th century. In the 17th century the "Honours of Scotland" being the Scottish Crown Jewels were hidden in the castle from the invading armies of Oliver Cromwell. Throughout history the castle has been occupied variously by the Scots and the English.
It was relatively quiet at the castle so we were able to have a good look around before making our way back to the port for a well earned couple of beers and a late lunch at the pub.
After that we headed back to the motorhome for a lie down and a quiet night.Читать далее