SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER: Balnagown

When we decided to travel to Scotland, I fantasized about discovering my ancestral castle, googled the "Ross" family name. I found a few sites on the web that looked promising, spent long hours studying them. I had thought about asking hubby Ron and traveling companions Joyce and Larry Horne if we could try ferreting out my roots, but then decided that would be selfish, so didn't ask. Besides, where I wanted to go was out of the way. If I'd known what lay ahead, I wouldn't have been so sorry to leave Glengarry Castle Hotel, a place I absolutely loved.

We'd driven about two hours when Ron and Larry announced we were going to look for Balnagown Castle, my castle, or whatever remained of it. I would have been thrilled for a crumbled wall, a grave yard, or a sign stating the history and "Balnagown Castle once stood here." Instead, when we rounded a curve we saw the sign below over double gates. I couldn't believe it.

We drove through the open gates. In the distance, through locked double gates, was the magnificent castle itself. I can't explain the emotions that ran through me. To the left of us stood a recently constructed building. I thought perhaps someone in the building could give me some information on the castle, so we opened the door and went inside. A lady sat at a desk in an adjoining room.

Poking my head around the door, I blurted, "I'm a Ross; my family's roots are here."

She stood, stared into my eyes for about ten really long seconds. "Would you like a tour?" she asked. "This is a private residence, so you may not go inside, but if security approves, a guard could give you a tour of the grounds." All I could do was nod.

She called security, and within five minutes John, one of the security guards, unlocked the double gates and told us to follow his car. I rubber-necked the whole way. In the security building big German shepherds and armed men stood at the windows.

Each clan in Scotland had a name and a chief; the rallying point for clan Ross was Balnagown in the Highlands. Ross is a Gaelic word for promontory or peninsula, and Balnagown guarded the peninsula called Easter Ross, a very fertile region protected on three sides by the sea. 

I'm standing in front of Balnagown Castle in my purple 

raincoat. I wore it a lot! Click to enlarge.

In the picture above and the one below, Larry and Joyce Horne and Ron and I posed with a copy of Smith Mountain Lake's wonderful "Laker Magazine." Read the "Laker Magazine" if you get the opportunity.

A view of the Italian garden behind the castle.  

Balnagown employs five full-time gardeners.

Guard John and I pose for a picture in light rain.

The original part of the castle built in the 1300s. 

The original castle, a fortress built in the 1300s, had only one door on the first floor, which made it easier to defend. As time passed and clans battled less frequently, the lairds (or their wives) added on to the castle.

Here are two pictures of the main gate, not one of the 

two we entered earlier.

After the last laird Sir Charles Ross died in 1942, the castle and the estate fell into decline. And then one day in 1972, Egyptian Mohamed Al Fayed drove by the castle, liked it, and bought it and the last 40 acres remaining of the estate. He started renovating Balnagown in 1973. My first thought after learning that this magnificent estate was no longer owned by a Scot bothered me--but only for an instant. If not for Mr. Fayed, the house probably would have become ruins. Over the years, he has bought more acreage so that this splendid property now has over 60,000 acres. More importantly, Balnagown is loved.

Hats off and three cheers to Mohamed Al Fayed for saving my castle. 

SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER: Glengarry Castle Hotel to Loch Ness

Even though I've not written about Scotland recently, I haven't forgotten this incredible country. After leaving the Isle of Skye, we stopped several times to see more castles and to snap pictures of the scenery before checking in to the Glengarry Castle Hotel. Remember to click on pictures to enlarge.

 I took this photo through the car window.

 
Invergarry Castle, the seat of the Chiefs of the MacDonells of Glengarry, was partially destroyed in 1746. Bonnie Prince Charlie planned his escape from here and returned to France after the Jacobite uprising in 1745.

Only crumbling exterior walls remain of Invergarry Castle. 

Because of safety concerns, it stays roped off.

Scottish architect David Bryce designed and built Glengarry Castle Hotel for Edward Ellice Jnr. between 1866 and 1869. The hotel is located on 60 acres of Highland woodland on the shore of Loch Oich and the Caledonian Canal. 

 

Glengarry Castle Hotel as seen from our car.

 

 Remember how I said in my blog post dated 2/6/12 that I'd love to stay in Glengorm Castle for a week or a month? Well, I felt the same about Glengarry Castle Hotel!
 

 Ron and I liked our bedroom with private bath a lot.

 

 View from our bedroom window.

 Looking out at Loch Oich from the large living room.

 We ordered tea and scones with jam in the afternoon.

 I took my camera and walked the path to the Loch.

 Looking back at Glengarry Castle Hotel 

from halfway down the Loch path.

 I wanted to paddle around in this boat, soak in the Scottish 

atmosphere, get back to my Scottish roots.

Dinner here was absolutely delicious, as were breakfast and the afternoon tea. Yep, I could've stayed here for weeks, but adventure called. We headed off to Loch Ness with high hopes of sighting "Nessie."

 This was pretty much a tourist trap, but still interesting.

 Ron, Joyce and Larry pose with "Nessie."

Is there really a Loch Ness monster, a "Nessie"? I want to believe there is, that "Nessie" and her kin inhabit the Loch, that they are healthy and happy. What do you think?

 This photo, supposedly of "Nessie," was taken by 
Wm. Jobes in May 2011. The light spot on 
the right is the flash from my camera.

Above is a picture of William. Jobes' statement about his sighting of "Nessie" in May 2011. This picture is larger because I want you to be able to read what William said. I asked the salesgirl if "Nessie" was really real. She smiled, said "What do you believe?"

I'd like to know what YOU believe!!!

SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER: From the Isle of Mull to the Isle of Skye

I didn't want to leave Glengorm Castle and the Isle of Mull, but the Isle of Skye beckoned, and hubby Ron and traveling companions Larry and Joyce were ready for new adventures.

We took a tiny ferry from Tobemory to Kilchoan. Neither we nor our ferry captain wanted to be caught in the violent storm just behind us. The water became rough, the wind roared, but we made it across just in time. Shortly after we disembarked, all ferry crossings were cancelled. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

 Outrunning the storm.

 Larry and Ron on deck.

By the time we reached shore the rain had started, but it stopped long enough to snap this picture of a unique flower bed. I like the ingenuity of the Scots.

We traveled in hard rain across the Sound of Sleat to the Isle of Skye. Scotland's take-your-breath-away scenery actually, well, took my breath away often. I snapped the picture below through the car window. Yes, that's a raindrop near the bottom on the left side of the shot.

I love the heather in the picture above.

The next two pictures were also taken from a moving car in the rain. Note the angry clouds in the first one.

We stopped at the Talisker Distillery to sample Scotch whiskey. I took a couple of small sips, decided that I didn't like Scotch, even though Scotland 's Scotch is reported to be the best in the world.

 The view was nice, though. 

 We saw lots of rainbows in Scotland. 
Note the double rainbow above.

Eager to get out of the car, we were happy to reach the small town of Edinbane and our hotel for the night. The Lodge at Edinbane, built way back in the 1500s, isn't flashy. The rooms are small, but clean, and the bedrooms have private baths. If you like to stay in big, luxurious places, this charming and quaint hotel isn't for you.

After checking in, the four of us freshened up, jumped back in the car and drove down a one-lane road (in pouring rain, of course) to The Three Chimneys Restaurant, a 5-star restaurant and hotel on the shores of Loch Dunvegan.

 An old, thatched-roof building on the property.

 

 A view of the loch from the parking lot.

 

 A picture taken from the reception room.

 

The lady and her companion in the above picture waited with us. She's a famous actress--but I couldn't remember her name and I didn't want to say, "Oh! Aren't you. . . uh, uh"! Anyhow, Larry, Joyce, Ron and I had a nice conversation with them.

 Joyce, Larry, Ron and me.

As we sipped our wine and chatted, the lady sitting at the next table interrupted us and asked where we lived in Bedford County, VA! Small world--she was from Altavista, VA, a small town about 25 miles from us!

 

 This was one of our entrees.

The Three Chimneys was an interesting restaurant, and the service and staff were excellent. But you know what I liked the most? The toilet! I had never seen a square toilet, so I hurried back to the table, grabbed my trusty camera, and took this shot in the bathroom. I've never taken a picture of a toilet before.

 Both the seat AND the bowl are square! 

Again, an example of  Scot ingenuity!

The next SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER post will continue at a later date.

SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER: More Pictures of Glengorm Castle

 As I mentioned in my previous Scotland blog, Glengorm Castle with its 5,000 acres is one of my favorite places, so I couldn't resist showing you more of the many pictures I took. Hope you like them. Be sure to click on each picture to enlarge. 

The first three pictures were taken through our bathroom window. The Atlantic Ocean is in the background.

The view from our bedroom window wasn't bad, either! The picture below looks out on the front lawn and the road leading to the castle.

The next shot also looks out over the Atlantic. Ron, Larry, Joyce and I wandered along this farm road that runs through fields where Blackface sheep and Highland cattle graze. Wish I could have ridden a horse here. 

The thistle (a weed) is one of the most identifiable symbols of Scotland, and is its national symbol. There are many species of thistle; I don't know which one this is (pictured below), but it grew abundantly. The legend is that centuries ago, Scot warriors were sleeping as a band of invading Vikings approached. All the Scots would have been killed in their sleep if a barefoot Viking had not stepped on a thistle. His scream saved the Scots. The one below was growing along the road in the picture above.

I really like Glengorm's front door. Click to enlarge to see the concrete rope over the entrance and a lantern attached to one of the knots. The castle is owned by a family with young children. Note the child's pink bicycle.

Another picture taken from the ocean side of the castle. Those little white dots on the green field are Blackface sheep. Highland cattle grazed with them.

Highland cattle fascinate me. Even though they are huge and have big horns, they are reported to be more docile than most other breeds of cattle. With their shaggy coats, they are able to survive some of the harshest environmental conditions in Scotland. I learned that the Royal family have Highlands at Balmoral Castle. I wanted to go wrap my arms around this one, but hubby didn't think that would be wise.

Okay, that does it for Glengorm Castle. I have enjoyed re-living the Glengorm experience through my blog. Hope you enjoyed it, too.

SCOTLAND IN SEPTEMBER: Tobemory and Glengorm Castle

We left Oban by ferry, crossed Loch Linnhe, docked at Craignure on the Isle of Mull, and motored in the rain along A848, which parallels the Sound of Mull. We stopped in the quaint coastal town of Tobemory where it was, well, you probably guessed it--still raining! Actually, it was pouring.Remember to click on pictures to enlarge.

Hungry, we ducked in the Mishdish for lunch. Their soup was splendid. (I said splendid because the Scots used the word often and I'm a Scot on my mother's side.) I remember saying the soup tasted so good that I could eat there again. And you know what? We did, but I'll tell you about that later.

View from inside the Mishdish. Note the raindrops 
on the window.

After filling our stomachs, we popped in many of the shops and an interesting museum that had information on the Ross family (my maternal grandfather's lineage).There is actually a type of rock called a Ross rock; I saw it in the museum.

We left Tobemory and headed down a one-track road to Glengorm Castle, four miles north of Tobemory. Larry stopped the car so I could snap a picture of the sheep below.

We saw lots of Blackface sheep like this one. 

The lavendar flower is heather, which grows wild in Scotland.

We rounded a curve and caught our first view of Glengorm Castle, where we spent the night.

I snapped this photo through the front windshield

from the back seat. Note the puddle in the road.

Construction of the castle began in 1850, was finished in 1863. The castle has passed through several owners, and is now owned by a family with small children. On the northernmost tip of the Isle of Mull, Glengorm Castle looks out over the Atlantic Ocean. Sometimes you can see the Outer Hebrides (a string of islands) 80 miles further north. Views from the castle are breathtaking.

Glengorm Castle and a tenant cottage. We walked 

from the castle to this spot where I took the picture.

Joyce, Larry and Ron on a trail. The Atlantic 

Ocean makes the perfect backdrop.

Ron, Larry, Joyce and I walked some of the moors and trails on this 5,000 acre estate. This was the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. I could live here except for one thing--I can't afford  a castle!

Another breath-taking view.

Still another view. Note the Blackface sheep grazing. 

Glengorm has about 750 breeding Blackface ewes. 

Also on the estate are Highland cattle.

A view of the Atlantic from the castle lawn.

Glengorm Castle again. If you click on the picture, 

you'll see heather growing atop the stone wall.

The castle doesn't serve supper, so they had a driver take us back to Tobermory--and the Mishdish. Joyce and I feasted on fresh-caught salmon. Ron and Larry chose mussels, which they said were splendid.

Ron enjoying his mussels.

After dinner, we returned to Glengorm and relaxed with a glass of wine in the room below. Guests have full use of the main hall, library and dining room. This room was off the main hall, and came with a chair-loving lap-friendly dog.

 

 

I hated to leave Glengorm Castle, could have stayed there a week, but the Isle of Skye beckoned. I'd like to return to Glengorm one day, stay for a month, soak in the culture and the ambience, work on a book. Who knows? Maybe I will.