Day 7 Glasgow to Dumfries
Sunday October 26th
Castles in Rainstorms
Glasgow was our shortest stay for sure, which was unfortunate. I’d loved to have spent a few days at least. The weather had changed since leaving Skye, now down right stormy. Which was perfect. I was hoping for some moody weather. We had each brought rain jackets and boots, and the temperatures were still mild enough that we weren’t cold. We departed Crossbasket after a beautifully prepared eggs benedict, chocolate croissants, pot of tea, fresh fruit and mimosas (thanks Michael!).
We departed Glasgow and headed southwest to Dunure, to the castle ruins on the edge of a rocky promenade, overlooking a boiling sea. The castle has been in ruins since the mid 17th century, slowly falling into ocean below. We went for a short walk through Dunure and I picked up a couple little locally made gifts, Harris tweed zippered pouches made from recycled fabrics. Very cute and easy to pack. The weather was atrocious and it was raining buckets. Our jeans were soaked.
We arrived shortly after at Culzean Castle, (pronounced cull-ane) the grounds – an impeccable fairytale where you can step into a literal Disney-esque dream. It would’ve been the bees knees if the torrential downpour didn’t soak us to the core and we were blessed with a rainbow or two. Alas, parking was a ways away.
The castle, which sits within a 240 acre estate, was built/ renovated between 1777-1792. As you enter you are faced with one of the largest collections of military flintlock pistols in the world. In a great dining hall, fully set, there is a menu for the Christmas dinner of 1868. As you meander through opulent sitting rooms, up the grand staircase to well appointed apartments adorned with massive oil paintings. Each filled with treasures and artifacts, stories of those that once called the castle home. Faint steps of the 7 rumoured ghosts haunt the halls and shadows.
The castle boasts a beautifully preserved Georgian kitchen, adorned with polished copper pots & pans and wood fired stoves. The old kitchen was in use for nearly 100 years, hosting meals in sheer excess. Historical records dating back to the late 19th century, with everything accounted for, from cases of wine to rabbits. During one Christmas week, 21 people consumed 96lbs of beef, 87lbs of mutton, 5 turkeys, and 171 eggs. The cellars beneath the kitchen connect to the sea caves on the shore, a labyrinth used to store smuggled contraband goods, spirits, wines tobacco and tea at one point – mostly in the mid 1700’s. Later used more so for storage and convenience.
It was still very stormy on our departure, so we didn’t take in the grounds or head to the shore to see the gated up cave entrances. We left around 1:30, stopping for a late lunch, the weather rained itself out momentarily as we cruised along the coast. We then turned inland and popped through some very adorable small towns, character maxing. Desirable to say the least.
Narrow roads and rolling hills, we scooted along until reaching Dumfries at 4:30 to a very deserted hotel. Not a soul to be seen, locked up, an old amazon package at the side door and no one answering the phone. Strange. We made some last arrangements and stayed closer to town, within walking distance to a pub where we indulged in some fried haggis and watched the footy game. Some inebriated older Scottish gentlemen bough us drinks are were generally harmless, one had a dog inside so they couldn’tve of been that bad. All in all, entertaining. We had a bit of a disrupted night, with some sort of terrible alarm going off outside our door, which I informed hotel staff of but she seemed keen on not caring. She gave me the code to silence it, but that only worked for a period of time, a bummer.
