The Crowning Place

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Dunnottar Castle

A short drive south of Aberdeen sits this impressive cliff-top ruin and world-renowned tourist attraction.

Evidence of Picts living on the sea stack of Dunnicaer, just north of where the Castle is situated today, has been found by archaeologists. Carbon dating shows this to be the oldest Pictish fort ever discovered.

It is not known exactly how long ago the site was originally inhabited; it is believed that the Picts established it between 5,000 BC and 700 AD.

Dun is the Pictish word meaning “place of strength” or “fort.” The word Dunnottar, originally “Dun Fother,” probably meant “Fort in the low country” as the castle lies in the Mearns, the lands to the east of the Grampian Highlands between Montrose and Stonehaven.

After the invasion of Scotland by English forces, **William Wallace** attacked an English garrison at Dunnottar, taking it back under Scottish control. Legend has it that Wallace showed no mercy to the soldiers and set fire to the Chapel where they had taken refuge, condemning all inside to a terrible death. Others were driven over the cliff edges, with no survivors.

I promise I took these last two photos, but seeing it here…it doesn’t look real.
**Mary Queen of Scots** visited the Castle in 1562, returning two years later and spending two nights there in September 1564.

In 1593, a captured lion was brought to the castle and housed in what is now known as **The Lion’s Den**.

During the war between Scotland, England, and Ireland in the mid-1640s, known as the War of Three Kingdoms, sometimes known as the British Civil Wars, King Charles II was a guest of the 7th Earl Marischal.

The young King’s arrival to Scotland prompted an invasion by the Parliamentary Army, led by Oliver Cromwell.
Dunnottar Castle played a vital role in the safekeeping of the **Honours of Scotland** (the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain).

Glamis Castle

Glamis Castle was the childhood home of the late Queen Mother (the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother and wife of King George VI).

The late Princess Margaret was born here. After her sister Elizabeth was born in London, The Queen Mother made certain her second daughter was born at her childhood home.

We were not permitted to photograph inside the castle, but we both agreed, of the many castles on offer to visit in England and Scotland, Glamis is certain one of the more memorable and we highly recommend a visit.

Just one fascinating teaser: just inside what was originally the front door to the old castle, instead of a “coat check” or “cloakroom,” there is a “weapons check” closet where you had to leave your weapons upon entering the castle. Pretty cool!

A cute childhood picture of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Princess Margaret.

Balass House, Cupar, Scotland

We stayed in the Hayshed Cottage at Balass House. Two surprises: we were not the only rental on the property and the place was much smaller than we thought. The neighbors lived outside until 11:30 each night, so that was a bit annoying, we were tripping over ourselves in the compact space, and the bed was a double or possibly a small double. 😢 It was nicely cared for, we’re just getting less tolerant after 9 months of sleeping in unfamiliar spaces.

Take a quick video tour here (and I do mean quick, because this place is tiny!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r-GgwtllDk

Scone Palace

Scone was an ancient gathering place of the Picts, and was probably the site of an early Christian church.

It became the Crowning Place of Scottish Kings and the original home of the Stone of Scone.

It is not known why exactly the area is called "Scone" (pronounced "Scoon" like spoon).

Lots of peacocks, including a white peacock, roamed the palace grounds.

The place of coronation was called Caislean Credi (Hill of Credulity), which survives as the present **Moot Hill**.

Moot Hill has been the site of enthronements (Crowning Place) of the Kings of Scots and of Scottish Parliaments since at least the early 13th century.

In early medieval Britain, hills or mounds were often used for "moots” or meetings of local people to settle local business, thus the name.

The mound is said to have been formed by Lords carrying earth in their boots. After swearing loyalty to their King on their own land, they deposited the soil to create the mound as we see it today. ( Hmm, 🤔 that’s a whole lot of boot dirt, wouldn’t you say?!)

Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone in 1306 and the last coronation at Scone was of Charles II, when he accepted the Scottish crown in 1651.

A replica of how the Stone of Scone would have looked back in 1296.
When **Edward I** of England invaded the palace in 1296, the Stone of Scone was removed and taken to Westminster Abbey in London, so that it could be used in future coronations, to symbolize that the monarch reigned over both England and Scotland.

All hail King Stephen!
These days, when not being used for a coronation, the Stone of Scone resides in Edinburgh Castle. We were extremely fortunate to see the actual stone at the Castle back in December with Pam.
However, the people of Scotland voted and the Stone is scheduled to be moved to a new bespoke exhibition space at the Perth City Hall—very near it’s original home at Scone Palace.

But is it the original stone? There is significant evidence to suggest the stone removed by Edward I was not the original Stone of Scone.

Did they know Edward was invading and replace the real stone with a fake? If that is the case, then the original stone is yet to be discovered and remains one of Scotland’s most enduring mysteries. Either way, the existing stone is now on its way to being 800 years old!

The **Coronation Chair** was made in 1300–01 at the request of Edward I and was intended to enclose the Stone of Scone.

The Coronation Chair was featured in the 1308 coronation of Edward II; however, it is unclear if the Coronation Chair was part of the actual crowning.

It is known that in 1399 Henry I was crowned while sitting in the chair. Since then, almost every British monarch has sat on the chair during the investiture portion of the ceremony (when the king or queen receives the regalia and is crowned).

Some 727 years after Edward I removed the Stone of Scone from Scotland, King Charles III sat in the Coronation Chair above the same stone on May 6, 2023.

When not being used in coronations, the chair is on display at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. It had already been removed when we visited, in preparation for Charles III’s coronation—but we think my sister Debbie spotted it in the Triforium of Westminster Cathedral during our tour in March 2023.

The Chair itself has survived against the odds—initially it was little more than a trophy case, housed in the monastery in the care of the monks.

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries (1536-40) and plundered their wealth, Westminster Abbey fared better than most. The Chair later survived the depredations of Westminster School boys who carved their names on it and the Victorians who painted the Chair brown.

The old **Mercat Cross** where the town once held market. That is until the king felt the city was just too close to his palace and had the entire city moved down the road to its present day location. Ah, it’s good to be king!

St Andrews

St Andrews is sometimes referred as the City by the Northern Sea.

It is also called the Home of Golf because it was at St Andrews in the 15th century that the game was invented.

St Andrews is also home to the famous running-on-the-beach scene from the 1981 film **Chariots of Fire**, which was filmed here on West Sands beach, alongside the western border of the famous **Jubilee Course**.

The St Andrews Links Clubhouse & Tom Morris Bar & Grill in the background.

The iconic and storied 18-hole **Old Course**, founded in the early 15th century.

Before Chariots of Fire, before the Jubilee Course, and even before the Old Course—St Andrews was called the **Pilgrim Kingdom**.

Tradition claims that **St Andrew** was martyred and buried in Patras, Greece. Later most of his relics were transferred to the city of Constantinople and a small portion to Scotland.

Within Scotland the relics of St Andrew have played a particularly pivotal role. Tradition claims that they first entered into the annals of Scottish history in the 4th century when they were brought to Scotland by the legendary Bishop of Patras, St Regulus.

It is said that this bishop was warned in a dream by an angel that the safety of the relics were in jeopardy. He then set sail from Greece for the farthest western edges of the known world in order to protect the relics.

Just off the coast of Scotland his voyage met with shipwreck and he was forced to come ashore at what is now the town of St Andrews.

Despite this ancient tradition and the great historical influence that the relics of St Andrew have had upon the Scottish people—the original relics met a tragic fate on June 14, 1559, when they were destroyed by supporters of the Scottish Reformation.

One more reason to have that dirty Oliver Cromwell’s statue removed from in front of the Palace of Westminster in London!

For hundreds of years pilgrims have journeyed across Fife to the sacred site of St Andrews. As the resting place of the bones of one of Jesus's disciples, the town had equal status to Santiago de Compostela, Spain and was one of the main pilgrim destinations in Medieval Europe.

The steady stream of pilgrims who travelled to St Andrews in search of salvation, healing, and adventure, shaped the landscape of Fife. Today, the Fife Pilgrim Way follows one of the main routes to Scotland's answer to Jerusalem—St Andrews.

Once awash with light, color, and lavish decoration, the church above would have filled even the most seasoned pilgrims with awe. In fact, many of the buildings that offered pilgrims places to rest or pray survive to this day.

Interesting: the $ symbol for the USD came from a Brit!

Google Hamish, or scan the QR code, if you’re interested.

The Swilcan Bridge

The bridge spans the Swilcan Burn between the first and eighteenth fairways on the Old Course, and has become an important image in the sport of golf.

It is customary for champions of golf to publicly show some sort of homage or respect to the structure.
For example, in early July 2010 at The Open Championship, Tom Watson was photographed kissing the bridge.
At the 2005 Open Championship, Jack Nicklaus gave his final farewell to professional golf while standing on the bridge

Niblick Road

For over 23 years we’ve been driving down Niblick Road in Paso Robles without any idea why they gave such a major thoroughfare such a strange name.

It turns out the first golf clubs were called niblicks. They had wood shafts and small, wood clubheads with a spooned face: the face of the club was concave—literally, shaped like a spoon. These were most common prior to the mid-1800s.

It is these niblicks that give the club its name. The term niblick derives from Scottish Gaelic and is a diminutive form of "nib," meaning "nose." So niblick loosely translates to "short-nosed."

And now we know!

Lochleven Castle

What could be better than a castle built on an island? A castle on an island from which a famous prisoner escaped, of course.

An isolated island stronghold, Lochleven was visited by some of the best-known characters in Scottish history. Over many years the castle played the role of family home, safe house, and political prison.

Although an earlier castle existed on this site, the present five-storied tower dates from the 14th century and is one of the earliest known castles in Scotland.

William Wallace reputedly captured Lochleven for the Scots in the early 1300s.

Robert the Bruce stayed at Lochleven in 1313 and 1323, was the first to use the castle as a prison, and moved part of the royal treasury to the castle in 1329.

But probably the castle’s most notable visitor was Mary Queen of Scots, who came to Lochleven Castle four times—the first three as a guest and finally as a prisoner. Mary famously escaped from her island prison.

We’ve been on a lot of boats over the past few months, but this one looks mighty small. As the Scots would say, it’s a wee boat.
Which makes me think of the movie *Splash*, and Mr Fat Jack…and the little boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4_-SSjCYB8

It was a bit windy, which created some small swells…

…which made the ride in the little boat interesting.

Safely on shore and (mostly) dry.
Although strong and defensible, Lochleven Castle was also a functioning residence, home to the Douglas lairds who lived here with their families.

An artist's impression of how the castle may have looked during the 1560s, with the great hall and kitchen to the south of the tower house. (Remember the great hall for later.)
The island on which the castle sits used to be much. much smaller. Between 1826 and 1836 the loch was partially drained, so the island got bigger.

Built in about 1550, the **Glassin Tower** was a stylish modern extension, creating a more fashionable appearance for the castle.
It was here that Mary Queen of Scots was held during the initial weeks of her captivity. Sir William Douglas, her host on previous visits, now became her jailer.
The queen was pregnant when she arrived at Lochleven but soon suffered a miscarriage, finding that she had been carrying twins.
Still in her sickbed, Mary was forced to abdicate the throne. She was then moved to the “great, gloomy tower” across the courtyard (the tower house).

The ground floor chamber where Mary Queen of Scots was likely taken on arrival in 1567.
She temporarily resided in the floor directly above the ground floor where Amanda is standing.

The spiral stairs down to lower floors where the workers went out their duties in running the household.

Upstairs to where the laird and his family lived and to where Mary resided directly below the family chamber.

Standing on a small mezzanine where Mary’s room once was (you have to image a wooden floor running the full length of the room).

An artist’s impression of Mary’s room (#1).

This window probably served as an oratory, where Mary worshipped while imprisoned (see drawing above).

Here’s me standing next to all that remains of the south wall of the great hall (you can scroll back up to the drawing showing the great hall).

While visiting the castle, Mary Queen of Scots received the Protestant preacher John Knox in the great hall. They have a heated debate about whether Catholicism should be tolerated in Scotland.

On July 29, 1567, the laird of Lochleven is said to have celebrated the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots one-year-old son, James VI. He apparently fired the guns and lit bonfires in the courtyard, singing and dancing in the garden while his captive, the deposed queen, was taunted by members of the household. (What a jerk!)

The Escape

After only a year of captivity, on May 2, 1568, Mary escaped with help from the laird's brother, George Douglas, and a young orphan called Willie Douglas, who had apparently lived at Lochleven since birth.

Through an elaborate plan of decoys, disguise, and secret signals, the queen made it back to shore and rode off with the laird's horses.

Young Willie Douglas became attached to Mary while she was in captivity and was rewarded with gold coins for smuggling her letters. He was vital to the escape, creating a smokescreen in the form of a May Day pageant and nailing boats to the shore so that Mary's captors could not give chase.