This weekend away was exactly what we needed to rekindle the excitement we had had for coming to live here in Scotland and Europe. Because of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and Edinburgh we opted out of the major tourist attractions and went south. Caerlaverock Castle, near Dumfries, was having a Medieval Mayhem event and we all had so much fun!
This was really a perfect first castle visit. The castle itself is a ruins with wonderful winding staircases that lead to nowhere, remains of the great hall and a real moat. Exploring all of the passages and stairways was a blast and there aren't any stern faced employees telling you not to climb the walls or not to touch- we were free to explore as we pleased.
I loved looking up and seeing the vertical rows of fireplaces where rooms would have been or walking up a staircase only to have it end in crumbles, never being able to reach its long ago intended destination. It is so intriguing to think of what it was like for people to have truly lived in these cold, dark places.
The Medieval Mayhem was lots of fun; with old children's games, sword fighting lessons and a battle between the English and Scots ( with the Scots in victory of course,) crossbows, and traditional bows and arrows to shoot, steep hills to roll down, an adventure playground! Logan, Jude, and Arden insisted on wearing their dress-ups and fit right in.
We drove further south and into England that evening, as we were going to explore the Lake District the next day. We found a great pub, Strawberry, near our hotel that was warm and kid friendly and satisfyingly yummy. Sharing three scrumptious desserts together was a perfect end to the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment