Friday 25 June 2010

Blair Castle Part 1

On Wednesday last week we visited Blair Castle.  We started with a walk on the Estate which took us past the farm and through the forest.  The views were nothing spectacular, so I'll not share them with you.

Three times each day, a piper plays outside Blair Castle, always good for  a photo opporunity!

There was also a peacock wandering around also posing for photographs. However, no photographs could be taken inside the castle.


This huge tree is in 'Diana's Grove' 

"Diana’s Grove, a tranquil wooded area adjacent to the castle affords a unique opportunity to enjoy some of the county’s finest and tallest trees in a space of just two acres. It is also the home of a Grand Fir, the UK’s second tallest tree at 62.70 metres."




We passed the ruins of St Bride’s Kirk " which has its ancient origins in Celtic times. After the nearby Battle of Killiecrankie in 1689, the Kirk became the resting place for the remains of Viscount Dundee, (John Graham of Claverhouse, known as Bonnie Dundee)."




"Hercules Garden is a stunning 9 acre walled garden recently restored to its original Georgian design. Named after the life-sized statue of Hercules which overlooks the garden, it incorporates landscaped ponds, a folly, a Chinese bridge and an impressive orchard of more than 100 fruit trees. The glory of this garden in summer are the herbaceous borders which run along the 275m south-facing wall."

The Hercules Garden was full of ducks and a pair of swans with a signet.  They were all very tame so it was possible to get up close for photographs.



More photos coming soon.

9 comments:

  1. georgous photos janice ;)

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  2. Keep them coming - loving them x

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  3. Well that's a shame they don't allow photos inside anymore. In '83 I took dozens. I was especially fond of the fellow framed in the stairwell with the crossed eyes. I thought at the time "Couldn't they have straightened them just a wee bit for his portrait? Would he have really known?"

    I stayed just down the road a bit in an old stone hotel. I recall cold rooms and cold brown water. A friend said the water was due to the peat bogs. My way of thinking is it was just rusty pipes, but, yeah, I'll give him a nod to the peat bogs.

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  4. Not only did you see so many beautiful sites, but you got lots of walking in too. That always helps when the dining is so delicious!

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  5. No, honestly the water is brown from the peat! One of the Forest Walks we went on had their own little set of 'conveniences' at the car park, beautifully clean I must say, and the water was brown and peaty.

    The guy with the crossed eyes is still hanging there and we thought much the same!

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  6. Fab photos Janice - looks beautiful...x

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  7. Castles, Peacocks, Bagpipes AND SWANS (I am SO drawn to them) ... be still my heart!
    What a perfect spot and lovely photos Janice!
    oxo

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  8. Great pics Janice - not sure I'd have got that close to a swan with a signet though!

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  9. I always liked to think that the guy with the crossed eyes was really just the cut-up in the family. I can hear him saying to the portrait artist "No really. Paint me like this. It'll kill my mother. She'll die laughing."

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