When nosotros entered the gift store beside the ruined cathedral inwards St Andrews , the attendant assured us nosotros should come upwards dorsum inwards the afternoon when the fog had lifted for 'a ameliorate view'. How naive.
We are currently sitting inwards the café beside the Beatrix Potter Exhibition , which is beautiful together with everything a Peter Rabbit-loving kid could promise for. There is greater multifariousness at the café , but inwards the exhibition itself nosotros were the only people introduce aged betwixt 7 together with 70. That’s a floor for tomorrow (or the side past times side fourth dimension I take away maintain internet).
I’ll start amongst Mon , the twenty-four hours earlier yesterday. We woke upwards quite early on together with left from our room inwards Cupar. The menage unit of measurement nosotros stayed amongst set out a lovely breakfast , including enough of blueberries , chocolate croissants (needless to tell I’ve been not-very-vegan on this trip) together with delicious corn bread. They joked that they’d exercise “anything for a goodness review” nigh v times. It wasn’t a joke. They went inwards a higher house together with beyond (not complaining though).
From at that spot nosotros headed from vivid together with sunny Cupar to St Andrews , where the fog was then thick y'all couldn’t view its famed seaside. Its ruined cathedral poked upwards together with out of the mist which brutal on the tombstones inwards front end of us. Totally creepy. It was however early on , then at that spot were really few people wandering roughly the (probably haunted) graveyard. Nicholas insisted on scooping pennies out of a (probably haunted) good , together with I insisted that I wouldn’t exorcise him later. In the gift store nosotros picked upwards a few postcards (which are our weakness , though none take away maintain made it dorsum abode yet) together with a re-create of a 1610 map amongst ocean monsters on it. This was the start to a really ocean monster-inspired twenty-four hours , equally I would hold upwards coming together a genuine ocean monster skillful for lunch.
A re-create of the map. It looks similar I'll hold upwards returning to Commonwealth of Australia amongst souvenirs exclusively comprised of maps , ghost books together with postcards.
St Andrews is terrifying(ly cool!)
Despite merely having enough of breakfast , nosotros made our way to a bakery store called Fisher together with Donaldson (having been referred at that spot past times a local) together with ate some donuts. A few months agone , I contacted a lovely local Scot for some advice nigh where to visit. Her reply was a 31 page PDF of where to become , what to exercise together with which donuts to purchase. This was our get-go halt on Around Scotland inwards eighty Donuts. They were pretty good.
After nosotros had finished our donuts together with rose lemonade exterior Fisher together with Donaldson , Nicholas went to utilization a world loo. When he came dorsum , this crippled raven was sitting inwards a higher house my head. His oculus was completely covered over inwards some variety of scab. There were a lot of ravens inwards St Andrews.
At 12.30 prompt , I met the Doctor (who should in all likelihood remain nameless) who I had been inwards some e-mail contact amongst leading upwards to this trip. I had read some of his cloth , enjoyed the musical note he took when discussing scientific discipline together with ocean monsters (skeptical , yet non critical) together with had asked to meet. Needless to tell , all was a success. He at nowadays led me to the one-time zoological museum (one of the final of its variety , equally most were turned into to a greater extent than ‘useful’ rooms of study) , to verbalise over oarfish (a plausible explanation for ocean serpents) together with demo me a really well-preserved thylacine. We discussed skepticism , the Carte Marina , scientific discipline , how to assemble testify of ghost sightings together with , of class ocean monsters. I took him for a sandwich at a local café together with earlier he had to rush dorsum to beingness a professor of things-that-aren’t-sea-monsters , he hurriedly showed me a ceremonial mace of the academy – featuring a wild man.
I wore a t-shirt (double sided one) amongst this impress on it for my coming together amongst the professor. He liked it. I idea he would.
He mentioned that he was purpose of a squad cataloguing monsters throughout Europe together with it could hold upwards beneficial for them if I could locomote it into an exhibition I was holding. This sounds similar goodness intelligence to me , too! It agency I could take away maintain access to some cool reads together with hold upwards able to part their findings equally purpose of some variety of artwork. This makes me pretty excited.
While I met amongst the professor , Nicholas went together with sat past times the sea. While tourist photos volition demo clear H2O , colourful seaside shacks together with people eating H2O ice cream , Nicholas' photos are much better.
From St Andrews , nosotros started driving to Glamis together with constitute lodgings inwards a slightly creepy wood nearby. We slept surrounded past times mossy trees together with lots together with lots of birds. There were many pheasants roughly together with Nicholas enjoyed making fun of their featherbrained squawks together with fatty bellies wobbling equally they tried to flap away.
We woke upwards amongst the Sun (and to a greater extent than tweeting birds) together with set class for Glamis Castle – famous to some equally the abode of the Queen Mother , famous to me equally the setting for Macbeth. We were a chip early on for the opening , then drove a picayune way due north to a tiny state of war kirkyard that housed a Pictish carved stone. We saw on our map that nosotros were really closed to the childhood abode of JM Barrie , then nosotros drove fifty-fifty farther due north to take away maintain a poke around. The museum itself was currently closed for renovations , but nosotros looked through the windows at the gift store , spying all sorts of stuffed crocodiles together with pocketwatches together with illustrated Peter Pan books. Nicholas fiddled amongst a doorknob that turned out to hold upwards a bell , it rung , together with nosotros had to scamper away earlier nosotros were caught past times the one-time human renovating inside.
The morning time after our get-go nighttime camping
I don't know if I mentioned how construct novel our motorcar is , but it's pretty construct new. It had 17mi on it when nosotros picked it up. Here it is featuring inwards an exclusive promotion , directed past times Nicholas. This is where nosotros parked it overnight.
Nicholas made friends amongst this furry farm truthful cat (who clearly idea he'd constitute a long-lost brother) but he fled when he heard the shutter.
The birthplace of JM Barrie
A sadly dilapidated hotel , closed together with upwards for lease. I tried to convince Nicholas , but such a creepy exterior tin set 1 off. Nicholas was an event of this.
Glamis Castle was big , gaudy together with didn’t allow photos inside. There were multiple taxidermied bears , rhinoceros horns together with lots of tortoiseshell. It was really pretty strange. They only gave guided tours , in all likelihood to halt people nicking all the expensive silverware together with coveted (illegal) fauna parts. We had a wander through the grounds , having a chat to the Highland Coos who lived inwards the farmland past times the holding together with walking through the trees.
Glamis Castle equally y'all come upwards up the driveway
Glamis Castle from the gardens
From Glamis , nosotros were heading direct to some other palace - Scone Palace , where the kings of Scotland were crowned. We had seen the Stone of Destiny (a block of sandstone) inwards Edinburgh Castle , but they had a replica hither called the Stone of Scone that y'all could sit down on. I insisted on many photographs beingness taken of me ‘overseeing my kingdom’ but they’re all likewise embarrassing to post. Sorry.
We also made our way through the star-shaped hedgemaze piece nosotros were there. Nicholas made it out earlier I did , but I holler back he cheated together with looked at the picture. Apparently they had a Equus caballus at that spot , but nosotros didn’t view it. We did view the 2-week-old coo , though , which was named Princess Anna. “From Frozen ,” the immature guide told us.
Nicholas frolicking through the daffodils (I told y'all Scotland was covered inwards daffodils)
The hedge maze
Wandering through the hedge maze (getting lost , evidently)
Nicholas inwards the Pinetum at Scone Palace
We also saw lots together with lots of peacocks. While most signs advised staying away from the ‘temperamental’ peacocks , nosotros constitute vii of them sitting inwards a dilapidated graveyard , who weren’t likewise bothered past times us coming upwards closed for some pictures. They looked pretty metallic sitting on the gravestones (more metallic than the ravens at the Tower of London).
We drove from Scone dorsum upwards to Pitlochry , which is a chip of a line-fishing town. I tin view why people rave nigh its beauty inwards summertime , but it was especially chocolate-brown inwards boundary together with reminded me a chip of Australia. We constitute a cosy campsite on the border of a colina nigh a waterfall together with brutal asleep listening it (and later waking upwards desperate for a wee). We holler back nosotros powerfulness crusade upwards to the Cairngorms this evening instead of staying longer inwards Pitlochry (couple the brownery amongst unfriendly café service together with really picayune inwards the way of vegetarian foods , together with nosotros haven’t got much argue to stay). Apparently there’s however snowfall upwards inwards the Cairngorms – which nosotros are really , really unprepared for – then nosotros powerfulness selection upwards a spare sleeping pocketbook on the way. We realised after nosotros arrived inwards Scotland that my pocketbook wasn’t -5 marking warm , but really +5 , which does picayune to transcend along y'all toasty inwards truly freezing weather. That was a chip of an oversight.
This super cool peacock had no issues beingness upwards close. Scone Palace is currently having a photography contest , but I don't holler back our sugariness pics of peacocks napping on tombs is really what they're looking for. Their loss.
They also take away maintain an albino peacock!
This was sunset at our campsite final night. To the left y'all tin view the waterfall bubbling away.
