Burns Grace at Kirkcudbright

Twenty miles west of Dumfries and two miles west of Castle Douglas sits an impressive tower on a small river island - the River Dee no less!  Built in the late 14th century Threave Castle became a principle stronghold of the Black Douglases, including the excellently named Archibald the Grim.  The castle is now basically a shell, having been badly damaged  by the Covenanters in the 1640s.  After a 15 minute walk through fields to the ferry-landing, the best bit was ringing the bell for the custodian to row over to pick us up.  Apparently he crosses the river around 2,000 per season.

Threve comes from Tref - old Welsh for 'the homestead'.  The island
may have been inhabited as early as the 600s.

As well as an imposing tower house, it is likely that Archibald's home
boasted a chapel, guest accommodation and a hall block for
entertaining.  Beyond the walls, a busy settlement flourished,
with more than 100 people living and working on the island.

William, 8th Earl of Douglas had been at the forefront of European
military thinking.  Around 1447, knowing Threave was at risk,
he had commissioned one of the first purpose-built gun defenses
in Scotland.

Inside one of the corner gun defenses

This great vaulted chamber was split into two
levels by a wooden floor.  At ground level were
cellars, the well and a prison chamber.

Above were the kitchen, with its arched fireplace
you can see above, and the reception hall.

Because of two peregrine falcons nesting in the roof, the top three floors of the castle have been closed to visitors for the last few years, which was a bit of a shame.  A couple of hundred meters up the river though was a lookout for some nesting ospreys.  Apparently last year the mum had four chicks (which grow to about a foot each) and the nest was more than seven feet deep.

Mummy Osprey, by Lightning through a telescopic camera

After lunch and a barefoot paddle and play on the beach (for the kids at least; the Don and I relaxed happily and warmly in the car!) we continued further west to Kirkcudbright, a beautiful little village at the mouth of the Dee with excellent cheese scones and MacLellans Castle.

As early as the 1200s there is evidence of the MacLellan, or McLelland, family in Galloway.  Their ancient family name boosted their influence and by the 1400s they had made their fortune.  The castle, near the harbour, is a large, atmospheric ruin built in 1577 by Thomas MacLellan, then provost of Kirkcudbright (pronounced kirk-coo-bree) as his town residence.  When James VI visited here in 1587 it was a true indication that they had 'arrived'.

Robert MacLellan became provost of Kirkcudbright in 1607 when he was only 15 years old.  Later in life he was made 1st Lord of Kircudbright.  His good fortune was not to last, however, as he squandered his wealth and died in debt in 1639.

Sadly tower number 2 was also un-visitable and was covered in scaffolding
 - seems to be a theme for HS around Galloway at the moment!

The main entrance to the castle and main access
to the Laird's principal apartment on the
first floor.  There are two other sets of back
stairs for domestic staff.

A set of the servant's stairs

Thomas MacLellan was determined to make an
impact, and this great hall was his stage.
Here, he displayed his finest possessions
to show off his fortune and status.

The Great Hall as it may have looked in the late 1500s.  The walls
would have been covered with thick tapestries for warmth.
A laird's lug was also hidden in the corner of the fireplace,
which allowed the laird or his steward to eavesdrop on the diners
in the hall from a hidden chamber beyond.

The weathered amorial panel above the main door (a the bottom
of the picture) was designed to proclaim the family's importance.
It once displayed striking, beautifully painted symbols.

And all that was left after that was to feast on some more ice cream.  Holidays are h-a-r-d.