Meanwhile... at the Welcome Break #3

Of course we also got up to some fun without the Don...

Last time we visited Scotland's Secret Bunker was with papa back on our first holiday to Elie in June 2010 when Shell Bay Caravan Park was our home for the weekend.

That's what the cuties looked like then, and I'm guessing we carried the buggy up and down all the stairs, so maybe we could have carried the Don this time too!

As the Cold War continued, many countries including Britain prepared themselves for the possibility of a nuclear attack. The Bunker was originally built as part of Britain's early warning radar chain known as 'ROTAR' and each station had a range of between 40 and 60 miles. As technology advanced and radar became more powerful, many of these stations were made redundant. This site was closed in the late 1950s and was mothballed two years later.

The Civil Defence Corps moved into the bunker in 1958 and staffed it as a regional seat of government until they disbanded in 1968. The bunker was then fully refurbished and the air treatment system given a massive overhaul. The bunker then took on the role of 'Central Government HQ for Scotland in the event of a nuclear war'.

Up to 300 personnel would have been housed in the bunker, 
including the Secretary and Minister of State for Scotland,
should there have been a nuclear war

In the event of a nuclear strike on the UK, the government would split up into various regions and carry on running the country from protected sites. They would then try and pick up the pieces and re-establish control of the country.

In 1992 the bunker was due for a multi-million pound face lift, though it never happened as a defence white paper was issued signalling the end of the Cold War.  This site was still in service in 1993 and the last 'war game' was held here in December of that year. It was then put up for sale in exactly the same way as a normal house. 

The boys were as interested in what was on top of the
ground as what was underneath it! This is a SAM 2
(surface to air missile).

As was papa back in 2009

We also made a stop at Kellie Castle, because can we really go on holiday without visiting at least one castle?! 

Originally a simple tower house, the lower section of what now constitutes the northwest tower is the older part of the castle, dating from around 1360.   In 1573 a new tower was built by the 4th Lord Oliphant to the east of the original tower, and between 1573 and 1606, the two towers were linked by a new range, which also ended with a tower in the south-west creating a T-shaped layout the remains today. It's rather higgelty piggelty, but apparently a fine example of Scots Baronial domestic architecture, with many imposing gables, corbelled towers and chimneys. 

The castle remained in the ownership of the Oliphant family until 1613, when it was purchased by Sir Thomas Erskine. Erskine saved the life of King James VI, who stayed at Kellie in 1617 during his only visit to Scotland after the Union of the Crowns, and he appointed Erskine as Earl of Kellie in 1619.

The castle was abandoned in 1830, and in 1878 was rented from the Earl of Mar and Kellie by James Lorimer, Regius Professor of Public Law at Edinburgh University, and father to Sir Robert Lorimer, the renowned Scottish architect.   As tenants, the Lorimer family set about restoring the castle for use as a holiday retreat, but it soon became the family home. Robert Lorimer was instrumental in much of the restoration work, restoring magnificent plaster ceilings, painted panelling and furniture. 

The 'new range' linking the old and 
new towers

The oldest part of the castle, and the 
original tower, is on the right

The kids also enjoyed the flumes greatly at Leven pool, a place I think we also last visited in 2009, and after a trip to McDonalds and the largest strawberry tart I've ever seen or eaten at Castleton, we eventually had to return home and start the new term. 

Not an exotic or hot holiday which is what we all really wanted (not that we'd planned anything pre-injury, just kicked ideas about), but I did get through three books, so it was a very relaxing and successful holiday none the less!