Today we took a visit to the site of Craignethan Castle, maintained by Historic Scotland. The last few miles to the castle are interesting and quite narrow in areas, so caution is advised while travelling on these roads. HISTORY OF THE CASTLE Built in the first half of the 16th century, Craignethan is recognised as an excellent early example of a sophisticated artillery fortification, although its defences were never fully tested. Built by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (illigitamate ) eldest son of the 1st Earl of Arron. Living abroad he gained architecture and fortification knowledge. After the death of his father he took over the running of his family affairs. Finnart supervised the building of Linlithgow Palace, Blackness Castle and Stirling Castle, though his personal architecture inspirations is most clear at Craignethan, with its fortification building styles. A known friend to King James V, James V was entertained at Craignethan Castle at Finnarts daughter was married, Finnart fell from royal favour and was executed in 1540 on suspicion of plotting against the king. After his death Finnarts half brother and ligitimate son took over became Lord of Craignethan. The Hamilton family were beleived to be supporters of Mary Queen of Scots and even after her abdication in 1567. the fa,ily sheltered her at the castle before her defeat in 1568. In 1579 the castle was destroyed as the 3rd Earl of Arran and family fled into exile, The castles is said to be Sir Walters Scotts inspiration for Tillietudlem Castle however this was denied by Scott. Prices and opening times
Admission Member/Explorer Pass holder: FREE Adult: £5.00 Child aged 5–15: £3.00 Child under 5: FREE Concession: £4.00 Open 1 April to 30 September: Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm Last entry 5pm Monument may close for lunch. Closed 1 October to 31 March
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Armed with our National Trust for Scotland passes we drove to Stirling and the home of the Battle of Bannochburn visitor centre. This is a highly interactive 3D experience, the staff are friendly and we highly recommend booking a time slot for the tour. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BATTLE 24th June 1314 Scotland won a significant battle at the site of Bannockburn in the First War of Scottish Independance. The Scottish Army led by King Robert the Bruce was outnumbered two to one and the English were not only stronger in number but were better equipped than most of the Scottish Army. Led by King Edward II. The strong hold of Stirling was at the heart of this infamous battle. King Edward II fled to safety as his army fell to the Scottish onslaught THE EXPERIENCE Using 3D glasses you are taken in and watch the reasoning from both sides for the battle, after the short animations you walk into the main room where your guide will talk to you about the run up to the battle, looking at people, weaponary and tactics. You are then invited to explore the interactive exhibition allowing you to get hands on weaponary and meet some historical characters while preparing to take part in an electronic tabletop battle reenactment . Will you choose the Cowards Gallery or do you dare compare your military tactics against how the origiinal battle unfolded. Due to the nature of this exhibition we did not take many photographs but was enjoyed by all. Opening TimesThe Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre: March-October 10am-5.30pm daily (last admission to exhibition 4pm) November-March 10am-5pm daily (last admission to exhibition 3.15pm) Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, and 2nd January. Grounds: open daily, dawn till dusk. Ticket prices Adult £11.50 Child/concession £8.50 Family (2 adults and up to 4 children) £30.50 One parent family (1 adult and up to 4 children) £25.50 Booking fee applies. National Trust for Scotland members FREE Groups of 12 or more, please call 01786 812 664 (Monday - Sunday) to receive the group discount rate of £8.50 per person. Entry is by pre-booked time slots. Doune Castle, Doune, Stirlingshire. Approximately 8 miles from Stirling on the A84 you will find the very pretty village of Doune. This is where you will find Doune Castle. The castle and grounds are looked after by Historic Scotland. The Castle has become a popular tourist spot due to the filiming of the Outlander series although the castle has been a iconic feature in previous filiming most famously Monty Pythons Holy Grail in 1974. Terry Jones (Monty Python) narrates the audio-guide that you can pick up in the gift shop, Explore the castle in whatever way you like, number referneces for the audio-guide are clearly marked in each location, aswell as the historical insights to the Castle you are able to hear additional information regarding filming and snip bits from Monty Python and or Outlander (voiced by Sam Heughan, Jamie Fraser Outlander). With all these historical buildings there is occasional areas where due to preservation work you will not be able to access and there may be scaffolding in and around these buildings, this will give you and excuse for a return visit. A BRIEF HISTORY OF DOUNE CASTLE The research into the Castles history would date this stronghold to the 13th centuary, although thought to have been damaged in the First Wars of Independence. Rebuilt in it's present form in the 14th Centuary by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany before being passed over to the crown in 1425. In the 16th centuary the Castle was then gifted to the Earls of Moray. The castle has seen it's fair share of military action through the years including that of the late Jacobite rising. By the 1800 the castle was in ruins and with minor restorations until the 20th centuary where it is now maintained and cared for by Historic Scotland. Admission Member/Explorer Pass holder: FREE Adult: £6.00 Child aged 5–15: £3.60 Child under 5: FREE Concession: £4.80 Open 1 April to 30 September: Daily, 9.30am to 5.30pm Last entry 5pm 1 October to 31 March: Daily, 10am to 4pm Last entry 3.30pm Closed 25 and 26 December 1 and 2 January Unexpected closures Adverse weather or other reasons beyond our control may cause a site to close at short notice. Today we took a trip to the Scottish Crannog Centre, Kenmore, Loch Tay, Scotland. This is the site of a reconstrution Crannog which was built 21 years ago based on the Oakbank Crannog located off the village of Fearnan where archeologists have been excavating. For those of you who do not know what a Crannog is, It is round house built on the water close to the shore. The remains of these can be seen in and around the shore of Scotland, Ireland and one in Walse, however many Crannogs are still being discovered every day. Reconstruction Crannog and the remains of a Crannog pictured below INFORMATION ON VISITING THE CRANNOG
Opening Times Friday 30th March to Tuesday 30th October - 10.00am to 5.30pm Wednesday 31st October - 10.00am to 4.30pm Standard Admissions Adults-£10.00 Seniors-£9.00 Children-£7.00 (aged 5-16) Students-£9.00 (17 and over) Families-from £32.00 (2+2) The admission price includes a visit around the museum, out onto the Crannog, working history tour and a chance to get hands on and try fire starting, wool spinning and wood turning. The experience can take approximately two hours, however there is no rush to leave after your tour. The Crannog hosts a number of special events throughout the year where the prices and times will alter. Check out the Crannog website for lots more information about the Museum: http://www.crannog.co.uk We had such a great time exploring the Crannog and look forward to a return visit in the near future. Here are a few photos from our time at the Crannog, |
Alistair and Ffyona's TravelsOur adventure blog, little bit of history, our recommendations and a few photos... Archives
January 2019
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