Today we drove from Aviemore down to Glasgow and stopped off at a few Castles along the way. Blair Atholl Castle was recommended to us by a family member so we stopped to check it out.
I didn't get a picture out the front because it was raining... but here is one I prepared earlier:
Blair Castle dates from 1269 with many extentions through the ages. The castle is very oppulently appointed with antiquities from various times in Scotland, with a fair few from the Jacobites. I'm not sure that you were allowed to take photos inside, but i just couldn't resist snapping a few of the grander rooms... oops.
The entrance hall was decorated with guns, and by decorated- I mean hundreds of guns arranged in swirling patterns all around the extremely high walls with swords to break it up a little. I wasn’t able to get a photo of this- as there were people milling around, but if you are really interested click here http://www.flickr.com/photos/drewsouthcott/4426388273/ to see someone else's photos
The photo below is in a large staircase heaving with portraits of ancestors. But the ceiling was very intricate and Graham was particulalry impressed.
The castle was very well laid out and you followed a sort of path around through many beautiful rooms crammed with furniture and art work. Everything had been lovingly restored and laid out for your viewing pleasure. Below was one of the grand lounge rooms.
In one of the rooms, you walked in and it was similar to the above room, however there were perhaps twenty or so stuffed birds. Something caught my eye on the birds head... it was a turban. A tiny bird sized turban with jewel bright colours and feathers. I took a closer look and every single bird in the room was wearing a tiny little turban! Bizzare! And no mention was made of this oddity.
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| Oh hey Rodney- nice hat bro |
There was also a rabbit in the room that Graham pointed out, but the rabbit didn't get a turban... it got a sparkly pink top hat.
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| Edward wishes he could have a top hat too, but Rabbit is very cruel and won't share |
WHAT THE?
After this strange little room, you meander through the bedrooms filled with lush beds resplendant in red with plumes of feathers to help you sleep.
And finally, and most excitingly (perhaps second only to the turban-ed birds) were three or four NARWHAL tusks decorating the staircase. They were very long and glowed with magical energy. (maybe not, but they were long)
And finally the one room I could take photos in, the lovely room of death, the ballroom.
Many many deers were harmed in the making of this ballroom. Enjoy your feasting!
After Blair Atholl we drove up to Stirling Castle in the midst of lots of rain and wind. It was a rather pricy entry fee and the whole thing had been restored by the Historical Trust of Scotland back to its true form and colour. I will sum up the castle visit in saying that it was very confusing. It seemed that a lot of money had been spent on some things and it looked like they had run out of money for basic furnishings and what not. Some things were excellent and some really not so. The tour guide was great and really informative, but after seeing Blair Castle it seemed like a bit of an empty shell. I did take a few photos of the one or two rooms that were actually furnished. The one below is the queens bedroom.
One of the royal chambers
The only original bit of the outside- the prince's walk.
I would say it was worth the visit, in that you get to see what the colours would have looked like back in the 1700's, but they aren't to modern day tastes! The great hall was about the size of a large school hall and was done up lovely with draping and windows, but there was only one lonesome table and two chairs in the entire room. I didnt really take any pictures as i wasn't entranced by what i saw. Never mind though, there was lots of information for once.
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