So, yesterday Janet and I went adventuring again! We didn't go all that far from Glasgow this time, actually. We've finally gotten organized enough to make a list of which ones might be paired on the far expeditions, and which ones are close enough for a relatively quick jaunt. So, off we went to Craignethan Castle with several options of where to head next.The countryside was lovely--hilly and full of woodlands and meadows (the latter mostly grazing land of course). The road up to the castle is a bit tricky and narrow so be warned! The lady who worked the desk/office/shop (caretaker? what's the title for someone with the job of looking after the castle?) was very nice and had an adorable black and white kitty. She actually gets to live there! Well, in the 18th century house built into the corner of the outer courtyard, but still. How awesome! That would be an amazing job.
Every castle we've visited has been unique in some way. The official info on this castle could probably articulate it better than me. There was a deep ditch (two stories?) which then had places for people to come down from the castle and fire on anyone trying to approach along the ditch. What Janet and I found more interesting though, was the nice orange stone that covered many of the outdoor sections. We speculated that it probably once covered the whole inner courtyard. In the picture you can see the orange stone flooring the passage between the castle and the outer wall. The green ahead is the inner courtyard (with the outer courtyard just visible after the ditch) and you can see the green is higher than the stone work, so the grass has probably simply taken over.
As a note, the kitchens as they are now are highly inconvenient. There is a serving hatch on the right level, but to get in and out (barring crawling through the serving hatch) you have to go down to the cellars, through them to the far side and then come up the stairs into the entry hall. But we were told there used to be other doors that have since been filled in, so the original architect was not as cruel to servants as we feared!
Next we headed to Chatelhault. This is the hunting lodge that is nearly all that remains of the grand Hamilton estate. Or rather, the grounds and avenue of trees still exist. But the grand stately mansion (18th? 19th? century) that once stood at the far side of the avenue was torn down early in the 20th century. Subsidence from the coal mining had badly damaged both buildings, but while the main house was demolished the hunting lodge was later restored. It is very grand for a kennels and stables and hunting lodge, and also boasts a banqueting room! All decorated in the same light elegant but ornate style that the main house was likely to have been in. A wedding meant we could not actually go into the main rooms, but we saw the exhibit about the restoration and we wandered briskly and briefly through the drizzle to look at the gardens and outside. I loved the curly-cues of the hedges!The ruins of Cadzow castle are also on the estate and we wandered over to have a look even though Janet warned me there was not much to look at. Crossing the Avon gorge was pretty at least. But on the far side, the ruins of Cadzow castle are indeed unimpressive, made less so by the fencing and scaffolding keeping people out and walls up.
