Aryshire

Our Scotland holiday began with a few days in Ayrvon the west coast, an area new to us. Staying on Craig Tara caravan park we were a little surprised by the shape of our caravan, a very strange sloping lounge roof. It was a comfortable stay but not the best Haven holiday we've had.

Settling in we enjoyed a couple of wines we had brought with us, perfect for our prawn starter and steak main. I do enjoy cooking and even on holiday I like a bit of wine pairing.

Ayr is the birthplace of Robert Burns, Scotland’s famous poet. Being English I taught Shakespeare in school and although I had heard of Robert Burns (we do have haggis every January) I knew very little of his work. 

We visited the Robert Burns Museum and the cottage he was born in .... and I fell in love with his writing. Full of Scottish dialect and old words I took great delight in realising their meaning and connection to English or other languages, I have always been fascinated in where words came from and how languages are intertwined. 

We walked to the Brig o Doon, a lovely little bridge that features in one of his poems. In Ayr we had a lovely meal in the Tam o'Shanter pub, named after his poem about fleeing on a horse. The straw sculptures at his cottage were great images of himself and Tam.

Having a while to wait for the returning bus we wandered into The Twa Dugs, a great whisky bar also named after a Robert Burns poem. There was such a choice of whisky, all with price labels that started at a reasonable couple of quid per dram to some whiskies being over £15 a dram... so much choice.

Hubby kept with the Ayr theme and tried Robert Burns whisky and I opted for Antiquary 12 year old. It was so smooth, I'm on the hunt now for a bottle as it was the nicest whisky I have had for a while.

Our Ayrshire holiday ended eith a visit to Dumfries House, owned by King Charles and offers learning and working opportunities for many trades. 

It was in a beautiful setting and was a stunning house with many fine pieces of furniture, Axminster carpets and delicate porcelain. No photographs can be taken in the house so the only way you'll see inside is to visit yourself, definitely recommended.

We had a lovely time in Ayrshire, I think our next visit to the west of Scotland will be touring the islands with their stunning mountains.

Carlisle

Carlisle was our stopover on a recent trip to Scotland which although drivable in a day we like to explore new places. 

Staying in the Ibis hotel once in our room we could have been back in France but we've never seen this on our travels across the water.

As members of English Heritage we visited Carlisle Castle which began life as a Roman Fort in AD72 used for troops invading Scotland.

In the 7th century the Kings of Northumbria sited an abbey in Carlisle and for half a century the fortress was a stronghold against the Scots until the crowns of England and Scotland were united in 1603.

The castle has had many royal occupants since William II in 1092 until it became under army control in the 1960s as the Border Regiment's headquarters.

The castle keep, a stone structure with towers and fortifications, was built by Henry I in the early 12th century. David I King of Scotland took over the castle and reinforced its walls. Henry II and King John both influenced how the castle grew in size and dominance.

Edward I was based here for three months during his fighting against the Scots in 1296. After this line stay the tower was built to provide better accommodation.

Carlisle has been the centre of fighting for centuries including a unsuccessful seige by Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland in 1315 after his victory at the Battle of Bannockburn. The War of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster and York was one of the bloodiest sieges in 1461.

With Scotland and France becoming a strong alliance Henry VIII reinforced the castle in the mid 16th century, and not long after Mary, Queen of Scots, lived in the castle at a huge cost in food and wine to Elizabeth I. The castle was not used as a residential palace again.

The Union of England and Scotland in 1603 in theory would make Carlisle Cadtle obsolete but it became a main part of the Civil War under the reign of Charles I in 1642 when the Parliamentarian army surrounded Carlisle with the plan to starve out the city. 1645 brought reinforcements as the English troops increased the pressure on the city and in June the city surrendered.

Still more trouble beseiged the castle during the second Jacobite rising when Prince Charles Edward Stuart captured Carlisle in 1745 as he travelled south. Having met resistance in the Midlands he returned to Scotland but left an army of over 400 at the castle to keep the English at bay. However this was not the case and several Jacobite soldiers were imprisoned and 31 publicly executed.

Quieter times then passed with the castle having needed repairs and defences increased including the addition of a drawbridge. Carlisle Castle became an important army barracks from the early 1820s which were extended in the 19th century when it became the headquarters of the Border Regiment. The Regiment moved out in 1959 and now English Heritage shares the site with many organisations including Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life.

Athelwold was the first Bishop of Carlisle when the church became a cathedral in the 1100s. Two friaries were founded in 1233 close to the cathedral which was refurbished a couple of hundred years later when Edward I held his parliament in Carlisle. 

Hey VIII was responsible for the Dissolution of the friaries and during the Civil War stones from the cathedral were used to reinforce the castle. The cathedral has many uses, including housing Jacobite prisoners, and hosting the marriage of Sir Walter Scott in 1797. It now houses a memorial chapel for the Border Regiment.

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We didn't have long to look around but the wooden carvings, screens, stained glass windows and painted ceiling were amazing. As were the painted panels on the back of the choir stalls. They depict the 12 Apostles, St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, St Anthony of Egypt and St Augustine of Hippo. The words are written in Anglo-Saxon and were painted in the late 1400s. 

After a great time exploring the castle and cathedral we rested our weary legs in the Coco Mill with two flights of beer. Our selections were (from left to right) Tropical Pale, Pinky Promise, Subway to Venus, Raspberry Ripple Screwball, Wylde Moon and Neck Oil, a great way to try them all.

Carlisle was a great place to stopover on our way to Scotland, a lovely start to our autumn trip north.

Rocamadour

Our final stop on our return home from our superb time in France in June was at Rocamadour. 

We actually stayed at L'Hospitalet which is just outside the stunning cliff side village; stunning views from our hotel which is the same level at Rocamadour's chateau. Our visit began by taking the old pilgrim road down into Rocamadour village. Our hotel is on the far right of our photo, you can see the steep road down to the house on the left.

The cliffs were formed by the course of the River Alzou and Rocamadour was built on their steep sides. It has three parts: the village on the lowest, the chateau at the top and the church in-between. 

The main roadof the village, lined with medieval houses, is Rue de la Couronnerie with fortified gateways at each end: Porte du Figuier and Porte Salmon.

Above the village is the religious centre of Rocamadour, it has been and still is a destination for pilgrims and lies on the route to Santiago de Campostela.

The Grand Escalier leads from the village to the Sanctuary, the central square surrounded by eight religious buildings. This steep stairway has 216 steps which pilgrims climbed on their knees.

The first chapel was built in 1105 and the first miracle announced in 1148, this lead to the arrival of many pilgrims.

It's quite a small area with the churches built alongside each other. The Palais des Eveques (Palace of the Bishops), the basilica Saint-Sauveur, Saint Michel chapel and the Chapelle Notre Dame are all stunning. The Black Madonna, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and child, draws many visitors as it is believed she has magical healing powers.

The Chateau of Rocamadour is reached by a winding path which has a Station of the Cross at each turn. Although a beautiful location Rocamadour is a place for religious focus, a couple in front of us knelt at every station to pray.

Our stay ended with a superb night ride on the petit train, a holiday highlight for me. From L'Hospitalet just outside our hotel the train took the steep road down into Rocamadour village and along the cobbled streets. It then crossed the river and ascended the road opposite before turning round and stopping (in the middle of the road) for us to get out and admire the view of Rocamadour lit up, it was beautiful.

Rocamadour is one of the must see placed in France, I'm so glad we have and we certainly will again.