Even this morning, I was waiting for a ghostly appearance as I was awake well before dawn. At one point I heard a rustling but ignored it. Then I noticed a piece of paper had been slipped under the door. I was thinking it was the check out bill and information, and thought that was a bit sad - reminding you that you're going hours before you go. But it turned out to be a lovely note about the day's weather and what activities you can do at the castle. Nice touch - even if it is advertising.
Wandered around to get a couple of better shots of the entrance hall, dungeon restaurant and the library. Really like the library!
Then it's down to the Orangery for breakfast - all part of the service! A large spread of cereals, fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses and so on. And then you order your cooked breakfast.
And look how they served the toast! Mum would be so happy! And the toast might have been cold but it was crisp!!
Side note - they have classical music playing throughout the whole castle and it's lovely.
After breakfast, there's time for a stroll through the grounds...
..before heading to the first of two of the activities on offer I've booked to do. And it's archery! Coz why not?? Jodie is the instructor. She's been running this area for over 15 years and is great. She demonstrates how to load and shoot the arrow. At the end of the arrow are the three feathers. The white one is the cock feather and it has to go on top - if not, then you 'cock it up' and that's where that phrase comes from.
When you collect the arrows, you have to walk to side and then cross to gather them. This is so you can see them from the side and don't walk into one by approaching it front on. It is harder than it looks but we have an hour and I finally get some on the target. And even on the yellow!
Jodie has a flourishing business here and she loves it! They provide falcons and owls to a number of locations in the area and supply owls for weddings - to carry the rings. After our archery she is off to the next lesson and so Georgie does the falconry bit.
I'm meeting two birds today - first is Brennin, who is a Harris hawk and is magnificent. When we reach the area, off he flies. Then Georgie places a bit of food on my glove and down he swoops. Here he is on my glove.
It's quite amazing standing there and watching him approach. Then he lands on your hand and you can feel his weight. Apparently these are the most intelligent of the raptor birds. Our next bird is one of the most stupid - the owl. This is Flash.
How cool is this?! Loved it. This guy is heavy and he does love a pat. His claws have the strength of a Rottweiler bite and he can take down a fox. When he looks at you, he really looks at you and it's quite disconcerting.
This is my attempt at getting him on approach...
..and I like this motion-type shot... Flash gets his treat then he's off for the nap of the well fed. On the way out, I meet Jack the raven, who is quite the character. Apparently if there's a raven in a movie or TV show shot in England, Jack is the go-to guy.
Look at him posing for the camera!
What a great couple of activities to complete the castle visit. A quick sandwich for lunch and then into the car and it's farewell to Dalhousie Castle and hello to Edinburgh and the Grassmarket.
Very cute and quirky room! I love that it's right on the Grassmarket, next street to the Royal Mile, next to the castle, right in the old town. Went for a bit of a walk around...
Across to the Princess gardens in the middle...
Walked all the way over into New Town for one of my favourite viewpoints of Edinburgh...
I love that in the middle of a town, there is the massive edifice that is Edinburgh Castle! It's such a lovely town.
Then it's back to relax for a while before popping out to get a takeaway of vegetarian chilli and get an early night. I have a tired left arm from bowing and holding up two heavy birds, but that's just fine!
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