Anarchy in the UK - our Scottish Journey: 8 September

After that lovely dinner last night at Ilse's, we really didn't NEED breakfast, but we had a quick breakfast, packed up the vehicles and made our way Northeast to Ballater via Auchmithie. Auchmithie (population around 100?) is a former fishing village in Angus, Scotland, three miles north east of the town of Arbroath. The village itself stands atop 120 foot cliffs, while below sits a pebbled beach and an old and partly derelict harbor.

We stopped there to visit and have lunch with Alan and Jette's friends Roy and Heather MacFarlane. They live in the old school house which has been converted to there three bedroom home. We were to have lunch at The But n Ben....a place that was listed in our The Top 10 of Scotland book. When we got to Heather and Roy's, we drove up to park by the restaurant and we saw what we thought was the waiter running towards the house. Jokingly we said "Oh....he must be running up there to the house to tell them that lunch is off." That's exactly what he was doing....it was the chef running up to tell them that they had run our of gas and lunch (completely booked for the afternoon) had to be cancelled!! After some coffee and a short visit we were off in search of a lunch spot (it seems like all we do is eat on this trip doesn't it?)

We headed north to the town of Inverbervie and stopped at the Salutation Hotel for lunch. I'd say a "quick" lunch, but right after we got there a group of a dozen other people showed up which "delayed" our easy sandwich and soup orders. No worries....a pint of Strongbow is always a relaxing way to pass the time!

Signage in Inverbervie

The Crown Hotel

The Salutation Hotel

Say YES to Strongbow!

Donnottar Castle

After lunch, we headed off to Donnottar Castle. The ruins of Donnottar Castle are spread over 3.5 acres, surrounded by steep cliffs that drop to the North sea some 160 feet below. A narrow strip of land joins the headland to the mainland, where a very steep path leads up to the former gatehouse. The surviving ruins are mostly from the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the early Middle Ages.

William Wallace (Braveheart), Mary Queen of Scots, the Marquis of Montrose and the future King Charles II all graced the Castle with their presence. Most famously though, it was at Donnottar Castle that a small garrison held out against the might of Oliver Cromwell's army for eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels from destruction. The crown, scepter and sword now take pride of place in Edinburgh Castle.