Ghosts of Scottish castles

Scottish castles … Ancient, millennial, increasing moss and legends populated by ghosts and bats, as well as very new, which has not yet been equal to 200 years, literally dump the banks of the rivers and valley, crowned the vertices of the rocks in Highlands, blowing out all winds. Most of the liveliers’ castles – some have still retained their owners, others are transferred to the state, and other redesters in hotels.

The most famous castle in all Scotland, although not the most ancient, of course, is Balmoral – Summer Residence of the British Royal Family since the days of Queen Victoria. The name of the modern structure gave another ancient castle, the ruins of which are immediately nearby. It is said that when Prince Albert first visited these places, the forests around the castle destroyed by the time reminded him of Thuringia, his homeland. This was the impetus for the purchase of a plot of land, at which he was subsequently erected by the Bamoral, the gear walls of which are still towering over the greens of vintage oaks. Balmoal second was built in the Baron style by architect William Smitht. The works were completed in 1855, after which the castle was presented as a gift from Queen Victoria from a hot loving spouse. Since then, the castle acquired the status of the royal giving, where the members of the royal family leave for the summer months, and the love for Bamlola is considered a distinctive feature "Present" kings. There is such a fact: the hostility to the princess Diana in the August English family began to grow precisely after the photo of the princess appeared in the newspapers, with a bored Mina strolling along the trails of the estate. And after she declared that the summer in Balmoral for her is a day test because of silence and boredom, a family in one voice decided that the princess "unreal".

Beautiful gardens are broken around the castle, including the most unique "Garden on water". Not far there are a garden house, where Queen Victoria is already a widow, loved breakfast and write his famous diaries.

The surrounding castle of the forest remained intact during the construction, which retained the nature of most of the literality, and the castle provided the fame of the best hunting grounds in the country. In the di river flowing behind Balmoal, all English kings and princes traditionally catch fish. Due to the fact that salmon is perfectly caught here, highly foreign guests and members of other European courtyards are invited specifically for this peaceful classes. Just need to not forget all caught fish at the end of the day release back. This is also part of the tradition, as well as the obligatory wearing men of the Scottish costume during stay in the castle.

At the rest of the year, when the royal family does not live in the castle, it is open to visitors. Directly in the shadow of light gray tall walls are restaurants and cafes, where you can taste the real English tea from porcelain painted cups in Victorian style. The impression that you visited the tea ceremony from the queen will be full.

Locks Grate and Dom, Related to 14 and 13th centuries, respectively, are located on the same river di, only slightly downstream, and we will take away from each other for only five miles. The land on which they are lined up was presented to them by the first owners – Villam de Irvina and Alexander Burnettu King Robert Bruce in 1323 for loyalty to the throne and other merits. Local jokers claimed that both velas were allocated one land for two, but instead of the ordinary time to start the war with each other, a wise decision was made to divide the land in half. The walls of the castle can be 12 feet in the thickness, and there is even a secret tower, in which, as the legends say, in the case of danger, the owners were hiding or forcibly hid someone else. Times were dark.

Lock Sterling At one time, there was a strategically important fort, here, figuratively speaking, keys from Highlands and Plains of Scotland lay. He who owned Sterling was the owner of Scotland. Grown straight from the cliff, the castle remembers the War of the XIII and XIV centuries, several times passed from the hands of the Scottish in the hands of the British and back. From 1496, the castle was the residence of the Royal House of Stuarts, Maria Stewart was crowned here, and today he keeps the type that has acquired upon its board.

Lock Inverter On Scottish standards can be considered a new building – it was built in the XVII century and is a bright sample of the Scottish styles of the barons. The castle is still the family residence of Clan Campbell, so only partially open to visitors. The history of the castle is full of mystical stories. In it, according to legend, lives the ghost of the killed harvesters of the Duke Argilla, the owner of the castle. Tradition also states that in the sky over the castle they saw the battle of the French with the warriors of Highlands, and later the news was received about the death of the Scots, attacked by the French fort.

Once castle Glam was just a hunting house of the kings of Scotland. It is here that King Malcolm II Scottish died from wounds obtained in battle. In 1372, the house was transferred to the possession of the family of graphs of Stratmorov. Since then, Glamz is the hereditary house of Bose Lyonov, Scottish graphs of Stratmorov and Kinghornov. Lady Elizabeth Bowl Lyon rose in this house – the newly died queen mother. Princess Margaret was also born here.

Actually, the castle glamuse became in the XVII century, when it was thoroughly rebuilt. And, like every British castle, immediately acquired ghosts. There is a secret room located in the thickness of the wall. Its windows are visible from the yard, and there is no log in. According to the legend, Count Strathmore and his friend doomed the devil forever playing in the cards for daring to take up a gamble on Sunday. If you go close to the wall in the place where the room is located, then on the night from Saturday on Sunday you can hear the conversation of two unfortunate. For several centuries, glamors wanders the ghost of Lady Janet Douglas accused by King James V in witchcraft and burned alive. The ghost of the gray lady often appears in the castle and its surroundings, which is not known about. The spirit of a small boy is often arises in the living room of the queen-mother, where quietly sitting in anticipation of orders. In the face of sleeping guests at night there is a unknown knight in full armor. One of the rooms of the castle – Duncan-Hall – is considered to be the place that Shakespeare inspired on the scene of the king of the king Duncan Macbeth in the tragedy "Macbet".

Despite the gloomy legends, the glamor itself is very picturesque, and the surrounding nature acts more than soothing. Near the castle there are several gardens, including the Italian Park with alive hedges and beech alleys. There is also a special route passing through relicate fir and larch groves.

Special place in the hearts of Scotland occupies a castle Urhart, Grand Ruins of which are reflected in the stroit of Lake Loch Ness. After all, it is him, and not the waters of the lake, local residents are obliged to worldwide glory and inexhaustible flows of tourist pounds sterling. While tourists from all over the world are trying to catch Nesssey in the lake, the inhabitants of the nearest village are trying not to fit at dusk to the ruins. Once the inhabitants of the castle from generation into generation were transferred to the legend about the evil water Kelpi, staring the waters of Loch Ness and who were travelers in the laid horse with a little head. The castle has long been lying in the ruins, and the legend of alive and today, as well as the name of the castle owners – Grant. Only instead of a horse – almost a nice dinosaur and triangular bottles of one of the best varieties of whiskey.

I can listen to stories about Nesssey in the surrounding pubs where God to doubt the existence of a Loch-Ness monster out loud, skeptically noting that, taking into account the fortress of the local whiskey, is not wonderful that the lake is inhabited by monsters! Residents of the neighboring village are sacred in the reality of Nesssey, which brings a non-free income, and are not going to part so easily with her neighborhood. The Scots are generally a very superstitious people, inclined to believe in all mystical, so believes, legends and myths just do not count, and if you believe in local residents for the word, then all the mountains, valleys, rivers and waterfalls are simply stuffed with all the evil spirits with which the Scottles have their own, pretty warm relationship.

The presence of the countless number of ghosts in Scotland promises to tourists not only a lot of impressions, but also reflects on their wallets. The fact is that many of the castles are converted to hotels, where, as it should be, family ghosts are inhabited. These disembodied inhabitants, the current hosts are caught as Zenitsa Oka, and their advertising is probably even more important than advertising whiskey in the local bar. Hotel with ghosts traditionally enjoys great demand, and they take more expenses for the rooms.

For example, the castle Dornok, The first mention of which relate to the beginning of the 14th century is famous not only as a wonderful hospitable hotel, but also as one of their most densely seized ghosts. The first castle building was destroyed to the ground in the middle of the 14th century as a result of internecine wars between the militant Gordon and the owners of the Castle by Santhores, but over the next few decades was rebuilt. It is said that when Duchess and Duke Santritisky were poisoned in the Helmsdale castle in 1567, the walls of Dornoch were shocked. Ghosts of spouses still appear at night in the castle, like the ghosts of many other former inhabitants.

Such hotels are usually repaired by a special way – leaving all the old and only in some way crossing the achievements of civilization. The ceilings in the rooms are low, the windows are narrow and balted with lattices, and the furniture seems to be preserved since the first inhabitants of the castle. But this is all Butaforia – the old one ends in the bathrooms, where guests are waiting for snow-white baths, shower cabins and fluffy towels. Breakfast You either will not serve on tin boards and do not pour whiskey in wooden mugs. Although I must say that all these "Modern" They are also forgotten when the dark-dark night under the war, the ancient shutters, in the corridor, and then directly in your room will begin to creak. It’s not necessary to scare – the caring owners will put you in the bedside table Bible, and the collens of whiskey will be put on the table in the corner.