Dean Castle, Kilmarnock-Home of the Boyds

Entry to newer portion of Dean Castle

The story of the Boyd clan

The Grand Gallery in the castle

The Boyd Clan banner

Coat of Arms

A short history

The inner entry to the castle - original

The original Keep

Lake District, Lake Windermere

The pretty town of Ambleside on Lake Windermere

View of the town from the lake

Sailing is a major activity here

A lovely fine day, although cloudy

Just to prove I was here

Amazing display of azaleas

Beautiful dry-stone wall - typical of the area

Lovely village of Grasmere

Lake District and Glasgow

Heading north to the Lake District, we first climbed into the Peak District, where the low cloud shrouded the peaks and the grass was even greener than we’d so far seen.  There seems to be a hundred shades of green (to coin a phrase) and we’ve seen them all.  The countryside is lush, with fields enclosed with rock fences, probably hundreds of years old, villages which certainly appear to be hundreds of years old and winding roads climbing into the lakes district.  Ambleside, at the top end of Lake Windemere, the largest fresh water lake in England, is a very pretty resort town with a confusing maze of one-way streets.  We eventually found our little B&B and it turned out to be almost right in the centre of town, so we parked the car in the yard and left it there for the duration.  During our short stay, we took a ferry-boat ride to Bowness, a few miles south on the lake and back, then a drive to the pretty town of Grasmere, just a little north of Ambleside.  This is gorgeous mountain lake country and a favourite get-away place for lots of people.  It was quite busy as this was a mid-term break for schools, but we had little trouble getting around and the pubs were not too crowded.

Off to Scotland – we hit the motorway heading north to Scotland, where I’d never been before and before too long the sign appeared – Welcome to Scotland.  Much excitement!!  However, before we headed to Glasgow, which was our eventual destination, we left the motorway and aimed for Kilmarnock, which is the traditional family seat of the Boyd clan.  Now, many of you would not realise that I’m descended from royalty, but it’s quite true.  My forebears were Boyds who migrated from Scotland in 1852 – Willam Boyd (1802-1885) and son David Boyd (1836-1920) – my great, great, great grandfather!  So there!  The family seat at Kilmarnock and Dean Castle, built by the Boyds, was granted to Thomas Boyd in the 17^th century for his support of the English kings and he and subsequent generations had ties with William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and in fact Robert Boyd was Mary’s confidante and protector when she was imprisoned at Kilmarnock. Thomas was granted an Earldom, which was later taken away for his support of the English in the Battle of Culloden.

Enough about me!!!!  Off to Glasgow.  We’d arranged to meet our landlord between 4 & 5 and we didn’t expect too many problems, with our TomTom, but, of course there were roadworks everywhere and we finished up being a little late.  However, we found the place, settled into our apartment in a quite nice area near the University and unpacked for the first time in a couple of weeks.  Four days in Glasgow, having now experienced our first full day, may not be enough.  A lovely city, full of beautiful people and lots of excitement for the Commonwealth Games in July.  This was the second major city of Britain (after London), only the third city in the world to build an underground and the principal ship-building city of the world.  There were vast riches here in the 19^th & 20^th centuries, mostly fuelled by ship-building, but the late 20^th century saw this decline to the extent where there are only 2 ship-builders remaining and many derelict sites along the River Clyde.  However, many of these sites are being reclaimed for museums and eco-friendly communities and the Commonwealth Games village is one such site.  An amazing development which will be a fore-runner for similar sites in other cities.  The amount of regeneration in the city is remarkable and it’s a very vibrant and likeable place and the people are friendly and helpful and the fact that the Games are almost here engenders a positive vibe.

We rapidly learned to use the underground and the hop-on hop-off bus and visited some great museums, galleries and beautiful buildings and squares around the city.  We visited the Riverside Museum, which was 2013 Museum of the Year and were enthralled by the historical displays, from the early days of the original ship yards through to the modern Glasgow of today.  The pubs are great too and the food has been really good.  Off again tonight to find another quaint pub in an area quite close to our apartment.  More to report soon.

Donington

All I can say is that, for those who've got this far, labels are probably unnecessary.  This is an amazing place and if you get the opportunity, it's well worth the visit.  Many of these cars are in running condition and are still taken to the track.

Back to the Beginning

Leaving Portsmouth behind, we headed onto the motorway and pointed the Vauxhall north.  I’m amazed at the quality and diversity of the roads here but the amount of traffic, particularly trucks (lorries), is frightening.  However, everybody seems to be patient and blends in, moves over, signals their moves and, above all, is considerate of those around them.  Trucks are restricted to the left lane, unless overtaking and it makes it so much easier to negotiate the motorway, when there is not a B-double in the far right lane.  Whilst it’s not a joy to travel on the motorways, it’s not as frustrating as it might seem.

The landscape changes significantly, although there’s been such a wet winter here, that everything is so green and fertile.  Gradually, we worked our way up into the hinterland through Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and into Derbyshire, where the Princess was born and raised.  I can’t believe how green everything is and the sheep are fat, the lambs are abundant and the fields are well stocked.  Eventually we reached Derby, where Jules was born and I swear there was a tear in the eye – perhaps it was just a speck of dust!  82 Broadway, Duffield, Derbyshire, England, The World, The Universe, floating in space, was our next stop and again, I swear, a tear appeared!  I’m happy that she wants to share this with me.

We arrived in Turnditch, Belper, where Jules’ childhood friend Kay lives with her husband Steve, and the waterworks started again!  Jules and Kay started school together in Infants school in 1962, were as close as sisters for many years and have kept in touch ever since.  Kay and Steve have a lovely house in an outlying area, with only a dozen or so homes on large blocks, and surrounded by green fields, stone fences and beautiful trees and hedges.  Some hours of catching up ensued, with lots of family stories and when Steve arrived, some more stories of family and friends, as Steve is very much a part of the history as well.  A visit to the local pub followed and many more stories were unearthed.  Home to a wonderful dinner and several bottles of ‘something scrumptious’ and a very late night!

The following day we visited the local seat of power – Chatsworth Hall – the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire.  Talk about opulence!!!!!  Outside of the Royal residences and museums, I’ve never seen such an incredible display of money and influence.  Much of Derbyshire actually belongs to the Devonshires!  The ‘residence’ dates back to the 1600s and is absolutely magnificent, with the estates, furnishings and artworks worth possibly hundreds of millions of pounds.  Absolutely mind-boggling!  The gardens are extensive and quite beautiful and the driveway to the house is miles long with grazing sheep and deer. 

A visit to the “Cross Keys” for dinner that night was another great experience, with local food that was beautifully cooked and very delicious.  The local pubs seem to be very good with local fare and I guess that’s how they survive.  There seems to be half a dozen little pubs in the smallest of towns.  Another late night ensued with more stories & some Ardbeg consumed.  Thursday dawned and the girls decided to visit the outlet stores after visiting Kay's dad whilst Steve and I went to Donington Grand Prix track to the GP Museum – an amazing collection of race cars and a private collection of the Wheatcroft family, who run the facilities.  To add to the spectacle, former GP  racing driver Derek Bell appeared, the race track resounded to the sound of racing engines and a great time was had by all.

That night, Kay & Steve were off to an Eagles concert in Birmingham, so we decided to catch up with Col & Penny Coridas, who are in Yorkshire (a little over an hour’s drive away) on a home exchange.  We met up half way in The Manners pub in Bakewell and we had a great night.  I guess you could almost call it a make-up (in Rotary parlance), but the food was much better than normal.  Col, of course, is a very funny man and we had a lot of laughs, along with quite a few glasses of beer and wine.  We drove back to Turnditch, but Col & Penny decided to stay the night in town.  The following morning, after another of Kay’s wonderful breakfasts, goodbyes were said, tears were shed, yet again, and we headed north for the Lake District and the town of Ambleside on Lake Windermere.

Kay and Steve, with the Princess and the Pauper, along with the cockerpoo, Pasha

A childhood revisited

The home of a Princess - 82 Broadway, Duffield, childhood home of OUR Princess

Chatsworth House - home of the Duke & Duchess of Devonshire.

The grand staircase at Chatsworth with our hosts, Kay and Steve

The sheer opulence of the Devonshire household is amazing.

The Drawing Room

The Lounge

Table set for regal visitors

Garden fountain - fed by pressure from a reservoir on the hill

A Wedding in Hampshire

Well, what a hectic few days we’ve had.  We arrived in Portsmouth on Friday afternoon and checked into our B&B in Southside – The Birchwood.  The area is a little seedy and rundown, but there is much activity with renovations going on everywhere.  The Birchwood is a fully and beautifully renovated 3 level terrace and the owners, Ken and Heather are rightfully proud of what they’ve achieved.  They have spared nothing – the bedrooms are comfortable and well furnished, the bathrooms are beautifully finished with power-showers and plenty of space and lots of hot water.  We explored the area for an hour or so and decided where we’d eat that night – lots of little pubs around with good menus.  Later we had a main course at “The Florence” of Three Little Pigs – 3 ways with pork, lots of chips and veges – the black pudding was deep fried and oily but the rest was great.  Saturday was a day off – Jules and Kate were off to the hairdresser & I walked to the D-Day Museum and thoroughly enjoyed some time out for a couple of hours.

Sunday dawned fine and clear – a great day for a wedding and in the early afternoon we drove to The Tithe Barn in West Sussex.  The Tithe Barn is quite spectacular – “tithe” means tax which is the crop tax paid by farmers on a rented property and stored in the barn of the landlord.  It is beautifully restored and converted to an events venue.  The groom, Dan and his two brothers Matt and Paul were ready & waiting whilst champagne was served outside, then we all (some 70 guests) were ushered inside for the arrival of the bride, Emma and mother Kate, who both looked fantastic – I heard a little catch in the Princess’s throat.  The wedding went off well and the luncheon was amazing – catered by the company both Dan and Emma worked for when they met – Dan being a chef and Emma an events coordinator.  The after-party and dancing was excellent and the food kept coming – a great day.

The following day, the drizzle began again and kept up and the planned BBQ at Kate’s was moved indoors (as is often the case in the UK) and the party started all over again.  Dan’s parents and brothers and a sister all attended with partners and another great day was had by all.  After two days of partying, we needed an early night, so we said our good-byes at a reasonable hour and drove back to Birchwood.

Tuesday morning we retrieved our car from street parking some hundreds of metres away – parking is a major problem in Portsmouth, in fact in most places – and headed off north to Coventry where we visited the cathedral, which has been built and destroyed a number of times – first by Henry XVIII when the Benedictines were tossed out in the early 1600’s, then during WWII when the re-built cathedral was destroyed by bombing.  There is now a new and spectacular cathedral on the site next to the bombed predecessor, but the remains of the old cathedral have been kept as a memorial.  It is quite a moving sight and old timbers from the bombed cathedral form the cross in the old alter space.  After a bite to eat we returned to the road for our drive to the Princess’s birthplace – Derby – and our visit to childhood friends, Kay and Steve.