Monday 4th June (Jane's birthday).

Today after a fairly slow start we visited 3 castles & Stonehaven. We arrived about an hour before opening time at Drum Castle so went on to the nearby Crathes Castle instead, both owned by the Scottish National Trust which gave us free entry on our WA National Trust cards. Both were well worth a visit, developed from tower keeps from the 14th Century to which wings had been added over the years. The major difference from English country house owners is that many of the lairds from the 18th century were businessmen & professionals rather than landed gentry. Many were educated at the top schools in England.

At Drum Castle we had a guided tour, which was fascinating & we really enjoyed talking to our guide.

On we drove south again to Stonehaven & visited the harbour & the museum but were less than impressed with the town.

Finally we went to Dunnottar Castle, which sits on a small rocky headland on the coast. When we arrived we saw a sign that it was closed but were told that a medical evacuation was taking place so we could walk down to the site. The noise was deafening as we watched a helicopter rise from the grounds, presumably with a patient.

It was a long drop down to the steps rising to enter the castle but we took it before wandering around its extensive & poorly marked ruins which hardly did justice to its importance in Scottish history but it was a real fitness trail for us. It is in private hands & needs an injection of funds to allow it to match some of its rivals.

Had an excellent dinner at a local hotel.