It's a long walk out to Dunnottar, down into a valley and back up to the
Castle gate. Certainly makes you appreciate what it might have been like
for an attacking force.
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Alec in the barracks block.
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Shoreline at Dunnottar, looking north toward Stonehaven
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View from the tower
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The Smithy
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A baby gull, still with its down. What perfect camouflage!
I didn't notice the chick until I'd nearly stumbled over it.
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The Whig's Vault - in 1685, 122 men and 45 women, all Covenanters, were
held in this small vault for nearly two months for opposing the King's
attempt to assert authority over the Scottish church. Fifteen were
captured after an escape attempt and tortured. The rest were transported
to the West Indies.
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The Chapel |
Brad on the Tower
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From Dunnottar we made the short drive back into Stonehaven for a day at
the Highland Games.
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Shot Put
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"You take the high road..." - the Scouts walking to the
Games.
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Watching someone toss the caber is really amazing...
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... and doing it obviously takes a great deal of effort
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Throwing a 26 pound weight over a bar 16 feet up takes lots of strength
and coordination. This competitor just missed on this attempt, but he
did make sixteen feet on his next try. Incredible!
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Here's his last try, attempting unsuccessfully to beat his own record of
sixteen feet eight inches.
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Everyone gets to compete - all you have to do is buy an admission, and
dress appropriately for Highland events. Even the local kids competed in
some of the track and field events.
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I never realized tug of war could be so exciting, when towns
competed for the cup. They'd just stay very still for minutes on
end, and then suddenly one side would pull...
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The day ended at Stirling, and a climb up the Wallace Monument. The view
is spectacular, overlooking
the site of Stirling Bridge and Braveheart's greatest victory over the
English.
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The Wallace Monument
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Stirling Castle
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William Wallace himself
We finished at Stirling in the
late afternoon, and headed down to Edinburgh.
Our next two nights we'd be staying in the 88th Haymarket Scout Group's
scout hall
in eastern Edinburgh.
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