Brough, Scotland, United KingdomBens birthday today, Hope you enjoyed it Ben, it’s the only 38th you’ll have!
Our bnb last night was basic.
A bedroom in a 4 bedroom 1 bathroom family home. Clean, and the other guests, 2 other couples, had left by the time we got up. A very good cooked breakfast, and they were a nice couple. All in all it was ok.
Tonight we have luxury, bnb, with ensuite, opposite the WHARF AGAIN, here for 3 nights, right on the doorstep of Skye. - more tomorrow with pics.
Left the bnb 9.15am, heading for Castle of Mey, the Queen Mother’s residence for the last 50+ yrs of her life. She made her last visit there when she was 101. She never once missed a year of staying in August & October, never on her own, either a group of friends or family for company.
In 1952, HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother saw what was then known as Barrogill Castle while staying with Commander and Lady Doris Vyner at the House of the Northern Gate on Dunnet Head, a short distance to the west. Despite its poor condition, Her Majesty purchased the castle that year and set about renovating and restoring both the castle and its gardens and parklands, which extended to about 30 acres.
She also restored the castle's original name changing Barrogill Castle back to The Castle of Mey.
The Queen Mother spent three weeks in August at the castle, returning for about ten days in October each year. In 1958, the nearby Longoe Farm came on the market and was purchased by Her Majesty
The King died of liver cancer in 1952, making his eldest daughter Elizabeth the new Queen.
His devoted wife Queen Elizabeth retired to Caithness in northern Scotland shortly afterwards to process her grief.
While staying with a friend, Lady Doris Vyner, she happened across what was then Barrogill Castle – a dilapidated house that was set to be abandoned by its owner Captain F B Imbert-Terry.
She wrote to her treasurer Sir Arthur Penn: "When I was staying up in Caithness I passed a dear little castle down by the sea and when I visited it I discovered it was going to be sold for nothing, just the value of the lead on the roof.
“This seemed so sad that I thought I would buy it and escape there occasionally when life becomes hideous.
“The old man who has lived there a long time was very anxious to give it to me but I resisted the kind gesture and he has now offered it to me for £100.
"It might be rather fun to have a small house so far away - the air is lovely, and one looks at Orkney from the drawing room.
"The only sad thing is that part of the roof was blown off in the great gale last January and I shall have to put in electric light of course.
"The grid runs past the door luckily. Do you think me mad?"
It was very windy and we did wait in the car while a shower went over. The walking sleeping bag got an airing today Karen H, sorry I didn’t get a pic in it, while inside on tour, it dropped to 10* and I thought it was really sleety drifting swirlyness of rain, an English man I was standing next to said no, it’s actually snowing! The day did get eventually up to 15*.
It was late when we left the Castle, 11.45am, we knew it was goin* to be a long day, 5-6hrs to Kyle of Lochalsh - travelling via, Thurso, Durness, Ullapool to eventually arrive in Kyle of Lochalsh at 7.
30pm.
We took a 45min break in Ullapool around 5pm for some soup. Ullapool reminded us of a smaller Queenstown, only with Europeans everywhere. The road improved no end from there to Kyle of Lochalsh. Before, it was little better than a sealed cow race.
We find it strange, apart from the odd sheep - wandering down the middle of th3 road in one instance, and 2 geese we gave way too, there is no wild life to be seen, always signs for red deer & red squirrels, bu5 we never see any, or rabbits or hares - not even road kill.
See plenty of motorhome, motorcyclists and multiple cyclists - some we feel very sorry for. Not a lot of Autumn colour in evidence, we hope there would have been more.
Jasha
2018-09-14
Very interesting historical account.