Dunnottar...fiercely contested beauty...

Hiya,

today we moved to our next holiday home in Montrose.

After being spoiled by our accommodation in Gardenstown (especially the terrace with a view), the sight of the new holiday home was a bit of a letdown. But we'll hold out until Thursday :o) Then we're heading to Edinburgh.

On the way to Montrose, we of course stopped by Dunnottar Castle. The last time we were here was 10 years ago... unbelievable... 10 years!

The castle is still as impressive as it was back then. Majestic and proud, it stands on its approximately 50-meter high rock, basking in the sun today. This rock is only connected to the mainland by a narrow land bridge and was therefore considered nearly unconquerable. It is believed that the Picts built some kind of fortress on the rock in the 5th century. The first documentary mention of a siege can be found in the Annals of Ulster from the 7th century. Since then, it has had many lords.

In 1296, it was violently taken by the English King Edward. Just one year later, the Scottish national hero William Wallace, also known as Braveheart, reclaimed it and had all English soldiers burned in the chapel there.

No less than 40 years later, it belonged to the English again, and one year later to the Scots again... well, what can I say... this beauty has always been fiercely contested.

Peace only returned after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Robert the Bruce handed Dunnottar to his commander, Sir Robert de Keith, and his grandson replaced the wooden fortress with the keep that still stands here today.

Dunnottar has so much more history, but that would exceed the scope here, so let's just agree that this keep has seen and experienced a lot, and it is one of the most impressive castles we have seen in Scotland.

Upon arriving in Montrose, we head to the beach and treat ourselves to a small refreshment.

We'll see what the next few days bring... we currently don't have a plan... but there are still plenty of small coastal villages, and Aberdeen and Dundee are practically just around the corner.

That's all for today... see you soon....