Scotland Vacation June 2007

[porrick]

Thanks for posting, Dee! Looks like you had a smashing time - and I am sure you'll be back. How about including Norway next time?

[Phil]

Great pictures. They had to have a castle in Carlisle to keep the marauding Scots out. See you made it though.

[starbkjrus]

Thanks for posting, Dee! Looks like you had a smashing time - and I am sure you'll be back. How about including Norway next time?

Patrick, I've already hinted that I'd like to do that. I'd love to visit your country and sail under the midnight sun. And perhaps raid a border or two.

[starbkjrus]

As I said earlier this was a very unique side trip. We went to Glenkiln Reservoir and did the sculpture walk. This is someting we found on the Ferintosh website (located at http://www.ferintosh.net/walking.htm and decided to give it a go. It was a bit difficult to find but well worth the effort.

This ranch land filled with sheep that the owner decided to add sculptures to and is a very beautiful walk. Granted you end up driving through sheep pastures to get there (the nice farmer who was mowing the berms was very helpful in letting us get by in our trusty rented Vauxhall on the one lane road bordered by dry stone fences).

In a word its gorgeous. You are in a vast open countryside with hills, dry stone walls, streams, a reservoir and a farmhouse or two...with sculptures by renowned artists:

Here we go:

This is a Rodin that is onsite...I can't imagine here in this country that a Rodin would remain unmolsted in this setting but the guidbooks say it is:



This another sculpture that I cannot remember the name or artist of:



Robertson & Emma have a guidebook that details all this in the diningroom at Ferintosh.

This is a look across the reservoir. Just beautiful.



Two shots of the stream leading into the reservoir:





Pausing to save......

[starbkjrus]

A flower at the side of the track....Foxglove?



Interesting shot....



Looks to me like the Rodin is hitching. Andrew, do you to it this way?!

[starbkjrus]

Here's a shot of a farmhouse nearby. These folks are pretty isolated even though Tesco's is only about 8 miles away. We did notice that there are a slew of modern power, phone, DSL cables comeing in. And a satellite dish on the roof.



An interesting shot again:



Ron and the Rodin. Except I think the dog was a city dog. He couldn't find a fire hydrant so he was eyeing the statue.

Did I mention it was cold and extremely windy on this day? Here I am trying to keep from flashing the Danish family just out of camera range.

[starbkjrus]

That's all for tonight...those that are bored just don't look anymore. This is still only 6 days into a two week vacation.

I told you we took too many pics.

More in the AM.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

No such thing as too many pics! Although coming from me, I guess that doesn't mean much . Keep 'em coming, please. We're hoping to do this same tour next year (or similar anyway, may be a little harder with an 8 yr old and a 5 yr old in tow!).

Be well,