Day 5 - July 11 - Our 25th Anniversary

We went across the street for breakfast this morning to the other part of the Brambles B & B.  We had a great meal of fruit, porridge, eggs and toast to get us ready for the day. We walked around the town and looked in on a few shops before heading off. 

Our first stop was at a grocery store  in Lochgilphead to buy some lunch items. It was different to see the aisles indicating what was down them in both English and Gaelic. I couldn't make out any of the words at all!

Next, we headed north along A816 into the Kilmartin Glen to the ancient fortress at Dunadd.  Dunadd is believed to be the capital of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata; basically the starting point for Scotland as far as inhabitants go.  You can read more here if you don’t believe me http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/kilmartin/dunadd/index.html

 We climbed to the top of the mound and explored the various excavated features. The high 360 degree vantage point over the glen made this a natural location for a fortress or outpost over the many centuries of civilizations here. Very cool.

Onward to Kilmartin to look at and learn all about the standing stones and cairns in the area. The museum was very small but absolutely packed with history dating back to Neolithic times. 









We went into the little church which contained stone crosses made by early Christians of the area. The graveyard held many carved grave slab stones depicting the people's lives and personalities.  They ranged in age from the 1300s to the 1700s. 

From the graveyard we started walking out into a farmer's field in order to explore the first of many cairns in the Kilmartin Glen. The Glen is considered one of the most important concentrations of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in Scotland.  All of the cairns have been excavated in the past 200 years but no one really knows a lot about who and what had been buried there. Due to poor techniques of excavation, little could be done to really preserve any form of human remains found. Many artifacts have been recovered however, so they have a good start for theories and they do know the cairns were re-used by civilizations after the original users.  Several of the cairns are in a line which can only be recognized when you are standing on one and you look far out toward the other ones. 

Cists were also part of the cairns and usually contained a body in a fetal position. Again, no one truly knows the purposes or the rituals that were involved with the people's of those times. 


We also wandered in and out of several standing stone areas. Some were circular while others weren't. 

There are many theories about the stones and some of engravings on them but no one truly knows the history of them. Most have been excavated and some were found with bodies or artefacts. All of these areas are free to view and were usually found in fields with sheep and cows. 
Driving along to Oban, Glen told me we weren't staying where we had planned to stay. Instead we were going to stay in a castle - a real castle - for our anniversary!! Before we carried on to the castle though we stopped in Oban for a wonderful seafood dinner. 
We shared king scallops as an appetizer and then I had mussels and chips while Glen had seafood penne. Glen also gave me a charm with our initials and a 25 on it. I will add it to my family charm bracelet and as a special remembrance of our 25 years together. 

After dinner we walked around the pretty seaside town and enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the smell of the sea. Carrying on along the country roads brought us to Barcaldine Castle which was built in 1609 by Sir Duncan Campbell. 

The castle was uninhabited for about 150 years after the Jocobite rebellion. We are in what was the library room with tiny windows looking toward Loch.  The parlour and great room are amazingly well preserved as they were fixed up in the 1800s.  As I wrote this I can hear the sheep calling to one another - that's the only sound there is. 

Kms hiked: 8-9

The Great Room

Loch Crenin from Castle Barcaldine