What would life be like living within the compounds of a traditional, old castle in the highlands? Battlements and all? I'm guessing that's not something the average Londoner asks themselves while knee-deep in a busy and hectic daily work schedule.
However, it's good to go wild now and again, right?
My parents are still here, experiencing what's it's like to live in the big city, but one thing I'm sure of is they've never even visited a castle, let alone actually lived in one. Therefore, I decided to take them up to "bonnie old Scotland" to not only explore this great historical country, but also rent out a castle for a weekend.
I'm so glad I made it happen as it turned out to be a beautifully unforgettable time and the definitive highlight of our trip. After all, who could say no to living like a King or Queen, no matter how long for, lol!
After reading up on possible options, I managed to locate the magnificent Thornton Castle in Aberdeen, offering up a two bedroom accommodation in their lavish 16th century Scottish tower wing. Which sounded exactly what I was looking for. A few clicks on the mouse later and Bingo!
We were on our way up north a week later.
On Arrival
We flew over to Aberdeen airport (a journey that lasted just over an hour from Gatwick) and collected our rental car from there. Thornton Castle was another hour’s drive south of Aberdeen, on the main arterial road (A90).
The castle is tucked away from view behind the town's main roads. Even though being enclosed within the large wooded area, it was relatively easy to find (Thorton's castle even has it's own road signs!). It must be said the drive up there does require some skillful manoeuvring through the narrow country lanes.
On my first impressions, I was already blown away just looking at the place from the outside. The sheer scale of the castle including its sprawling, majestic gardens, was simply breath-taking. I confirmed later on that the grounds added up to a staggering 1400 acres in total!
This included some amazing views of the Scottish highlands mountain range in the distance. (Though you could only see these from atop the tower we stayed in).
The castle itself easily matched the grandeur on display outside! Stonework crafted structures making up the walls of the castle really showcased it's rich history whilst retaining subtle features of a modernised lifestyle. Everything exuded an authentic flair and was something I could undoubtedly get used to very quickly indeed, lol!.
Although I was most impressed by the warm and gracious welcoming we received by our host and owner of this incredible dwelling, Griselda. She greeted us at the door, even helping carry some of the luggage inside. This was followed up by tea and homemade lemon cake!
Things couldn't have got off to a better start!
The Castle
The interior décor was astounding with intricately detailed stained glass windows and vintage ornamental paintings. They all had an almost regal prestigious charm to them. I could have been mistaken for having walked into some historian museum, though it must be said, Griselda somehow managed to add that special "homely" and "cordial" touch.
An incredible job throughout!
The tower area where we stayed was immaculate and super luxurious.
Our main guest room was situated on the 2nd floor, overlooking the rolling parklands. The rooms were in tow with the overall theme. There were very interesting handcrafted antique figurines and decorations sitting on the mantelpiece. I particularly loved the super king-sized bed that was just as comfortable as I thought it'd be to sleep in. A quick look out of the window revealed the beautiful Croquet green and more of the lush forestry beyond.
The bedroom adjoined a second, separate room complete a stylish desk to write my "Steemit blogs" and a TV set to keep up to date with my favourite shows. And serve as a reminder of the world outside the boundaries of this veritable Garden of Eden!
A short trip up the impressive stone spiral staircase was the second guest bedroom featuring an en-suite bathroom, consisting of a modern power shower and conventional bath. A nice touch to remind us that we are still in the 21st century, lol! Once more, the room was immaculately furnished and extremely comfortable. Included were tea and coffee making facilities in addition to a fridge complete with ice box compartment.
The Roof Top Tour
After settling in for an hour or so, Griselda was gracious enough to provide us an informal tour at the top of the tower. She enlightened us on the fascinating history of the Thornton family and their stately home, which has been passed down to each consecutive generation spanning hundreds of years!
The oldest portions of the castle date back to the 14th century, crossing eras of the first charters from King Robert the Bruce in 1309 to Valentine of Thornton. Ian, Griselda’s husband, is thought to be the 38th laird of Thornton, the 5th generation of the family to live in the Castle since 1893.
That's some history, I'm sure you'll agree!
The photos below were taken from the rooftop. As you can see, the views from the battlements were just spellbinding!
(walkway beside the ramparts)
(a weather-vane bears)
The Billiard Room
After polishing off some more of Griselda's tasty lemon cake, we retired to the Billiard room for the rest of the evening. (Look! I'm even talking like a Victorian now, lol!)
Evenings up in Scotland can get quite chilly, even in the middle of July. Therefore, Griselda lit a cosy log fire for us which was another really thoughtful gesture.
Yes, I felt like I was being spoilt rotten!
The billiard room was on the ground floor of our tower, exclusively for us to use with complete privacy. Located at the far end of the room was a full-sized snooker table and selection of various board games. We also found a set of clubs for playing Croquet *(As I mentioned, I could see the massive outdoor area to play near the main grounds from our bedroom window). I've tried my hand at snooker a few times in my life so we all decided to play a few frames.
That was so much fun and really relaxing, even though my husband kept winning, lol! Drat!
Pushed up against one corner of the room was a massive bookcase filled with various literature as well as brochures and tour guides of Scotland for some useful night time reading.
Two bottles of whisky were placed on the main table for guests to sample some fine Scottish drink! Also great to warm yourself up on a cold, blustery night!
Just before taking a nightcap, I slumped down into the inviting arms of a vintage Chesterfield leather armchair, right next to the log fire place and reading up on where to head out to the next day.
This is the life. Every detail I could have imagined, fulfilling everything I could have wished for on this fabulous holiday break.
Just pure perfection so far and this fantastic trip to Scotland had only just begun...
在苏格兰高地的传统古老城堡里生活会是怎样的？我想这不是每个忙于日常工作的伦敦人会问自己的问题吧。但，偶尔放纵一次体验一下也是不错的吧!
我父母还在伦敦，体验着大城市的生活。但我可以肯定的是，他们从来没有去过城堡，更不用说住在里面了。所以，我决定把他们带到老苏格兰，探访这个历史悠久的地方。同时，租住一个城堡过过瘾。
事实证明我这个决定是正确的，我们一家四口在那儿度过了一个非常快乐难忘的周末，这绝对是我们苏格兰之旅的亮点。毕竟，有谁不希望自己能像国王或女王一样生活呢，即使只有短暂的几天，哈哈！
在网上找了半天，终于找到了位于阿伯丁城市的Thornton城堡。它是一个起源于16世纪的苏格兰城堡，出租塔楼部分一个两居室的豪华住宿。这正是我所要找的！从预定到确认一切都非常顺利，所以在一周之后，我们就出发北上了！
到达
我们乘坐飞机从伦敦Gatwick机场到阿伯丁也就一个多小时的行程。抵达阿伯丁之后，我们在机场附近提取预定的租车。Thornton城堡位于城市的南部，我们在主干道A90上开了约莫一小时的车程。
从主干道下来，我们进入了森林般的林荫小道。Thornton城堡并不难找，它甚至拥有自己的道路标志！但值得一提的是，通过这些狭窄的乡村小道确实需要一些熟练的驾驶技术，呵呵。
当我们到达城堡的时候，我惊喜得半天说不出话来！城堡的规模庞大，尤其是宏伟壮观的园林令人叹为观止！我后来得知，整个城堡占地面积总共达到1400英亩！在远处苏格兰高地的衬托下，城堡更显现出其独特的魅力！
城堡本身很迷人，古老的城墙由岩石构成，处处流露出历史的痕迹。城堡背后的加建部分也融合了现代的气息。不用多久，我就被这古老的建筑深深吸引住了。
最让我印象深刻的是城堡主人Griselda的热情接待。她在门口迎接我们，为我们提行李，还准备了下午茶和自制柠檬蛋糕给我们享用，感觉非常温暖和亲切！
城堡
进入城堡里面，室内装璜华丽，迷彩玻璃窗，复古装饰画以及各类精致摆设，让我误以为走进了一家历史博物馆，呵呵。尽管如此，女主人Griselda还是用自己独特的方式让整个城堡充满了家的亲切感！
我们住的塔楼是城堡左翼，很豪华也很舒适.
主客房位于二楼，俯瞰楼前花园。壁炉架上摆设的各样手工仿古小雕像和装饰品，非常有趣。我最爱的是房间的豪华大床以及崭新的被褥，非常舒适。从房间窗口瞭望，满眼的绿，真美！
房间连着一个迷你小客厅，内设一张精致的橡木书桌，这将会是以后两天我写Steemit文章的地方哦，呵呵。房间还配有一台电视，让住客可以休闲欣赏自己喜爱的电视节目。
顺着螺旋式的楼梯往上就是第二间客房，带有独立浴室包括传统浴缸和现代淋浴设施，像在提醒我们这是21世纪， 呵呵。房间古典舒适，有冲茶和咖啡的设备，还配有一个冰箱。
塔顶观光
入住一小时以后，女主人热情地带我们到塔顶参观她们迷人的城堡花园，以及介绍Thornton家族的数百年历史！
城堡的最古老的部分可追溯到14世纪，从1309年的国王罗伯特•布鲁斯的宪章时代过渡到Thornton家族时期。Griselda的丈夫Ian，是Thornton家族的第38代传人，也是自1893年以来住在城堡的第五代家庭。
下面的照片是从楼顶拍摄的，风景甚是迷人。
桌球室
享受完Griselda的美味红茶糕点以后，我们便在楼下的桌球室休闲活动。
即使在7月中旬，苏格兰夜晚的天气也相当寒冷。Griselda想得非常周到，早早就为我们点燃了火炉取暖，真有受宠的感觉，呵呵。
桌球室位于我们塔楼的底层，是专用为住客准备的。房间最远处是一个比赛规格的桌球台和各种棋盘游戏可供选择。我们还找到了一套槌球拍（他们有一个大型户外区域可以玩）。我以前有打过几次桌球，所以我们都决定玩上几局。虽然我先生每次都赢，但大家都玩得非常开心，哈哈。
靠火炉傍边的角落有一个大书架，里面装满了各种各样的文学作品，还有介绍苏格兰的旅游书本和小册子，是睡前阅读的好材料。
主餐台上放置了两瓶威士忌酒，供住客品尝的当地传统的苏格兰“饮料”！在寒冷的夜晚，喝上一杯取暖是必不可少的哦，呵呵！
临睡前，我坐在火炉旁边的复古皮革椅上，阅读着第二天要去参观的地方，很舒适很惬意！这里的每个细节，都比我出发前想象的要完美， 而这只是我们苏格兰梦幻之行的第一天哦！
（待续）