A Lovely Homecooked Breakfast
After a goodnight's rest, I was delighted to find a full English breakfast waiting for us all in the dining room. A selection of cereals, fruit juices and yoghurt were all neatly laid out on a side table, along with some homemade bread and preserves.
Griselda had enquired as to what our preferences were for our cooked food which was so sweet! Her lovely family even helped out in serving the food to us while we were seated.
Amazing hospitality again.
My favourite had to be the fresh produce of delicious farm grown strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. You could really taste the different from the regular sort we normally buy in the supermarket. So much more organic and natural sweetness to them. Simply beautiful!
Exploring the Thornton Castle
After that splendid breakfast, we took a stroll around the castle as well as the manicured lawn and landscaped grounds.
The castle dates back to the 14th century and is chock full of original, antique features but has now been extensively improved to cater for a more modern lifestyle. You can see the contemporary extension and garage they built at the back from the picture below!
The sheer breadth of scenic beauty around the castle really took my breath away! I had no idea of the scale of 1400 acres until I actually saw it with my own two eyes. It was astonishing!
The lawn and gardens were all beautifully maintained too. I was so impressed when told by Griselda that such a big castle was only managed by the Thornton family and two additional contract workers! I expected a large team consisting of at least a dozen people or so! :)
(Huge tree full of red apples)
(The green house)
(Gate of the garden leading to the back entrance of the castle)
We continued to explore further still and noticed a pretty little green compound. I remembered Griselda had informed us earlier that this was the facility that generated all the heating for the entire castle via underground pipe ducts.
Even further along the way, we came across quite a few farm vehicles and to our amazement, there was even a fully operational diesel station located on the castle premise. The Thornton's had their own gas pump! But then it does make sense if you know how far away the castle was from everything else.
Apparently, the nearest small shop/neighbour is approximately 12 miles away!
(The on-site diesel station)
Near the boundaries of the castle's perimeter, there was a massive field of various crops, a tennis court and a separated farmyard that was thriving with happy animals: chickens, rabbits, horses and cows! You can just tell from their faces they are enjoying the good life like us, lol.
Such an incredible walk through their massive grounds. I felt like I was at one with nature again!
Stonehaven Harbour
After that oh-so-memorable walk throughout Thornton castle and it's lush surroundings, we all hopped in our car and headed up to the popular nearby coastal town of Stonehaven.
Stonehaven in located to the south of Aberdeen. About half an hour's drive from Thornton Castle where we stayed. It is renowned for its peaceful harbour and famous for its Hogmanay fireballs ceremony.
I found this quaint little town quite appealing. The semi-enclosed harbour was very serene with beached sailing yachts parked up on the shore.
From the information board, we learned some history about the harbour itself. During the 18th century, we learned it was the main port used for imports and exports of different goods. The main exports consisted of grain as well as potatoes, whisky and cured fish. Coal and lime formed the main import merchandise at the time.
Fishing also played an important role in Stonehaven Harbour for many years passed. The most common catches are predominantly clams (scallops). There also used to be a fish market in Stonehaven, which has now since closed down.
The harbour today is used mainly for recreational purposes. In summer time, The Stonehaven Yacht Club holds many events such as water-based racing and other such sporting activities. From time to time, some yachts even visit these shores from European countries, adding to the already colourful scene.
The Ship Inn
After a walk along the harbour, we headed over for lunch at the Ship Inn, a famous eatery around those parts with spectacular views of the picturesque harbour. The restaurant is also known as the Captain’s Table and specialize in fresh, locally caught fish and seafood.
As we entered, there was a cosy bar at the far left with a selection of draught beers including real ales and over 100 single malt scotch whiskies.
A private area situated next door to the bar was the actual main restaurant. I found it a very relaxed setting, overlooking the harbour.
Absolutely loved the themed décor, which looked traditional but modern all at the same time.
There was no doubt about it. We had to try the seafood dishes.
I opted for the seafood platter, which included smoked salmon, garlic crab claws, chilli marinated king prawns, madeira marinated rollmop herrings, smoked mackerel pate and pitta & ciabatta bread. Quite a lot, I know! They were all freshly prepared and well-presented dishes. A perfect meal by the sea!
My parents had the battered local haddock with chips and peas. The fish was sea fresh and the batter was light and crispy, very delicious indeed!
A serving of smooth cheesecake dessert finished up the fantastic meal.
After lunch, we took a final trek down to the beach nearby to gaze at the calming seas. Again, amazing and relaxing views! Exactly what I wanted to get out of this little getaway adventure.
Till next time...
丰盛的早餐
昨晚睡了一个好觉，城堡女主人Griselda在饭厅为我们准备了全套英式早餐。多种口味的麦片，果汁和酸奶整齐地摆放在侧边的桌子上，还有自制的新鲜面包和果酱。在确认我们的熟食选择以后，她和家人又忙上忙下地给我们准备，真是热情的一家子！
我最爱吃美味的水果，当地农场产的草莓，红莓和蓝莓，那个鲜甜的味道和我们平时在超市买的没法相比，超棒！
探索Thornton城堡
在美味丰盛的早餐之后，我们在城堡里漫步，欣赏各处修剪整齐的草坪和花园美景。
城堡历史可追溯至14世纪，到处保留其原有特色。城堡背后部分也融合了现代的气息，如下图所见的加建部分及车库。
城堡里广阔的地域实在令人叹为观止！直到今天我亲眼目睹，才切切实实地了解到1400英亩到底有多大。
草坪和花园都保养得非常好，所以当我听到女主人介绍只靠她们一家及两个合同工维持着整个大城堡，我简直不敢相信我的耳朵。在我看来，这工作至少需要一个十几人组成的团队来完成。
走着走着，我们见到了一个大型绿色建筑物。想起这就是昨天女主人在塔顶指给我们看的大型设备，专门通过地下管道为整个城堡提供所有暖气。又长见识了，呵呵。
一路上，我们看到了不少的大型农场机车。令我们惊讶的是，Thornton城堡还配备了自己专用的柴油站！不过想想也是，城堡地理位置偏僻，最近的小商店或邻居也是相距了12英里，哈哈。
在城堡周边，有大面积的农业种植地，一个网球场和动物农场，包括鸡，兔，牛和马。 动物们休闲地在草坪上休息，可以看出他们也和我们一样享受着苏格兰高地的美好生活，呵呵。
感觉自己回归了自然一样！
Stonehaven海港
漫步城堡以后，我们开车前往附近的沿海小镇 Stonehaven 。
它位于Aberdeen 南部，距离我们住的城堡约半个小时的车程。这个小镇以其梦幻般的港口而闻名。
我发现这个古雅的小镇很吸引人。半封闭的港口显得平静安宁，海岸上停放着多艘帆船与游艇。
根据刻在石板上的介绍，我们了解到有关港口的一些历史。 18世纪，这个港口在周边地区进出口商品起着至关重要的作用。港口主要出口大量粮食，也有土豆，威士忌，腌制鱼类和其他产品；而煤炭和青柠则是主要的进口商品。
钓鱼业在这儿也曾经相当辉煌，最常见的捕捞是蛤蜊（扇贝）。现在Stonehaven的鱼市也已经关闭了。
港口今天主要用作娱乐用途。夏季时，当地游艇俱乐部会在这儿举办各种游艇赛事，也有不少来自欧洲国家的游艇在这儿靠岸停歇，为海港增添了不少色彩！
在Ship Inn午餐
环绕着海港散步，我们进入了有特色的Ship Inn就餐。 它是当地历史悠久的酒店餐馆， 又名“船长餐厅”.它以制作当地捕捞的各类新鲜鱼和海鲜而闻名，同时也是欣赏海港美景的好去处。
一进门就是一个舒适的酒吧，为游客提供一系列当地啤酒还有100多种的苏格兰威士忌酒。隔壁是主餐厅，俯瞰着海港。
很喜欢这家餐厅的以船为主题的装修，看起来传统的同时也有现代气息，很有特色。
毫无疑问，在这儿必定要品尝他们家的鱼和海鲜，呵呵。
我选择了海鲜拼盘，其中包括熏三文鱼，大蒜蟹钳，辣椒大虾和腌制卷鲱鱼等，还配备了pitta＆ciabatta面包。分量超足的一大盘新鲜打捞的海鲜，那个鲜美的味道吃得我非常满足！
我父母选择了传统的炸鱼薯餐，材料是本地的黑鳕鱼，肉质鲜嫩，表面一层面粉炸得脆而薄，再配上酥软的薯条与绿豌豆，非常美味的一顿。
最后的芝士蛋糕甜品也相当不错，既绵密湿润又香浓松软，结束了我们非常完美的海边午餐！
随后，我们漫步到附近海边，迎面的海风充满了大海独特的气息。在这儿漫步，别有一番舒畅的感觉！