Day 31 - Castle Living!

July 22, 2023: Today we made our way to Edinburgh, Scotland via LNER Train. What a great way to travel! Comfortable seats, a table to work from, snacks and drinks, free wifi and a view along the way. Perfect! It took a little over four hours to reach out destination of Edinburgh Waverley Station. We then had to switch trains to a local line to get to Newtongrange station near the Dalhousie Castle. From there we took a taxi to get to the castle.

The castle was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay. The majority of the current castle dates to the 17th century. There was originally a dry moat surrounding the castle. The moat was later filled. Dalhousie Castle has seen much history. King Edward I stayed at the castle on his way to meet Sir William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk. In 1400, Sir Alexander Ramsay withstood a six-month siege at Dalhousie by English forces led by King Henry IV. Oliver Cromwell used the castle as a base for his invasion of Scotland. Many Earls of Dalhousie have taken an active part in British political and military leadership over the years.

At the turn of the 20th century, the seat of Clan Ramsay was moved to Brechin Castle, although the Ramsay family continued to retain ownership of the castle until 1977. At the time of the sale, Dalhousie had been in the same family for more than eight centuries, longer than any other castle in Scotland. Throughout the 20th century, the castle was leased out to a series of tenants, including a boarding school. In 1972, the castle was converted into a hotel. In 2003, Dalhousie Castle was purchased by the Von Essen Hotels company. In March 2012, it was announced that Robert Parker, owner of Doxford House, Eshott Hall and Guyzance Hall in Northumberland had purchased the castle and is now the current owner.

After settling into our three-room “honeymoon” suite, we enjoyed the spa for a few hours before heading down for drinks and dinner in the Dungeon Restaurant. It was a quite fancy experience with three courses including a main course, cheese course and dessert course. The lemon soufflé was divine! Another amazing day in this 57-day journey we are on. It’s hard to believe we are over halfway through the trip already. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun!

Jimm’s rating for day: ****