Dumfries

Dumfries is a town I like visiting.

Last week our visit coincided with the annual Dumfries Gala day, and there were lots of things going on.

As we were finishing breakfast, the waiter announced that if we went outside we would see the horses passing along the street. I grabbed my camera and managed to get some shots of the 250 or so horses in the street behind the Hotel. This annual riding event is common to all of the Border towns and has a historic meaning, all to do with the border skirmishes which went on for hundreds of years.

These border wars affected both sides of the border and influenced the architecture of buildings and the defensive structure of the border towns.

Later in the day there was a carnival atmosphere in the main street. Unfortunately we were unable to wait for the evening procession around the town. Next year!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumfries

http://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/dumfries-galloway/

http://www.loreburne.co.uk/

The Ruthwell Cross

A short drive from Caerlaverock castle is a little church in the village of Ruthwell.

Inside the Church is a large Cross which dates for Anglo Saxon times. The Cross once stood outside the Church, and it only survived the ravages of the reformation because the local people buried it.

Though it has to be said that it was broken into pieces and rescued by the locals.

It was eventually replaced and now rests inside the Church. If you wish to see it, you have to collect the Church key from a nearby house.

The links below will give you much more information, especially the BBC link.

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertydetail.htm?PropID=PL_240

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthwell_Cross

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/darkages/trails_darkages_angles2.shtml

Caerlaverock Castle

Yesterday my wife was attending a writers' conference in Dumfrries at the Robert Burns Centre. Because it was an early start for her we drove down on the Friday and stayed over at the Best Western.

After dropping her off I headed to Caerlaverock Castle.

This is an impressive moated castle, which stood as a mighty fortress close to the border with England. The Romans had built a fort near here too.

It was around the year 1220 that the Scottish King, Alexander II granted this land to his trusted chamberlain Sir John De Maccuswell.

This Castle, a defence against England stayed in the hands of the Maxwell Family for the next 400 years.

The castle was besieged and captured a number of times, once even by King Edward I

Its demise came in 1640 when the castle was captured by those against King Charles, whom Maxwell supported.

The castle was stripped and the great curtain wall demolished leaving the building useless as a defensive structure.


http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/places/propertyresults/propertyabout.htm?PropID=PL_047&PropName=Caerlaverock Castle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caerlaverock_Castle

http://www.caerlaverockestate.co.uk/caerlaverock-castle.php