Day 3 - Dunnottar Castle.

Today we took a mile or two mile hike to Dunnottar Castle. The hike was incredibly tiring, but it was totally worth it! It's hard to explain how cool it was (despite the castle being ruined) - but I can try to offer some sort of illustration.

The castle sits on a small grassy area overlooking the sea. On all sides of the castle there are steep cliffs leading down to the water. When you climb the tallest tower, there is an incredible view of the ocean. It would be wonderful to actually have lived on those cliffs!

The history behind the castle is really interesting. Some of the visitors to the castle included William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots. When Charles I was executed by Oliver Cromwell, his son, Charles II, decided to battle to get the kingdoms back. When Cromwell heard of his arrival he ordered for the invasion of Scotland. Charles II was quickly crowned, but the "Honours of Scotland" (crown, etc.) could not be returned to Edinburgh Castle because Cromwell had control of it. The "Honours of Scotland" were sought to be destroyed, so Charles II had them hidden at Dunnottar Castle. However, Cromwell laid siege to the castle for 8 months until they surrendered. Without Cromwell's knowledge the honours had effectively been smuggled from the castle and buried in Kineff Church. They were later returned to Edinburgh Castle eleven years later.

The castle was also held 122 men and 45 women who were Whigs (they refused to recognize the supremacy of the King in spiritual matters) in the Whig's Vault. There was little food and no sanitation. Later, 37 of the Whigs made allegience to the King and 25 escaped. Of those who escaped, 15 were recaptured, 2 fell to their deaths, and 5 were killed. The rest of the Whigs were later deported to the West Indies. Emma, Luke, and I went down into this area and it was very haunting!

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful - I spent most of it walking around Stonehaven and sitting on the beach. I love the beach here. It is like nothing I could ever see or experience in the United States. I make it a point to spend at least an hour or so each day sitting or walking along the beach. I count my blessings for the ability to be here and cannot thank those who helped get me here enough.

Tomorrow: Aberdeen!