As well as the model in the castle’s grounds there is this one in metal with labels of the castle’s interior:-

Its reverse:-

The Castle keep from below:-

Tower from inside:-

Walls and windows:-

Castle from car park:-

Main building:-

Walls to left of above:-

Walls to right:-

Model in grounds:-

Furness Abbey is a former monastery located in the north of Barrow-in-Furness. It was once the second wealthiest Cistercian monastery in England and it held large tracts of land in Cumbria and Lancashire. It was of course disestablished in the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Nowadays it’s a ruin – or several ruins but it’s certainly worth going to see if you’re near Barrow.

Part of what remians is reinforced by steel supports:-

A stream runs under this bit:-

On the way down from Craigellachie we stopped off at Dufftown, mainly to have a look at Balvennie Castle, once the seat of the Earls of Buchan. We couldn’t go into the interior  since the castle was closed on the day.

Balvennie Castle information board:-

Balvennie Castle:-

Entrance:-

Gate:-

Interior through gate:-

From northwest:-

Another Pictish symbol stone, this one by the side of a minor road just northwest of Inverurie, Aberdeenshire:-

Information board:-

This stone is now in the middle of a housing estate in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. It was once part of a stone circle.

Stone’s markings:-

Information Board :-

Information board:-

More of Abbey ruins:-

Part of tower:-

External gateway:-

Reverse view of Gateway:-

It wasn’t just William the Lion’s grave I photographed at Arbroath Abbey.

Model of the Abbey in its heyday (in visitor centre):-

Other view:-

Information board:-

Ruins from visitor centre:-

Looking back to visitor centre:-

Part of Abbey:-

Ramparts at Avebury:-

If you follow the path round you come to the outer circle of stones complete with grazing sheep:-

Standing Stones from road:-

Inner circle of stones with people communing with the spirits of the past:-

Some of the large stones at Avebury.

We were amused to see some of the people at the site hugging the larger stones as if they actually were portals to the past or of some spiritual significance. To the people who erected them they probably were; but in the end nowadays they’re just stones:-

Standing stone and rampart:-