Duffus Castle is a few miles north of Elgin in Moray.

Castle from car park:-

From approach path:-

Information board:-

Castle interior:-

Castle from east:-

External wall (seen to left above):-

Wee bridge at end of path from Duffus Castle in photo two above:-

As we were walking back up the path towards the castle to go back to the car park we heard a tremendous roar. Two jet planes came flying over. This is one of them:-

Continuing our trip up north in April  I spotted another War Memorial. This was by the side of the A 95 road on a pretty sharp bend.

There is no location identifier on the memorial but this pink granite cross on a pyramidal base is Ballindalloch War Memorial. Ballindalloch village is itself small but has two distilleries and a castle to its name:-

It’s dedicated for both World Wars:-

The good lady had for a few years fancied a look at Knaresborough in Yorkshire.  We finally visited in November last year.

Knaresborough Castle is perhaps the town’s most historical feature.

Castle approach:-

Information Board:-

The first structure you come across, though, is the castle’s Sally Port:-

Information Board:-

It being November the castle was done up in Remembrance Day colours:-

Including this figure of a World War 2 soldier. The figure of the Great War soldier had not yet been set upright:-

Castle ruins:-

King’s Tower board:-

Castle from below:-

The trees in the surrounding gardens were covered in purple poppies and the more usual red ones. The purple ones commemorate animals that died in war:-

The ruins of Kildrummy Castle lie about 7 miles west of Alford in Aberdeenshire. On our trip there in August we tried to visit it on the first day but it was late by that time and the castle was closed. I was able to duck into the car park and take a photo though.

Kildrummy Castle from car park:-

We altered our plans slightly for the day we came home so as to try to see the castle properly.

Castle ruins fom the path up from the car park:-

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Judging by this illustration on the information board the castle would have been seriously impressive in its day:-

Model of castle in the shop:-

Interior of castle:-

To right of above:-

To left:-

The area the castle covered was extensive:-

Remains of towers:-

Cut-away illustration of the Snow Tower (most of which has long since collapsed):-

Glenbuchat Castle is a ruined Tower House in Aberdeenshire.

We visited it on our trip up north last August.

The approach is over a stretch of grass.

Closer view:-

The castle wasn’t open to the public as there were works going on.

Rear view showing turrety stair tower:-

Craigievar Castle is about six miles from Alford in Aberdeenshire. The castle is a fairly conventional turreted tower structure but is strikingly pink.

Craigievar Castle from car park:-

Castle from approach road:-

From east:-

Entrance:-

The castle has a barmkin:-

Barmkin with castle in background:-

Doorway in barmkin:-

Barmkin turret with door:-

Since we were up in the area anyway for me to tick Balmoral Stadium from the list of Scottish Football Grounds I’d not seen Sons play at we took the opportunity to visit Castle Fraser near Kemnay in Aberdenshire.

Castle from approach road:-

Castle entrance:-

From west:-

Castle from southeast:-

From south:-

Model of castle:-

Castle courtyard from roof:-

Castle turret:-

Prior to September last year we hadn’t actually managed to get inside the castle after which the town of Barnard Castle is named. But then we finally maaged.

Entrance from inside:-

The castle as it was:-

The Castle was divided into two main Wards, the Town Ward and the Outer Ward, with a smaller Inner Ward and Mid Ward towards the west.

Building on eastern perimeter, part of TownWard:-

Inner Ward from internal pathway:-

Part of Outer Ward:-

Earlier this week the good lady noticed that there was an exhibition of the works of John Henry Lorimer at the City Art Centre Edinburgh. That was only just in time. The exhibition opened in November but finishes tomorrow!

I have mentioned this artist before. And not just the once.

On Thursday (17^th) we made post-haste to see the exhibition before it closed.

One of the first of his pictures previously unfamiliar to me was The Long Shadows painted, like so much of his work, in the grounds of Kellie Castle in Fife. This photo does not do it justice:-

Lorimer was a good portraitist. One of the paintings on show depicted the ordination of elders in a Scottish Kirk. The figures were so lifelike in all their Calvinistic awfulness I couldn’t bear to inflict it on myself or you.

This portrait is of Lorimer’s architect brother Robert Stodart Lorimer, who designed over 300 War Memorials including the Scottish National War Memorial which lies in Edinburgh Castle:-

Typical of Lorimer’s painting of light and very like Spring Moonlight (see first link above) in its use of candlelight is Grandmother’s Birthday:-

Maternal Instinct by contrast contains very Victorian subject matter. Unfortunately reflections in the glass spoil this a little:-

The window in this one features in many of Lorimer’s paintings. I think this is The Birthday Party:-

Despite no overt lighting depiction this domestic subject is unmistakably Lorimer:-

Another fine portrait – of a lady. Unfortunately I forget whom:-

A well as oils Lorimer was very good with watercolour. This, The Gyles House, Pittenweem, is the house in Pittenweem to which the artist retired:-

Housework’s Aureole. In real life this treatment of light falling through a window onto a wall is superb. The photo is nothing by comparison:-

The exhibition’s poster image was Flight of the Swallows:-

Many more Paintings by Lorimer can be found at Art UK.

There are two formal gardens in the grounds of Glamis Castle.

Walled garden gateway:-

Walled garden interior:-

Italian garden entrance:-

Italian garden interior:-

Glamis Castle from Italian garden:-

Fountain in Italian garden:-

Italian garden and trees:-

In the castle grounds we found this “fairy ring” of fungi:-

Colourful fungi:-

Thee’s a frog in this one just below left of the leftmost mushroom:-