This is the famous Rosslyn Chapel! Made famous, recently, by Dan Brown's references (mostly erroneous) to it in the Da Vinci Code. It was well worth the visit, not just for the sarcastic comments of the Scottish tour guides in reference to Dan Brown and his horrific research, but for the sake of the fabulous stone carvings all over the building. I wish I could've taken pictures in there, but we weren't permitted to. This chapel was founded by Sir William St. Clair, 3rd prince of Orkney in 1446. Someone said of him:
'William, with his age creeping upon him... came into his mind to build a house for God's service, of most curious work . . . that it might be done with greater glory and splendour.' It took 40 years to build and ended up being much smaller than the original plans due to the death of Sir William.
Just down the way are the ruins of the Rosslyn Castle. There is hardly anything left of it, actually. This wall you see behind us and a couple of other old remnants, like the ones below. It was built way up on this protruding, rock, however, and would have been quite a fortress in its day.
After we left Rosslyn, we drove out in the middle of nowhere to Borthwick Castle. It has been converted into a hotel and we were not able to tour the inside of it. This view of the castle allows you to see the two towers and get a good idea of the distance between them. The story goes that prisoners who were kept in this castle could 'jump for their freedom'. This means that any prisoner who could jump from one tower to the other could go free. Scary, ey? I'm sure
Then we went down the road to Thirlestane Castle. This place had the most amazing plaster ceilings on the inside, but as usual, we were not allowed to take pictures while inside the building.
This castle had it origins in the 13th century and has been the long-time home of the Maitland Family. The Maitlands came across to England with William the Conqueror in 1066.
This is a view from inside the courtyard where the servant's quarters are located.
Thirlestane is a grand building, but it is lacking in a grand garden to match. I was a bit disappointed by that because I like wandering in the formal gardens. This view of us was taken in what little of a garden their was. After our visit here, we drove north-east to North Berwick and were able to visit the Tantallon Castle ruins.
Tantallon Castle might possibly be the place where King Arthur's legend originated. It's on a dramatic outcropping of coastline cliffs. Oliver Cromwell's army visited here in 1651 and left it battered and broken. This castle was the home of the Douglas family for generations. There was a later split within the family and Tantallon was left under the control of the "Red Douglases", sporadically in conflict with the "Black Douglas" side of the family. You have to love family feuds.
The picture above is of Bass Rock, an island about a mile out in the Firth of Forth, and it's light house--constructed in 1902. Bass Rock is a volcanic rock and is 351 feet high at the peak. No one lives out there, but it was once inhabited by a Christian hermit and there are the remains of a chapel on it.
This picture is of Douglas Tower, which in its normal state housed 6 floors of accommodation.
Here Mom and I are standing in front of the Mid-tower and the picture below has me standing out on the East tower
I noticed this little piece of metal poking out of the walls. Just think how long it has been in this spot.
This is the famous Rosslyn Chapel! Made famous, recently, by Dan Brown's references (mostly erroneous) to it in the Da Vinci Code. It was well worth the visit, not just for the sarcastic comments of the Scottish tour guides in reference to Dan Brown and his horrific research, but for the sake of the fabulous stone carvings all over the building. I wish I could've taken pictures in there, but we weren't permitted to. This chapel was founded by Sir William St. Clair, 3rd prince of Orkney in 1446. Someone said of him: 'William, with his age creeping upon him... came into his mind to build a house for God's service, of most curious work . . . that it might be done with greater glory and splendour.' It took 40 years to build and ended up being much smaller than the original plans due to the death of Sir William.
Just down the way are the ruins of the Rosslyn Castle. There is hardly anything left of it, actually. This wall you see behind us and a couple of other old remnants, like the ones below. It was built way up on this protruding, rock, however, and would have been quite a fortress in its day.
After we left Rosslyn, we drove out in the middle of nowhere to Borthwick Castle. It has been converted into a hotel and we were not able to tour the inside of it. This view of the castle allows you to see the two towers and get a good idea of the distance between them. The story goes that prisoners who were kept in this castle could 'jump for their freedom'. This means that any prisoner who could jump from one tower to the other could go free. Scary, ey? I'm sure
Then we went down the road to Thirlestane Castle. This place had the most amazing plaster ceilings on the inside, but as usual, we were not allowed to take pictures while inside the building.
This castle had it origins in the 13th century and has been the long-time home of the Maitland Family. The Maitlands came across to England with William the Conqueror in 1066.
This is a view from inside the courtyard where the servant's quarters are located.
Thirlestane is a grand building, but it is lacking in a grand garden to match. I was a bit disappointed by that because I like wandering in the formal gardens. This view of us was taken in what little of a garden their was. After our visit here, we drove north-east to North Berwick and were able to visit the Tantallon Castle ruins.
Tantallon Castle might possibly be the place where King Arthur's legend originated. It's on a dramatic outcropping of coastline cliffs. Oliver Cromwell's army visited here in 1651 and left it battered and broken. This castle was the home of the Douglas family for generations. There was a later split within the family and Tantallon was left under the control of the "Red Douglases", sporadically in conflict with the "Black Douglas" side of the family. You have to love family feuds.
The picture above is of Bass Rock, an island about a mile out in the Firth of Forth, and it's light house--constructed in 1902. Bass Rock is a volcanic rock and is 351 feet high at the peak. No one lives out there, but it was once inhabited by a Christian hermit and there are the remains of a chapel on it. 
This picture is of Douglas Tower, which in its normal state housed 6 floors of accommodation.
Here Mom and I are standing in front of the Mid-tower and the picture below has me standing out on the East tower
I noticed this little piece of metal poking out of the walls. Just think how long it has been in this spot. 
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