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It's almost time for another Davis Cup semi-final in Glasgow. Therefore, today I left home at the early hour of 6am in the hope of beating the worst of the traffic. It worked, as after 3 hours I made it to Tebay Services, where I enjoyed a second breakfast of sausage, bacon, egg, beans, toast, black pudding and haggis - lush!
So far, the weather had been misty and overcast. But as I sat eating brekkie and admiring the views of the mountains, the sun started to penetrate the mist - which made for a stunning scene. It also meant it was time to get the top off my Little Minx (MX-5).
Being well ahead of schedule, I decided to stop at Craignethan Castle. Built by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart, it's one of the few castles to feature a caponier, which I'd never seen before. This is a stone built structure spanning the floor of the great ditch. It has loop holes in the walls so defenders could fire on attackers. However, flaws in the design, like poor firing lines and an enclosed space that soon filled with choking gun powder, proved it's undoing. Therefore, it was a bit of a disaster.
Sir James was also a bit of a disaster. A favourite of James V - he was appointed the Royal Architect and helped design aspects of Stirling Castle. He fell from grace after being accussed of treason, and was executed. The surviving family supported Mary Queen of Scots, even after her abdication when they sheltered her. After a short seige, they surrendered and the castle was destroyed to render it useless - just 50 years after being built!
It was then just a short 40 minute drive to my hotel in Glasgow. As it wasn't check-in time, I left the the Minx in the hotel's car park and wandered into the City Centre to have a look around.
For tea I popped into Ed's Easy Diner, as I had a voucher for 50% off all food which had to be used today. So I tucked into a cheese and bacon burger and cheesy chips followed by waffles with marshmallows and chocolate sauce. Might as well start my holiday as I mean to go on!
Then I walked off a couple of calories getting back to the hotel.
Today, the Little Minx and I drove a grand total of 345 miles.
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