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Today was gloriously sunny, apart from a couple of hours in the middle that were dull.
We started by visiting Threave Castle, which is in a particularly beautiful setting on an island in the middle of the River Dee. It's accessed by a half mile walk from the car park, followed by a short boat trip. It was the home of the 'Black' Douglas Earls from the late 14th century until their downfall in 1455.
The surrounding area is a nature reserve and hosts a breeding pair of ospreys during the summer. However, they've given up waiting for our summer to start and left a week or two earlier for sunnier climes.
However, as today was sunny, we lowered Dawnie's top before moving on to Dundrennan Abbey. Established in 1142, this is another example of a Cistercian Abbey. It was also where Mary, Queen of Scots spent her final night in Scotland in 1568. After crossing the Solway Firth to Workington, the English imprisoned her. Nowadays, the abbey has a little quiz for visitors. With a score of 100%, I received a sticker!
Flushed with success, we next visited MacLellan's Castle in Kirkcudbright. Built in the late 16th century, the L-plan tower house was home to the MacLellan family until they sold it in 1752. From 1782 to 1912, it was held by the Earls of Selkirk.
Nestling on the outskirts of Gatehouse of Fleet, Cardoness Castle is a well preserved tower house perched upon a hill and from the top gives stunning views of the surroundings, including the mouth of the Fleet.
Owned by the de Kerdernes family, the story of their downfall is quite dramatic. Desperate for a son after fathering 9 daughters, when his wife was pregnant again the Laird threatened that unless it was a boy he would drown her and all daughters in the Black Loch and take another wife. Therefore, upon the birth of a son, there was great joy and relief. It being midwinter and the loch firmly frozen over, the Laird gave a great party on the loch. Suddenly, the ice gave way and all were drowned, excepting one daughter who had stayed away due to illness.
Going further back in time, we paused at Cairnholy, the site of two Neolithic chambered tombs.
Next followed a couple of abbeys. First up, Whithorn Priory is a medieval abbey that also served as a cathedral and was home to Premonstratensian Canons, aka White Canons. Then Glenluce Abbey, home to another group of Cistercian monks.
Between the two abbeys, we stopped at Port William to admire the view of Luce Bay.
We then drove onto The Rhines and had a quick look at the Kirkmadrine Stones, some of the earliest Christian memorial stones in Britain.
We then continued to the southernmost point in Scotland, Mull of Galloway. The lighthouse here was built in 1830 by Robert Stephenson. I'm sure I could make out the Isle of Man in the distance.
Finally, we headed for Stranraer for the night, where I enjoyed a Balmoral Gourmet Burger, consisting of burger, cheese, bacon, onion rings and haggis, at the Custom House.
Today, we drove 164 miles.
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