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Today was overcast but dry, until late afternoon when the sun made an appearance, accompanied by the odd shower! Still, I managed to get the roof down for all today's driving.
After a lovely night followed by a yummy breakfast at Burnett House, I left Dumfries and headed for Drumlanrig Castle, self-billed as "one of Britain's grandest castles".
The castle is the Drumfriesshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The Duke is the largest landowner in Scotland, with some 280,000 acres! Our guide for the castle tour was Claire, who was very entertaining and informative.
After the tour, instead of following the rest of the group into the tearoom, I enjoyed a 40 minute walk around the grounds. By the time I got back to the tearoom, it was a lot quieter. I ordered a toastie of local delicacies - cheddar from Lockerbie and haggis from Dumfries. Delicious!
My next port of call was Dumfries House which, rather than being in the county of Dumfries and Galloway, is over the border in East Ayrshire! Built in 1750 for the 5th Earl of Dumfries, it was inherited in 1814 by the 2nd Marquess of Bute. In 2007, the 7th Marquess sold it to the nation for 45 million pounds, due to the cost of the upkeep. The contents had been due to go to auction until the Prince of Wales heard of it and organised fundraising. The contents include a lot of the original 18th century furniture, many of which are specially comissioned Chippendale pieces. These alone are worth more than the amount paid.
The house tour, conducted by Roger, was again entertaining and informative. The grounds include a restored walled garden, an arboretum, a woodland walk and facilities for the community including an art school.
I then drove to Blackburn Villa B&B in Ayr, where the propietor Karen and I reminisced about when I was last here two years ago, and Dawnie's roof wouldn't close. Karen proved very helpful back then, which is why I chose to stay here again.
I took a short stroll into the Town Centre for a meal at The Treehouse consisting of a Shin Beef Burger (pulled beef) and fries, followed by Toffee Apple Crumble.
Today, the Minx and I only drove a paltry 63 miles - hardly worth the effort!
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