Chatelherault, Scotland

I have missed the last few days blogging because we have been busy packing and traveling. 

On Thursday we went to Chatelherault - pronounced Shat-ler-oh. It was a hunting lodge for the Dukes of Hamilton. Hamilton is a town near Strathaven, about 15 minutes away. 

Here are pictures of the hunting lodge. 

View from the back: 

Off of the hunting lodge there are multiple trails you can walk. The longest one is 2 hours 50 minutes. We decided to walk the 17 minute trail and then the 45 minute trail. We got lost and took a wrong turn while trying to find the 17 minute trail and ended up doing a 90 minute walk. 

The trail was beautiful! 

We found wild raspberries and I ate a handful of them. They are sweeter than the raspberries you can buy in the store- they weren't sour at all. 

As we walked back up to the lodge through the fields we could hear bagpipes playing up at the lodge. A wedding had just taken place. It was so beautiful to hear the distant sound of bagpipes as we walked such a scenic view. Here are pictures of different plants and views we saw as we walked back up to the lodge.

Scottish thistle- state flower

This plant was covered in pods. Laura said she didn't know what it was but not to touch it. She thinks it must be poisonous because her mother always told her not to touch them. 

There were dandelions growing in the field that were bigger than my hand. They were so beautiful. I made a wish :) 

We had soup and tea in the cafe at the lodge. That orange drink is called Iron Bru. It is a Scottish drink and they sell more of that than we do Coca Cola in the states. Everyone always had it. Only 2 people know the secret ingredient and they aren't allowed to be in the same room together - interesting!

After Chatelherault we went to see the mausoleum in Hamilton. There was a tree called the monkey puzzle tree. The "leaves" were very sharp. It was an interesting tree. 

Frasier Furs - Christmas trees - grow wild everywhere in Scotland. And they grow to be so huge. They smell so wonderful.  

Everything that grows in Scotland is beautiful. 

For dinner we ate at the Strathaven hotel. I had a carb-filled dinner of Mac and Cheese and chips (fries)...this sounds like carb overload to us but that is on every menu everywhere in Scotland. It was delicious. Kevin had Steak and Mushroom pie and he loved it as well. For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding with ice cream -yum! Everyone in Scotland puts vinegar on their chips and then ketchup or brown sauce or whatever it is they wish to have that day. Now I don't think I will ever be able to have fries without vinegar! It makes them so good- try it!! When you see prices on the menu that is with the tax included. It's nice because you know exactly what your bill will be before they bring it out. 

After dinner we went to the Buck's- one of the few local pubs in Strathaven. Since it was a Friday night it was busier. Laura wanted us to see a weekend night at the pub. Kevin played pool with Allan (Laura's brother) and his friends...they are all really good at pool. And, it is different than in the US because the balls are smaller and lighter. The pockets are smaller and the table in general is smaller. I think I said in a previous post that the balls are not solids and stripes they are red and yellow...the color of one of Scotland's flags. They have 2 flags. The blue and white X flag and the red and yellow lion flag. 

Right outside of Buck's I spotted a sign that said Bryson one day when we were driving home and we had to get a picture by it because that is Kevin's nephew - Bryson! :)