Today dawned bright but icy. But after a long period of rain
I had to get out on the bike. So, well wrapped up, I headed south.
 |
| The CBF on the back roads near Kirkconnel |
 |
| Thornhill |
 |
| Dumfries. It looks nice now but the River Nith flooded the
town last month. |
 |
| Al fresco dining in February! |
If you follow this blog you'll know that I like castles.
There are plenty of them in Scotland and there's nothing like an ancient pile
of rubble to improve the landscape. But today I'm seeking an older type of
fortification. Prior to stone, castles were made of earth and wood. These were
know as "motte and bailey" castles. The motte was a mound onto which
a keep was built and the bailey was an enclosed area. They were surrounded by a
ditch and timber palisade fence.
This type of castle was introduced by the Normans in the
11th century and replaced by stone castles by the end of the 13th century. A
good example of the motte and bailey is near the village of Haugh of Urr* in
Dumfriesshire. It was built in the mid 12th century and is notable for the size
of the bailey - about 5 acres - so space for a fair sized village.
* A splendid name - rhymes with the Scottish
"loch" - a sound not used in English - so they have trouble with
this.
 |
| The Motte of Urr |
 |
| Seeing it is one thing but getting to it another. Access is via
a ford - but not today. |
 |
| I doubt that a car or bike would ever be able to
cross the River Urr |
 |
| An aerial view shows
the layout. |
 |
| How it would have looked. |
 |
| The earthworks are in good condition 700 years after the castle was abandoned. |
 |
| Part of the ditch is filled with water - so this is the moat
around the motte |
 |
| From the top of the motte there is a good view along the
River Urr |
 |
| Spottes Hall in Haugh of Urr - a 18th century country house |
 |
| The church in Parton |
 |
| The 16th century old church in the grounds (it seems common
in Scotland to leave the ruin of an old church in the grounds of a newer one) |
 |
| Inside the old church is the grave of probably Scotland's
greatest scientist, James Clerk Maxwell. |
 |
| Snowdrops in the graveyard - the first flowers of the year
to bloom |
 |
| Parton |
 |
| Outside the town there is an old railway bridge over Loch Ken. I
would have liked to explore but it was well fenced off. |
 |
| The sun - a rare sight recently. |
No comments:
Post a Comment