July 16, 2007
We left St. Andrews and drove south along the Scottish coast back toward Edinburgh. We had several days to explore before leaving the United Kingdom so we took the smaller slow roads to see the charming towns in the area.
Elie and Earlsferry are quaint coastal towns with attractive cottages and commercial fishing boats.
St. Monans Windmill was used in the production of salt. For many centuries, sea water was evaporated in shallow ponds nearby to produce “bay salt.”
We tried to stay on the back roads but were very surprised to discover how narrow they were. There was hardly any room for passing farm equipment:
A summer parade was another challenge:
The Elie Ness Lighthouse:
Hard to believe it was the middle of July. People in wetsuits were enjoying cold-water sports!
Hearty people were eating and drinking outdoors in the summer sun:
Culross Palace was built between 1597-1611 by Sir George Bruce, Laird of Carnock. Bruce was a successful merchant who established a coal mine near the town.
Caerlaverock Castle is a triangular medieval fortress, complete with a moat.
The trebuchet in the photo below is a modern reproduction of the popular catapult used in medieval times before the advent of gunpowder.
Dundrennan Abbey, near Kirkcudbright, was a Cistercian monastery established in 1142 by Fergus of Galloway. Mary, Queen of Scots spent her last night here in 1568 before imprisonment by the English.
Orchardton Tower is a ruined tower house in Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries & Galloway Scotland. It was built in the late 1400s by John Cairns and used as a bakehouse and shelter for livestock, as well as living quarters. It is the only cylindrical tower house in Scotland.
