Europe

INVERARAY CASTLE IN SCOTLAND

Visiting Inveraray Castle was like stepping into a fairy tale.  It was probably one of our favorite things while in Scotland and I’m so excited to share it with you today.  You might have remembered how I mentioned in a few older blog posts how Brian is related to the Campbell Clan in Scotland through his Grandmother and it was one of the reasons we decided to visit beautiful Scotland.  That and the fact that the Christmas episode of Downton Abbey was filmed at Inveraray Castle made us even more excited.  Anyone else obsessed with Downtown Abbey as much as us?  I think it’s time to restart Season One again!

We were only able to visit the pretty little town of Inveraray for the day.  While staying in Edinburgh we were able to get there by taking the train and then the bus.  The bus stop is actually not that far from the castle, probably a 10 minute walk.  Wow, was the weather ever crazy that day!  You can tell by the photos below, we had beautiful sunny skies, clouds, rain, warm weather, and hot weather.   It really is true what they say about weather in Scotland, it can change in a split second.

I must say Inveraray Castle is one of the prettiest castles I’ve ever seen in real life!

      

The inside of the castle is absolutely gorgeous with so much attention to detail.  I especially loved the dining room that was created in 1770 as times changed and fashion and entertaining became more popular.  The gold ships on the dining room table are such a unique touch!

Below you see the Campbell family blue tartan pattern on the canopy bed,  I can’t get over the gorgeous carvings on the bed, especially the barley twist, I’m obsessed with barley twist!  Brian also bought a kilt in the family pattern.  I’m excited for him to wear it, he says man skirts are really comfortable and breezy… too bad he can’t wear it during Texas summers.

Their entire castle is not open to the public, people still live there, but there were still plenty of rooms to explore and it’s absolutely still worth a visit!

 

At the ground level there are a few more areas to explore, such as the original kitchen, a gift shop and my favorite, the restaurant, where you can eat indoors or outdoors in the garden.

After exploring the inside of the castle we had a bit of lunch and then went out to explore the garden.  There were big windy trees and grassy trails with flowers and vines.  In the background of the castle you can see the mountains and hills of Scotland.

After spending several hours at the castle we went to explore the town of Inveraray.  The Inveraray Inn has a great spot to grab a drink or a bite, and there were many more charming places around the town.  Everything is easily within walking distance, and we especially enjoyed taking in the water views of the lake.

One thing we realized while on our European trip is how much we love exploring smaller towns.  Don’t get me wrong, big bustling European cities are pretty awesome, but we really do get the most satisfaction from visiting smaller, quieter towns.  We’ve decided the next time we stay in Scotland we’re going to just stay in Inveraray or around the Scottish Highlands, the beauty of this area is just unreal!

 

 

Laura

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