Scotland

David and I have just enjoyed a wonderful few days break in Kirkcudbright. We used to visit every year when the children were small, in our caravan, so it was great to visit old haunts. It was part of a research trip for my next book but a lovely holiday too.

Broughton House on High Street was the home of the artist E A Hornel, which still has his studio, exactly as it was in his time, and a beautiful Japanese style garden.

Broughton House

The harbour on the River Dee was lovely too, at one time a thriving port with regular imports of coal and lime and exports of grain, oatmeal, potatoes, wool and general farm produce. Now with only a few fishing boats in, but fishing is popular in this region.







 
There's also a marina for leisure boats.

And here's MacLellan's castle, little more than a ruin but with a fascinating history, and so long as you have a good imagination you can see it was once a most imposing town house for the laird. Building started in 1449 and Sir Thomas moved in five years later where he entertained James VI. It was meant to show off his wealth, which unfortunately didn't last.

MacLellan's Castle